Out with the old. In with the new......

As I mentioned previously, we have been in the process of making some renovations in our home. Actually, Jeff's been doing most of the renovations. I've been busy picking tile, paint, etc. I'm so exhausted too. I don't know what Jeff keeps moaning about. You would think he's doing the lion share of the work or something.... ;-)

Below you will see the "before" shots of our hallway bath. It is easy to figure out why we hated it so much.

What started out as a small project has become a huge project. Originally, the plan was to modify our hallway bath and that was it. It had carpet for flooring which we hated...even for a bathroom with a toilet and sink. It had horrible wallpaper and lots of bling. The "bling" was the gold trimmed mirror and other decorative items left by the former owners. It would be an understatement to say we hated the wallpaper and bling. So, the project started with the goal to remove the carpet and replace it with tile. The other goal was to remove the wallpaper and the bling. The walls have been painted. The pedestal sink has been replaced with a new sink and cabinet with matching mirror. And, we are still in the process of replacing the hardware and trim. The hardware is no longer shiny gold. It is a pewter color...including the new light fixture. Below is our newly remodeled bathroom. Much brighter and more modern looking. Or, at the very least, it is more to our liking and tastes.

Next up....the kitchen. The first photo below is a picture of our kitchen as it was when we purchased our home back in February. In this photo, the wood flooring actually looks nice. And, it would've been had it been properly installed. What you can't see are the gaps in between the wood in certain areas due to a crappy installation. So, we decided to yank that out and replace it with tile too. I painted the kitchen (and the majority of the rest of the house) some time ago as the same drab color throughout the entire house just didn't do it for me either. But, the primary driver for painting was I wanted scrubbable satin paint. The cheap paint that was on the walls could not withstand a house with two young children.

I went ahead and bought matching tile for our kitchen that will be installed later as a backsplash. I was afraid the matching tile might be discontinued (knowing my luck) by the time we got around to that remodeling effort next year. Our preference is that we replace the counter tops first. The current counter tops are a hunter green color. They are in good condition but we think the color looks a bit dated. Plus, we'd prefer to have a more neutral colored top and have that installed before doing the tile backsplash. I also think Jeff will run screaming into the night if he has just to do anymore tile for a while.

As you can see from the "after" photos, Jeff did an awesome job with the tile installation. You'd never know this was his first time to ever do it. And, if his "honey do" list stopped here, he'd be a happy camper. But, no such luck.

We also hated the carpet in the main living areas which has various stains. So, we decided to replace the foyer with tile and family room, dining room, and halls with Pergo laminate wood flooring. That is what Jeff is currently working on. And, last on the list is tile in the laundry room. I'll post pictures after that work is completed.

As usual, he and I never do anything on a small scale. It's never been our nature. Probably never will be. I just hope we survive the horrible mess that is currently in our home due to all of the work going on. Our kitchen is 99% back in order. Like the hallway bath, it is also lacking some attention on the trim, etc. to be 100% complete. Those will be my tasks to take care of. And, before anyone gives me grief, I've been busy making runs to Lowes for supplies, cleaning up the messes and generally trying to keep some order in our messy home at the moment so I have earned my keep as well.