Renovation

laundry-and-craft-room-in-progress

My husband and I have found out that you can pretty much do what you set your mind to do…..if you study up a little, get some advice from a professional, google, check out you-tube videos and take your time. At least; where home improvement projects are concerned.

Our home is a work in progress. It has been, since the day we moved in. I think it just takes us longer because we like to save money by doing things ourselves.  We also like to repurpose and reuse items that others are going to toss. This does mean that our projects take longer….much longer.  (Which is why this post is late!)

Anytime we repurpose an item it has to be re-made to fit the specific area where it will go in our home. That is the case with the cabinets that we are working on for my laundry/craft room. The cabinets came from a house, 80 miles away, that is scheduled to be torn down.

getting-ready-for-painting

It seems to take lots of time to scrub, sand, fill holes, prime, paint and install the cabinets so they will look like I want them to. In the process my husband and I have learned the skill of cabinet and countertop installation.  (I think my husband has learned more than I have as he has been the one doing most of the work! I always tell him that he is my executer…..I plan and he executes.)

I must confess there were multiple (did I say Multiple??) phone calls and messages to and from my oldest son, who is a finish and trim carpenter. He lives 4 hours away (if you drive like the kids do or 5 if you drive like we do) so this was a long distance installation.

I think the son may have been a little concerned, as he kept requesting pictures of the progress. He also asked pointed questions about how much “gappage” we had between wall and countertop.  We assured him we had done a great job. We even impressed ourselves!

I have also discovered it is very satisfying to see each stage of the project. There is a lot of elbow grease that has gone into this particular one and it is still not done. It has kind of taken on a life of it’s own….as projects tend to do. I now look at the other side of this room and discover it really needs some help also. Fortunately there are still some remaining cabinets from this set that I can use on that side.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from projects such as this one. I am going to put a link here to a post I did when I first started blogging.  That was perhaps one of our most challenging projects and it was my wonderful little chicken coop.

I hope you enjoy reading it and are blessed by it. https://thechickengrandma.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/lessons-from-a-chicken-coop/

The idea of redemption is always good news,
even if it means sacrifice or some difficult times.
Patti Smith
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/redemption_2.html 

50 thoughts on “Renovation”

  2. susieshy45 says:
    Reply

    Faye,
    You are a woman after my own heart. I like DIY projects too but even more do I love craft. Tell me, what craft do you plan to do in the room and what do you plan to store in the cupboard ?
    I think you have both done a marvelous job and Kudos for that. Your home must be a marvel piece of art because of all the effort that has gone into it plus the love between the two of you must be growing the more projects you do together.
    God bless togetherness, creativity and hardworking hands,
    Susie

    Liked by 1 person

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      My husband thinks I might have too many crafts LOL. I love to make cards and scrapbook (which works well together). I used to sew for my boys when they were kids, jammies and things. I crochet and knit. I also dabble (a very small amount) in trying to make jewelry. I also love to make things using my essential oils. Lotion bars are so much fun, foot creams etc. The next thing I would like to try is making soap from scratch.
      I am trying to organize the craft necessities in those cupboard so I can find them when I need them. I used to have an 8 foot table in there but a flat surface is not really that great for organizing.
      My husband and I do work well together. We have learned over the years, what we both have as strengths. It still does take patience and the knowledge of when to stay silent :).

      Liked by 1 person

      • susieshy45 says:

        I haven’t learnt that last virtue yet. My big mouth blabbers whatever my mind thinks of at that moment and that has often triggered off a big fight. But these days even a big fight brings out a ” Praise God” and ” Thanks” from me. So there has been some change,:)
        Loved hearing about your crafts.
        Please show some of your crochet and knit projects, if you will.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. kindergartenknowledge says:
    Reply

    The cabinets look wonderful! Maybe you should be on HGTV…”The Chicken Grandma Refurbishes Iowa”…seriously…not kidding!! I like the way you go around and find things that are going to be thrown away or torn down! If you only knew the things we have around here that will have an “important use” someday!

    Liked by 1 person

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      That made me smile! We have an entire one room school house on our acreage that has reclaimed architectural salvage…..everything from old doors with porcelain knobs to ornate trim work. It probably is time we downsize some of it and sell what we will never use.
      My husband would say the Chicken Grandma makes plans and diagrams and he executes LOL! And he would be so right. I have gotten handier with some tools though. The dremel is my favorite.

      Like

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      I primed twice with KILZ as the house we took them out of was very damp. Then I used Pittsburgh latex semi gloss enamel. I did not buy the top of their line but the next one down. It was about 30 something a gallon and I did two coats. I rolled that on with a small foam roller brush on the flat parts.

      Like

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      My husband is absolutely fearless when it comes to handyman projects. Though cutting the counter worried him a bit. He is usually pretty game to give things a whirl.
      Our projects do take a lot of cooperation and are not always perfect when they finished but are good enough for us.

      Like

      • thechickengrandma says:

        I think most of our projects happen because it is cheaper to do them ourselves. I am fortunate my husband is handy with tools and doesn’t mind trying his hand at different things. It also helps that my dad is a retired plumber, my brother is an electrician, and my son is a finish and trim carpenter. Lots of good advice and guidance.

        Like

  7. bcparkison says:
    Reply

    Wow…You and the executer are doing great .It is a labor of love only those of us crazy enough to try something like this can understand. Twenty years ago when we started our project ( not yet finished I might add) my sister said,” If you are going to redo an old house why not get one with some history.”All houses have a history my dear and when I related this to a local man he said.” History! We used to buy bootleg out of this house and then penny candy after school when it was just a little store.” See…History! We even found a handwritten note ,in pencil, on the wall that WL had quite smoking. Haha..What ever your fancy ..and talk about fancy…your chicken house is wonderful.

    Liked by 1 person

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      We have been here a little over 10 years and there is a lot of wood work that still needs to be refinished and put on. The woodwork on the main floor in our home is from a school that was torn down 10 years ago. It is wide oak woodwork in the mission style. In our upstairs every room has a different style of painted woodwork that has come out of various homes that were going to be torn down.
      I think you are right…..it takes a certain type of person to take on projects like this.
      I love the story of the history of your house. I don’t think ours has such a lively history….other than farm families and their lives.

      Like

  9. PaperPuff says:
    Reply

    Your room looks to be shaping up beautifully! I admire your patience – I hate all the prep work like sanding etc, even though I know it makes the finished project so much better. Sometimes I used to regret that my dad taught me a lot of basic DIY skills – well more I absorbed them as his ‘assistant’ really! I often said, as I stood there helping to mix cement, or hang cupboards, that in future I was going to pretend I couldn’t do anything and just go shopping and get my hair done!!

    Liked by 1 person

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      I am in total agreement on the prep work! With these it was not so bad as they had been varnished. I just washed them with TSP (tri sodium phosphate) and then sanded with and electric sander.
      My dad is a retired plumber and I used to go with him. I learned a lot of DIY skills also. He also insisted that his girls learn things like how to change their own flat car tires, clear leaves out of gutters and fix a toilet that the water keeps running.
      There are many times it would be nicer to just sip a cup of tea and watch someone professional do my projects.

      Liked by 1 person

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      Thank you! The prep definitely pays off in a good finish. I am anxious to put the doors on the upper tomorrow and organize my “stuff”.
      I think I have my husband a little concerned….I am already eyeing the laundry side of the room to see where I can put the other cabinets that we rescued.

      Like

    • thechickengrandma says:
      Reply

      Hahaha George! I am indeed fortunate that my husband is a really good handyman.
      I also learned from my dad, “Measure twice…..cut once.” We usually just measure a hair long for things because my dad also taught me, “You can always cut a piece off….you cannot cut a piece on.”
      Many of our projects are from necessity. It is cheaper to redo, repurpose and salvage than purchase new.

      Like

  15. leadership2mommyship says:
    Reply

    The cabinet looks wonderful! I think this is the best way to add a personal touch to the home–by doing it yourself. I read an article recently about all the abandoned furniture and how we can reuse these pieces. I felt bad and decided to keep my table I’ve been wanting to get rid of–it’s pretty beat up from all my Air Force moves. But I have decided to one day repaint. I have no clue, but I love watching the DIY shows, so much talent. One day I will!

    Liked by 1 person

  16. marijo1245 says:
    Reply

    Your cabinets look amazing! So neat and tidy! This house will be a work in progress until the day I die I’m sure. I understand the beauty of your post full-well!

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment