Stylish Storage

May 022013

Stylish storage - game room

Ultimate Recycling
This was an ultimate recycling project using a discarded storage unit and leftover aluminum backsplash panels in art nouveau pattern to create a stylish storage unit. The basic unit is a tossed out shelving unit from a retailer consisting of two plastic cubes. By adding the backsplash panels to the outside, it’s transformed into a stylish cabinet for storage that can be used in a variety of spaces.

Making your own Stylish Storage
The metal backsplash panel is cut for the top and sides. Each piece was attached with adhesive. This easy DIY project was completed in less than an hour. Stylish Storage - Backsplash pieces cut Stylish storage - components

Stylish storage - night stand
How would you use this stylish storage?
This storage unit is very versatile. At 24″ high and 9″ deep, it is a good height for a convenitent place to hold extra items in a guestroom or can be used in a gameroom as shown above. It could also be used in a bathroom or even on the patio.

Revive a Fountain by Painting

Green Lifestyle 4 Responses »

May 312012

After 9 years, our fountain was showing its age. Pitting and stains were putting the wrong emphasis on our outdoor focal point. Instead of replacing it, I decided to go green and revive this fountain with a fresh coat of paint. If it didn’t work out, the only thing lost was time and a few dollars – but it would end up in the trash. I hoped I wouldn’t have to dispose of it.

: Fountain base - needs some help

The first step was to thoroughly scrub the fountain inside and out with a stiff brush. One website recommended adding bleach to the water for better adhesion. I waited a few days to paint to make sure the fountain was completely dry.

Next, I applied a primer that can be used on masonry. The primer dried quickly and I was able to paint both inside and out in about 90 minutes including the drying time.

Primer

My inital plan was to paint the fountain gray using leftover house paint. However, the last little bit left in the can had dried out and so on to Plan B. Plan B was also leftover paint from our front door and shutters. The paint took longer to dry than the primer and required two coats to cover the white primer. Painting the inside and outside twice was more time consuming than I expected, but I still completed these two coats over the course of a day.

Two coats of base color

After the two coats of the base color, I liked it but didn’t love it. So that evening I decided to antique the fountain using black paint, again leftover. I first tested my technique on the outside of the lower section where it wouldn’t be seen if I didn’t get it quite right. To antique, dip only the tip of a brush and work in small sections applying paint in the crevices and lightly over the entire base coat. Wipe off any excess immediately. It took just over an hour to antique the entire fountain.

In process of antiquing top section

Antiqued base of fountain

It looked better but still not quite what I wanted. It needed to be a little lighter to blend with the patio furniture. This time, I did not have any paint that would work for the project. I purchased the least amount possible which was a spray can and sprayed a small amount into a container. This last coat is to highlight areas and so using a sponge brush, I lightly painted a small test section on the bottom of one piece of the fountain. I found this paint dried very quickly and so literally painted with one hand and used a rag to wipe and blend with the other hand.

Comparison showing top section completed and middle section antiqued only

Here’s my finished fountain ready for another 9 years. Not a trash to treasure story but rather revived treasure saved from the trash!

Finished - repainted fountain

Final reveal of our house.

Green Lifestyle 4 Responses »

Mar 012012

All in all building our house was a unique experience. There were really fun times and really frustrating times. Many people told us that it would be tough to build a house and they were right. It put a strain on our lives, relationships, and our pocketbook. Now that we are moved in, we would do it all over again. We hope you enjoy the pictures of the final reveal of our house.

Exterior Shots

Front of the house

Downstairs

Dining Room
Fabulous red

Living Room
The rug ties all the colors together and brings some drama to the room.

Kitchen
You have seen these all before
Kitchen Kitchen

Bedrooms

Dylan’s Room
All boy
Dylan's Room
The Baby’s room
Still a blank slate
Baby's Room
Master Bedroom
Warm and comfy

Master Bathroom
It all came together with the tub, the shower and we went with your advice and didn’t use red.
Tub in Master Bath

Guest Bedroom

Other Areas

2nd Floor hallway

The Foyer

First Floor Hallway

Office

Laundry Room

Garage - with fun garage doors

We love our new house and we would like to thank everyone who gave us feedback and opinions on the entire process. We would also like to thank 1005 design for letting us share our story with the world.

Wood Burning or Gas Fireplace?

Green Lifestyle 1 Response »

Jan 202012

After we put the insert in.

Selecting the Type of Fireplace
We decided at the start of building our house to install a fireplace. We contemplated both wood burning and gas insert types.
There are a lot of different options for fireplaces:

wood burning
vented gas
ventless gas
ventless gel
electric

When looking at the options the decision is based on cost (start-up and running), efficiency, safety and effort pinned against the feeling of a real fire. Some options, like the electric and gel were easy to rule out. The technology and efficiency that is available today for gas fireplaces make them a great option. They even make Sound Dust to sprinkle on the fire for the real effect.

Decision Made – Ventless Gas Insert
After comparing cost and usability, we decided to go with a ventless gas fireplace. The ventless gas fireplaces are 99% efficient. That was a big plus and for us the way to go.

On to the Design
We knew we wanted rock work around the fireplace, but we weren’t sure how to lay out the mantel so that it would stand out in the room.

To make the mantel stand out in the room, we inset the wall above it. We installed bead board in the inset, and then trimmed out the opening to match the windows. We also added an electrical outlet close to the bottom so it is easy to hide.

We chose to use manufactured rock on the fireplace because of its cost and to reduce weight. We hired a local rock mason to lay the rock. We really like how the fireplace turned out.

Our finished fireplace.

Our Kitchen Appliance Selections

Green Lifestyle No Responses »

Jan 112012

For a few weeks we have shown unfinished shots of the kitchen here and there. Next week we will do a final kitchen reveal, and ask everyone which backsplash we should install in our home.

But for today, here are all the appliances we chose. We looked for options that were Energy Star rated.

Whirlpool® ENERGY STAR® Qualified Tall Tub Dishwasher with Nylon Racks

MODEL DU1345XTVB

The Manufacturer’s Description

Make washing your dishes easier with this dependable ENERGY STAR® qualified dishwasher. The Soak & Scour option gently soaks dishes, powerfully cleans them, then soaks them again to remove tough dirt. Plus, the model provides a NSF-Certified Sani Rinse option, which sanitizes dishes by eliminating 99.999 percent of food soil bacteria. You can manually raise or lower the upper rack to better fit tall or odd-shaped items in either rack. A durable nylon coating resists rust and scratching and helps keep dishes from being chipped. What’s more, the AnyWare™ Plus silverware basket is designed to fit in three different places for maximum flexibility.

Whirlpool® 30-inch Combination Microwave-Wall Oven

MODEL RMC305PVS

Manufacturer’s Description

Make multitasking easy with this versatile 30-inch combination microwave-wall oven. The AccuBake® temperature management system enabled by 6th Sense™ technology delivers consistent results in the lower oven, even on multiple racks. The One Touch Bake and Broil feature automatically sets the oven to 350 degrees for baking or 500 degrees for broiling, so the perfect temperature is always set for you. And, you can keep multiple courses on your schedule with the Delay Bake option. A self-cleaning system even automatically cleans the oven according to a preprogrammed cycle. Because smart features help you get more done.

Whirlpool® 36-inch Gas Cooktop with 12,500 BTU Power™ Burner

MODEL W5CG3625XS

Manufacturer’s Description

After a delicious meal, the last thing you want to do is clean up the kitchen. But, with this cooktop’s continuous cast-iron, matte-finish grates, dishwasher-safe knobs and sealed burners, cleaning is easy. You’ll be able to keep your cooktop looking like new and enjoy its specialty burners like the 5,000 BTU AccuSimmer® burner and the 12,500 BTU Power™ burner. The AccuSimmer® burner’s advanced temperature control is perfect for melting chocolate and simmering sauces, while the Power™ burner gives you more cooking power whenever you need it.

Whirlpool Gold® ENERGY STAR® Qualified 26 cu. ft. French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator

MODEL GI6FARXXY

Manufacturer’s Description

This 26 cu. ft. ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerator features sleek tap touch controls and crushed ice. The Accu-Chill™ temperature management system enabled by 6th Sense™ technology returns food to the desired temperature in half the time.

Whirlpool® 4.6 cu. ft. Cabrio® Platinum Top Load Washer with EcoBoost™ option

MODEL WTW8200YW

Clean more with every load in this 4.6 cu. ft. capacity washer. As one half of the industry’s largest capacity pair, this washer allows you to do 3 baskets of laundry in a single load. And even though you’re doing more, you’re using less. An ENERGY STAR® qualification and CEE Tier 3 rating help you save over $2,100 in lifetime water and energy costs. Activate the EcoBoost™ option to help save even more energy on select wash cycles while still providing the same great cleaning performance. An Eco Monitor located right on the console allows you to see the eco-friendliness of the cycles and options as you select them. Eleven wash cycles offer cleaning flexibility.

Whirlpool® Cabrio® High Efficiency Electric Dryer with AccuDry™ Drying System

Manufacturer’s Description

MODEL WED5500XW

Guessing if the load is dry is a thing of the past. The 6th Sense™ Technology and AccuDry™ sensors in this Cabrio® 7.4 cu. ft. electric dryer figure out when your laundry is dry and stop the cycle for you. Together, they save 10 percent more energy than Whirlpool® washers with the already-energy-saving AutoDry™ system. Plus, 10 automatic cycles with four temperature settings ensure that you get results, while the Quiet Dry noise reduction system helps keep the peace. And when your drying cycle is done, the Wrinkle Shield™ option helps prevent wrinkles from setting into clean, dry fabrics. No guessing about it.

Finishing the Stairs

Green Lifestyle No Responses »

Jan 092012

Finished stairs.

The Perfect Staircase

We decided that we wanted our main staircase to look elegant yet simple. We chose to use red oak treads and hand rails that match our hardwood floor.

We like the look of painted trim against the floor so we chose to continue this style up the stairs. We stained the stairs to match the floor. To protect the treads, we used a floor grade polyurethane.

After staining all the treads and hand rails, we had to touch up the painted surfaces to hide our stain mess. We hired someone to do this. The finished staircase was exactly how we pictured it to be.

See below for the steps we took to get our finished stairs.

After the treads were installed and trimmed out.

Railing put up with ballusters.

Stained railing without poly.

Garrett staining the hard to reach areas.

I was staining the treads.

Treads all stained. Little messy, but will look better after trim is painted.

Trimming out the interior

Green Lifestyle 2 Responses »

Jan 032012

Trim with the hardwood.

Our workers were able to start trimming the interior of the house. I must say putting the trim in is a tedious job. Our workers are so great at trimming. On the third day they had our entire 2nd floor completely trimmed out.

Having the trim in the house makes quite a difference in the look. I am going to post one set of before and after pictures. The other pictures can speak for themselves. We went with a 5-1/4 inch tall baseboard and we chose to only picture frame our windows. Since our exterior walls are 6 inches thick, we thought that an extended window ledge would look too deep. The window trim is standard 2-1/4 inch width to match our door trim. Our interior doors are Masonite Cheyenne solid doors.

We really like how detailed the Cheyenne style is. Stay tuned next time for when I blog about our stairs being trimmed out.

Putting together a piece to put around a window.

Our interior doors.

One of the upstairs bedroom.

Bay windows in the dining room.

Before trim.

Bay windows in master bedroom with trim.

Hardwood Flooring Installed

Green Lifestyle No Responses »

Dec 012011

Hardwood in the kitchen.

Hardwood in the boxes.

Up close picture of the color of hardwood we chose.

Hardwood down in the dining room and living room.

Hardwood in the hallway by the front door.

We were able to find our hardwood at a really great price. I drove our truck and trailer about an hour to get the hardwood. The trip to the place went great, but the trip back seemed to take a bit. We had bought two pallets of hardwood which made driving back a task with all that weight. Dylan ‘s attention span went out the window. So trying to make him happy while driving was bit hard.

We bought pre-finished oak boards that were 3-1/4 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. They are stained a dark gunstock color. The wood came in random lengths. It is not the highest quality available, as it has little imperfections and knot holes in the surface. We really like it because it adds lots of character to our floor.

To install the flooring, we used a pneumatic flooring nailer that used 2 inch cleats. We had to use a finish nailer too when the boards got real close to the wall. We left about a one quarter inch gap around all of the walls for expansion of the wood. In some places, we had to rip wood strips using a table saw, and pieces were cut to length using a miter saw.

Living room.

We really like how the hardwood looks in our house and are so glad that the hardwood is installed.

Getting our Tile Flooring

Green Lifestyle 3 Responses »

Nov 182011

Master bathroom flooring

Laundry room flooring.

2nd floor bathroom.

We chose to put tile in our laundry room and two of our bathrooms. Not to brag about my husband, Garrett, but I feel he did an awesome job on laying the tile. All I was able to help him with was the grouting process. I know one thing for sure that is not something I would want to do everyday.

We used an 18 inch by 18 inch tile with 1/8 inch grout lines. The laundry room is a dark mojave color, while the bathrooms are more of a sandstone color. As a part of the installation, we first laid hardibacker onto the subfloor.

Helpful Hint
A handyman and Tooling Engineer at American Trim (Jeff Bryant) gave Garrett a great tip about laying the hardibacker. He recommended that we put a 1/4 inch layer of thinset between the subfloor and hardibacker. This seemed to add rigidity to the floor as well as really help to get the tile even with the hardwood thickness.

After the tile was laid and the thinset had fully cured, we floated the grout into the grout lines. The most difficult part of the install was cleaning the excess grout off of the tiles. This took lots of persistent elbow grease, but it really paid off in the end.

We are pleased with how everything turned out.

Drywall installed and house painted

Green Lifestyle 8 Responses »

Oct 172011

Hey everyone! There have been a lot of changes made to our house in the last month. It is amazing how the house feels more like a house with our drywall hung. All of our drywall is now hung and finished. Our painters have started painting our house. When I saw the living room painted for the first time, I thought WOW what a difference. I am really enjoying seeing the colors we chose on the walls.

View of dining room.	Dining room painted.
View of kitchen.	Kitchen painted.
View of master bedroom.	Master bedroom painted.
View of living room.	Living room painted.
View of Dylan's bedroom.	Dylan’s bedroom painted.
Dylan in his bedroom for the first time seeing the blue on the walls.	View of master bathroom.
Master bathroom painted.

Well, below is a picture of the color granite counter tops we chose for our kitchen counter tops. It is called Napoli. They had huge slabs of the granite in their warehouse, but I did not want to take Dylan in there while they were working. So I am sorry for the small sample. I am really excited about the time our cabinets with the counter tops are put in our kitchen. This will probably be in about five weeks.

Our granite choice.

Stay tuned for my next blog about the types of flooring we have chosen for our house.

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