Here are pics of what the living and dining rooms looked like when we moved in. It's really one big room that is partially separated by our brick fireplace. Ignore the brass grate, it will eventually get painted black.
We actually liked the built-in corner closet (it had no shelves so I can't call it a hutch), but when the wood paneling came down, the closet had to come down with it.
Next, my husband and Poppa tore down the wood paneling, added insulation in the walls, and removed the carpet and laminate.
Underneath the "beautiful" carpet was some beige and brown checkered laminate. We made sure to send in a test sample for asbestos and thankfully it came back negative. I guess they say it's fine to lay the hardwood over the asbestos as long as you don't try to tear it up and expose the asbestos to the air, but I prefer to have my family stay away from the stuff.
We hired a local contractor to sheetrock the walls. Basically we heard the same story from everyone regarding putting up sheetrock. It's costs the same to do it yourself as it does to hire someone (if you don't do it for a living or have the proper tools/equipment). So I ask you, why the heck would you do it yourself?!?
Once the walls were up we painted them a grayish-green called Clivenden Gray Morning in semi-gloss from Valspar. Then they started laying down the bamboo flooring again. In the second picture, Annie's helping her Dad brush off all the sawdust. Such a good helper!
And then the day came when Annie and I could walk in the rooms again. Ahh, so nice on the feet.
Sorry that all the pictures were taken at different angles. I couldn't always get to the same spots with all the tools and junk all over the place! And please ignore the hideous brass chandelier in the dining room. We bought a pendant light from Lowes to replace it, but I'm thinking of returning it. I'm not sure it will provide enough light and the living room doesn't have any overhead lighting at all. I will probably spray paint the thing until I find the perfect replacement for the right price. As of now, our priority is to stay on budget and we're right about to cross the line.
Sigh, I really hope all of the molding is up in 2 weeks. I still need to prepare the house for the new baby and I've warned Brendan I will likely flip out by June 1st if I haven't properly nested yet. I'll bet you can guess how excited and happy that makes him! :)
Love the Beasts,
Emily
