Victorian House Renovation in Bloomingdale, DC
So we were really really hoping to be done with the renovation in time for Sergey’s birthday. We had even planned a get together for the occasion. you know convenient – celebrate birthday and the end of renovation projects. Well, we weren’t done – despite our contractors’ promises. But its very close – enough to give our guests a pretty good idea of what it is supposed to be.
All of the cabinet pulls (but two – above the fridge) are in.… Read the rest
The whitewash brick really looks amazing in the kitchen. I am so glad that we went with this option, rather than plaster or tile — as pretty as those would have been, the brick looks at least just as great and cost us almost nothing, which is a big plus. One thing about white-wash is that unlike paint it tends to flake a little bit. It’s also not that great for clean up with water and soap, something that we need to be able to do in the kitchen.… Read the rest
I have been doing a lot of painting. A lot. Doors, moldings, sashes, walls, ceilings, touch ups, here and there and everywhere. So I thought I would share some of my researched knowledge, trial by error, and never would have thought of that tips.
1) Painting almost never stands on its own. Particularly for any woodworking projects or touchups. In the first case, wood filler is your friend. Our contractors introduced me to Elmer’s carpenters exterior/interior wood filler, and it is great for filling in nail holes.… Read the rest
Ah so the saga of “move kitchen cabinets 4″ down” continues. Besides the dented and scratched counter (which will need an ink & seal touch up) there was also the problem with our shelf beneath the cabinets. That too, had to move down, otherwise I couldn’t use it for any soap or oil bottles.
We could have asked our contractors to do that, but decided that they *might* run away if we ask them to change or re-do one more thing.… Read the rest
Well the distance between the three recessed lights by the cabinets is fixed.
But the fourth light somehow ended up wildly off the mark. whyyyyyyyyyy?????? why can’t everything just happen right, as if by magic, the first time. see that piece of blue painters tape? that’s supposed to be the location of the fourth light. magic, i want magic!
But overall, we are slowly but surely getting there. As of this morning, this is what our kitchen ceiling looks like:
we have started to move into the kitchen, and its taking us a minute (more like days and days).… Read the rest
My beautiful black shiny counters were a bit of a causality in the whole ‘move kitchen cabinets 4″ down‘ exercise. I wasn’t really looking for a solution – I figured that just as well, it was bound to happen eventually, with use. But then I came across this post on Apartment Therapy, suggesting that it was possible to get dings out of wood counters. Intrigued, I decided to give it a whirl last night.… Read the rest
In every renovation, inevitably, mistakes happen. The worst though, is when you are close to done. Or when something has been there for weeks – months maybe – and you “just” notice it. Annnd it happened to us. We have started to use the kitchen just a bit– the new dishwasher was hooked up on Friday for us (works great!) So on Sunday I thought – hey why don’t I unload the dishwasher straight into our kitchen cabinets.… Read the rest
Our first official before and after. Finally, something finished and ready for the unveiling! That’s a great feeling :) When I look at these pictures that Sergey took, and especially when I compare to the before, I can’t quite believe we did this. One of the downsides of living through a renovation – particularly one that takes months – is that there is no official “reveal,” no quick door over. Its not like those HGTV shows when the homeowners get to leave and come back to a completely new space.… Read the rest
Slowly but surely we are making our way to completion. We lost one day of work (Tuesday) this week due to hurricane Sandy, mainly because driving conditions were terrible. Not much to show in terms of pictures – some electrical outlets, some moldings here and there. A bathroom door – hey cool!
Fluorescent lights (3′ and 2′ long) were installed in the recessed opening behind the bench. The plan is to place plexiglass over these in order to diffuse the light.… Read the rest
I have been trying to take care of the small things as we go along in the renovation – like touch ups and finishing touches – because I figure once we declare Phase II renovation done, its going to be really difficult to get around to small fixes and touch ups. This quick fix – adding a touch of brass to our faucets – one was super quick. In 20 minutes and with minimum materials and effort in the kitchen and half bath, I made a big difference in the finished look of our space.… Read the rest