New Stair Surround

We redid the upstairs a year ago. However, what was lacking was the stairwell. While our flooring was completely new, the stair surround... well... sucked.

Yup, that was it for the stair surround-- a measly bar. That's it. It meant we didn't allow friends upstairs, and especially friends with children.

Here's the surround in two more photos that I took as I was replacing flooring:

It has taken me a year, but finally, this past weekend, I decided to tackle the surround. 

The old surround, though minimalistic, was sturdy. The vertical beams (seemed) solid, and there was no wiggle. So, I decided to just build a framework in between the existing beams and then I'd use that framework and put on drywall. 

But, see the "X" in the back of the stairwell? When I removed that (after substantial work building framing within some of the existing structure), the entire existing stairwell (except for the floor-to-ceiling beam on the left-hand side) became incredibly rickety. It went from sturdy to having a 6" side-to-side sway.

Obviously, the "sturdy structure" I had been using as a backbone wasn't hacking it anymore. 

So, I tore the entire thing out, except for the one floor-to-ceiling beam:

Sigh. Projects are never as easy as you think, right? 

BUT, this was all for good, because:

1) I could build a wall that was perfect for our needs-- ie: a taller wall and one that allowed for a bigger walk-through space in the back of the stairwell. 

2) I could build a SUPER STURDY wall

3) I could fix little things, like the lightswitch.

4) I COULD RENT A FRAMING NAILGUN!! Heh heh.

NICE.

So, here it is, partial framework up:

If you look in the far back of the stairwell, you can kind of tell that I moved the back forward about a foot to give us more of a walk-through space behind the stairwell. It's also about 6" taller than the old stairwell surround. I also eliminated the floor-to-ceiling post on the right-hand side (not needed and the space is much more open without it), and made the left-hand post a lot more solid (it's much more substantial now).

Here's how it looks right now: 

I'm very happy with it so far, though there's a LOT left to do. I'm grappling with what to stain the wood. We're going to put a topper on it. 

Strange as it sounds, I'm leaning toward a grayish stain-- Classic Gray by Minwax. It's this grayish stain that allows some of the browns from the wood to seep through. I'm hesitant to go too matchy-matchy on the wood stain with the floor color. 

Anyway, I'll do a sample piece of wood in the stain before I tackle the whole unit. Test once (or multiple times) before doing the whole project, right? :)

New Office

Our old office needed something... so I suggested we go to Ikea and get a few narrow & tall Billie bookcases. It's an addition that can stand the test of time-- great for now with an office, great someday in the future if we need the bedroom as a second bedroom.

And the results? We love it:

I was on a de-cluttering spree early this month and really hammered it home with decluttering the house. Unfortunately, I got through the office and our coat closet... and that's about it. I need to declutter the upstairs, but that's a HUGE task in itself.

(instead, I got distracted and painted the kitchen and stairs... still productive, right?)

Roxy and a soccer ball

We discovered this weekend that large athletic balls are great dog toys for our pups. They can sink their teeth into them enough to carry them, but not enough to easily puncture them. Don't get me wrong, they eventually destroy them too, but it takes much longer than the 5 minutes storebought toys were surviving. So, for $0.99 each at the thrift store, much happiness comes as a result. We don't leave the balls out with them while we're away-- we don't want to come home to shredded messes or dogs that have decided eating a soccer ball is a good idea.

But, while we're home, they're in full joy mode.

Particularly Roxy. Check out this expression:

Pretty joyful, huh?



Deck gloss

I don't think I ever updated the site with a picture of the deck with stain and gloss... so here it is! Two layers of stain and one thick layer of urethane later. Makes it very easy to clean muddy paw prints.

Bedroom Dresser

We have been finally paying some attention to our bedroom set-up. We've painted the walls (twice) and are now happy with the color. But, it's always felt a bit empty. So, we decided to tiptoe into the market for a "lowboy" style dresser. I needed to be nice, as our bedroom is small and it would be one of the focal points.

We seriously considered the hemnes dresser from Ikea. It's one of their better-made dressers, in my opinion, and I've always admired it. But, at $299, it was a bit much for our budget (plus would involve a 2-hour drive to the nearest Ikea). It also looks a lot like our sideboard in the dining room, and I wanted to avoid that.

So, we decided to stalk Craigslist. Or, rather, I stalked Craigslist. My husband has made it clear that "he does not do Craigslist." I'd like to add an addendum to that sentence-- he does not do Craiglist, he merely reaps the benefits of my hard work.

Off soapbox. :)

A few days in, this beauty popped up:



JUST what we were looking for!!!

And... drumroll... only $40. GASP! It's well-made, by a known company for good construction. The drawers have dovetail construction, and the bottom 4 drawers are cedar-lined. WHY they were selling it for $40? Don't know. They loved the piece, but wanted it to go to a good home. And for an extra $10, they DELIVERED from 45 minutes away. YES!

SO now she's in our bedroom. More to come on how we're doing with the rest of the room. Anyone have a bed frame?