Sunday, October 13, 2013

Master bedroom {Before and After}

The Before:
 
 
Dark-Dusty and Full of Cats aka Fleas! See my killing fleas here.  I give the realtor an A for effort, made the bed and turned on lights. Another red flag or indication that the house may have issues is when on walk through, the house smells like air fresher and scented candles burn in every room.
 
 
 
The during:  That is our tub removed from the bathroom.
 
 
 
 
The After:  Bright and Clean-still very dull and in need of décor but I've decided to finish rooms before adding more décor to my house.  It does take everything I have to walk away from lamps and pillows.  I'm sure-I've never said finish in anything decorating I've done.





 
I left the fan and cleaned it : this is Houston people ! you need it.
Wouldn't these curtains be amazing !
Also from Cote De Texas
 



Sources:
 
Paint Restoration Hardware Silver Sage
 
Trim: Custom High Gloss white oil based, color matched
 
Bedroom Furniture is several years old bought at Star Furniture
 
Chair:  Pottery Barn
 
Lamps: Home Goods
 
Rug: Home Depot {carpet in the bedroom was a Hubby request}-he let me buy a house with fleas !
 
Bedding is a mix of Target and Overstock.
 
I'm working on hanging curtains.  Bold or Plain ?? I can't decide, I'd love your thoughts or show me what you've done.
 


Half Bathroom {Before and After}

 
This was the before:
 
 
 
I''m not a fan of Toile ( unless it's done right) as seen here
 Definitely not a red toile fan but the real problem with this room was the vanity, super low mirror and gold bar light.
My house is only 25 years old and I can't believe how short everything was...have we really grown so much taller in that short amount of time?
 
 
The After
 
 


 
Clean and fresh, it could really use some décor but it will have to wait.
 
Sources:
Wall Color BM Bone White
Vanity Lowes
Faucet and Light are from Overstock
Mirror:  Ballard Designs


Fun Homeowner Facts Friday

When taking ownership of your new house, be careful not to get so side tracked decorating that you neglect some normal maintenance.  It is a good bet that if the previous owner could not afford their mortgage payment, they are most likely not paying for maintenance.
 
For us, the first clean up issue was de-pooping the poop house
 
Within the first two days of ownership, we removed all flooring-tile, carpet, and even the stairs.  The hardwoods remained but were to be refinished before we moved in.
AC/ductwork cleaning and filter changed -that's another post
 
We were lucky enough to stay in our rental during improvements but I gave myself only two months to finish everything.
 
The How: De Funking the Funk.
 
 
 
 
Bleach will be your best friend buy it in bulk.
 
I bleached everything, walls, baseboards, window sills, cement on the ground floor.
 
Our house had numerous pets living here, we hired a bug company to come in and spray for bugs and fleas.  While removing walls and demoing bathrooms; we unlocked many roach sleeper cells.
 
I vacuumed under every base board and applied Diatomeceous Earth.
 
This is some Magical Powder!
 
This is the greatest NON toxic bug treatment ever !.
 
 
Diatomaceous Earth is an all-natural product made from tiny fossilized water plants called diatoms that are similar to algae. Diatomaceous Earth particles have razor sharp edges that let the particles cut through an insect's protective covering and dehydrates them. If the insect digests the Diatomaceous Earth, the particles will shred their insides.


The diatoms are mined and then ground up into a fine powder that has the look and feel of talcum powder. Diatomaceous Earth is not a poison and completely safe for you and household pets. This form of Diatomaceous Earth is used as a natural and effective pesticide. You want to remember to only use the food grade and this can bought at any gardening store or supplier.


Kills Bed Bugs, Fleas, Roaches, and other gross biting bugs.....its a Winner in my book.  You can also drink it for a Detox.  What ??? I know right . I spread it all over my house using a flour sifter.  I've used it since moving in and no one has had any reaction.  The only thing biting us is Mosquitos, sadly,nothing I can do about them.;(

 
 
Using diatomaceous earth to solve specific problems:
I've attached a PDF for you to print with Taking Ownership Doc

Good Luck !

Please comment and let me know that you were able to access and print the pdf !
 
 



Friday, October 11, 2013

Kitchen Remodel Part 1

The Kitchen in this house almost made me not want to buy it.  It really is where I spend most of my time and it needed quite a bit of work and I wasn't sure how that would fit into our budget. I wasn't sure I could live with things undone until the budget permitted finishing. 
 
Here is how it looked before we moved in:
 

The largest problem was that the kitchen is completely walled in. The walls, paint and low ceilings made it feel very tiny (Texas tiny) and defineatly tiny compared to the rest of the house.  There  was a large soffit that ran over the sink and jetted out.  The fluorescent light was so large and gave a dull light.  I got my handy sledge hammer and got to work.  My dad and I busted down both the light and soffit.  Rob did a majority of the over the sink repair. I did have a crew of sheet rock guys who finished the job. I replaced the fluorescent
light with can lights....or I should say I bought can lights and my electrician installed them.  I don't mess with electricity.

 
 
My second order of business was removing the tile.  Choosing new tile and grout was a gut wrenching experience.  The amount of choices out there make the final choice all that much harder.  I had several inspiration photos.
 
 
Stunning isn't it !  Love. I could move right in and not change a thing.  This photo is from Cote De Texas, if you don't stalk this blog, you should start.  This is where I chose my paint color for my whole house  BM Bone White.
 
I really wanted to do hardwoods in the kitchen but you access my pool through the kitchen door and I didn't want to lose my mind worring about water on the wood all day every day.  Tile it was.
 
 

Photo 2
 
Also from Cote De Texas, look at the terra cotta tiles, such a fresh and yet slightly different look.  These terra cotta tiles are not even close to being in my budget, so I hunted for a similar look.  I also had the problem of selecting tile that didn't have to match my counter tops, that change will happen in the second kitchen update.
 
I found a steal of deal at Tile, FloorsandDecor.  They shipped me samples at a great low price and I ended up choosing a tile very similar to this Maia.  My tile is no longer available. That's the trouble with liquidation stores, so buy more than you need and save the extras. I used Haystack grout from Home Depot. I recommend making a sample board if you are really not sure what color to choose.
 
Here is our in progress livable kitchen
 


 
 
 
 
Changing the lighting and paint made the most impact.  Next to do is backsplash, counters, and appliances, but I want a Thermador double oven so it will be awhile :)
 
Sources:
 
Painted Cabinets:  BM White Dove and Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation Sea Side on the island
Sink: Craigslist ;) Best find yet !
Faucet: Overstock
Cabinet hardware: Pottery Barn
Chandelier: Shades of light
Clock: Target
Lamps: Home Goods
Dresser: Big Lots 8 years ago
Curtain Rod: Pottery barn
Curtains: Ikea with Hobby Lobby clips
Chairs and Table:  Craigslist
Pumpkin Artwork: Painted by me
 
Framed artwork: http://jonesdesigncompany.com/  Love her blog !
 
Sharing at:
 
I will work on the button thing, I better with a drill and sledge hammer !
 
 
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