Another new project!

Ben tore out the deck last summer, and its getting refinished now!

His parents and Sam came down to help for a day.

It was a really nice day, so the boys and Diana played in the sand pile most of the day.

Nice/warm enough water even got involved!

Glad for the extra help...and some fun playing outside! Excited to see what the new deck will look like, and be able to walk out on it!!!!!

Master Bath Project

Our "master" bathroom started out as this...

a T-I-N-Y bathroom that was placed in between our bedroom and the kitchen.

From this view, you can't see the actual bathroom..

but it's relevant as it BECAME part of the current bathroom!

So the dark center of that mini inlet, is the opening to the bathroom from the kitchen/dining room. The back door is on the right, and directly across from that is a closet.

When we remodeled our kitchen, we closed that opening (our fridge is currently located right there) but we could still go outside by going through our bedroom/bathroom.

Our bathroom in the making...

The red part is a new shower area. This was where the back door/closet was. Ben added two glass windows which brings in so much light.

The new shower!

He also added an area for me! 

The entrance to the bathroom changed as well. The closet space in our bedroom wasn't able to be fully used, so he cut into that. The back "wall" was made out of the same wood the countertop as the main bathroom vanity. He bought a set of drawers, and found a quartz countertop piece off of Craigslist to finish the top. 

This area in the bathroom that made the closet change, also prompted other projects...a further closet update, painting our bedroom and getting carpet! This is the beginning of that..but shows the closet, and how the wall changed from this view.

The final look...

so glad to have this bathroom in functioning order. And VERY grateful for Ben's work, design and ability to make it come together.

Main Bathroom Project

This year, we had decided to complete the last of what we wanted to remodel in this house...which meant both bathrooms upstairs would be redone. 

This was the main bathroom when we bought the house...in 2010. The minor changes we did then were paint, change the light fixtures, and remove the cabinets behind the door (they had a serious scent...one I did not care for).

So, in July...Ben started to completely gut it.

He had great supervisors.

New tub, sheetrock for the walls and ceiling, a skylight tube (which REALLY lights up the room), cabinet (painted/distressed it), and flooring (a waterproof laminate wood type) and the bathroom was starting to look different.

The vanity is a dresser we bought off Craigslist for $75 I think. He removed the top (which later became the doors), and made a countertop from some wood planks, sanded/stained/and epoxied (the clear glue-like substance that makes it bathroom countertop friendly to wipe up or get wet) it several times. The vanity part was painted/distressed, he removed the drawers, and added doors using the top of the dresser. I am very pleased with the final look :)

New tub with tiling in process....

So this started in July (as well as the other bathroom...which will be another post)...and there was a good chunk of time that this bathroom was out of working order, no toilet/sink. And then there was a shorter period where we could use the toilet, but the vanity/sink wasn't yet installed. Bottom line is, Ben worked hard at this...that is not up for debate. BUT, we have three little boys...two of them sleep directly across the hall from this bathroom, making the working hours slightly limited. AND, home bathroom demo projects are not Ben's full time job. I more state all of this for my own sake then anyone else's....because I was extremely ready for this project to be complete! Extremely. I was given the final projected completion date of "the end of November"....and my goodness, December 1 was a fantastic day. Glorious really. (And I'm not counting the small final touches, and the built-in cabinet that will tuck in by the tub as completion) We can use the toilet, sink, AND SHOWER....and that is wonderful folks! AND, I'm happy to report, with the final touch of a new door, there is no longer anything in here that has a scent of the previous owner.

Here are the final pictures...

Tree house [part two]

The tree house/swing set is a work in progress.

During the first phase, the first level was attached with slide, and the beam for the swing set was put up.

So over the course of the summer and into the fall the following progress has been made...

..stairs leading up to the first level.

A super helpful 1 year old was manning the drill.

Railing was put up all the way around.

Further additions to prepare for the second level.

A pulley was added on Christian's birthday, from Grandpa and Grandma.

 A handrail was placed (made from an old trampoline frame)

Netting for the stairs.

More progress towards the second level.

Bracing the joint for the swing set differently...and added hooks for swings.