Master Bedroom Ceiling Done!

The drywall guys are out of here!  They've been super nice, but it's been a long haul.  We're ready to move back into our bedroom- as soon as the tub gets moved out of here!

View from the main hallway

They did some work on the walls too, which was really great of them.  

The electrician put the new ceiling fan in.

View from the corner next to the closet

As mentioned, we had quite a few guests arriving (and some staying overnight) for Thanksgiving.  I needed to get the bedrooms back into shape, but couldn't do that until we could get the master bedroom furniture moved out of the kids rooms.  Now we could get that started!

Dining Room Chandelier

Back to more pre-Thanksgiving posts! These photos were taken in the week leading up to Thanksgiving (which we were hosting... for ~30 people!)

We bought the dining room chandelier ages ago, and it's finally up!  At this point, the drywall was almost complete in the dining room- just drying before the finishing sanding.

The electrician had to run out to get the plate that goes on the ceiling, which was missing.  At least it was a quick & easy fix!

View from the window

During the sanding, Mike put a plastic garbage bag over & around the light to try to keep out some of the dust.  Then the drywall guy turned on the light switch and melted the bag to the bulbs.  Gah- had to run out and buy all new bulbs!

Lighting Fixtures

The kitchen light fixtures have been installed!  I'm loving them!

This one is above the island

This is above the eating area

Shopping Trip- Lighting

Getting more shopping done, and having fun making selections!

Here is the light that will go over the kitchen island...

 Here is the chandelier to go over the table in the kitchen...

We almost forgot about getting a light to  hang in front of the coat closet in the hallway.   It will definitely be dark in that little nook.  We were trying to find something that would compliment our front foyer light.  Here's what we ended up with:

Of course, we still have the dining room chandelier that we bought AGES ago...

I picked out a crystal chandelier to go over the master bathroom tub, but the electrician informed us that it's against code to have over the tub.  Oh well- that's getting returned then!  

We picked out very simple light fixtures for the butler's pantry, laundry room & back foyer.

Electrical Update- Attic Hallway

Here's where we are with the electrical work in the Attic Hallway/Stairwell...

The light switch at the bottom of the attic stairs has been installed.

BEFORE

Installed... but needing new switch plate!

I'm loving this improvement, since I always get to the bottom of the stairs, usually with my arms full, and realize I forgot to turn off the light switch that's located on the third floor!

The existing flush mounted light fixture was removed, and the box moved to be centered over the stairwell.  They also installed the new fixture.  (Which if you remember, I got a great deal on here!)

BEFORE: Ugly old light fixture,
centered on ceiling, rather than over the stairs.

Reversal for the Before/After shot:

BEFORE

AFTER

The existing switches were tightened up, & one tied to that new switch located at the bottom of the stairs...

BEFORE

AFTER- but needing new switch plate!

So, a lot has been accomplished up here, but still a lot more to do!  First on that list is purchasing new switch plates. 

There's also items like patching the hole from the old light box...

...and the peeling paper that's on the ceiling & walls needs to be removed.  The plaster underneath is a rough texture, so we may need to do a skim coat.  Or I may try the Benjamin Moore Advance Paint and see if that smooths it out...

We also need to refinish the hallway floors, but no sense in doing that until we're done tracking all the building materials up & down!

And, of course, painting all of those rails on the banister (which I'm dreading!)

But for the time being, it's much more functional than it was :)

I'm especially tickled with the new light fixture... here's a look at it from the bottom of the stairs.

Related posts:
The Electric Plan
The Attic Electric
The Master Bedroom Electric

Light Fixture Deals!

Recently we made a run to the ReStore.

(Details on a new project will be coming next week!)

While we were there, we also checked out the lighting fixtures.

I had been eyeing this one when my mom & I were here about a month ago.  

I even took this picture to show Mike...

It was marked at $175- which we thought was a great deal.

Similar 12-bulb candle chandeliers like this and this were in the $500-$800 range.

Mike wasn't quite as convinced.  He wanted to see it in person.

Lucky for us, it was still there!

And even better... It was marked down to $75!!!!  Woohoo!

I didn't even have to convince Mike!

We plan to use it in the new dining room (after the kitchen extension is built), 

so for now it's up in storage.  

I love that it goes so well with the real antique candelabra that we have hanging in the family room...

Here's the second fixture we bought... another great price at $25!

I was searching for one to put in the attic hallway.

Here's what we have now- a dinky, modern, brass flush mounted light... 

This new light fixture we'd like centered over the stair well 

(approx. where that big chipped paint area is on the left of the photo!)   

I think that'll look much better, as well as provide more light on the stairs.

We had the electrician in on Sunday and he's working on the estimates.

It will probably be a while until the light gets installed, since there are several electrical projects we'd like to have done all at once...  Mostly related to that new project I was talking about!

Dining Room- New Light

Last summer, my mom & I saw this ceiling medallion at a yard sale.  I had been eyeing them at Lowes & Home Depot, so knew they could range from $40-$100 when bought new.

Since I had already been planning to put one in the Dining Room when we get a new light fixture, I just couldn't resist asking how much the guy was asking.
Only $8 (woohoo!)

So I snapped it up & put it away in the barn until we were ready for it.
It took a while, but we finally found a light fixture we fell in love with!

Old Fixture

Our first step was removing the old fixture.

I didn't really mind the old light, but since the plan is for this room to eventually become a formal living room (see the floor plans here), we wanted to replace the chandelier with a semi-flush fixture.

Once that was taken care of, Mike used Liquid Nails (left over from installing the paneled molding) to attach the medallion to the ceiling.

The light fixture itself took a couple of hours (spread over two days, due to the frustration factor!)
Nothing is ever as straight forward as it should be, when working in an old house!

Finally, we got it installed, and I proceeded with hanging the crystals off it...

New fixture with ceiling medallion

I absolutely LOVE the fixture.  It's the perfect size for the room (we got the 5-bulb... they also make a 3-bulb, but I was worried that wouldn't give enough light).

From the Foyer Doorway

From the Kitchen Doorway

I still need to decide which pictures are going back on the walls, & where.

(I find it hard to add nail holes to freshly painted walls, unless I'm sure... like with the round mirror!)





Even though we can't call it done yet... here's a Before/After for we stand now....

Foyer- Before & After

We're not completely done... but with the holidays quickly approaching, I'm calling it "done for now" and will update when we get the finishing touches in place!

So here's the side-by-side...
Not all that dramatic a change, but remember, we weren't really unhappy with the foyer, nor wanting to re-do this space, until the ceiling fell down.
Then it became necessary :)

The renovation included the following:
-After fixing the plumbing, we sheetrocked the walls, and the ceiling.
-The walls have been painted gray ("Frappe" by Valspar)
-All of the moldings, doors & the radiator cover were repainted a crisp white.
-We switched out the light fixture.
-We replaced the light switch plates.
-The floor took a beating, so we bought a new, larger rug- to cover them up until we get them refinished!  (Plus it feels more cozy in the winter!)

More pics:

With the front door open

This is the view when you enter the front door:

2011- Before we moved in

After

View from the back door:

After

2011- Before we moved in

The detail shots:

Some Christmas decor

New light switch plates

Bells on the door for Christmas

The new rug!

To finish it up, we plan to hang some artwork... some ideas are being tossed around on that, though it'll likely be in the spring when we get it settled & up there!


In Progress shots:

Sheetrocking & spackeling

Painting radiator cover

New Light Fixture

Painting back door & molding

Painting front door & molding

Update: foyer wall decor