Home reno/redecorating support group

[quartz]

So, of course, now that the hallway/stairwell project is almost complete, the main floor 1/2 bath which is off of the hallway, looks horrible. When we redo the kitchen, which is just a few steps down the hall from the bathroom, it will be lime and turquoise, and so I am thinking of a paler shade of the lime for this bathroom. That'll be my next paint project, even though I am still not done my galaxy-starry-sky-nebula painting in my bedroom.

 

[JoannaLouise]

All moved in! Still boxes everywhere, but it's looking a little less like a disaster around here.

This is the door knocker that came with the house (the previous owners had dogs). I like dogs, so I think we'll keep it.

The first thing I did was buy some chairs and flower baskets for the front porch. I also assembled the chairs myself - all 4 pieces.

Something I want to do is get a secretary desk or a china cabinet for the front hallway, because it looks a little empty at the moment. I inherited my grandmother's blue willow pattern china, and I'd like to have a place to display some of it.

With that in mind, I went to the St Jacobs antique market today. I saw a beautiful old secretary desk (kind of like this). I loved it, but it was kind of expensive, so I'll think about it and keep looking for now.

I also saw a beautiful book rack intended for music books, c. 1820s, with a beautiful inlaid design of various musical instruments. It was beautiful. And $400. So I got this 1940s wooden magazine rack instead.

And the last things I bought were some old books. I bought 3 books bound in red leather that look to be part of a set. I couldn't find a printing date, but they look pretty old. And a copy of The Three Musketeers printed in 1962, but bound in a similar leather to the others. And finally, The Poetical Works of Longfellow, printed in 1912. There's an inscription inside the front cover:
To Eva
With best wishes for a Merry xmas
from [name illegible]
xmas 1914

So that was a pretty cool find.

The wooden archway separating the living room from the dining room has a tiny built-in bookshelf at the bottom of the pillar, so that's where I put them.

 

[quartz]

@JoannaLouise - LUUUURVES YOUR HOUSE!!!
omgosh you are going to have so much fun decorating it!

 

[skatesindreams]

I love your "finds".
Keep us posted, please.

 

[algonquin]

@JoannaLouise There is a Mennonite furniture place south of the 401 in Cambridge that has a pretty selection. Unless you are looking for specifically for antiques and I don't have anything ideas there.

Got the quote from the 2nd contractor last night. It is a little lower than the first one. I saw the work of the 3rd contractor and was impressed. We will see what his quite comes in at. I am wondering if it will be lower because he basically works on his own. The other two contractors hire trades.

 

[skatesindreams]

IMO, f you are impressed with someone's work; you should go with them, if the quote isn't out of line.

 

[Fridge_Break]

My first time posting in this thread after 2 years of home ownership Mr. Fridge and I just got our office built-in completed! It was our first very major project since buying the house, and the first project we've hired someone for. Unfortunately the guy we hired did contract work as a hobby and right after we hired him he ended up switching jobs that required travel, so the project ended up taking ~8 months to complete. We weren't in any huge rush to get it done, so we didn't mind too much, and he ended up knocking $500 off the labor cost for keeping us hanging for awhile. All in all we are really happy with the outcome, and it's going to be put to good use.

Of course the very next morning our A/C started making a whistling noise, so I've got to look into that this weekend. It's so true that the house projects list never gets shorter Our next big project is to get a new roof on our shed in the backyard, which we've been putting off since we moved in

 

[made_in_canada]

I finally got the baby's room done! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Still need blinds and a closet door, but that's it. And yes, I know stuffed animals can't go in a crib, it was just a convenient place to put them for now.

 

[LilJen]

Beautiful! Nice contrast-y prints on the wall for baby's early days.

dh just brought home a GIANT flat file. it's about twice as big as he really needs, and a few portfolios put on their side in the closet would have done as well. it takes up about half of his office. He doesn't get why i feel it's claustrophobia-inducing.

Oh well. At least it was free.

One day, one day, I WILL run roughshod over dh and dd and have the beautiful house I want.

 

[quartz]

Beautiful! Nice contrast-y prints on the wall for baby's early days.

dh just brought home a GIANT flat file. it's about twice as big as he really needs, and a few portfolios put on their side in the closet would have done as well. it takes up about half of his office. He doesn't get why i feel it's claustrophobia-inducing.

Oh well. At least it was free.

One day, one day, I WILL run roughshod over dh and dd and have the beautiful house I want.

I have a pinterest board called crazyfantasydreamhouse - because I would have a very different house if I could live alone and not have to worry about and from my husband.

In other news, my new curtain rod brackets are finally up on my stairwell window, so I get to put up my curtains!! I have accumulated three nice branches to use as a rod, so hopefully one of them will fit.

 

[algonquin]

This has been a long process, but we received the quote from the third contractor tonight. It is considerably cheaper than the other two quotes. The third contractor works on his own or with an apprentice and the other two contract trades. Anyway, we like the third contractor and like his work, so we are hiring him. Start date is middle September which is fine by me. I'd rather not deal with a renovation in the summer. So, now the fun part begins, picking out tiles, counter tops, etc.

 

[quartz]

Put up my curtains! Tree branch looks great! Curtains look stupid!

I normally only like curtains that are either white or ivory, sheer or lace. Because this is a boring space with no color, I thought I'd jazz it up a bit with jazzier curtains. Even held a "pick out my curtains" poll on Facebook. Once up, I find them big and bulky, probably because I am used to very soft, flowy, ethereal type curtains. They are overpowering the space and I don't like them. Booooo!
Also, the paint on the step part of the stairs keeps flaking off. Even though the steps were sanded, primed, tsp'd, and I am using floor paint - the paint is not adhering well. to that too! Looks like I may need to put sealer on them. More $$, more work!

This minor makeover is taking waaay too much time and effort.

 

[skatesindreams]

(((quartz)))

 

[JoannaLouise]

Even held a "pick out my curtains" poll on Facebook.

Not that we were much help...

 

[quartz]

Not that we were much help...

Well, it was sort of entertaining.

 

[algonquin]

So, we have two vanities to either replace or paint. My original thought was to paint both white. They are solid wood, but dated style wise. Our contractor said the newer vanities are more functional. My husband wants to paint the main bath vanity and get a new vanity for the ensuite. Reasoning that we don't use the main bath vanity for very much. I agree, but wonder if I will regret replacing the main bath if it still looks dated when it is painted. Thoughts?

 

[Debbie S]

I would replace. I remember some years ago, my parents pondered painting a vanity. They had their handyman paint a wood slab and then they tested it by spilling toothpaste and mouthwash on it....left stains that wouldn't come out. That was about 15-20 years ago so maybe paint formulation has changed, but I agree with your contractor to get vanities that are newer and more functional. I replaced 2 vanities 9 years ago, and granted, they were small (36 inches) but they weren't that expensive (and they were real wood).

 

[quartz]

Would you believe I have 3 bathrooms and none of them have vanities?! And I use a lot of girl stuff - so I've had to be pretty creative when it comes to storage and having all my stuff accessible.
I'd love to have even ONE vanity!

 

[KCC]

Okay, I'll stop griping about my master vanity that is too short, too small, and has minimal storage space. I can't imagine not having a vanity at all!

I finally ordered the materials for my master bath remodel. The shower walls (Kohler Choreograph), the faucets and shower head, the granite (remnant from someone else's project, so it was cheap!) for the countertop, medicine cabinets, etc. I still need to decide on lights and flooring (my tile choice changed after deciding on the countertop). Everything takes about 6 weeks to come in, so the actual work probably won't start till then. It is still nice to have the major decisions made!

 

[skatesindreams]

Keep us posted!

 

[algonquin]

@Debbie S Thank you, that helps. I am leaning towards getting two new ones.

@quartz I think that most people's vanities are filled with half empty shampoo bottles, but they are still nice to have.

We looked at vanities at Lowes and Rona this morning and did not see anything that we liked. This seems to be the trend in vanities right now.

https://www.lowes.ca/bathroom-vanit...itreous-china-top-24-in-x-18-in_g2382420.html

I think that style is so impractical for a bathroom. First, I would have to pay for more flooring to go under it. Second, I would have vacuum under it. Image the dust bunnies! We will keep looking.

 

[Debbie S]

Definitely get a vanity that fits solidly on the floor - but don't forget about the trim pieces (aka quarter round) that go along the bottom of the vanity where it meets the floor - as a new homeowner, I had no clue what that was and I bought my vanities from a place that seemed to sell mostly to contractors - didn't do installations - and they never mentioned it, then I had to order separately and didn't order enough, thought it was long enough but the idiots were of the 'don't ask, don't tell' variety. Sigh, next time I replace a vanity, I will pay the extra and go through a full-service place.

 

[algonquin]

@Debbie S Agree about the vanity fitting solidly on the floor. I wonder if people regret buying that other style of vanity. Thanks for the tip about the quarter round. Our contractor will be installing the vanities, but if we were, we would not have had a clue either.

 

[JoannaLouise]

We looked at vanities at Lowes and Rona this morning and did not see anything that we liked. This seems to be the trend in vanities right now.

https://www.lowes.ca/bathroom-vanit...itreous-china-top-24-in-x-18-in_g2382420.html

That's similar to the one we had at our rented house. It looked pretty, but it was annoying. I didn't like the lack of counter space (I kept knocking the tube of toothpaste into the sink...) and the cavernous empty space underneath wasn't really practical for storage either.

Both of the vanities in our new house have lots of space around the sink, and several drawers for storage.

 

[algonquin]

@JoannaLouise Glad to know that they are impractical. This is another decorating trend that I don't get.

https://www.wayfair.ca/Fine-Fixture...t&ptid=177748771282&targetid=pla-177748771282

They look great in restaurants, but I think that they would be totally impractical in a home, especially with small children. They would have to climb a ladder to use them.

 

[vesperholly]

We looked at vanities at Lowes and Rona this morning and did not see anything that we liked. This seems to be the trend in vanities right now.

https://www.lowes.ca/bathroom-vanit...itreous-china-top-24-in-x-18-in_g2382420.html

I think that style is so impractical for a bathroom. First, I would have to pay for more flooring to go under it. Second, I would have vacuum under it. Image the dust bunnies! We will keep looking.

I think that vanity awful. It's like Italianate style on the bottom with modern on top?? However, I do really like the look of vanities with legs like they are dressers. My upstairs bathroom has a "vanity" that the top is all sink and though it's an attractive design, I cannot STAND the lack of counterspace I put a shelf above the toilet level with the sink, but it's just not the same.

Bowl sinks are terrible too but if you have a tiny vanity, I can see them working OK. I had a 30" vanity at my old place but the sink was so wide and also had a little indent around it, so everything I put on the side of the vanity that was wider than 3" would eventually fall into the sink.

My style goes this way (though it would not be the "perfect" vanity, I just picked one close). Drawerssss for dayssss: https://www.lowes.ca/bathroom-vanities/golden-elite-cac48w-48-in-carrera-vanity_g2616741.html

My sister painted her kitchen cabinets white and they look gorgeous. I think you have to be careful to use the right paint (possibly an enamel finish?) and sealant. But I would only invest in painting if the style of the vanity is nice.

 

[flyingsit]

We have tall vanities (same height as kitchen cabinets) in all of our bathrooms and I am so happy we went with the tall ones.

 

[algonquin]

We have tall vanities (same height as kitchen cabinets) in all of our bathrooms and I am so happy we went with the tall ones.

Something to consider... Thank you.

 

[Debbie S]

Yeah, my house had small bathrooms so the vanities could only be 36 inches long. Going with counter height (36 inches, I believe) allowed for more drawer space.

 

[clairecloutier]

Would you believe I have 3 bathrooms and none of them have vanities?! And I use a lot of girl stuff - so I've had to be pretty creative when it comes to storage and having all my stuff accessible.
I'd love to have even ONE vanity!

We have pedestal sinks in both our bathrooms (they were in style when we bought the house), and they look nice, but from a practicality standpoint, I really wish we had vanities! I will definitely get vanities if/when we remodel/move.

But I don't like the "old furniture"-style vanities. Doesn't do it for me.