Oh, Those Ugly Stairs!!!

One of the biggest updates on my to-do list was my basement.  I included the whole basement in there as EVERYTHING needed updating.  The stairs, the walls, the floors.  My main bathroom was priority #1 in the home, but now that that project is complete, I could focus my attention on the basement.

The dark, dungy basement!  Certainly not too appealing a place!

It's such a great room of the house but has no appeal!!!

I first started with the stairs.  I had researched numerous before-and-after pictures of others re-doing their stairs, and I concluded that I liked hardwood floors.  But I had a mess to get through to get to the original wood.  Let me see if I can describe this in full.  My basement stairs had a soft, red protective cover that was held down by metal on the edges.  Below this cover was a coat of black paint that was painted over brown paint.  The red mats appear to have replaced previous mats, or else the owner simply painted around the red mats, as some exposed wood was beneath the red mats.

The stairs after removing the red pads as seen on the basement floor.

Certainly sturdy but just not much to look at!

Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me.  I tried paint remover, but that was quickly becoming a mess.  A very dirty mess.  I tried sanding, but I didn't like that method, either...my sander simply wasn't penetrating the two layers of paint.

So before I could even start the project, I did an about-face and went an entirely new direction!  Instead of bringing back the original hardwood which was appearing very elusive, I decided to just repaint the stairs in their entirety!

I first started with the vertical wood which I chose to paint white.

Painting the stairs...

It's lookin' great!

I then pulled out my $1 paint from Wal-Mart and started painting the horizontal pieces.  I had debated going with a black-and-white theme, but the more pictures I found, the more I realized that my home didn't quite match up with such fancy stairs.  I am happy with the colors I chose...the results are simply night and day.

Now painting the horizontal portion with my cheap $1 paint!  :)

I am beyond thrilled with the results!!!

I opted to keep the iron railing off of the new stairs.  I feel like the piece is from 1960 and doesn't match the new look I am going for.  I LOVE the new stairs.  It's amazing what a little work can do.  :)  Now that the stairs are fixed, I am forced to continue updating the rest of the basement!!!  Oh, what work this is going to be!!!  But what a GREAT start!

Shutter Time!!!

I don't know if it's a gift or a curse, but one of the easiest things for me is making an idea list immediately while walking through a home.  I instantly categorize what needs to be done and can usually prioritize things on the spot.

Well, when I bought this Cleveland home last year, I knew without a doubt that one of my biggest desires was for more curb appeal.  And that curb appeal would come instantly in the form of shutters.  I could tell that this home used to have shutters, but some time ago, they were removed for whatever reason.  I love brick homes, but this home just needed some color!!!

I love this home, but something is missing!!!  I need some accenting color!!!

So I was off to shop for shutters.  It's funny to me, too, just how passionate some people can be about certain things.  Well, in my research about how to measure shutters, I came across a gentleman who is all things shutters, and he actually influenced me greatly!!!  You can read all about shutters here (More Than You Care to Know About Shutters).  However, I warn you:  You will NEVER look at shutters the same way again...and will probably realize that your shutters on your own home are installed improperly.  You've been warned!  :)  I learned soooooo much, and I took it upon myself to pass that knowledge on to my sister, too.  Now we can't drive down the street without noticing the 90% fail rate of proper shutter installation!

It's basically simple.  The shutters we see today on homes are simply an extension of the original purpose of shutters back in the 1800's and early 1900's.  The difference is that today shutters are for aesthetic purposes only.  They don't open or close or even turn with the louvres.  They quite simply give the appearance of actually being useful...that's it.

So with that said, the easiest way to figure out if a shutter is installed properly is to picture it in 1850!  Could the shutter close on its hinge and fully cover the window glass from top to bottom?  If so, would it cover the window from left to the middle (probably the biggest failure of current shutters)?  Of course, it can get a wee bit complicated when you have curved windows (your shutter better be curved, too!) or windows in between windows.  But for simplicity's sake, a shutter should cover a window fully.

Well, after much research and pricing, I did what any sane man would do.  I went with something that would look good...be reasonably priced...fit in with the neighborhood...and not hold up to the shutter test.  Yes, much to my own dismay, I had to break the shutter rules!!!

But, alas, that's the route I took.  I debated long and hard between maroon and blue shutters and even cheated by playing around with shutters and my actual house on the internet.  I chose blue.  I ordered eight of 'em from Lowe's and eagerly awaited for them to arrive!

I don't think I knew exactly what I was getting into, but that seems to be typical for me anymore!  ha!  I had to purchase a couple masonry bits, and I used my battery-powered drill for the power.  But even then, this was going to be a project that required some muscle!

Going off a tip from the internet, I measured the depth needed for the masonry anchors.  I then took a piece of masking tape and put that same measurement on the drill bit.  Now I would know when I needed to stop.  I then started drilling through the 1939 mortar!!!

Long story short, I would have to drill six holes in each shutter.  They were to be 3 inches deep.  So I had to drill 8 shutters...6 times...3 inches.  In other words, I would end up drilling through 12 feet of mortar.  OUCH!!!  No wonder my arm was tired!!!

But the final result is worth it.

My house before shutter installation.

The house is completely transformed!  So much more "home-y"!

The home as seen from across the street.

Such a small change.  Such a big difference.

The shutters only cost me $165.81.  Add in the drill bits, anchors, and ladder rental, and I was able to transform the look of my exterior for $200.  I LOVE it!!!

Good-Bye Bright Orange Shelf!!!

When I first bought this house, I had a rather large list of to-do's that I knew had to be done.  The biggest ones (or most desired) were pursued with fervor, and others would remain on the list untouched until their due time.

Well, one of those early list-makers was tackled today.  This home has a cute little "breakfast nook" room that I think would be one of the most-used rooms in the house.  When I purchased the home, this was a playroom.  Seeing as how I have no kids, I wanted to make it a cozy room with a loveseat and fireplace.  It came with a bookshelf that I chose to keep...but a very, VERY bright orange bookshelf.  I wanted to change the color.

I had some unused $1 paint from Wal-Mart that would do just the trick.  One day I was walking through Wal-Mart and saw a cart full of gallons of paint.  These cans had been custom-ordered, but for whatever reasons, the customer didn't like the color and left the store without them.  A full gallon of paint for $1?!  Absolutely!!!  I had originally picked them up for birdhouses, but the paint is good for anything!

So I pulled out one of the gallons and started painting the bright orange shelf.  I chose a soft-chocolate brown color that I ended up loving.

This children's playroom was a little bit too "loud" for me.  :)

What a change!  I love it!

The shelf coming together!

I was quite surprised at the tedious work involved...it turns out that there is more surface area to a shelf than you think!  But when you see the goal come closer and closer to reality, it sure makes it a whole lot easier to finish a project.

A brand new room!  New shelf, new curtains, painted floor trim.

So much more professional!  I am so pleased with the results.

I am absolutely THRILLED with how the shelf turned out!  This room is one step closer to bein' oh so comfy-cozy.

A New Front Door!

Some projects are just better left unstarted.  :)

One of the best traits of a 1939 home is the woodwork throughout the entire home.  I have original hardwood floors, wood trim where the ceiling meets the walls, HUGE oak planks for my floorboards, and gorgeous window trim throughout.  There is not an ounce of plywood to be found, and I love it.  They just don't make houses like they used to.

The front door is no different.  But from mid-afternoon on, the sun just beats through the half-glass screen door.  Over the years, the protective finish over the stain gave in to the elements.  Once that was gone, the stain itself started giving way to the UV rays.  When I purchased the home, I found a beautiful walnut-stained door on the bottom half (where the sun couldn't hit), and a very faded and weather-beaten wood door on top where the sun pounded its rays for half a day every day.

The front door.  Notice the sun-beat faded wood on top.

The wood was lookin' bad on top...but beautiful on bottom!

Can you guess where my glass stormdoor window started?

So being the foolish man that I am, I decided to tackle this "little" project one day!  I simply pulled the door off its hinges and took it out to the front yard.  I grabbed a couple of pieces of sandpaper and started sanding.  Much to my belief, the wood sanded BEAUTIFULLY...sort of.  The part that had been sun-faded was so easy to sand.  The parts that still had the gloss finish on them...well, not so much.

The faded wood sanded oh so easily!!!  The rest?  Not so much.

Gorgeous wood was exposed beneath!  But the lacquer on bottom was nearly impossible to sand through by hand.

So here I found myself with a door that was sanded down to bare wood on top...and a urethane finish on bottom.  What to do, what to do.  Well, my little "sweat equity" only project turned into a little bit more of an expense.  After numerous painful sanding, I gave in and went and bought a power sander from Lowe's.

I came back and wondered why I had never puchased this hours before.  What a tool!

I still ran into the problem of breaking through the protective finish on the lower half of the door, though.  So I painted some paint remover over the surface, but that didn't work too well, either!  It did the trick on part of the door, but I think the best option was to let this door just sit out in the sun IN FULL for a year or so!  I just didn't have that option!  I sanded and sanded and sanded...

The door after using the newly-purchased power hand sander.

Closer and closer to a coat of stain!

After much work, lots of sanding (crevices are difficult), using abrasive chemicals and finally a power tool, I was ready to re-stain the door.  I had chosen a walnut color from Lowe's, and it was pretty close to the inside color of the door (which was still in great shape).  I put in a couple of coats, and the wood drank it up in full.

After the first coat of stain.

The door looks so much better!!!

The following day I painted some protective coat over the entire door.  It's beautiful!!!

Before and After!

I LOVE the end results of these little projects!  It makes SUCH a difference!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!! Here's a New...Bathroom?!

I can be my own worst enemy.

The only problem with completing a home project is that you turn your mind to WHAT ELSE needs fixed.  Well, I had just come off of two very satisfying bathroom remodel projects in my Cleveland home.  That could only mean one thing...

I wanted another bathroom to tackle!!!

I didn't have to look too far.

Mother's Day was fast-approaching, and my brother, sister, and I are always looking for creative gift ideas.  Well, leave it to me to come up with the wildest gift idea ever!  "Hey, what if we redid Mom's bathroom for Mother's Day?  She's been wanting an update for awhile, and I just wrapped up mine, so..."

That "so" could have easily been followed by "I'm about the most confident man out there in bathrooms right now, and I'm ready to tackle another easy project!!!"

Well, I wish I could say the answer was different, but my brother went along with the idea!!!  If we had only known!!!

The funny part is that I had planned in having the bathroom remodel project completed in 24 hours!!! I'm not kidding!  I had the whole project planned out.  I would fly in with peel-and-stick tiles from Cleveland.  My brother and I would install those over the old flooring.  We would then grout the tiles, paint the walls, install a new vanity, put the toilet back in place, and voila!

Sounds like a day project, right?!  IN MY MIND IT DID!!!

Mom and Dad's bathroom as I found it.  A wee bit dated.

Well, I went head first into our plan.  I flew in and arrived at Mom and Dad's with tiles.  The bathroom itself wasn't too bad, but it just needed some updates.  Mom had previously painted the vanity, but even that update was dated.  I did see something I didn't like, though...look at the discoloration around the toilet.  I just figured Dad had been missing while peeing (I'm not even joking!).  Little did I know...

Well, the first order of business was seeing what to do with the old linoleum.  I had considered putting the tiles right over the top of these, but that plan was quickly scrapped.  As soon as I removed the toilet, I knew that this simple little project would turn into a nightmare rather quickly.  For it wasn't Dad missing the toilet after all...

Why was this linoleum bleeding colors?!  This is not good, Andy, not good...

I had a broken flange on my hand!!!  And the toilet had been leaking for who knows how long!  (Actually, Mom could tell you!  She kept pressing Dad that it was more than just missing the pot, but needless to say, the problem was let go for years...).  Agh!!!

Well, I decided that I needed to inspect the floorboards.  So I took a utility knife and cut away the linoleum around the toilet.  But the more I cut, the more I realized that the rotten wood (and mold) had spread quite a ways.  The parts immediately around the flange looked in terrible shape, and I was afraid of what the rest would look like under the linoleum.  So in a decision that even I wasn't excited about, I knew I had to pull up the linoleum.  I had never done such a thing before, and it's obvious why some contractors just lay new linoleum on top of old.  This stuff is nearly impossible to get up!  I would spent way too many hours peeling and scraping up the very tore-up linoleum.  That glue is STRONG!!!

Agh, this project!!!  I had to keep reminding myself it was for Mom.  :)

Well, after pulling up the linoleum, it was obvious that the leak had been leaking for quite some time.  The floorboards around the toilet were ruined.  You could take a screwdriver and stick it straight through the wood into the crawlspace!  It had absolutely zero strength or support.  Yikes.  So I knew I had to replace it.  The good news was that the bad wood had been confined to the area around the toilet.  Phew.




The broken toilet flange and the wood that ripped apart in my hands.  What a mess.

But this small project turned big really quick.  My dad and brother both helped, so that was nice, but we were pressed for time!  This was only supposed to take 24 hours!

After removing the linoleum, I cut away the damaged floorboard.  We then installed some sideways supports between the floor beams for additional support.  I also bought a new plastic flange for the toilet.  I was also able to purchase a sink and vanity for only $49 at Lowe's.  I was pretty pleased with that!

Cutting out the old damaged floorboard.  What a project this turned into!

Once we removed the floorboards, the rest of the project actually wasn't all that terrible (as had been the plan the entire time!!!).  My sister came over to do her share (paint the room), and she did that while we worked on the floor.  I tell you, it was quite packed in there!  It's only 25 square feet!

The new tiles being installed.  I have already cut out my toilet hole!  Lookin' good!  Finally...PROGRESS!!!

My brother had to work, so I was left laying the tiles by myself.  That was fine by me.  The new floorboard was set, and I took the tiles and took the painstaking job of lining them up evenly (impossible with different size tiles!).  I did my best, though, and it turned out quite nicely.  I was pleased anyway.

I mixed up the grout and started to grout the tiles.  FINALLY, the project was actually starting to move forward.  But it wasn't going to be perfect.  For after laying the floor, it was time to set the vanity back in position.  Well, that was supposed to be ANOTHER easy project...except for the terrible job done by Dad several years ago!!!

He had replaced some drywall or plaster behind the sink after a leak, but he didn't really care about how it looked since it was behind the sink.  A poorly-done job was now rearing its head!!!  AGH, DAD!!!  So I had the unwelcome job of sanding and mudding to try to get the wall flat again for the new vanity!  There is always something with a remodel!!!

The original 1979 sink and vanity.  You're telling me blue marble swirl isn't in anymore?!

The new vanity!

Well, I was able to get the wall smooth, and after replacing the 1/4-turn shut-off valves (both leaked), it was time to set the vanity in place.  I installed the new plastic flange on the floor and the old toilet back on top, and all of a sudden, I had a new bathroom on my hands!

The old linoleum floor.

Replaced with new tile!

But wow, what a project that was!  Note to self:  Do NOT be so overly ambitious!!!  The project ended up being full of surprises!  But at the end of the day, the job was done right.  It was good that we found the leaky toilet and fixed that (good-bye mold!), although that was NOT a pleasant surprise.

Before!

After!

At the end of TWO DAYS, though, Mom had a brand-new bathroom!  And I had the satisfaction of bringing their 1970's and 1990's accents up just a few years.  Quite unexpectedly, I did have to leave a few projects undone during my stay.  The wood trim was left undone, the sink drain was left undone, and the toilet paper holder was left undone.  All three were completed by Dad after I left!  Hey, what can I say?!  I hadn't really expected the loss of a half a day due to a leaking toilet, right?!

Thanks, Pa!  :)

I already told Mom she would be getting something store-bought next year.

The Massive Bathroom Project Completed!!! Before and After Photos!



Well, it was quite a process.  But the hard work has paid off.  I've heard it said that the two most important rooms in a home are the kitchen and the bath.  I'm thrilled to have an updated bath now.  The work has all been detailed in previous posts.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some before and after pictures.

The bathroom before...

And After!

Before...



And After!



Before...

After!!!

Before...

After!!!

Before...

After!!!

Day Ten: The Massive Bathroom Project

Well, the only thing that was standing between me and a brand-new bathroom was putting it back together!  I had purchased a new vanity and sink combo from Lowe's, and I was reinstalling the original toilet.  And that was it!

Just waiting on a toilet!

Just waiting on a sink!

The new vanity and sink!

The toilet reinstalled!

It's hard to believe, but this monstrous bathroom project is finally complete!!!  I'm so thrilled.  I'll post the Before and After pictures side-by-side in another post.  But what a feeling of relief and contentment and satisfaction that this project is not only done...but looks great!  It's a brand-new room!

The completed bathroom!!!  I LOVE IT!!!