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GARDEN PERGOLA - Completed - June 2004
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The posts were cemented in the ground last summer (2003), but Rob and Dave were able
to complete the pergola early this Spring (2004). It didn't take as long
as thay had thought...they were finished in about half a day. The worst part
was digging the post holes. Rob cut fancy edges on the top beams a few weeks
later. Thanks to East Side Mario's for the inspiration :-)
The finishing touch was the stone walkway from the back door. We used the
stones we picked at the quarry last summer. It was worth the wait.
Click here to see more pictures.
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SPARE BEDROOM - Completed January 2004
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The last room in the house is finally completed. And we certainly achieved
impact with the color we chose...."CHINESE RED". It's vibrant and warm. It's
everything we wanted. A bit of a pain working with such a dark color (it took
4 coats of paint), but well worth it.
Not too much work involved in this room. Only the front wall had to be
insulated and drywalled. And after doing the baby's nursery, Rob is a
seasoned pro at that type of thing. Click here to
see the BEFORE and AFTER pictures.
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Chinese Red
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NURSERY - Completed April 2003
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I would say that the nursery renovation was Rob's favourite project to date. It
seems to be taking forever, but is coming together beautifully. Sheridan got him
started by helping install the insulation on the 2 outside walls, and gave Rob a crash
course on drywalling. Then of course on to the fun stuff like removing two
layers of wallpaper, plastering, sanding, and priming.
I had a hard time trying to decide on colors for the bedroom. I wasn't really
keen on the whole theme nursery thing, so decided to go a different route.
Knowing the sex of the baby also helped a great deal.
A deep rich color was my first choice, but I didn't want the room to appear to dark. So
Rob and I decided to use 2 colors. A light pinkish color, Lilac Tan, on
the 2 outside walls, and a much darker color, Slate Mauve, on the 2 inside walls.
And to spice things up we used a glaze to "sheen stripe" the 2 dark walls.
Cathy gave us a hand-me-down childs dresser and change table, which we simply painted a
Chocolate Brown color. They both turned out beautiful.
Click here to see the pictures
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Chocolate Brown
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Lilac Tan
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Slate Mauve
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LIVINGROOM/SITTINGROOM/DEN/OFFICE - Completed November 2002
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This was our biggest job yet, and took us (well...mostly Rob) about 4 weeks.
We are extremely pleased with the color, it adds such warmth. We chose the
color, called Cognac, over a year ago. It is considered an historical color
so we thought it would be fitting.
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Cognac
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STONE PATIO - Completed July 2002
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After much procrastination we finally decided on the design of the patio in the back.
We had originally thought a square or kidney shaped patio, but then
Dave suggested round, and the idea stuck.
We initally made 3 trips to the quarry in Spencerville and figured that would be
plenty stone, but as we got about half way through we knew it wasn't going to be
enough. So back to the quarry for two more loads. Even then
we still didn't have enough for the stone walkway...that'll be next a project for
next Spring.
The hardest part was actually digging up the sod and carting it away. And
of course we picked the hottest 2 days of the summer to begin. I think we
drank 5 litres of water in one afternoon. It started to come together
quickly thanks to Rob's sweat and patience.
We're hoping to finish the entire project next summer when we build the pergola
around it. Thankfully Dave is going to help Rob with that one.
Click here to see BEFORE and AFTER pictures.
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UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - Completed April 2002
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This was a labor of love for sure. Such beautiful room, definitely my
favorite. Step one was to decide on the ceramic tile to put around the tub,
and step two, to pick out a color that will match it.
We chose a terra cotta-type tile. We wanted something that looked like real
stone and not the regular bathroom tile. The color for the walls wasn't so
easy, and with the help of the lady at paint store, we decided on a warm blue.
A big thanks to our neighbor Dave who has, to date, spent more time in our bathtub than
Rob and I put together. He's a miracle worker with tile and mortor.
Click here to see BEFORE and AFTER pictures.
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Autumn Rain
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MASTER BEDROOM - Completed early February 2002
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Yet another plastering nightmare...But the good news is that there were only 2 walls
to worry about in the bedroom (since the other 2 walls are the exposed beams).
Rob taped large sheets of plastic from ceiling to floor to keep the dust out of the
"good" side of the room. Bonus points for in ingenuity Bobbie :-)
During the ordeal we slept on the futon in the upstairs den. The first few
nights were fun and exciting (you know....like waking up and wondering where in the
hell you are), but after the 8th day my body began to punish me. I'm not
as young as I used to be.
All toll it took about 14 days to get straightened away. And of course,
another excursion to Ikea for a wicker chair and ottoman, large picture, and a light
to hang over our bed for reading. I decided to be wild and crazy and go
against all principles of Feng Shui and place the bed on an angle (uuuhhhhh
aaaahhhhhh), thus no night stands or night lights. Rob wasn't convinced at
first, but now marvels at the greatness of his wife's artistic ability.
We went with YELLOW of course...Yellow Duckling (not be confused with Ugly Duckling).
Click here for pictures.
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Yellow Duckling
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KITCHEN - Completed January 2002
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Rob and I decided to start the kitchen on December 27. "Why during
Christmas" you ask? I guess it's partly craziness, impatience, and
several days vacation. Striping off the wallpaper wasn't too bad, but
the plastering was another story. It's my least favourite part of
redecorating. It must be due to my lack of patience, I must see results
immediately or I get cranky. Plastering doesn't work that way, so poor
Rob had to put up with my crankiness. He's a wonderful husband :-)
Like I said previously, the interior decorator at the paint store suggested we go
with a cool green color, seeing as the cupboards, countertop, and floors are all
warm colors. Blah, blah, blah.... I wasn't sure I liked the
color when we first put it on, but it has grown on me. An expensive
visit to Ikea to purchase a rug and other accessories has produced a pretty good
looking kitchen.
Click on the top right picture to see a Before picture and on the bottom right
picture to see what the new kitchen looks like. Or click
here to see more pictures of our new and improved
kitchen.
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Summit Green
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DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM - Completed October 2001
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Rob just recently finished the downstairs bathroom. Since it was his first
time plastering anything, it took much longer than expected. He promises
that future plastering projects won't take long at all (yeah right...we'll see)
We picked a light taupe color called Onion Skin. It's a very neutral, yet
elegant color, we're very pleased. Rob also got brave and tackled the
dark linoleum by replacing it with much brighter ceramic look-a-like linoleum.
I would have preferred actual cermamic tile, but with no insullation in
the crawl space below the floors get pretty cold in the winter. I'd hate
to get my feet stuck on the frosty floor first thing in the morning.
Click here to see BEFORE and AFTER pictures.
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Onion Skin
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