Our EIL {electrician-in-law} completed his work on updating all the original ’50′s wiring this past weekend. It looks great! We can’t believe what a difference the lighting makes and many of the fixtures aren’t even in place yet. Plus, artificial lighting in every room allows Handy Hubby to work well past dusk if he feels like it {i.e. when putting together base kitchen cabinets }. Before, we were working off of a few shop lights after daylight hours and having to move them from room to room.

The first image above is looking into the kitchen from the family/living room. Those base cabinets are the kitchen island. More on the island a little further down. Let’s talk lights for now.

The trio of lights above the island are actually these globe pendants {on sale!} from West Elm. The glass globes are intentionally MIA. We don’t want them to get shattered while renovating is still underway. We’ll probably end up switching the bulbs out after renovation is complete. The standard ones we have in there now are a little too blinding for everyday living but great for DIYing at night! We’re leaning towards an Edison-style bulb.

I’m loving the galvanized light over the future sink area. It projects out far enough from the wall to light the sink and countertop but doesn’t steal the show from the trio of pendants over the island. Our EIL said it’s not going anywhere. He’s very impressed with the quality.

That’s the view you get when you’re standing on the kitchen side of the island looking back towards the family room. Without skylights and pendants on the family room side of the great room, it’s noticeably darker. I plan on adding a floor lamp and table lamp to brighten things up over there. I’ve been dying to incorporate a tripod floor lamp into our home’s design and I think the family room just might be the place to do it.

Along the ridge beam, we chose to have track lighting installed to wash the vaulted ceiling with light and provide indirect ambiance over the great room. We bought the track lighting from Menards. They don’t have it listed online or I’d link to it. The brand is Quantum and the price was extremely reasonable.

Looking into the mudroom/dining room there’s a recessed light and what will be a dining pendant {haven’t quite figured that one out yet} where you see a naked bulb.

I knew I wanted a light in the laundry nook {it used to be a closet!} and recessed seemed to be the way to go. Again, we have plans to add overhead storage and a means of disguise to hide the washer/dryer. I see this nook being multipurpose – laundry room and bar area. Can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Back to the other side of the great room…

Could it be that this lit hallway is my favorite lighting element in the house? Yes. Yes, it could. And it is. I think it’s because it started out so dark and dingy. Design and DIY people say it all the time, “Lighting is a key element.” Our lil’ hallway is living proof of that – minus the hanging thermostat, dusty floors and messy closet.

When we first started planning the lighting scheme for the entire house, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really care about this hallway. I was thinking maybe hang a ceiling light and call it a day. After all, it was just a pass-through from the bedrooms to the great room and vice versa. But our EIL was very adamant about installing recessed lighting in the hall in a way that would wash the walls just in the right places. So we told him to go for it because we trusted him.

And I’m so glad we did! He obviously knew what he was talking about. The lighting is staggered so that each can washes a portion of wall. I can just see the walls lined with family photos and artwork! This hall is definitely going to become more than a pass-through.

Just off the main hall is this smaller hall to the kid/guest bathroom. It originally had no lighting but now it does.

The bathroom is lit up too although there’s nothing to see here except for a broken toilet and paint sample.

If you wanted to run the exhaust fan you could. It’s fully functioning! HH and I cannot – AND I MEAN CANNOT – wait to start tiling the bathrooms. They are going to be such unbelievable ‘afters!!!’ I hardly even remember the ’50′s pink tile and mold in the walls.

The nursery light is from IKEA. I’d tell you its name but I don’t remember and it’s not listed online because it’s being discontinued. I bought the very last one at our local IKEA a few weeks ago. It was less than $20. I was at IKEA to pick up the floating vanity and bathroom sink and hadn’t planned on buying any lighting but when I saw this ceiling light and its price tag, I knew it’d be perfect for the nursery.

The boys’ bedroom has a place-holding lightbulb for now. I want an industrial ceiling fixture for them. Something that’s appropriate now {at ages 6 and 3} and ten years down the road. Like the nursery, I’m steering clear of any themes in here. I want the boys’ room to flow with the rest of the house but have a youthful, playful and laid back feel to it. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but this room is going to have to function as a bedroom and playroom.

Another great idea that our EIL had was to light the closets in the two larger bedrooms. {The nursery closet is teeny-tiny and receives enough light from the ceiling light to go commando.}

So in the boys’ bedroom he wired a light inside the closet just above the frame. It comes on with the flip of a switch.

It should come in handy for getting dressed on dark school mornings…and keeping the Boogie Man away.

Another lone lightbulb in the master bedroom waiting to be replaced with something better. Since the light in our bedroom will be over the bed, I’m thinking a chandelier or hanging lantern could work well. I think I’ve talked HH out of a ceiling fan. I have my ways.

We have the same closet light as the boys.

Eventually I see us needing to install a floor-to-ceiling closet organization system and when we do, this light will be well outta the way.

The wall sconce in the petite master {now there’s an oxymoron for ya} bathroom is perfect. It’s simple, industrial and slightly rustic. We love it so much that we’ll be installing another one in the kid/guest bath too. Below the sconce will be a mirror {hint: I already bought one and can’t wait to share it!} and floating vanity.

A recessed light over the tub/shower area should keep our small master bath feeling bright.

And, finally, a view back down my new favorite hallway. Ahhhhh. Sorry for the crooked shot. I was probably waddling.

Oh, and what’s that at the end of the hallway?

The beginning stages of a kitchen cabinet installation. If you’ll take a step back with me for a moment…we discovered that installing base cabinets onto a floating floor {like our engineered hardwood} could pose problems down the road. SO…in order to complete the flooring install, HH is installing the base cabinets in the kitchen then laying the flooring up to them. And that’s why you saw our kitchen island way up at the beginning of this post.

When we planned the kitchen layout eons ago, we knew we wanted a big island for food preparation and casual dining. It required knocking down a wall to get it, but it’s something we don’t regret one bit. In fact, I think we would have regretted not knocking down that wall. The 9′ long island {yes, I said 9′…that’s more than twice as long as the island we had in our previous 2,700 sq ft home!} is totally worth it. What can we say? We like open living spaces and a kitchen that allows us to see everything going on around us while we cook.

Not to mention all the added storage we’ll gain from those island cabinets. For fun, HH assembled the drawers of one cabinet…he just couldn’t wait. {Note: while the cabinet frames are white, all the lower cabinets including the island will be black. The sides of the cabinets and island will be covered with black panels so that everything on the exterior is black. For more specifics on our kitchen design, click here.}

Like everything else in the Underdog, the cabinets are dirty. HH has been working non-stop assembling and installing the base cabinets all last weekend and during the week as time has allowed. He says it’s gone smoothly. I think the hardest part has been just searching through all the IKEA boxes for which cabinet/part he needs next.

Update: HH finished installing all base cabinet frames tonight! That means the rest of the flooring can go in…after I work all weekend and HH gets back from two weeks of business travel. Ugh. But I’ll be sure to get some new pics up of the kitchen layout for you in the meantime.

That should bring you up to speed on the Underdog. Many, many thanks to our EIL, Jared. He sacrificed family time and free weekends to help us out. And he made our future home safe and bright! Still, Everett refuses to stop wearing safety glasses and a head light.

Things are moving along and we’re loving this phase of the renovation…installing the finishes we’ve been carefully selecting over the last several months. I’ve secretly been shopping around and making a few decor purchases too that I’m itching to share with you. It’s really starting to come together although there will still be LOTS to do after we move in. I think we’ll be tweaking this house into our home for years and years to come. And that’s a good thing.

FYI – Two of the light fixtures mentioned above are from one of my sponsors, Barn Light Electric. They also sent us two ceiling fans to be mounted in the great room and once those are installed, I’ll be writing up a review of their sponsored products which will include detailed images. So far, we are beyond pleased with them. All other lighting elements were purchased with our own money. Just being honest, folks!

Congrats to Suzanne T!! She is this week’s random giveaway winner!

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

First of all, thanks guys. Your words are encouraging. Your stories are inspiring. Couldn’t do it without you! I’m accepting the fact that a few things have to come before blogging right now – no matter how much I’d like it to be nearer the top of my priority list. Instead, I’m jotting down a bunch of ideas for future posts {a recurring ‘Ask Handy Hubby’ post?} and coming up with post ideas that could easily be cranked out in a short amount of time {weekly ‘Steals and Deals’?}. Like always, a challenge is inspiring ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

But today I have a quick flooring update. HH finished up the bedrooms last weekend! As tedious as this flooring install has been, we both like the floor more and more each time we see it so it’s definitely worth it. The flooring is dirty, the wintry Ohio day makes our yet-to-be electrified Underdog feel dreary, and no baseboards or register covers are installed but hopefully you get the idea. {We have electric turned on in the garage for project usage but have yet to turn on electric to the interior until all switches are installed and outlets are properly covered and safe for kiddos.}

{HH and Everett taking a break to play Toss the Painter’s Tape Ball – we have to get creative with playtime at the Underdog!}

The only hardwood left to install is on the kitchen side of the great room. HH did a bunch of research and decided it’d be best to install our base cabinets and island in the kitchen first then install the flooring around it. Apparently, issues can arise when securing base cabinets to a floating wood floor so we’ll be installing the floor around the base cabinets to avoid expansion/contraction problems. Hardwood will run under the refrigerator, dishwasher and gas stove/oven. At first thought, we were banking on finishing the master bathroom before the kitchen but we’ve decided to install all the lower kitchen cabinets and island first so we can officially complete the flooring. Then we’ll move onto the bathroom. In fact, HH has already started assembling the island cabinets!

Can you tell we’re trying to prioritize what things need to be completed in order for us to move in? I’ve said all I need is one bathroom, a refrigerator and a microwave. HH says we need a full kitchen. We’ll see what happens.

I’m so happy that the engineered hardwood extends into all of our closets {except for the mechanical room}. It definitely makes our small living space feel more cohesive.

This is the view from the kid/guest bathroom looking into the hallway…

There’s a small linen closet off to the left. Back down the hallway…

The nursery…

I mentioned before that I plan to use fabric panels instead of doors on all the bedroom closets. I love that the hardwood extends into the bedroom closets so when the fabric ‘doors’ are pulled open the closet will feel like a part of the room.

Keeping the flooring in the bedrooms consistent with the hallway makes for a continuous view across the hall. I have a thing for room-to-room views. The view from the nursery looking into the master…

The boys’ bedroom…{HH was finishing up the last row when I took this picture}

The master bedroom…

View from the master bathroom…

View into the master bathroom…

And some more room-to-room views to show how keeping the flooring consistent throughout helps with the flow of the small house. Looking into the boys’ bedroom from the master…

Looking into the nursery from the master…

Back down the hall towards the great room…

Finally, a few close-ups…

Someone asked why we chose the handscraped hardwood. Personally, we like the wide plank, beveled edge and slightly textured surface. We like the look and we like that it’ll patina well from all the dings and dents that our family is sure to give it over the years. A smoother, shinier surface would show every mark. Although we have a ‘no shoe’ policy in our house, I’m not going to be a stickler about any scratches or dings that occur. Those are just signs of life.

I grew up in a home with some solid hardwood floors and nearly 20 years later my dad has yet to have them refinished. I think the wear and tear gives them character. Imperfect perfection if you ask me.

That’s the latest and greatest at the Underdog. Once all the flooring is installed I’ll write up a post on how we DIY’d it.

HH gets back from a business trip to Las Vegas today. The boys want to have a ‘welcome home’ party for him. Cake and balloons are a must. HH will be home for the weekend working on putting together more of the base cabinets in the kitchen. I have to work at the pharmacy Saturday but hope to lend HH a hand on Sunday. Maybe I’ll have some preliminary kitchen cabinet shots to share with you next week!

Happy weekend!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Okay, I’m doing it. I’m answering the ‘How do you stay fit while pregnant?‘ question. As an added *bonus* {i.e. comedic relief} I’m including real life photos…of me…7 months pregnant…working out…in our blah apartment…with my three-year-old assistant. I’m embarrassed already.

First up, my supplies. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t include a pricey gym membership, a hot personal trainer, fancy exercise machines or a nanny to watch the kids.

1 – Two supportive pillows to prop my head higher than my heart for certain exercises.

2 – A pair of Embark 5-lb weights I bought at Target.

3 – The Perfect Pregnancy Workout {TPPW} Volume 1: Sculpting video I bought on Amazon.

4 – A step stool borrowed from my kids’ bathroom.

5 – A chair – not shown.

In all, my supplies cost me less than $30 {free weights + video} about 4 months ago. That’s right. What I’m about to show you is what I’ve been doing three times per week since the end of my first trimester. Before then, I was working out at a local gym ~2 times per week, mostly strength training and a little cardio. But with baby #3 on the way unexpectedly, a renovation in the works, and, hopefully, a career change in my future, I figured now was as good a time as any to cut my gym membership from the budget and find a more affordable way to exercise.

I work out in our ~980 sq ft apartment. No home gym here.

I play the video on my laptop in the middle of the living room floor. I prefer to workout in the morning after I get Layne off to school and it’s just me and Everett. But sometimes, I will wake up early on a Saturday or Sunday to squeeze in a session. It just depends what’s going on that week.

{step ups on the stool}

Oh, and I workout barefoot. It’s my personal preference. I just feel more grounded, balanced without socks and shoes on.

I love TPPW. I read reviews on a bunch of prenatal exercise videos on Amazon and this one appealed to me most. I was looking for a workout to maintain muscle tone, stamina and strength during my pregnancy. I want to be strong for labor and delivery this time around.

{pulls and extensions using free weights and a chair for balance}

You see, my last labor {nearly 4 years ago with Everett} was insane. 48 minutes from first contraction to baby’s arrival. That might sound nice but let me tell you it wasn’t. It was 15 hours worth of labor and pain crammed into a very intense, very scary 48 minutes. We barely made it to a hospital and I was completely not in control of the pain, my body or the situation. Not to mention that serious complications – for mother or baby – can arise due to such a short labor. We were quite lucky. Everett and I made it through without any complications. My doctor says it’s likely I will experience precipitous labor and delivery again, so I want to be as strong as possible to endure another natural, non-medicated childbirth.

{extensions with free weights}

TPPW is about 45 minutes long including the warm up and cool down sessions. The pregnant instructor is a former Cirque du Soleil acrobat who comes across as kind and calm – not in your face. The workout is not easy but it’s not impossible either. Because my body is changing so much, so rapidly, each workout gets a little more difficult for me. But in a good way. There are different options {beginner, intermediate, advanced} for certain exercises depending on your level of athleticism. I’ve yet to master the advanced versions of shoulder dips and side crunches. Oh, the side crunches. I think they’re my least favorite thing on the entire video.

So, where is Everett during all of this? Here’s my lovely assistant now…

{reverse lunges using the chair for balance}

Notice Everett is still in his pj’s. I get about 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted workout time before Everett wants in on the action. I don’t mind though. I think it’s important for kids to see their parents being active. Plus, I end up laughing and smiling a lot more during my workout than I would otherwise. Yes, every once in a while I do have to pause the video to get Everett a snack or something but he’s usually pretty good at waiting until I’m done. Like I said, no nanny.

{propped up on pillows for small ab movements}

I love it when he gets right down with me and mimics my movements.

{warm up stretching}

He always lets me know when I don’t do a movement exactly like the woman on the video. By far, my favorite exercises are the shoulder dips. I swear I’m gonna conquer the advanced version of the shoulder dips before this baby is born. It’s a personal goal.

{shoulder dips}

One more thing I’d like to mention. Kegels. I think they’re important and this video makes you do ‘em. And so, yes, there are moments when you are staring the instructor in the face as she practices her Kegels and you practice yours. At first, it’s slightly uncomfortable {assuming you’ve never stared a complete stranger in the face whilst knowingly doing Kegels simultaneously} then it’s comical for a while. Eventually, it becomes just another part of the workout but sometimes I do find myself thinking, ‘Doesn’t she find it odd that lots of people are watching her while she contracts and relaxes her vaginal muscles?’ But 6 seconds later I’m thinking, ‘Her lip gloss looks nice.’ That’s how my pregnancy brain works nowadays. I’m easily distracted.

{Hello. These are our muscles and the faces we make when we flex them. Welcome to the gun show.}

Anyhow, doing this workout three times weekly does make me feel stronger and give me some confidence going into what I’m assuming will be another intense, non-medicated childbirth experience. I wish I would have found it 7 years ago when I was prego with our first child. I did prenatal water aerobics 2 times per week throughout my first pregnancy which I liked but, honestly, it was a little too easy for me. During my second pregnancy I skipped working out all together. During that pregnancy we were selling our house in Illinois by owner and moving {sound familiar??} across state lines. I thought things were too hectic to worry about exercising. Whew. Little did I know…

Now, I have two kids, a blog, a house under renovation + an apartment, am working more hours at my real job than I ever have since having kids {more on that later} and was told by my OB just today that I’m anemic {so that’s why I’ve been so freakishly exhausted the past few weeks!} BUT…I’m making prenatal exercise a priority. Because it’s important to me. I always feel better after I complete a workout. And, surprisingly, I end up getting more stuff done on the days I work out. It’s funny how putting aside one hour for working out can produce hours of productivity later. No joke.

So here’s my question for you. I think I’ve got the physical strength under my belt for labor and delivery but I’d like to add some visualization techniques to my coping-with-drug-free-childbirth bag. I practiced HypBirth during my other two pregnancies but wasn’t able to utilize any of the methods during my precipitous labor. Things just progressed waaaaay too quickly for me to even get in the HypBirth mindset. Any suggestions for childbirth visualization techniques that could be implemented during a precipitous labor? I’d love to hear ‘em.

I guess if all else fails, Everett could always be my labor coach. Ha!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way to mention the products above. I’m just sharing what works for me! Please seek approval from your doctor before trying any form of prenatal exercise.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

…Oh, the flooring. This is the post where you’re probably expecting some great ‘after’ shots of our new engineered hardwoods. Sorry to disappoint, but we’re nowhere near done with the flooring install. This is real life people. So, I’m not going to sugar coat anything. Not even for the sake of keeping a chipper attitude on a blog.

First, let’s start with the underlayment and flooring we’re using. We purchased both the underlayment and engineered hardwood flooring from Build Direct. Everything arrived on time and undamaged. We’re actually quite happy with that part of the whole flooring thing.

The underlayment is 3 in 1 Sound Choice Acoustical Underlayment. As the name suggests, it provides acoustical insulation along with a moisture barrier. Both of these characteristics are necessary for our Underdog as we’re installing the flooring in a room with vaulted ceilings {echoes, hello…hello…hello} and onto a concrete slab. It has a lifetime warranty and is made from recycled materials. We paid $0.49/sq ft for the underlayment.

The engineered hardwood flooring is Jasper Handscraped Birch in Texas Brown. It’s recommended for residential use above or below grade and has a 25-year warranty. It can be glued, floated, nailed and/or stapled during installation. We chose it for its ability to be placed on a concrete slab, its aesthetic {5″ width, handscraped, color and grain} and the price. We scored it for $2.04/ sq ft.

Once the underlayment and flooring were delivered, we stored them both in the Underdog’s garage – against the manufacturer’s suggestion and our better judgment – but we really had no other choice as the Underdog’s interior was a disaster zone. If you ever choose to purchase hardwoods, you shouldn’t store the flooring in a garage or basement due to high levels of moisture that can cause the wood to warp. We did keep the stack of boxes up off the floor with a skid and brought the flooring inside the house to acclimate once the house was in working order…about a week before we started installing the floors.

Handy Hubby laid the underlayment which was a piece of cake. Basically, you just cut it to size and tape all seams. The big thing here to remember is that your subfloor {in our case, the concrete slab} is clean, dry and free of debris. We scraped, vacuumed and mopped the slab in preparation for the underlayment.

Once the underlayment was down, it reminded me of turf and I couldn’t wait to cover it up. It’s like a giant green screen on the floor and it messes with your eyes and brain after a while. All the paint we had just put on the walls and ceilings started looking quirky but it was just because of the very green underlayment.

The next step was where stuff got a little hairy. You may have previously read that HH is an engineer. So he likes things {particularly measurements} to be exact. Which is all well and good – except when things aren’t exact.

We decided we wanted the flooring to run the length of the house {parallel with the hall} as opposed to running from the front of the house to the back. HH wanted the boards to run perfectly down the hallway so we made a chalk line straight down the center of it into the great room. We used the chalk line to line up our first row of floor boards under the big picture window in the family room. To square things up, we used spacers along the wall. We were very promiscuous with our spacers along this first row. Everything was measuring up, so we set to work placing, cutting and gluing our tongue and groove engineered hardwoods. We used Roberts Tongue & Groove Adhesive #1406. It’s no VOC, non-toxic and non-flammable.

Now, when I say ‘gluing’ I don’t mean gluing the boards to the underlayment. We’re gluing each and every board’s tongue and groove to the adjacent board which will essentially create one floating floor in the end. Typically, tongue and groove flooring can be nailed down but with a concrete slab and no subfloor, that’s not an option for us. {We weren’t willing to put down a floating subfloor and lose height/mess with all the door openings.} Quick-click flooring would have been a great time-saving option for us but, when we were shopping around for flooring, prices for quick-click floors were at least $2 more per sq ft than the $2.04/sq ft we paid for the Jasper Texas Brown. That would have doubled the cost…although it probably would have knocked off our installation time by more than half. Next time we install hardwoods ourselves {which I don’t foresee happening for a long time}, we might think twice about paying more $$$ for a floor that can be installed in a timely manner. But for now, we’re on a tight budget and sticking with what we’ve got.

I wouldn’t say installing this flooring is difficult but it’s definitely time consuming. Gluing every last seam is tedious. And because we stored the flooring in the garage, some of the longest boards {the floor comes in random lengths} are warped. Boo. Totally our fault. The good news is they aren’t completely unusable. We’re finding that if we use them at the end of a row and cut them to fit, the cut is releasing the board so that it no longer bows. So all is not lost. Plus, not all of the longest boards seem to be affected…only the ones that were in boxes at the bottom of the stack in the garage.

After 6 hours of nothing but installation on that first day, HH and I didn’t even get half of the great room done. We knew then and there that we were in for a looooooong project. The next day, I worked at my real job while HH spent his last vacation day over at the Underdog working on the floor. I got a call from HH just a few hours in and he was distraught. He had busted out his trusty laser level and found that at the rate he was going, it was going to put that elusive center board down the hallway ‘off.’ Here, I’m thinking the hallway is going to be all crooked, diagonal. I asked him how ‘off’ it was. He said 1/4″. I thought he was maybe going to cry.

I immediately told HH that it might not be perfect and I would be okay with that. No big deal. I advised him to put his laser level away. All I could hear on the other end of the phone was heavy sighing. That’s when I all but forced him to take a day off. Up until that day, HH had spent 3 straight vacation weeks working on the Underdog. During that time he only took one day off…Christmas Day. He needed a break. He was sore. He was exhausted. And if you ask me, he was a little delirious – and rightfully so! Who wouldn’t be after all that hard labor and little rest?

HH’s response? “But I have to get us in here.” Meaning, he wanted to get his family into a true home instead of a temporary apartment. I could have cried myself. That’s all he wanted. I assured him I was fine with our temporary living arrangement. Even if it was turning out to be longer than what we had anticipated. Even if it meant bringing home a newborn to a teeny apartment.

No house is worth HH’s physical or mental well-being. So after some coercion, HH did it. He took a break. A much needed break. After 4 full months of putting in an extra 20-30 hours of labor per week {on top of his regular 40+ hour work week} at the Underdog, HH got out of there and traded sawdust for fresh air instead.

This is where I want to tell HH in front of a lot of people how much I love and appreciate him. Do you think that’s too sappy? Well, too bad because this man completely deserves it. He is working his a$$ off and not complaining one bit. He misses dinner with his family regularly to squeeze in a little project at the Underdog. He comes home exhausted yet manages to bathe and dress the kids for bedtime because I’m the one who’s complaining of being tired. Sometimes he misses the kids’ bedtime altogether to stay late and renovate then comes home and plans what he needs to DIY the next day. He’s nonstop. I don’t know how he does it. But I love him for it. He’s doing it for us, for our family and I feel very lucky that he picked me to be his wife. He’s amazing. ‘Nuf said.

So after coming to the realization that this flooring install isn’t going to happen overnight {but if the Flooring Fairy wants to pay us visit we won’t turn her away!}, we’re taking it one day, one board at a time. “Patience is the key to joy.” That was HH’s fortune in his fortune cookie this past weekend. How fitting, right?

The *very dirrrrty* install looks like this currently…

HH has been randomly placing painter’s tape onto the flooring once glued to keep the seams nice and tight. We’re still holding out on painting the brick fireplace surround. Since removing primer and paint from brick is nearly impossible, we just want to be 100% positive it’s what we want before we take the irreversible painting plunge.

If you ask me, the hallway looks fabulous! Just don’t ask HH’s laser level.

The best news? HH and I both love the way the floor is looking – minus the dirt and dust. Here’s a better shot of the wood tone and grain…

I can’t wait to give it a good cleaning. After we finish the bedrooms and other half of the great room, that is.

Thanks to all of you who have shared your own tongue and groove glue installs with me! It really helps to know that others have done it and found the results to be well worth their while. Such an inspiration!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for mentioning all those products. Just sharing what we’re using!

images: 1&2) Build Direct  3-12) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Not a ton of time for posting today but here are two things of importance…

1) The underlayment is down. It will provide cushioning and a moisture barrier beneath the engineered hardwood flooring that we’re installing.

2) I practiced labor squats while learning to use a flooring saw. I think all the relaxin {google it} in my body was helpful in crouching around on the floor. Handy Hubby nicknamed me ‘the Spiderman of flooring.’

Knee pads are for wusses. Yeah, I’m talking to you HH.

Did I mention we’re laying non-quick click engineered hardwood flooring onto a concrete slab? That means we have to glue each and every single piece of flooring at the tongue and groove joints. It’s taking for.ev.er.

And we thought the painting saga was bad. Geesh.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

FYI – The winner of the American Express gift card courtesy of Waste Management was announced here.

For now, painting at the Underdog has stopped. We still have to paint one hall closet {that is holding a bunch of supplies up off the floor}, any trim added after the flooring install, the interior doors, the front door, a claw foot tub’s exterior, the kid/guest bathroom and DIY wainscoting that we plan to add to the mudroom/dining room. So, technically, we’re not done but we’re making progress!

Wanna see it?

The great room which I’ve already shared…

The mudroom/dining room…

 {it looks a little khaki above but is really more of a sandy gray as seen below}

The hallway to the bedrooms and bathrooms…There’s the one closet I was telling you about that’s not painted yet because it’s holding supplies.

The kid/guest bathroom just off the hall…It’s not painted yet because I’m torn between two colors but I think it will end up white. The foam board paint sample sitting on the floor is what the exterior of the claw foot tub will be painted. It’s Benjamin Moore’s Gravel Gray.

The nursery…We don’t know whether we’re having a boy or girl so the walls are neutral.

The boys’ bedroom…

The master suite…

And the view from the master looking towards the nursery…because I like looking from room to room…

Without furnishings and accessories it looks ‘meh’ and even after we move in it will take us a while to bring it to life. But it’s a neutral, clean slate. That’s not to say I won’t ever paint a focal wall or add some fun wallpaper…but if any of that happens it will all be in good time.

You may have noticed that we painted all the bedroom closets the same color as the room they’re within. That’s because we’re doing away with all the bedroom closet doors. They’re too cumbersome. Instead, I’ll be hanging fabric to act as ‘doors.’ It may sound crazy but I told HH that I’m most excited about organizing the closets when we move in. I like everything to have a place so it can be easily found and put away. It’s my way of staying sane with lil’ kiddos and all the stuff that comes with them.

After HH and I finished up the painting yesterday, we proceeded to clean up and get the house ready for the flooring install. We’re DIYing the flooring installation which will include engineered hardwood and tile. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a home with NO carpet!

Before I go, here’s one last candid painting pic…

That’s HH painting a closet. It sort of looks like he’s taking a little nap on a bucket in a closet. Oh, and the shirt cracks me up.

“You want the proof? You can’t handle the proof! A few good mathematicians.”

My sister {who graduated from Clemson with a master’s in math} gifted the t-shirt to HH. After all, he is an engineer.

FYI – For brands and names of the paint colors we used, click here.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

What did we do on New Year’s Day to celebrate a fresh start? Why, slap some fresh paint on the Underdog of course. After sampling several different paint colors on foam board and moving them around the house for a few days, I decided on a color scheme…with Handy Hubby’s approval.

• BM Tapestry Beige – great room {family room & kitchen}, hallway to bedrooms, master bedroom, master bathroom
• BM White Dove – trim, ceilings {including the great room}, interior doors
• SW Contented – boys’ bedroom
• BM Camouflage – mudroom/dining room, laundry nook, nursery

{Word is still out on the kid/guest bathroom…either Tapestry Beige or White Dove. I’m waiting until the claw foot tub is painted to decide.}

The collage comes across as pretty ‘blah’ but the colors are light and airy with gray undertones in real life. In fact, now that I’m looking at the collage none of the colors look true to life. Still, hopefully, you get the idea and at least have a reference for what’s to come. When choosing paint colors, it’s easy to want to pick a different color for each room but I’ve found that makes me feel like I’m living in a schizophrenic home. Homes – especially smaller ones like our Underdog – flow better and feel better to me when there are slight variations of color throughout. I know how difficult it can be to limit your palette when there are so many great colors to choose from but, for me, it works.

We’ve tried many different brands of paint in the past and decided to have all paint colors matched at Home Depot with Behr’s low VOC primer and paint in one. Since the majority of the interior walls/ceilings are new absorbent drywall, we thought going with the primer and paint in one would help cut down on the number of coats we’d need.

As I mentioned weeks ago, HH was away on business for three straight weeks leading up to the holidays. Things were slow going. Luckily, HH has had the past two weeks off from work and has spent every single day {minus Christmas…the boys were so excited their Dada didn’t have to work on the house Christmas Day…they kept asking ‘Do you have to go work on the new house?’} prepping, priming and painting. First up was the great room ceiling. If you’ll remember it was pine tongue and groove and we decided to paint it {which went against a lot of friends’ and family members’ opinions}. We liked the raw pine but felt it wouldn’t have looked right once medium-dark hardwood floors, black and white cabinetry and other finishes were installed. Over the years, HH and I have realized that going against popular opinion is sometimes necessary {albeit a tad disconcerting} when it comes to making a house really feel like our home.

So once that was decided, HH did a bunch of research on priming/painting raw pine. Turns out those natural knots can cause bleeding problems down the road if not sealed and primed correctly. HH ended up using Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Base Primer. HH brushed a single coat of the shellac primer into the grooves and knots of the pine then rolled it onto the flatter surfaces. {The primer dried waaaay too fast for HH to spray it on using his new paint sprayer.} He wore a respirator while applying it.

HH applied one coat of BM White Dove in a satin finish to the primed tongue and groove ceiling, two coats of BM Tapestry Beige in an eggshell finish to the great room’s walls and one coat of BM White Dove in a flat finish to all other ceilings using the paint sprayer. He wore a respirator and painter’s suit while using the paint sprayer. Of course, this small paragraph totally undermines the amount of time that all this took. For instance, it took HH one whole day just to prep the areas to be sprayed…wipe down, tape off, move drop cloths around, etc. Painting is the easy part. It’s the prepping and clean up that take for.ev.er.

This is what the great room looks like now…

{I finally scraped off the homemade soot-removing recipe of baking powder + dish soap from the mantel. It still needs more drying time and probably more rinsing but I think it worked well enough for what we’ll need. And HH and I agreed that even if it doesn’t clean up spotlessly, we sort of like a taste of the used look…imperfect perfection. We’ve decided to leave the mantel unpainted and in its original condition because we like the contrast. Should we tire of it later, we can always paint it.}

The great room gets so much natural light during daylight hours that it’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the white ceiling and ivory-gray walls. {In photos, it reads all white.} I was a little nervous about going all white in the great room because we have kids but most of my inspiration photos are white-on-white rooms. So, I compromised and decided to go with the ivory-gray Tapestry Beige. It’s not pure white but it’s still very much light and airy. If you’re not diggin’ the light envelope of the room, please don’t write it off just yet. Remember we still have medium-dark hardwood flooring and black and white kitchen cabinets to add to the mix…along with many other contrasting furnishings.

Here’s a better image of the contrast between the ceiling and walls…

At night under artificial light, the walls have a warmer feel. The white ceiling is my favorite. I know it’s not for everyone but I love it. I can’t stop looking up when I’m in the room. Layne described it best. He said it looks like a cottage. While the white paint gives the tongue and groove a fresh look, there are all these little nooks and crannies that run throughout the ceiling that give it more of that imperfect perfection we like.

HH and I discussed what color to paint the ridge beam. We decided on white {BM White Dove} but HH forgot during his painting escapades and painted it the same color as the walls {BM Tapestry Beige}. I would have preferred it white but I don’t detest the mess-up and HH was not repainting, so it’s staying as is. No biggie.

Can’t wait to install some modern ceiling fans and track lighting along the beam!

HH and I tackled the trim last week {we still have some to add after the flooring install} and HH knocked out the hallway. The walls are requiring two coats of the primer and paint in one.

Painting a house with no flooring is pretty sweet. We don’t have to put down drop cloths or worry about little drips on the floor here and there. We removed all the interior doors prior to painting the trim and walls. You may have noticed them leaning against a wall in the great room above. The plan is to paint the doors the same as the trim. Nope, we’re not getting new doors.

Here’s an image of what BM Tapestry Beige looks like under artificial lighting…in this case, under shop lights…

That’s the view from the master bedroom looking into the hallway. Today HH and I knocked out the master bedroom and bathroom – figuratively speaking – and various closets. The ivory-gray looks much different in the north facing bedroom versus the bright great room which we knew it would.

It feels cozier. It’s amazing what paint can do for old, dingy walls. I did feel a wee bit sad painting over one particular wall…

I know it looks awful but this wall had been stained over the years with the previous homeowner’s various art paints. {The previous owner was an artist. We bought two of her paintings at the estate sale to keep with the house.} From what we can tell, the owner/painter used this bedroom as her studio. There was no bed in this room…just stacks and stacks of original canvas paintings.

{No maternity painting clothes here! The bump cannot be contained.}

My pregnancy emotions got the best of me when I rolled this wall and all I could think was that I was getting rid of a part of the woman’s life…a woman who is now deceased. For someone who enjoys all things design, this wall told a great story and I covered it up. But, let’s be honest, it had to be repainted.

Where were the boys while all of this was going on? If you scroll up to the first pic of the painted great room, you’ll seem them hanging out in the bottom right corner. I set them up with blankets, snacks and a movie on the Mac.

Well, movies plural, I guess. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was Layne’s choice and Spiderman was Everett’s. That should give you a good idea of how different our two boys are. After weeks of racing around for various Christmas parties {we had five Christmases over a span of three days, yikes!}, they were happy to chill out in front of the computer for an afternoon…with old clothes on in case they decided to brush up against any freshly painted walls…which did happen with Everett.

The boys and I took off around 6:00 p.m. to head back to the apartment for dinner and baths. HH stayed behind to finish up one coat on the boys’ bedroom. I saw one wall complete before I left and loved it. That means only the mudroom/dining room and nursery remain unpainted. We’re getting there!

And after paint comes flooring. I think that’s going to be one of the biggest improvements we make.

FYI – I was not compensated in any way to mention the products we used above. I just love sharing good stuff!

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

Congrats to Stacy who plans on using the $100 gift card to paint her downstairs!

I’ve been unplugged for a while {and hope you have been too, enjoying your family and friends} but things are about to get all messy up in here. ‘Messy’ as in painting {we’re actually well into this project!}, tiling, installing flooring and cabinetry, DIYing countertops, etc. As much as we’re trying to avoid unnecessary waste, renovating sans scrap material and debris is pretty much impossible. That’s where the Bagster comes in.

The Bagster is a highly durable, woven bag that can handle up to 3,300 pounds of debris. It’s big enough to hold full sheets of plywood, doors and even a bathtub. It’s a convenient choice for smaller home improvement projects as the bag is larger than a garbage can but smaller than a dumpster. And with more people choosing to DIY their home projects to save money, the Bagster offers an affordable option over making trips to the dump. Simply purchase the Bagster at your local home improvement store for $29.95, take as long as you want to fill it up, then schedule a collection time online or via phone at your convenience for a flat fee depending on your area. {For all the specifics, click here.}

Now that demolition has ended and the renovation dust has settled a bit, we plan on using the Bagster ourselves to complete the nitty gritty details of our renovation over the coming weeks. In other words, we’re getting to the good stuff!!

So, what’s in it for you? Waste Management not only offers the Bagster but is also offering one lucky House*Tweaking reader a $100 American Express gift card to take on whatever project is next on his/her 2012 to-do list. Here are all the details on how to enter:

• PRIZE:  $100 American Express gift card which has a U.S. restriction for in-store purchases but works online anywhere. Should there be an international winner, the gift card may be awarded in the form of an e-gift card depending on the winner’s location.
• RULES:  You must be at least 18 years old. One entry per email address.
• HOW TO ENTER:  Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “IT’S IN THE BAG!”
• DEADLINE:  Enter before Thursday, January 5th at 9:00 p.m. EST. One winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on Friday, January 6th.
• WHILE YOU’RE AT IT:  Share what you’re most looking forward to in 2012. New endeavors? A long awaited home improvement project? A dream vacation? More of 2011? For me, it’s a toss up between meeting baby #3  {due this spring} and finally moving into the Underdog {hopefully before this spring}. No pressure, Handy Hubby.

Don’t forget to like the Bagster on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Waste Management partnered with bloggers such as me to participate in its The Bagster® Bag Blogger Challenge.  As part of the program, I received compensation.  They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used for the The Bagster® Bag Blogger Challenge. Waste Management believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Waste Management’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

images: the Bagster bag

Handy Hubby is home! And not a moment too soon. I’ve been running around like a mad woman taking the boys to and from school/gymnastics, working {more than usual, ugh}, Christmas shopping, running from doctor appointment to doctor appointment {Everett developed an ear infection shortly after HH left on his business trip and I’ve had OB checkups} and gathering paint swatches from every paint supply store in town. I know I’m probably not any busier than any other mom out there. And I’m not complaining…only very grateful that HH is back to help lighten the load a little. Boy, did I miss him. Just having him here to take over a few nights of bath time and bedtime is like vacation to me.

So, yeah, did you catch that part about me gathering paint swatches? HH ordered a paint sprayer to prime and paint the Underdog’s interior. It arrived while he was away. He’s getting antsy to use it. Which means we’ve got to nail down trim and wall colors ASAP. Basically, I’ve been scouring the internet for color ideas then picking up swatches from all the different brands available around here: Valspar, Behr, Glidden, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, etc. Then I narrowed down a half dozen ‘maybes’, had some samples made at Home Depot in the Behr brand and painted out some foam board to test in the Underdog.

Here’s an unedited sampling of the sampling…

Mudroom/dining room – Thinking of DIYing white wainscoting with a darker color painted above. If you look closely, there’s a small tile sample on the floor. It’s a lighter travertine with lots of variation in it.

Family room/mantel – Definitely wanting to keep the walls light and airy in here. {Once again, that white stuff on the mantel is my attempt at naturally removing soot from the brick with baking powder + dish soap.} All this time I’ve been sold on painting the brick surround…but I’m having second thoughts.

Family room/ceiling – HH was kind enough to hold up a wall color possibility next to a white ceiling possibility. For a minute, we contemplated painting the ceiling something other than white – like a light neutral tone instead – but decided we really liked the idea of a white ceiling.

Kitchen – Trying to picture any of those with black lower cabinets, white upper cabinets and stainless steel appliances/hood. I think we’ve ousted the middle color. It’s a little too dark.

Great room – The final two??

Boys’ room – There’s a sample of the wood flooring lying in front of the white-ish foam board. I immediately decided I didn’t like the one on the far right. Looks like baby poop. I’m leaning towards the one second from the left but I like the blue-gray to the left also. Hmmm?

Master bedroom – This is the only ‘for sure’ that HH and I have right now. Our bedroom is on the north side of the house and doesn’t receive a lot of natural light so we wanted something light but warm. I think this is it. I think.

Master bathroom – This is the same blue-gray color from the boys’ room image. It looks nice in the master bath but we’d like the master bedroom and bathroom to be painted the same color for continuity. So now we’re stuck wondering ‘do we paint the bedroom blue-gray since the bath looks good in the color or do we stick with the light, warm neutral that we really like in the bedroom and paint the bath that color as well?’ Decision, decisions.

And we’re not even discussing the nursery yet. It’s such a small space – not even 10′ x10′ – that I shouldn’t have a problem painting it out with a roller {versus the sprayer} once we get moved in and I get into nesting the nursery. The hallway to the bedrooms and the guest/kids’ bath just off the great room will probably get painted whatever color we decide on for the great room walls…to keep things cohesive and flowing nicely in those small areas.

When it comes to selecting paint colors, there’s no magic wand for us. We always use samples on foam board and move them around from room to room, viewing them at different times of the day before we make any decisions.

The hardest thing for me right now is looking at all of my inspiration images and trying to bring them to life in the Underdog while staying true to our family’s lifestyle. I.e., most of the images in my inspiration folder are of rooms with white walls and as much as I love them, I’m not sure how well they’d carry over into everyday living. The kids would surely mark them up and I’m a little afraid I’d start to feel as if I was living in an insane asylum. Still, I get all googly-eyed over white rooms. Who knows where we’ll end up with our paint selections?

I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I do.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

The oversized leather sectional that we had in our previous home was too large for the Underdog’s family room.

Technically, it would have fit but it would have taken up nearly all of the floor space in the downsized space and engulfed our future family room. So, we decided to sell it and put the money towards a more appropriately sized version for the Underdog.

Since Handy Hubby liked the previous sectional so much, he had a few stipulations for our next sofa.

• No loose back cushions. The leather sectional we’d owned before had attached back pillows and HH really liked not having to adjust them every time he sat down and got up. From a design standpoint, I liked this characteristic as well. Loose back cushions can start to look frumpy or lumpy over time. This meant we were on the hunt for either a couch with attached back cushions or a tight back.
• No microfiber. HH doesn’t particularly like the feel or texture of microfiber. I was okay with this requirement too since microfiber tends to look differently if the fibers are pushed one way or the other. I.e., you get the famous butt print effect after someone gets up from sitting. Not that I haven’t seen some good microfiber pieces out there – I have – but if HH didn’t want it, then I was willing to toss it out of the search.
• Kid-friendly. We have kids – two boys ages 6 and 3. And a baby on the way. The sofa will serve as main seating in the family room, so it has to hold up to bouncy, rowdy kids. And even though we don’t allow food or drinks {except for water and the occasional bowl of popcorn} outside the kitchen/dining area, upholstery fabric had to be durable and easy to clean. That meant we were looking at either leather {like we’d had before}, faux leather or slipcovered pieces. Microfiber would have fit the kid-friendly bill but, again, neither of us really wanted it.
• Long-term investment. HH and I were both willing to spend a little more moolah on a quality piece that would stand the test of time as opposed to shelling out hundreds of dollars only to replace a couch of lesser quality in a few short years. This is not our stand on every piece of furniture. But for a sofa that would see regular daily use and be somewhat of a centerpiece for the great room, we felt this would be a good ‘splurge’ item. $2,000 was the max limit we felt comfortable spending. {Again, it helped that we were selling a bunch of the furniture from our previous home to invest in fewer, higher quality items for the Underdog.}
• Comfortable. Not too soft that we’d sink while watching TV. Not too firm that we couldn’t lounge or nap. Not too shallow that we couldn’t curl up with a book and our kiddos. Not too deep that we’d have to install one of those lift mechanisms just to get up from a sitting position.

Our future couch had to meet a few requirements to say the least. Maybe one other requirement for me was that it have a good aesthetic. Naturally. I didn’t want an expensive, comfy, kid-friendly, non-microfiber sofa with a tight back that stood out like the black sheep of the Underdog! I wasn’t exactly sure what specific aesthetic I was looking for but I knew I wanted something with clean lines and not too high of a back since I planned on floating the sofa in the middle of the family room, facing the fireplace.

So, the search was on.

On a trip to IKEA over the summer {before we’d even sold our previous sectional}, we stumbled upon the Klippan four-seater sofa. It was comfy and slipcovered with straight lines and a low tight back. It wasn’t microfiber and while it would have been kid-friendly with its removable, washable slipcover, I started to wonder if the low, low price tag {less than $500} wasn’t an indication of its long-term durability. Still, I envisioned it with a linen-like custom slipcover and kept that idea on the back burner for a while.

I didn’t get a chance to try it out because once we sold our sectional, the Klippan four-seater had already been discontinued. Boo. I even called the nearest IKEA store to make sure they didn’t have any stragglers sitting in stock but they were completely out. The loveseat version was {and is} still available but it was smaller than what we were needing. I took it as a sign. A sign to move on.

What I moved onto was Crate & Barrel’s Aris sofa.

Again, it had nice lines, a non-microfiber slipcover, tight back and down cushions that screamed ‘comfy!’ The only things that had me questioning ‘Is it the one?’ were the slightly curved back and dry-clean only hemp slipcover. At $1,600, it wasn’t cheap and if I couldn’t throw the cover into the wash every time one of the kids accidentally marked it up then it didn’t sound perfect. So, I decided it wasn’t. Good thing, too. Because it turned up discontinued right when I decided it wasn’t for us.

I was slowly discovering that whatever ‘perfect’ sofa came along, I’d jump at buying it after watching the two above be discontinued. I was starting to think all the good ones were gone. I scoured Craigslist for vintage sofas with modern lines that could be reupholstered…to no avail. I hit up consignment stores and outlets all around the area…to no avail.

That’s when I discovered this bad boy.

He’s leather with straight lines and attached back cushions. He’s much like the sectional we had previously with three notably different qualities:

1) He’s not an oversized sectional. This 90″ long sofa is big enough to fit our entire family but modest enough to fit our downsized family room. I taped out his footprint onto the family room floor for good measure. Literally.

2) His back is lower. While the high back of our previous sectional was helpful in delineating the family room from the adjacent open dining area, it would have been too high for the Underdog’s much smaller space.

3) He’s not chocolate brown. This cognac-like sofa is a bit lighter on the eyes than our darker sectional. The color makes me think of saddles and boots.

I immediately showed him to HH who approved whole-heartedly and was a bit surprised by my masculine choice. As much as I adore slipcovered pieces {they’re so airy and cottage-y, aren’t they?}, I really did like how easy it was to keep our last leather sectional clean and how durable it was. Seriously, after 3.5 years of kids jumping on it, it looked exactly like it did the day we originally bought it. Not a tear or stain to be found. I knew this top grain sofa would stand the test of time as well.

I stalked him for a while until he popped up with a free shipping special. I called and talked to a salesperson and was able to get him for $1,800 flat – shipping and taxes included – which was about $200 off the listed price. Not exactly cheap by any means but he was within our budget and I was already picturing him in the Underdog, so I knew this was ‘the one.’

He was delivered to the Underdog last week. HH was away on business, so I had the delivery guys shove him {completely boxed and packaged} into the crowded garage. I haven’t even had a chance to open him up yet. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow. I hope he’s as sexy and rich as I imagine him to be. I’ve already named him Nate after Nate Berkus. Doesn’t he feel very ‘Nate’ to you?

The plan is to float him in the family room facing the fireplace. The two linen-like upholstered chairs I already showed you will sit opposite him to round out a nice, comfy casual seating area. At some point I need to hunt down a rug to ground the floating furniture arrangement and I’m playing around with the idea of using a console behind the sofa. But I think I’ll wait and see how the space feels once we’re moved in before I start scoping out consoles. I want to make sure things won’t feel cramped.

So, there you go. Our latest furniture purchase. I can’t wait to test him out. The petite sofa we have in our apartment {which I plan to use as a dining settee in the future} is soooo not for lounging. It has more of an upright seat and isn’t even long enough for my 5’3″ body to stretch out on completely.

What about you? What characteristics do/are you look/looking for in a sofa? Or maybe you call it a couch. I went back and forth in this post because sofa sounds better but I typically say couch due to my rural upbringing.

FYI – Good news for you! Just found the exact sofa for cheaper than I paid here if you’re interested. Looks like quantities are limited.

images: 1) IKEA  2) Crate & Barrel 3) Elements Fine Home Furnishings