Foreword.
Tonight, we get to sleep in our new bedroom. It’s done. Kinda sorta. This morning, I’m going to show you pictures – since you asked so rabidly nicely. They’re not staged. Are you kidding!? I want praise for habitable.
To ensure our budget sees us through the entire project – we’ve assigned classes, stages, to the project. Habitable is Class A. The finishing touches – the cushions, the curtains, the crown moulding … that stuff comes later, when we know what we can afford. Class D. Plus this is an apartment. It’s little. We’re learning – slowly – you can only ask so much of it at once.
Renovating our bedroom - our first project in our apartment flip - was a farce of John Cleese proportions. Funny, first of all, that we thought we knew what we were doing.
Hello?… Ah, yes Mr O’Reilly, well it’s perfectly simple. When I asked you to build me a wall I was rather hoping that instead of just dumping the bricks in a pile you might have found time to cement them together… you know, one on top of another, in the traditional fashion.
#1. Moved into the living room
We’ve slept in the living room for weeks, wedged on a double mattress against the couch. Since we never properly unpacked (thinking it would be easier to keep clean?), we’ve ripped through boxes to find things in a hurry – making the couch a filing cabinet, First Aid kit, hardware supply, and linen cupboard combined. Sucky. Meanwhile, clothes are strewn just about everywhere, with buckets of joint compound and paint cans added for effect. There’s no such thing as ‘refugee camp chic.’
#2. Took out the wallpaper
Which was immediate progress and kind of fun.
#3. Obliterated the popcorn ceiling
Then skim coated the ceiling three times. We ate dust for days – but the results were more intoxicating.
#4. Found what really lies behind a plywood window valance
Answer? Nothing at all! Some empty space and then the outside world. Paolo – meet drywall tape. Please play nicely with each other.
#5. Started painting, freaked out
Painted in a distracted way – a bit here, there and everywhere. It was yellow – very yellow! But we learned to like it.
#6. Fought a stained ceiling
4 coats of paint and it still wants another (Tough. My arms hurt). Later ran out of paint somewhere in the closets and decided not to care.
#7. Lost a battle with vicious painters’ tape
I guess you have to take this stuff off when the paint’s wet? Or not stick it down very hard? I’d rather have made a mess cutting in and later cover it with crown moulding. It rather stung to peel off chunks of my perfect ceiling.
#8. Wrestled stubborn closet doors
Reaching a “well, now what?” moment – I thought it made perfect sense to paint inside the closets. Our mirrored sliding doors would just pop right out, right? No. No no no. If the doors were coming out, they were coming out. In a forever sort of way. We want to get rid of them but hoped to leave the decision to later – a Class C or D kind of decision.
#9. Laughed when the floor and the walls clashed
It so wasn’t funny. We picked up the laminate – “Hi, babies! I’ve missed you!” Strapped it in the back of our very big Swagger Wagon & got the hell out of the burbs. (Time over any bridge or tunnel is limited to 60 minutes at a time. After that, things start to itch).
We packed it into the van totally confident. We knew what we were doing. We even scored a new Home Depot dolly, to strut our stuff straight up to the apartment. Put it in a nice pile – who needs a dining table when you can have a stack of laminate? Decided we really didn’t have the self control & laid out half a floor of bedroom “just to see”. Shit. The floor is far more orange than I realized. It’s the laminate version of a tiger. The walls are lemony. Tigers don’t like lemons.
#10. Spent 5 times longer than we thought
It’s been interesting to realize just how much inner pep talk is required to shut the computer, chug the coffee, fire up the iPod and just get it done. The “Be! Aggressive! Be! Be! Aggressive!” you need to hear when the joint compound’s almost dry: I can sand it, prime it, paint it. Get it done.
One day, you will get to unpack your clothes and iron and hang them.
Most distasteful? The creeping feeling of ugliness that comes from extended chaos. I haven’t loved the last week much at all – and remain slightly panicked about sharing this messy world with 3 house guests starting tomorrow. But I think I like step 11.
#11. Showed off the before, the during – and the “75%” after
More?
Just, y’know, mentally add some white baseboard and maybe some furniture. Does it stretch the imagination too much? If so, give us a few weeks. ***Update: or a year. See the bedroom now (90% finished).
I love the floor! I can’t wait to see it all with moulding and furniture, I’m sure you can’t wait either!!
Thanks Karrie – and, yes, patience is definitely slim on the ground these days. Is that a really wretched flooring pun?
Love the “after”…and I’m to go vote for you to proudly display your beaver right now!!
Eeeee hee hee — that never stops being grade-school naughty. Thanks Shannon!
Whew. I thought I was the only one who had a naughty “beaver on display” thought going on. LOL
Certainly not – but don’t tell.
I’m digging the floor, too! And dang, the wallpaper/mirror combo from the before pictures is blinding!
Thanks Liz – not missing the mirrors… at least not yet.
Have just duly voted. If I lived in Canada I would rap on their door as well, just to make sure you got the award. The bedroom looks fabbo. But do you know what I love best? That you, like me, are somewhat impatient and – dare I say it (insides of cupboards and lack of paint?) – cut corners. I that the ‘after’ photo isn’t really after. None of my house is either. My whole house is either ‘during’ or ‘not-quite-finished’. I say we start a magazine of home “not quite” makeovers, whaddaya say?
How funny that you noticed my sneaky little trick. It’s a whole heap of “please bear with us while we just….. while we just…..”. (And “somewhat” impatient is the kindest thing I ever heard). Thanks for voting, too – appreciate it!
Let us please start the “not quite” magazine – restore sanity everywhere.
Voted for you! Good luck!
Thanks Ivy!
WOO HOOO!!! Totally voted for you. Loving the progress!!!
Thanks Nicole! Loving having-a-bedroom-back!
Love the progress.
Voted for you.
Don’t like the captions within the pics.
Thanks.
Thanks Marcella!
Lemons and tigers and beavers… oh my!
Congrats on a job well done (or almost). It looks great! And I think once you add all the white (trim, bedding, furniture, per your design inspiration), it’s going to be absolutely buy-me-now perfect!
Best new blog? You betcha! You got my vote!
A total zoo around here! Thanks very much Sally – and definitely hope the finishing touches pull it all together.
I just voted for you. Good luck!
You’ve made amazing progress with your bedroom. I love that you share it all and not just the pretty stuff. Too many blogs make it seem like renos are easy.
Thanks Amy – really appreciate it! (And as for the “ugly” – without it, I have nothing!)
I have voted for Ugly — good luck!!
I really like the laminate in your bedroom. You’re making good progress
Still can’t get over the wallpaper & mirrors in the original room…!!
Kelly
P.S. I have no idea if Henry is comfortable or slippery to sit on. I’m guessing No and Yes!! You can buy a cushion for him, which might make him more comfy and possibly slippery!! But I think a piece like that is mean to look cool and not necessarily be functional
Happy to hear that Henry’s definitely a boy. Thanks for your vote and the complimentary feedback – counts for triple coming from a designer!
I voted! I think it looks good, although I’m having trouble telling which yellow is the “real” yellow, LOL.
Ahh – yes – I meant to investigate the colour-correcting aspects of Photoshop & similar… hmm… stay tuned for that! Thanks Jessica!
Looks great!
I might consider moving to Canada to have a chance to have a cartoon beaver on my blog.
YES! And you can call it just-over-the-beaver-dam.blogspot.com
Love it!
Wahoo! That’s a 100% approval rating so far…. long may it last!
We just finished de poppcorning our last ceiling. There should be a survivors club !
Popcorned ceilings should be outlawed.
Congrats! Definitely in favour of the club – I’d like to head up Ministry of Propaganda, please.