When we started considering all of the work that we needed to do on the home and the property, it was easy to get overwhelmed (and it still is…). We started by creating some high-level goals and then picking the ones we wanted/needed to work on first.
The primary goal as we saw it was to get the main floor of the house updated and livable. The second story, the walk-out basement, the creating of secondary systems for functioning “off-grid” if need be, the outbuildings, and the woods/gardens would have to wait. Did I mention it is easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of work?
In focusing on the first floor of the house, we started drafting our list of “to-dos”. This list included wood flooring in the main living areas including the kitchen. We selected pine floors (which we found / purchased at the best price from Lumber Liquidators), which we will be installing and finishing with Tung Oil for that durable, easily repairable, yet rustic look (we are going with pre-mixed / pre-packaged "Half & Half" Tung Oil and Citrus Solvent from The Real Milk Paint Co. / www.RealMilkPaint.com). We purchased 6 x 16 black slate flooring for the entry hall, and carrara pebble stone mosaic tile flooring in the bathroom (we purchased the black slate tile from from Menards / www.Menards.com and the Pebblino Mosaici Mixed Carrara Pebble Mosaic from Floor & Decor / www.FloorandDecor.com) . The list also includes new kitchen cabinets, etc., a new bathroom vanity and toilet with an updated closet, new interior doors, new light fixtures, painted trim, new window treatments, and updated electrical. The jury is still out on the painted trim; The existing wood trim and window frames are stained, and Ed and I seem to be on opposite sides of whether we should paint over the stain.
It all starts with demolition. As they often say on “This Old House”, you have to start with some destruction before you can begin the construction. Every rehab project has 'before'and 'after' photos. Here are a few photos from our first weekend, of the calm before the storm, of wood chips and drywall dust.
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