Remodel Purgatory...

My last post was pretty upbeat about the changes around the abode.  It was optimistic and cheerful.  I was hopeful of quick turnaround on the whole process and figured by the end of September I would be relaxing in my newly redone home.

My disposition has changed.  I'm less patient.  I'm tired.  I'm sore.  My fingers are sore and in some instances, bloody.  Instead of springing out of bed eager to get going I wonder if I could sleep for just one more hour and then I'd have the energy of Superman and I could get this whole project done in one or two more days.  Sure.  Right.  Did I mention I have a thyroid issue that is still under trial and error treatment?  I feel about as UNsuperman as possible.  

This is all Dobby's fault.  


It all started one fine September day when I decided the (ugly) blue carpet in our 1950s built home must come up.  Dobby is not capable of being potty-trained and has determined to prove this by utilizing my (ugly) blue carpet.  It was either Dobby or the carpet - one of them had to go.  Since I paid a lot for Dobby and I think he's cute, and I hate my carpet, I opted to keep Dobby and wave goodbye to the carpet.  Besides, earlier renovation had proven we have some decent hardwood beneath that ugly carpet.  


Whether the following thought processes were a result of bipolar disorder or OCD, I may never know, but I was clearly cloudy-minded when I thought this would be a "little" project.  I was so far from rational and clear-minded that I now want to grab Kyle by the lapel and ask him "WHY, KYLE, WHY??? Why did you let me do this to us???"  (He would simply remind me of how I get when I'm ... manic.  I get a bit hyperfocused.  Driven.  One might say, stubborn.  

Oh, mania.  You are so deceiving.  You make me feel like I could conquer any old project in a day and a half.  You hide the costs and potential problems so that I see only the beauty of the plan.  You make me energized and gung-ho to get going. 


What happened in my mind went something like this.  "Okay, we're pulling out the carpet and scrubbing up the hardwood underneath.  But I've been wanting to paint this room.  I should probably paint before pulling carpet, otherwise I have to tape and put plastic over the flooring and try not to get paint on the floor (at which I am horrible).  It would make far more sense to paint and THEN remove carpet.  And since I'm going to paint, now would be the time to pull that awful wallpaper that bubbles and ripples when painted over.  It was a fairly easy job in the craft room when I redid that room."


I bought the needed supplies at my local Home Depot and eagerly embarked on the job of scoring, spraying, scraping.  And then I scored, sprayed, scraped, scored, sprayed, scrubbed, sponged, scraped and scraped.  And I was only down to the third layer of wallpaper.  I would soon learn that my old home's walls had FIVE layers, one of which included some odd plaster haphazardly placed.  I may or may not have cried out of sheer frustration.  When I got to the final layer, of which I last blogged, I had to admit the paper was kinda cute even though at this point I wanted to burn the house down.


Today, about 20 days into this project, I finally got to step 2 - repairing walls with joint compound and putty knives.  It was a bit cathartic, slapping wet goop onto the wall and smoothing it out.  Except that the perfectionist OCD in me really wanted it perfectly smooth, even though she knew that she would be sanding it down later anyway.  Sigh.  Much more frustration ensued, but I think I may be close to getting to the painting part.  


Which is good, because soon Home Depot will be doing the flooring part.  Did I mention that the hardwood floors I just knew would be beneath that ugly carpet didn't extend to the addition that was built at a later point than the original house?  All that exists in that area is some sort of sub-flooring I never really want to see again.  This project is costing a lot of dough, and I will probably have to substitute teach for the rest of my life to pay for it.  If I live that long.  

But at least when I get home from work I'll be able to relax in a lovely redone home. 


I can't wait to reveal the final look.  Who knows when that will be!  I will also be blogging a recap of my 30 before 30 list and revealing my 40 before 40 list.  If my fingers are still around.  Until then, I will be sanding, painting and sneezing.  And visiting the allergist.  

Nesting...

I'm in love with making my home pleasant, beautiful and homey.  Kyle bought our house right before we met.  In fact, it was how we met.  We've been living in this home for five years together and slowly making it "ours".  This is probably the longest I've ever lived in one house, and I love the idea of making it ours and enjoying it for the rest of our lives.  It's a modest home.  It has three bedrooms.  Our master bedroom is in the basement.  The two bedrooms upstairs are going to be Kyle's craft studio/office and my craft room/writing studio.  His is painted teal and mine is painted lavender.  Those rooms have been redone by me previously.  The kitchen has been redone by me, and besides the addition of a pantry and island, is finished.  The basement was remodeled thanks to the great basement flooding of last September.  So this project will pretty much complete major household repairs except for the sunroom.

I am presently stripping out all the old wallpaper in preparation for painting with Benjamin Moore's Coventry Gray.  With white trim, this color us uber warm and absolutely lovely. 

Usually I love every step of the remodel process.  However, this wallpaper is really tough to remove and I have been stripping wallpaper every day since Saturday.  The wallpaper is EVERYWHERE throughout the house.  It's been painted over THROUGHOUT the house.  Then, it appears that some areas have THREE layers of wallpaper.  And although retro-adorable, it's become the bane of my existence.  

I know this is going to be worth it in the end, but this wallpaper removal has been a nightmare.  Basically, counting the three layers and the plaster and paint I've got about five layers to get through.  My arms are pooped.  Even the smelly chemical peelers haven't helped a great deal.  I really, really, really hope to be done with the wallpaper tomorrow.  Then I can start the part I really enjoy - painting.  

When the painting is done, carpeting will be ripped out.  Some hardwood exists in some areas, but because this home has had several additions over the years, it is not certain where the hardwood begins and ends until the removal of carpet.  Because we're pretty certain there are some areas of no decent flooring, we had it measured today and we are probably going to have a pergo floor installed.  I am leaning towards this walnut shade from Home Depot:

 

After the paint is dry and the floor is installed comes the super fun part - decorating and organizing!  This will be another post.  For now, know that I have a redone entryway in the works (since we have no mudroom).  A picture wall (or two?) and some crown molding will make it all even sweeter.  Let's just hope this is all done before next year!