My Country Farmhouse – The Cost Effective Projects Continue

Just after New Years day I ordered some bay window curtain rods. What are bay window curtain rods you ask? Well, it is a rod that has elbows that bend so the rod is seamless all the way across. It is awesome! At the same time I ordered 6 sets of white sheers (3 sets per set of bay window). A total cost of $200 for everything – which isn’t to bad at all.

The master bedroom has a set of bay windows which is the first room I did. It took about 30 minutes from start to finish to get the rods up and curtains on. I finally have some privacy from the street (you can see into my whole room from the road)

The final room to add the curtains too was the living room. I needed the ladder to do these windows as the ceilings are about 9 feet tall. Taking only 30 minutes to complete as before and the living room was totally transformed. And if it is even possible the ceiling looks even taller than before.

Here are some new items that have been purchased for my house:

Since my last day of work was January 8th I will now begin the process of wallpaper removal in the master bedroom (SO MUCH DREAD). There are at least 4 layers of paper that I’ve counted as I peel back each style of paper. Mainly floral. One appears to be a stripe. At some point there was a floral boarder around the ceiling (feels quite early – 1920s which could have been with the boarder). There is also a 1960-70s paper that is very brightly coloured with large flowers.

I expect this tasks to take A LOT of time and energy. I will be doing it one wall at a time and section by section. These are the original plaster walls under the paper which I am hoping aren’t in terrible condition (bad – yes) as there are cracks in the wall paper and a few holes. The area around the bay window had been started before I moved in. So that is mostly done. This room will need (if all goes well) wall paper removal, plastering holes/cracks, a good wash, caulking around the windows, trim primer and paint, wall primer and paint and the ceiling painted. This will take a decent amount of time – which I will not rushing.

Once that is all done I get to make the room pretty. A new antique brass and lucite ceiling fan and to hang some art on the very bare walls. The bedside tables, lamps, bed, vanity and stool will all remain. I am hoping to repurpose my second accent chair (previously in the living room) in the master along with my second small marble side table. But we will just have to wait and see.

My final task to start will be to get the fabric reupholstered on the cushions and curtains in Peanut. Her facelift will continue as best it can in the cold weather. If it stays in the pluses I can start the floor framing for the bathroom as well.

This about sums up what is coming up in the next month – which means you will all have to stay tuned for progress of the master bedroom and Peanut. Thanks again for following along.

Keep warm!

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – Getting my Reno Groove Back

It is SO easy to just sit around and be lazy. It’s cold out, there is snow every where, and nothing is open… Oh and my littlest dog J is 100% a snuggly lapdog which doesn’t help me at all. When he’s on me I just don’t want to move… just look at his face.

Since I suck at sitting still (getting better) I looked around the house at the small jobs that still needed to get done. Made a mini list – mostly in my head and got to work. These jobs were done with only the supplies I have in my house. I have not gone out for anything — yet.

Here are the jobs I’ve completed this past week:

In my master bedroom the closet is large enough to convert in to a walk-in. I moved all of the dressers from each bedroom one room counter clockwise. Leaving the little white dresser (will likely repaint it later on) into the master. This little dresser is small enough to fit in to the closet which means my makeup table can, for now, be moved to a full wall and not directly in front of the bay window. Once that was complete I realized I hated the floor which was a piece of vinyl floating over what I discovered is hardwood. Score!

In the “sitting room” (original the kitchen) now wasted space/catch all room… the original cold air intake register was SO ugly. Big, bulky and brown. It stuck out into the room around 5″ which is where the table and chairs are set up. I found a picture of a converted grate DIY project and realized – I CAN DO THIS! I have a 1″ x 4″ and 1″ x 2″ pieces of wood, nail gun ,screws, paint and tools to get this job done right. I pulled the actual grate panels out of the old register and reused them for the DIY. Here are the before, during and after pictures. What do you think? Night and day right!

While I did the grate painting I went around the house and did some touch up painting. Two birds – one stone.

As I stood in the dining room looking at the walls and windows I realized I hated the dining room door still being white. It was a little sad and bland now that the rest of the house has been getting refreshes all over. I went down to the basement and found the Sherwin Williams – Alpaca can of paint used on the other interior doors throughout the house and started to paint. Two full coats and only a couple of hours later it was done. It adds a little more depth and richness to the space. It helps to carry your eyes around the room.

I am back to work this week from Wednesday to Friday. So for now the little projects are again on hold. Only for a few days really.

Peanut update:

What I haven’t mentioned is that I got free dusty rose crushed velvet fabric to recover the benches in Peanut as well as some white fabric to make curtain panels for each of her windows. Did I mention it was FREE?

Here is an inspiration photo I found that I fell in love with for Peanut.

Well that is all for now – until I get something equally as neat done.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – The Completed Laundry Room & New Family Room (Updated: Dec 4, 20)

Before

Please visit My Country Farmhouse – The Laundry/Mudroom Design and My Country Farmhouse – Laundry Room Progress for everything leading up to this moment.

I can happily say that the washer and dryer have been installed. With the dryer outlet directly on the opposite side of the wall (in the kitchen) all the electrician had to do was remove some drywall and feed the cable through a new hole to the other side, they even reused the same outlet box. They also installed the new exhaust for the dryer which exits out the west wall and cannot be seen.

The electricians (Jason and Kevin) were so good at removing the piece of drywall that I was easily able to put the cut out piece right back in to it’s place. Money saved! A little plaster, sanding and some paint finished the job.

Next the plumber (Brad) moved the plumbing in to the new laundry room opposite the same kitchen wall as the electrical. Unfortunately there was no way to move the plumbing so it would all be under the floor and not seen so, it will stick up about 1″ – 2″ from the floor in the kitchen. Luckily I’ve designed the kitchen so that it will sit under a cupboard and you will never see it. In the new laundry room there are 3 holes; hot, cold and the drain pipe. With the washer sitting in front of them you will only see the tops of the water shut off valves and the drain pipe which needed additional height to ensure no flooding would occur.

With the washer and dryer in place it was time to start decorating the space. The French doors were trimmed 3/4″ to avoid hitting the slope in the floor as they open. The walls have been painted in Benjamin Moore’s Grey Beard (which was a full can from my previous house renovation – savings!) and I spray painted the old vent covers matte black to match the French door handles, brackets and pantry hardware.

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Over the washer and dryer I hung two shelves with black brackets using reclaimed wood I purchased a few years ago that was laying around. I added a piece of art from a collection I had in storage, a couple faux plants and some laundry jars. On the west wall I added a straight 6″ hook made of steal pipe that I had in the basement and added a couple wood hangers for items that need to hang dry. Style and function.

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The final step will be to add the 3 ceiling medallions and the 3 new farmhouse style light fixtures. As much as I am not a fan of the florescent lights currently installed – they do make the space feel larger (they are so big). Also, I’m in no hurry.

Note the beautiful 5mm with under padding Beckham Brothers vinyl plank floors in Nottingham Oak. They are waterproof and super durable. The largest investment I’ve put in to the house so far —- AND SO WORTH IT!!!

And here she is – The new Laundry Room with pantry and Recycling station. Who wouldn’t want to do their laundry in here?

And on the opposite side of this 300 square foot room is the NEW family room. With space for my large couch, chair, tables and antique hutch. And since it is the coldest room in the house it will be a nice place to relax on those hot summer days. Or to just sit and fold my laundry.

Entrance in to the family and laundry room

The Family Room

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Here is the final tally for the Laundry/Family Room:

Pre-covid budget was $5000 / Covid budget became $3000

Floors – $1750

French doors – $100

Brackets and screws – $23

Lighting – $200

Electrical – $406.80

Plumbing – $680

Current total – $3159.80

This is now my second favourite room in the house (the landing upstairs still being my first). What was an outdated room with purple carpet, burgundy valences and bi-fold doors is now light, bright and airy. Definitely a space I will want to use often. Stay tuned for the total cost of the renovation.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – A Fresh New Exterior for Lady Mathison

When I first drove up to this house I knew it had the potential to be one of the most stunning victorian homes in the area, the kind you see and just dream of living in. Large porch, large windows, a balcony, hooks to hang planter baskets, original posts and original solid wood doors. What the house needed was a fresh coat of paint. The sun and rain had left it feeling a little tired looking.

It all began with me removing the balcony door to give it a new high gloss Hunter Green coat of paint. Once the door was rehung I knew it was time to get the rest of the exterior work done. And so I moved right downstairs and completed the front side door in the same colour.

I painted the balcony with white Sico Exterior Woodwork paint in a semi-gloss. After two coats it was complete. However, with all the rain that week it took about 5 days to actually complete the work. To the right of the balcony is an original wood window that also needed a good two coats of paint. It takes 4 hours between coats to ensure the paint lasts the 5 years it claims before it starts to chip off.

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Moving down to the porch I started filling the holes in the posts back in April. As the weather improved. In May I began the painting which took about two weeks (again because of the rain and dry times) to complete. It also took a bit more time because I was painting them two colours. I had to tape off the areas I did not want green. I did a coat of the white paint first and used the Hunter Green Rust-oleum waterproof spray paint for the accents in a high gloss.

The next task was to paint out all the trim and sills of the 3 bay and dining room windows. These windows will need to be replaced in the coming years but for now a fresh coat of paint will have to do. The white paint will help them feel more cohesive with the white windows that have already been replaced.

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The original front door had a hole at the bottom right corner. Since I do not have the tools to fix it myself I asked Chase a local handyman who actually builds custom wood doors and who did a couple small wood cuts in the past for me if he could take it and fix it. And he agreed to it. He cut 6 inches off the bottom to remove the damaged area of the door, drilled out 5 holes to insert dowels, cut a piece of pine to the size removed, drilled holes in the new piece of wood, added glue to the holes and attached the new piece to the door. Once the glue was set he plained the door to make it look as though there were no changes made. And it looks perfect!

While the door was away being repaired I worked on repairing the glass insert that I kept in the house for safety. I used some wood filler and did two coats of white paint to keep the original look. And when the door was retuned I did a nice coat of Hunter green paint.

This afternoon I finished the final 3 coats of white paint on the side front door. Having painted it solid green originally, looking from the road to that side of the house was too dark. I decided to paint the interior of the frame around the glass white to mimic the front door and to help the door stand out – and it worked.

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And finally the moment we’ve all been waiting for – The before and after of the exterior of the house. Full disclosure: at some point the porch will also be transformed. But for this year I am super happy with the outcome. The total cost to liven the exterior of the house was $196. A somewhat inexpensive cost for a high impact look.

Before

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After

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I hope you like the outcome as much as I do.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – Laundry Room Progress

Nothing makes me happier than hearing the words “your floors have arrived and we can install them in two days” instead of waiting 3 weeks. They are in and they look SO good!!!!

Here is a sneak preview of the floors going in:

I’ve purchased the baseboards from Home Hardware at a cost of $162.00, painted them white (reused paint from other projects) and began installing them which will totally transform the space. Thanks to my neighbour Alex for letting me use his chop saw – the baseboards were cut and installed in 1 hour and 10 minutes. They’ve also been wood filled and had paint touch ups.

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For the closet there were plain by-fold doors that I have decided to replace with the set of frosted glass French doors ($100) that were originally going to be used for closing off the laundry area. The best part is they are the exact measurements needed for the framing of the space. Since everything in there will be fresh, new and updated I don’t need to hide anything. It’s going to look so good and feel so spacious.

(Old door on the left)

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I’ve hidden a small imperfection on the pantry by adding a small trim detail. Since the walls are not 100% straight there was a tiny gap between the upper and lower cabinets. I used a small piece of trim salvaged from the old singer sewing machine that I took apart, some white paint and voila – free fix!

I had an appointment with the plumber today (June 9th). They will schedule in the work to be done in the next few days. Unfortunately the old stone foundation will prevent the plumbing from being under the floor in the kitchen. It will be moved 18 inches to the left so that it will be hidden once again under a cabinet. I’ve contacted another electrician today in hopes that he will be available to move the dryer outlet. Fingers crossed!

I’ve decided to use Grey Beard paint for the walls which I have left from my Alma Street renovation (Full can FREE!). I simply need to bring it to the hardware store for a good shake since it has been sitting a while. Let the plastering and painting begin.

I hope you continue to follow along as I complete the laundry room renovation. Stay tuned as the exterior of the house is nearly complete and I will be posting the before and after pictures for everyone to see.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – The Laundry/Mudroom Design

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It started out as a former office for the previous owner Dianne who is an accountant. Filled with desks and file cabinets you wouldn’t have actually known how big the space was until it was emptied out. And it is big at 249+ square feet. There are two windows on the west and north wall and a coat closet with upper storage above. (YAY baskets!)

There was carpet on the floors and stairs that needed to come out and some valances over the windows that were removed. Under the carpet there is a sturdy wood foundation and after removing staples and nails is in excellent shape. It should make laying a new floor much easier than I anticipated.

Overall this room is a blank space. It is large and white. It does have two flaws; it is freezing cold in the winter weather and will require installation of a few baseboard heaters and some insulation in the ceiling. And it has 4 massive neon light boxes that will need to be replaced in time.

The laundry area will also be used as pantry storage and recycling.

Here is what I am thinking for the laundry room:

I will be refinishing the pantry/laundry cabinets in the laundry room to enhance the appearance. What was old maple coloured cabinet will become a lovely high gloss white. Luckily the inside of these solid wood cabinets are already white which will minimize the amount of paint and work needed to complete the job.

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On the ceiling on the southwest corner (about 20″ from the wall) of the laundry room there is an attic hatch. Since I need to ensure that I can still access this hatch if something goes wrong I’ve decided that over the washer on the southeast corner I will mount an upper cabinet that is 30″ wide and run a rod from that cabinet to a 12″-18″ cabinet which will be removable if access to the hatch is required. And between the washer and dryer I will reuse the 12″ cabinet with drawer as more storage. All the storage in the laundry room will be repurposed from my current kitchen as they are in excellent shape. This would be about a $1200 savings.

I’ve contacted my favourite flooring store Van Huizen located in Campbellford Ontario and picked the flooring. I’ve decided to go with Nottingham Oak vinyl plank flooring in a mid tone brown to cover the 249+ square feet of space. The cost of the flooring is $3.98/sq.ft and since I do not have the tools to do it myself I will also have them do the install. And once the flooring is installed I will be installing the baseboards.

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Since this is the coldest room in the house I will have to add some baseboard heaters to ensure no pipes freeze during the winter. I will be adding a heater under each window and a smaller wall mount heater by the door. These heaters will only run from December to February (give or take) during the coldest months.

Here are a few options I am researching to ensure that I keep the cost of hydro as low as possible:

I will also be adding a secondary source of heating which will be a small wood burning stove. This will happen at a much later date. Here is my inspiration:

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To keep the space light and bright I will be painting the two areas in either white or a white with grey undertone. And I’ve already installed the roman blinds on the windows.

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Well, I hope you like where I’m headed with this design. Over the next couple of weeks I have to clear the room, rip up the last of the carpet, pull out the remaining staples and tacking, and have the floor laid out. Once that is done I will start with base boards, plumbing and electrical. After that I will be moving the washer and dryer over to my house, selling the old machines, painting out the old cupboards and installing them.

I hope you all stay tuned over the next several weeks for updates and progress in this room.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – Week 1: Exterior Work

What a perfect week to spend outdoors. It has been so hot out that I’ve even got a pretty nice sun burn (as far as sun burns go). I decided this would be the week to start the exterior work on the house. First on my list was to paint the natural wood balcony white to match all the trim and windows on the house. It took only 7 hours over a couple days to complete. I purchased outdoor wood paint in a semi-gloss from Ronas that was regular $65 a can and when I checked out it was on sale for $55. Score! Money saved! Here is a before and after of the balcony. Once the balcony was done I went right to the window on the right, sanded and painted it. What a difference!

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With the old window painted upstairs it was time to move down to the porch to sand and paint the dining room window and sill. I was also able to do one of three bay windows. Slowly the house is transforming. I’m just so motivated to see it complete.

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The side entrance door has a new coat of hunter green to match the eaves and roof of the house. Which also matches the balcony door. And a fresh coat of white around the frame to brighten the entrance.

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Monday May 25th I will be removing the front door and will fix the hole at the bottom by cutting a straight line from the left side to the right, inserting dowels, and glueing a new pieces of pine on. Once that is complete I will be adding a fresh coat of hunter green and white paint to freshen up the look. (Hole bottom right)

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And while the door dries I will be working on sanding the 6 posts on the porch. Once that is complete I will be painting them the white and green (as seen) to liven them up.

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Once all the painting is complete I will see where I am at financially and decide if replacing the wood on the porch is the right next move. It does eventually have to be done but I’m in no hurry. The current lattice will be coming off and being replaced with vertical planks and the floor boards will all be replaced. Once that is all done I will be painting the top of the porch green and the vertical slats white. I think this would tie in quite nicely with the look of the house.

(Note: the floor boards in this picture have been replaced in this section)

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Hope you are all enjoying this incredible weather. Stay tuned for the progress on the exterior of the house.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – Week 8 Update: Designing the Kitchen

With all this time on my hands I’ve decided that I would finalize the kitchen design so that when we are back to work there will be no time wasted getting started. My original budget was (for me) on the high end at $20,000 – $25,000 which is a lot of money. Now, with being out of work I’ve come to realize that that is no longer what I want. It’s not me. Of all things I am a frugal person. There are a lot of things I can do myself, purchase prefabricated cabinets and install same with prefab countertops, install a new light fixture, paint, tile, flooring the list goes on. What I cannot do is where I will have to spend a few bucks – mostly plumbing and electrical work.

Here is a breakdown for my 11′ X 12′ space:

Cabinets – $3500

Countertops – $1200

Hardware – $200

Sink and faucet – $800

Backsplash – $800

Flooring – $1000

Electrical & Plumbing – $1000

Lighting – $300

Wood/drywall/trim – $1000

Paint – $100

Buffer – $500

Total NEW Budget – $10,400

I will no longer be removing the entire wall between the sitting room and kitchen. Once the stove and fridge is moved the kitchen will have an additional 25″ of space to move around. And maybe a bit of room for a slender island.

Here is my design for the kitchen:

Hampton Bay Edson – Grey/Taupe Cabinets Shaker style (Home Depot Canada) Prices vary per cabinet

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Acacia Wood Countertops – Light Oak (Home Depot – Canada) $485 EA

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Merula Tile Artisan Azul Decor (Home Depot – Canada) $169/box (14 sq.ft.)

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Brass Classic double porcelain handle faucet with Shipping (Amazon.ca) $180.00

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White Quartz Classic 33″ x 18″ Undercount Kitchen Sink (Wayfair.ca) Reg. $982.99 FOR $439.99 / Plumb Pak Keeney Deep thread cast brass sink power ball basket strainer 3.5″ White (amazon.ca) $26.45

Richelieu Regency Brass 3″ Handle (Home Depot Canada) – $7.06 EA (X17) / Summer Street Home Hardware Small 1.5″ Centre Ring Pull (Wayfair.ca) $10.40 EA (X6)

Ceiling medallion – free (handmade) found two in a bin headed to the garbage at work. SCORE!!!

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Andrews 5 – light candle style classic/traditional chandelier with crystal accents (Wayfair.ca) $269.99

Pine plank flooring painted blue (complimentary colour to the tile)

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Here is the layout of the South Wall

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Here is the layout of the North wall

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As you can see I’m heading in the direction of French Country – which I absolutely adore. Rich brass tones, natural wood, crisp whites, rustic tiles – sigh!

I’ve decided to increase storage space by putting a double stack set of upper cabinets directly on top of the countertops on either side of the fridge. Here is an example of how that would look:

To save on cupboard space I like the idea of hanging my pots on the wall which is usually wasted space. Even lids can hang on the wall if the design is right. Here are some inspirational photos:

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And I will continue to hang my wood cutting/serving boards on the wall which also makes the kitchen feel a little rustic and cozy.

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Once the kitchen has been assembled I will pick a fresh paint colour to enhance the final feel of the kitchen.

Since I won’t have the eat-in kitchen I really love I’ve decided to turn the “sitting” room in to a little dining area and library. Just outside the kitchen will be my table and chairs and on the far side by the windows I will build custom book shelves that will look like they’ve always been there and add a chaise to curl up on.

And that concludes the new kitchen design.

Since it is Mothers Day I’d like to take a second to wish all the moms a light and happy Mothers day. Although not everyone can be with their moms with our current situation I hope you get to Face time or Zoom or just call them to make their day a little more special. I’ve decided to paint my mom a picture and bake a loaf of homemade bread which I know she will love (well mostly the bread 😛 )

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Stay safe, stay healthy and be kind.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – Ontario Gem Part 9: The Hughes House

Last week I decided to ask a friend and colleague if he and his wife wouldn’t mind sharing pictures and news paper clippings of the house they bought last year. Glenn and Kelly Hughes moved in October 2019 – and from what I’ve been told it is Kelly’s dream house, and you will soon see why. Built in 1860 and located in Burford Ontario this home is on the same land as one of our very first florist shops and greenhouse. The original florist shop stood for 110 years.

Here is a picture of the original florist shop from 2012

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Heritage home restorers Dan and Carol-Lyn Brown took on the task of completing this home in 2018/2019. They smartly took before and after pictures to show just how much work was required to bring this beauty back to life. And it needed a LOT of work.

Starting with the exterior

The original wood windows, wood siding and front posts were chipping away, some shutters in disrepair and a new roof was needed. They sanded most of the original wood siding and replaced others, followed by a fresh coat of white and black paint. Replacing the wood windows with period windows that are energy efficient, painting the posts and adding a new roof.

The main level

As you enter the house you are greeted by a beautiful dark wood staircase, old green carpet, peeling wallpaper, mouldings, and falling ceilings.

Upper level

The restored stairwell is now absolutely breathtaking. Painted Black and white. The risers have a lovely tile detail and the spindles are a crisp clean white. New light fixtures, wood flooring and freshly painted walls give this home a welcoming warm entrance. Also note – the original front door with bell. Classic.

Upper level

Original Living room

As you move through the main floor you can see how much work was required to get this job done.

The former living room is now the dinning room and vice versa. It has an incredible tray ceiling with oversized medallion, and chandelier. What a lovely well thought out space.

The dining room

The new dining room off the kitchen has another gorgeous ceiling medallion, high crown moulding, fresh creamy paint, harvest table, and look at that fire place!

The sunroom (Before / During / after)

The original kitchen

The original kitchen is a complete GUT. However, there are some adorable features. Built in banquet, large bright window and wood cut-out and open shelving over the sink area.

The restored kitchen has quartz and butcher block countertops, apron sink, school house pendant lights, sitting area, and cozy floor runners under feet.

Look at the beautiful stained glass cabinets in the kitchen they were originally from a church in Hamilton Ontario.

Second Floor

Heading upstairs there are several bedrooms with sloped ceilings, cupboards with original hardware, and tons of damage.

But now the bedrooms are cute and quaint. New walls, ceilings, paint, light fixtures, floors and mouldings. You don’t need much more than that.

The Bathroom

Another full gut job in the bathroom – I wouldn’t want to sit on that toilet YIKES… My moms current house has the same tub from the 1960s which means it certainly is not original to the house.

But now, the black and white patterned tile, wall colour, antique mirror and pedestal sink are a perfect compliment and a nod to the former bathtub and newly painted stairs.

Unfortunately there are no inside pictures of what used to be the old florist shop (demolished) and green house but what I can show is the now fully repurposed space AKA the Man Cave (former boiler and work room). Complete with bedroom, games area, kitchenette and living room.

And to finish up this tour the yard had to be torn up to replace pipes and tanks.

But you wouldn’t know it now.

I hope you enjoyed taking a tour of this 160 year old home. It really is an Ontario gem. Thank you to Glenn and Kelly for sending the information and pictures showing the incredible change that was made. They certainly kept a lot of its original features and improved on many others.

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Stay tuned for more incredible homes and design ideas.

🙂

My Country Farmhouse – Stairway to Heaven

Potential Potential Potential – That is all I saw with the L shaped staircase. Some sanding, paint and a gorgeous traditional runner. That is all this staircase needs to come back to life and become a show stopper. The stairs are in front of you as you walk through the front door. I decided to paint them white to match the trim and to brighten them so the runner will pop but won’t compete with the dark wood table and mirror.

I knew that I would need to install a runner to make the stairs safe for myself and the dogs. The painted stairs are super slick and although I would one day love wood stairs with dark treads and white risers I also know that would cost several thousands of dollars and for around $800 – $1000 (tax included) I could have a gorgeous staircase. I knew the runner would have to be traditional. With all the neutral colours, white, incredible white, cream, beige and browns, something has to bring in the colour. At the local flooring store in Campbellford (Van Huizen Flooring) they have rows of gorgeous carpeting. Solid colours, patterned, textured and all at incredible prices. I used them to do the carpet on the stairs and landing at the Alma Street house.

Since I knew exactly what I wanted it didn’t take long before I had a couple runner samples in hand and headed home to see which one I would like best. Most stores will allow you to take the samples they have in house for 2 – 3 days so you can take your time to make a big decision. I knew after only a few minutes.

Here is the sample runner that will be installed on the stairs:

Since the lower portion of the stairs were painted during the dining room refresh I will be painting the upper portion with the landing reno. The spindles and rails will need 2 – 3 coats of paint, the treads will need to be swept, scrubbed, sanded and painted two inches down both sides of the tread and risers (27″ wide runner vs 29″ tread/riser). On Monday January 20th Bill came out to take the measurements and book the appointment for installation (which the date changed 3 times).

2 coats of paint

After many many hours of painting, cleaning and prepping the staircase, as well as painting and caulking the walls around the stairwell (to avoid getting any paint on the new carpet after install) the stairwell is complete. Here are the final pictures:

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At a total cost of $1000.00. I couldn’t be happier. This gives a pretty neutral area some life. It is so comfortable to walk on and helps keep any foot traffic noise down (non-existent really).

I am back to work Tuesday and will only be at the house weekends. The only other project to do is the mudroom conversion in to a laundry and recycling room which might be done by summer time (fingers crossed). I will plug away at more little odd jobs until August / September when the electrical panel is replaced and upgraded from a 100 amp fuse panel to a 200 amp breaker panel. I will also hopefully be scheduling in the garage doors to be replaced with new carriage house style doors.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the progress made over the last 3 months. Stay tuned!

Happy Valentine’s Day

🙂