Day 3: Desk nook progress

Another semi-IKEA hack: my desk nook.

I have my husband to thank for this one as he did all the measuring, sourcing and even accompanied me on the buying trip. Oh and he and I tackled the assembly on the IKEA cabinets which brought us to our knees this time.

MATERIALS

1. Unstained Butcher block is from LumberLiquidators.

2. Side cabinets are SEKTION Base Cabinet with 4 Drawers (15x15x30 with Veddinge door) from IKEA Kitchen. We assembled the cabinets and Matt installed them to look like custom built ins. The trick to this is to continue the base board behind the cabinets and then use a small scribe (piece of wood) to fill in the gaps between wall and side of cabinet. It needs to be caulked and painted but it is these details that make a successful hack look a bit more refined and complete.

3. I stained the butcher block with Saman Wood Stain in Urban Gray and viola...

I still need a chair and drawer pulls and perhaps something on the wall, but it's coming along!

Day two: Sheetrock

Day one: Insulation goes in

I am officially counting the days until we are done and since I can't get it together to do much more than post a picture, that is exactly what I am going to do for how many days it takes to get this project finished, starting today.

Close In Inspection passed!

We can officially say that we are in the homestretch and I don't think I need to knock on wood.

There is a big plastic sheet separating the interior of our home at the moment. On one side is Phase 1 - complete minus a few barn doors, towel hooks and breakfast nook cushions which are all on my to do list to complete. On the other side is Phase 2 - which is walls stripped to the studs, new electrical work, unfinished floors and consists of the entry, living room and front bedroom. It's not much really but it has caused heartache, backache and frustration. The road to Phase 2 was more difficult than the road to the whole rest of the house combined. But, now that we stand on the eve of an inspection that will allow us to close in the walls, I look around and I see the house exactly as it should have been. So for all the hard lessons learned and money that felt wasted in the last 10-12 weeks, I can stand at the front door and say this is right.

Insulation, sheet rock, baseboards, floors, paint: READY, SET, GO!

Stairs!

Jenni walked around the corner this afternoon and said "Oh, stairs!" Gotta love it that a 3 year old notices this stuff!

First they installed the pre-primed risers...

Then the test of the first tread...

And then ta da...

Now we just need to stain them so they match the rest of the floor! So stay tuned!

Our new front door!

Awesome door taken with bad lighting and at a bad angle. But you get the idea! This is getting real people!

Permit approoooved!

I have no picture or image to share. Basically the title says it all.

Let's get this *#%@^ show on the road!

The 1st look down on the 1st day of 1st grade

We're in. But not officially. Rather unofficially actually.

But we had to be in because First Grade is starting and we needed to be out of our rental house and we need to get this house done and we need to be finished with all of this chaos.

From up here, for just a moment, it all looks good.

Exhale.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Breakfast in a construction zone

Can't see beyond the mess

We are treading water. For 2 weeks our construction site has been quiet - which for some of our neighbors might be heaven on earth but for me it is agonizing because there is so much to do and we want to move back into our house and we need this project to be over.

But it's not and we're waiting for the changes to our permit to be approved and that is nothing we can do.

So I'll keep looking at the mess and all the corners and places and spaces that are in need of attention.

I love our new floors.

This was a really hard decision. It felt really important. Really visible. And really in need of the right practical decision too.

With a little help of a really skilled craftsperson who knows his hardwood floor options, we choose the engineered floor planks from Monarch Floors in a color called Foxley. Not too brown, not too gray, not too weathered, not too shiny, not too dark, not too light, not too narrow, not too wide.

They arrived and had a good 5-7 day acclimation period and then it was ready to go in...at least up to the plastic barrier that is separating the semifinished from the not at all finished.

Brought back to life

Do you believe in the soul of a house?

I do. I don't really know what else to call it but I believe buildings and spaces are alive and though they are merely a mixing together of wood and nails and sheetrock and paint, in their sum, they are something greater and it is in the tending of a house that transforms it into a home.

This is the home that my brother's and I grew up in. This is the home where we experienced joy and unexpected loss. It's the home that my mom lived in for 40 years. It's the home that for the last few years, through the uncontrollable circumstances of life, was beginning to show signs of neglect, distraction and stagnancy.

Today, I think we brought it back to life.

Over the last 9 months, with the unbelievable effort and help of family, friends and strangers we can officially say:

1005 is now a rental property. A legal, refinanced as a rental property property. It has House Rules and a signed lease. It's furnished and full of character. And though it's not perfect or updated to meet all of my design needs, it's good. Really good.

So as I am writing this, there is a new family, with two small children, spending their first night in a place that they will call home for at least the next year. Tomorrow they will open more cabinets and closets. Maybe they will stock a snack drawer in the kitchen. There will be new markings on the walls and stains on the furniture. There will be new habits formed and rhythms started.

And that is exactly what this old house needs.