House

Well, we've almost had our house for a month now and we have yet to live in it. :(

We are working hard to complete some necessary improvements before we attempt moving in. 

Project 1: scraped ceiling (SOOO messy)

(now we need to fix up some of the seams and prime/paint it, we were thinking of an orange peel texture but we don't feel like paying a couple thousand for this)

Project 2: remove paneling wall

(paneling down, new drywall up, still need to finish mudding and paint)

Project 3: remove soffits in the bathroom (above the bathtub and shower)

(we have removed one above the sink in the main bathroom--a HUGE pain--and we still have one above the bathtub in the main bath, master shower, and master sink. We will be hiring the repair of the bathrooms out to a company we know and love)

Project 4: remove all the green shag carpet

(haven't gotten here yet, but we do have home depot coming out to measure for carpet and we have picked the new--cheap--carpet that we want. It will be in the bedrooms and loft area)

Project 5: raise sunken living room floor
(we are getting help with this, I was contemplating doing it myself, but can't find how-to's and don't want to get it wrong. We've had someone out to bid us, we will see if we can afford it. We want the living room to flow with the rest of the house, plus I see it as a kid tripping hazard)

Project 6: lay wood floors 

(still need to purchase the wood/laminate/or vinyl to go in the living room, dining room, and hallway. lumber liquidators is having a sale through this weekend, so we will decide soon.)

Project 7: build loft railing

(the one in the house is not to code--bars are too wide. I thought we might be able to push this off, but I tested it using Weston's head and he was able to fit his little head through, so it's gotta go! We aren't sure what style we want yet.)

Project 8: Outside

(We need to remove all the landscaping rocks. The prior owners were elderly and wanted low maintenance, so there is rock EVERYWHERE! With 2 boys who get no greater joy than throwing rocks at things, this is a big no no for us to keep, especially with the huge windows in the back of the house. There are also a few trees/shrubs we want to take down, but that CAN wait a while.)

On the upside, it feels so good to do-it-yourself. Since there's a learning curve with this type of work, it feels like we are moving snail-ishly through these projects. However, we are still living rent free at the apartment, so it isn't going to kill us to not move in til these projects are complete.....just feels that way. Wish us well.

I'm pretty horrible at taking pictures during the work, so here is all I have:

Here's the loft wall before:

Mid drywall:

 Mudding: