OUR HOME: THE EVOLUTION OF A CLOSET

January 9, 2023

A short but sweet post about a space of the house that really doesn’t gets talked about or renovates: the closets. It’s really something no one thinks about unless you’re like us and bought a 1920s home where closets weren’t a consideration and therefor you literally have one if not none. Our home is also on the smaller side coming in at about 1600 sqft so optimizing space & storage is so important.

Back in 2018 when we moved the staircase we saw an awesome opportunity to create a walk-in closet in the space underneath. At the time though, we did not have the extra funds on top of not really having a plan yet for it so the space remained a deadzone for sometime. Then come 2021, we finished replacing all our windows as well renovating the office/guestroom and hallway and finally got this drywalled.

Then come 2021, we finished replacing all our windows as well renovating the office/guest room and hallway and finally got this drywalled.

We added in some can lights which are extremely bright (still need to add in a dimmer) and got to painting. I went with a higher sheen paint in here to keep it low maintenance and looking fresh. I used my favorite: out of the can white from Miller in Satin. We also didn’t want to go completely all out at this time and add in matching hardwood floors (will do another time) and compromised a some simple but cute Terrzao patterned peel and stick flooring and some quarter round.

Danny then made a custom coat rack and stained it to match our stairs. Since this is under the stairs, the space is a little funky in terms of use so we maximized the length of the rod and pushed it forward so we could store bins and cleaning supplies behind coats where they would be hidden but still functional.

Last but not least, we got some decent but inexpensive shoe rack as well as some cheap hooks, threw my summer hats up and now she’s cute as a button. I know it’s just a closet, and it literally took us FOUR years to get together but it’s a super nice space to have that matches the home.

Friends & family always comment on how much we have done in the last five years of owning our home. I guess they are right but projects like this that literally take YEARS make it seem the opposite. But it sure is nice to another completely re-done space but feels appropriate to the home. I can’t wait to keep going. Cheers to 2023!

Paint - Miller - White - Satin
Floor Tiles - Terrazzo Peel & Stick
Stain - General Finishes - Candle Light
Shoe Rack - Bamboo 2-Tier Rack

RENOVATION NO. 5 : UPDATES

March 3, 2021

Remember how I said renovations take longer than you think? Yep, I am still correct. What we thought was going to be a quick project has really turned into something larger. It took the contractor almost three weeks alone to get in and out and we under estimated the work for us after on top work working full time. So here we are: WEEK 5!

That being said we have made huge progress! All EIGHT windows have been replaced, all new trim is installed, the new closet is huge, and our future breakfast nook area is looking cute as button. TWO WEEKS ago we began painting and WOWOWOW it’s a lot. We considered for a minute in hiring someone but with covid and us not wanting any additional outside people in our home and longer-lead times we decided to once again: to paint ourselves.

I was hoping to kick off the painting the day after the contractor packed up and left since it was going to be a long weekend but we didn’t have everything we needed as we thought. Our fault for not noticing earlier (and I just wouldn’t know) but they did not PVA the drywall. Easy trip to Home Depot. BUT then it snowed..a lot (See Portland Snowpocalyse) and we couldn’t get our car out for FOUR days. So we had a slight delay. It happens.

Once we got the painting started it hasn’t stopped. We decided to focus on the office and hallway first. After painting the living room last year I thought the office would be a breeze! I painted it before right after we bought the house and I did it in two days. But with all the new trim and details: it was taken forever. TEN DAYS TO BE EXACT. My lovely friend, Nikole, was kind enough to come over to help again to get me started and I am forever grateful. Then I got the call that our new sofa is ready for delivery so I really kicked things into high gear, took a deep breath, found my inner zen, slowed down, and took on the rest of the painting all by myself. I never thought I could do it but I can do anything, right? I conquered edging and painting the crown, baseboards, and window trim without using ANY TAPE! I rule! I even took it the next level and used a teeny tiny brush to hit the details on the baseboards and moulding. We are even giving the very awkward closet a bit of a facelift with some small changes and fresh paint… it needed it.

Though it’s been A LOT of work.. the results have been worth every back-breaking minute. We cannot be more pleased with what the office is becoming. And.. sofa is delivered tomorrow! I can’t wait to move my workspace back in there! It may be the best room in the house…for now!

Due to the main and closet doors being warped, we also made the decision to get new doors to match the existing style with using our original hardware and mortise. Yay… more painting!! But turns out.. painting doors is kind of my favorite. I love it. I used a super smooth roller and it was breeze! Pro tip: go easy on the paint to prevent dripping underneath on the other side. Always roll over the backside edge when the roller is in need of paint to smooth out! Don’t forget!

As I said, we used the original hardware. My beloved vintage glass knobs! I would never let you go!! The hardware… was a mess. So I did some interneting and found that I could easily remove the paint by soaking them. So, we went down to the Goodwill, picked up a $3 (it really was $3) crockpot, because lead…, put those cuties in there with some water, and let it soak for 8 hours. Before removing, I recommend wearing a K95 and gloves because lead… I dumped the water and carefully removed the pieces and used a flathead screw driver and the paint literally just fell off! Viola!! AND turns out our hardware are original Stanley Work Sweetheart brass hinges! How dare anyone ever painting over these! Shame on you, previous owners! I plan on shining these up this weekend with a little baking soda and steel wool!

OTHER UPDATES!

Our cutie breakfast nook is coming along! Though neglected lately.. the change is so drastic. And to have opening windows… I can’t wait for summer! Once we get to working on this spot I’ll post more. But for now, it’s cozy as is and great place to store all our paint supplies.

Another neglected area of the home: The Hall. Also looking super fresh. Though we heard our contractor ask her assistant “Why would anyone put crown moulding in a hallway?” I am 100% happy with our decision. The rest of the house has it (or will) and now it looks finished! We also removed the ugly, weird vent between the hall and our bedroom which makes it look clean and now it’s more quiet upstairs. Double win!

Lastly, the upstairs windows! We replaced those, too, but it’s small potatoes to everything else. We went with Marvin’s double-hung rather than casements because I worried about birds flying into them and the hot summer nights we use a fan. But sadly the one in the landing doesn’t open so we are waiting for a Marvin tech to come and fix it. Whaa-whaaaa.

Yesterday a friend of ours commented on how this “house is lucky to have us taking care of it” and it really warmed my heart. This is a great house. And I happy to take care of it.

Until then… thanks for being here!

OUR LIVING ROOM : UPDATES

January 22, 2020

So it’s been about six months since I have posted any updates on our house. And mostly because it has been that long since we have gotten around to making any changes. Here we go!

WINDOWS

OMFG THE WINDOWS. The most anticipated thing of 2019! For the past year I have felt like a broken record about these! After what seemed like it was never going to happen when with our devastating breakup with our previous contractor: They are in! And they are beautiful!

Why was this such a big deal? The windows that came with the house were from the 70’s with aluminum framing that let cold air in and were so fogged in places from moisture getting between the panes that they were worthless. I got some mixed opinions about removing the garden windows but I honestly hated them (believe it or not) and am so happy they are gone!

The third window on our main living room wall was the biggest change. It was different size than the other two so we decided to shorten it a bit so they are aligned. I struggled with this idea at first because being in Portland, you want as much a light as you could get. But turned out to be just fine - just as Danny reassured me. The fun part about this was that since we were going to re-frame this window we got to demo the wall for new dry wall. And it’s a good thing we did, too because once we got in there we discovered that there wasn’t an insulation! Again, and another reason why our house always seemed cold and drafty. AND we found the ORIGINAL deed for the house in the wall! It was pretty damaged but were able to make out the original sale price of $4900 in 1924. So cool! I hope we find more hidden things in the walls later and I don’t mean bones. Where’s my can of cash???

We matched the new windows with little stair window from Marvin through Parr Lumber and they are a dream! Since we are working on having the house match its 1920’s origin while modernizing, we picked the divided lights to be real wood on the inside and the fiber glass on the outside for weathering. And in the original style, we have the two front to just be non-functional picture windows, then the two flanking the fireplace to be opposing casements and lastly the one near the kitchen to be an awning which I think is so fun. Now, I can’t wait till warmer weather and to have all the windows open! Plus the plants are going love it!

CEILING

Say what you want about older homes but I cannot stand textured ceilings. Since we are not in Los Angeles anymore, I am not talking about the awful popcorn ceilings either but this kind of rough texture like cream cheese spread on a bagel. I get it: it hides imperfections. But it also absorbs depth and I find them to be dingy looking. So: we smoothed the ceilings! Which in the process discovered the the ceiling were not level (you seen see the blue chalk line across showing the difference) so we fixed that too.

Earlier this year when we removed the divider we discovered the ceiling was two different heights from the “two rooms.” So instead of demoing and starting over we were able to add a carefully cut piece of dry wall and then skim coated the rest. I can’t put into words how much I love it. It’s so nice to stand in the dining room and see that now these two rooms are finally consistent with each other!

Here is the living room from the listing on the house when we bought it:

And NOW!

More of the process…

TRIM, BASEBOARDS, MOLDING, AND ALL THE PAINTING

Ahhh and of course a room is not complete without proper trim! Each window now has the beautiful but simple craftsman style trim, 9” baseboards across the room and classic crown molding from McCoy Millwork. Besides all the dust from the new drywall, the painting was the most painstaking part of it all. It takes so long and there were so many steps with all the trim and different paints. We painted the room to match the dining room in Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover in Eggshell, the trim is pure white in satin, and the ceiling in a flat white. The room looks so classic, light, & airy considering it’s such a small space (25’ x 11’). We cannot thank our beautiful friend, Nikole, for taking so much time out of her life so constantly help us with painting and am forever grateful for her and her steady hand.

We finally moved all our furniture back in just in time for the long MLK weekend and my birthday. We haven’t hung our window coverings back up yet but I am okay with that. I love being able to sit back on the sofa with some coffee (or wine) and admire all the natural light. P.F. Candle Co. was also so kind to send us some goods including their new scent, Sunbloom, which smell like a dream and brings back memories our hometown in California! It makes our space feel even more welcoming and warm - eps on these dreary winter days (Thank you!).

I was hoping with this renovation I would be able to find new sconces but I had no luck finding ones I loved with a rotary switch without costing a ton. We don’t use them that often so I didn’t want us to go through the hassle of re-wiring them to the switch either. So I spray painted them using the same color I used for the hoop log holder a few years ago and I think they turned out awesome. And it literally costed us nothing.

We will likely be taking 2020 off from any major renovations to save for the main bathroom remodel as well as fresh the hallway and guest-room/office with matching ceilings and windows and maybe actually take an actual vacation! And maybe this year we will get a new sectional sofa, coffee table, and lights but for now this is great. I am finally feeling like this little house of ours is becoming exactly what we envisioned. This house has definitely taught us (and mostly me) patience and how to manage realistic expectations.