Category Archives: Mansion Projs.
Half Bathroom Progress: Dec 7
Ok so we definitely started working on the half bathroom LAST YEAR at this time. See here, here and here. We started strong, but then the project got put on the back burner to complete the bonus room. Then it got pushed back even farther because I started working. Then it was officially on hold until the fall because Mr. Dan wanted to work outside this summer in the nice weather. Fair enough. Well here we are, fall again, and ready to rock.
We went into buying mode and purchased the countertop/sink, a faucet, stain for the vanity, a light fixture and picked a paint color. We picked up the vanity top from Lowes: Style Slections 37″ White solid surface countertop. I love how the sink is designed with a straight edge and then a slide down into the drain. The faucet came from Walmart and is made by Peerless. I wanted a faucet with an arch and two handles in a satin nickel finish. This one was at the perfect price point. Competetors had Peerless faucets that looked similar to this one for double the price.
Mr. Dan needed to double check the fuse box to make sure we were planning on cutting power to the correct room, so we got that done, too. Luckily for us, the half bathroom and the outside lights are the only two things on that circuit. This means we can the room done without cutting off power in other rooms, like the nearby family room.
Once the power was off, the demo began. First came down the light fixture, followed by the sink and faucet. Getting the sick out took some serious power to cut through the caulk holding it in place.
After the sink was out, Mr. Dan removed the screws from underneath the vanity top to remove it.
Once the vanity top was removed, the rest of the wall paper was ripped from the walls. Spackle was used to help smooth out the walls from the scratches we made attempting to remove the wall paper. After a light sanding it is ready for paint.
I decided on Atmosphere by Behr.
It is the perfect in between shade of blue and gray and will pair nicely with the white vanity top, ORB light fixture and brushed nickel faucet/cabinet hardware. I don’t have a paint progress picture yet, but I hope to finish that part this weekend.
Mr. Dan took the opportunity to replace the almond colored toilet with a new, white one that we snagged on clearance from Home Depot for $106. Unfortunately he did this step without taking pictures! It only took him about 45 minutes to remove the old one and install the new one. We like this one because it is a high efficiency/dual flush system that will help save water!
We still have a lot to do in this room, but I feel like we made a lot of progress. To finish this project we need to pick our cabinet hardware, frame out the mirror, refinish the vanity, install the new vanity top and faucet, install the towel ring (that we don’t have yet) and finish painting.
Dining Room Turned Playroom
We’ve decided to just admit it: our formal dining room is the playroom. We don’t have a dining set and we don’t eat in there. The room is full of Mega Bloks, Legos, board books, trucks, cars, pirates, animals and musical intruments. It even has a mini kitchen of its own.
After we accepted the fate of our dining room, I decided it needed to be more kid friendly. We went to Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and scored a 7′ x 12′ rug for $69.99 — an absolute steal! The rug fits in the room perfectly. Some of the wood floor is still visible and the rug doesn’t get in the way of the doors. There have been fewer slips and trips since the rug went down and Gage Baby is plenty happy with it.
Once we got the rug in the room, I was thrilled to start putting more effort into the room to make it a happy place for Gage Baby. I strug up some parachute cord (550 cord) and used clothes pins to attach some of Gage Baby’s artwork from daycare. I have a folder full of this stuff and I couldn’t wait to get it on the wall.
This is only the start of what I feel is going to be a fun project. I’ve got some art pieces to hang in here from my amazingly talented brother in law, Andy, and I’m going to make a few of my own. I plan on painting the alphabet on a canvas, numbers on a canvas, hanging more of Gage Baby’s art, creating a chalkboard, changing out the lighting and building a storage cubby/bench. The mess of toys in different storage systems (a carboard box, plastic toybox and plastic drawer) is next on the list. Lots of DIY projects to look forward to in this room!
What have you DIYed for your little one lately?
Hurricane Sandy – We were prepared!
Sorry for not posted in the last 6 weeks. We all took turns getting sick, I ran a mud run 5k (Pretty Muddy Richmond – it was awesome!), we went back to our hometown for a wedding and then we were getting ready for Ms. Hurricane Sandy. How did we get prepared? Let’s see….
I pulled out our small emergency kit that was already had, which was full of stuff we bought when VA had it’s emergency preparedness tax free weekend in May. We picked up new flashlights, batteries, fire extinguishers and a few odds and ends that were on the eligible list. I gathered all the candles, matches and lighters that were around the house. I made a list of stuff we still needed to get and get done.
On my shopping trip I bought paper plates and bowls, plastic utensils and cups, foam cups, bottled water, extra dog food, toilet paper and a few more nonperishable food items. I was focused on facing a potential power outage since last year when Hurricane Irene came though, my neighbors said they lost power for two weeks.
Here’s the pile of supplies in my kitchen ready to go:
When I got home from work I pulled out every plastic tupperware container we have and filled them with water. I put them in both of our freezers. A packed freezer will last 48 hours, but one that is only half full would last 24 hours. The ice blocks in the tupperware also help to extend the life of the food once the power fails.
I also pulled all the milk and juice jugs from the recycling bin and washed them, filled them with filtered water and put them in storage. You’re supposed to have at least a gallon per person, per day, for a week. I knew I didn’t have that much, but I did the best I could with what we have. We are not on well water, but we do have a stream in the back if we lost water for whatever reason and REALLY needed to get some.
We have a propane stove and fireplace so we were good on cooking and heat. By chance our propane tank for the grill ran out last week so we got a new one just a few days ago.
Sandy was supposed to bring us 60+ mph wind gusts and all of our bedrooms are on the second floor. Since the tree line starts about 15 feet from my front door and they tower over the house, this made me nervous. I took one of our extra mattresses and set it up downstairs in an interior area towards the middle of the house. Since Gage Baby’s room is upstairs, we also set up the pack and play downstairs next to the mattress in case we needed to move him, too.
The storm approached so slowly. It took days for it to reach us. We brought in everything fron outside, cleaned out the gutters (twice) and topped of the gas tanks in all our vehicles and gas cans. We fired up the chainsaws to make sure they were ready to roll. We kept up with laundry, dishes and long hot showers, since we never knew when the power was finally going to kick it.
It never did.
So Sandy came and left without so much as a wave. Wind gusts were weaker than expected, rain was less than expected and we had no damage. Welp, I guess my emergency prepping is ready for the next time a storm threatens.
How did you get prepared? Were you prepared before or were you running around at the last minute? Do you have any other tips for being prepared? Comment below!
