Extreme Makeover: Homo Edition
2009 June 22
You know the old saying that says “it’s always darkest just before dawn?” Home improvement is kind of like that. We are in the midst of giving our home an interior facelift, and the house is utterly and hopelessly destroyed. Every horizontal surface seems to be stacked with the contents of emptied closets, paint cans, and tools.
We are having a BBQ on July 4th and are hoping to have several projects completed (or close to completion) by that day. Here are some of the things that we want to accomplish over the next couple of weeks:
- Hang the remaining interior doors
- Replace the baseboard trim and molding around passageways and windows
- Paint said doors and trim
- Remove the old electric wall heater from the bathroom and patch wall
- Paint or paper bathroom (still pondering which is the best option)
- Paint bathroom vanity
- Replace off-white electrical outlets and switches with new white ones
- Paint patio set and *maybe* buy some additional outdoor furniture
- Repair or replace the outdoor patio lighting
- Deep clean the house and make sure the lawn is weed-free and presentable
As you can see, we’re going to be extremely busy between now and Independence Day! Guess I should get off the computer and get busy…
8 Responses
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Definitely paint the bathroom. The steam from the shower will eventually make the wallpaper start to peel.
You forgot
* End world hunger
and
* Resolve peace in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Palestine.
@ ashley: The drywall in the bathroom doesn’t look perfect anymore, so I was thinking wallpaper would be the best way to hide the blemishes. You’re probably right though. Do you think sponge-painting with very two very similar colors would disguise the problems?
@ Mario: Ha! You left out global warming and nuclear proliferation. ;)
Hi – if you are going to use week killer for your weeds you may want to do that sooner than later because it takes a while to be effective. Sometimes the best way is to just pull the weeds.
I agree – wallpaper can be problematic in a bathroom. Go to a true wall coverings store for advice on that, not the home center. If you are considering painting why not fix the walls before you paint? Drop me a line if you need some tips on that (send a pic too).
Have fun and be safe
The Handyguys
Wow I’m impressed – you’ve got your work cut out for you! But I’m sure you’ll love the results. It’s such a feeling of satisfaction to see that stuff done.
Also I concur with paint the bathroom. I disagree that the wallpaper will peel if the paper is put up correctly, but it’s a b*tch to remove and not easy to put up in a confined space with lots of cutouts and corners. Plus, paint is so much easier to change later, and a good latex will be easy to keep clean. If you’ve got blemishes on the drywall you’re concerned about, do at least two coats of a good primer. I recommend Kilz. Doesn’t have to be tinted, unless you’re considering red paint.
Wow. If you guys accomplish this, you will have done more home improvements in two weeks than I can get J to do in 10 years. Maybe I should get me one or two of these homo things you speak of. LOL.
Speaking on behalf of possible BBQ attendees…….We won’t give a rip if none of this is done. Just sayin’.
@ The Handyguys: I sprayed the weeds a few days ago, so that part should be in pretty good shape. We’ve decided to paint, so I guess we’ll be fixing the walls beforehand.
@ Mike: I’ve decided to enjoy a little bit of both worlds… I’m painting the bathroom and putting up a border that ties in the colors from both bedrooms. I’m taking your advice on the primer and already have a gallon of Kilz ready to go!
@ Alyson: Honey keeps telling me that it doesn’t matter if it isn’t done by the BBQ, but I find that we are both a little more motivated if we have a deadline. Having said that, I’ll be surprised if we are completely done by then. ;)
you can try doing a plaster treatment–it’s really fun to do. AND you don’t have to get the walls perfect! I helped a friend do it in her bathroom and it turned out really nicely!