Home Renovations

David and I have lived in our 2 story townhouse for almost 4 years now.  We've slowly, but surely made some improvements like painting and replacing the electrical outlets and light switches (as we went).  We've also replaced some of the light fixtures and installed a bi-fold door at the laundry room.  The projects have been periodic and completed as funds allow. 

Inspired by our tax refund, we decided to tackle some of the flooring.  We have wall-to-wall carpeting in most rooms, including the living room, the stairs, and all the bedrooms.  The stairs were a major issue because they connect the living room to the bedrooms and would force us to have carpeting installed to keep a continuous flow between the rooms.  We decided to tackle that issue first. 

Looking at the stairs from the bottom (we have a small storage area under our stairs), we noticed the treads and risers were made of pine and could potentially be sanded and stained a walnut color to match our banister.  With much skepticism, we ripped the carpet off the lower half of the stairs last night.  The lower stairs are visible from the living room, while the upper stairs are hidden by a wall, so we decided the lower half was more important for now.




Before



After the carpet was pulled up



 

Once the carpet was up, we found that the wood was in fairly good condition, but we had lots of work to do.  After pulling a million carpet staples out of the wood and taking up the tack strip, we drilled the nail heads and began to sand.  This is where we are now.  We have added finishing nails and sank them to allow us to putty them so they aren't noticable (this was a suggestion from my Daddy who is thankfully experienced with this type of work).  We've only been to Lowe's twice so far and we've had minimal bleeding and blister. All in all, we're doing pretty well.  As I write this, David is sanding the treads, and hopefully we'll have beautiful hard wood stairs within a week. 

Who starts a home reno project on a Saturday night...the night before the Super Bowl when we're expecting company for the big game?  WE DO!  What makes it so perfect is that we're in it together, so any obstacles we come across will be handled by us...non-professionals.  If the people on HGTV can do it, so can we.  Bring on the sanding, staining and painting.  We're ready! :)

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

1. For a husband who has some DIY sense and willingness to make my hopes for this house a reality.
2. For Lowe's being only a mile up the road.
3. For a little extra money as a safety net.
4. For the lovely pine wood under the carpet.
5. For the intranet, that provides step-by-step instructions, just in case.
6. For a Daddy who has been doing this kind of stuff for years...and who is just a phone call away.
7. For a house to live in, and a home to make our own.
8. For understanding neighbors as we beat and bang.
9. For weekends...our time to make our home more beautiful.
10. The ability to "do it yourself".

Help Me, Help Me, Help Me

1. Be a little more patient as we go through this.
2. To "direct" less and work more.
3. To understand this "work zone" will soon be a new look for the entire downstairs.
4. To appreciate the hard work David puts into this.
5. To remember to be "brave" when he says "Hmmmm...".
6. To take the home improvements a little at a time.
7. To be more thankful for what I have.
8. Remember on those days when I long for renting because there's always something that needs to be fixed that I own this house and it's mine all mine.
9. Be decisive...and take ownership of the decisions I make.
10. Cherish the time together that this renovation gives us.