A pile of Trex decking has been lying in our backyard for a few weeks. Until the weather cleared for HH to prep the yard for our platform deck, we mowed around it in true redneck style. Then HH rented a dingo to dig out the space in between the two concrete patios off the back of the house.

HH buried the original overhead electric line shortly after we purchased the house. In preparation for the deck, he also buried conduit for the cable line {seen in orange above – we’ll run it through the conduit and have the cable company come bury the rest past the deck once the deck is complete} and for electric to a future *dream* man shed. Every HH needs a man shed, am I right?

Next up, HH set to work installing the Trex elevations steel deck framing. The great thing about this framing system is that it can come into contact with the ground without the risk of rotting or warping – unlike conventional pretreated lumber. It’s ideal for our platform deck which will sit low to the ground.

HH cut the steel ledger board to length with a ferrous metal blade on a compound miter saw. Since the brick exterior is a veneer {there’s a gap between the red brick and exterior block walls} it isn’t structural. Meaning, it can’t support a hefty addition like, say, oh a deck. HH had dug out deep enough with the dingo to tie the ledger board into the concrete foundation. Using concrete screws, HH attached the ledger board to the house. As you can see, the majority of the screws tie into the concrete foundation but not all of them. The top screw in each screw column hits the brick. Had HH moved the ledger board lower to get all screws into the foundation, it would have made our deck lower than desired. We want it to be a small step up from the adjacent concrete patios. He used a narrow piece of expansion joint behind the top of the ledger board to compensate for a difference in projection between the slab and brick.

With the ledger board in place, next up was the beam at the opposite end of the deck. This beam will support the part of the deck that sits out in the yard. HH borrowed a post hole digger from a neighbor {yay for handy neighbors!} and dug two holes 4′ deep for concrete piers. He busted out his engineering skills and brought home laser surveying equipment from work to precisely position two Quik-tubes within the holes. Cough, nerd, cough. He used some water and a tamping iron down in the holes to get the Quik-tubes exactly level. I held the tubes {my only deck labor to date unless you consider keeping three kids occupied as labor – which I DO!} in place while HH surrounded them with dirt then filled them with concrete. While the concrete was still wet, HH pushed “J” bolts into the top of each pier.

The next day he was able to attach the support beam.

He shimmed the beam then secured it to the piers’ “J” bolts with Simpson ties.

And we have lift off. This part of the deck build isn’t all that gratifying but it is the literal and necessary foundation for what will be a pretty awesome platform deck. Next up? Joists. Are we having fun yet?

Just so you know, I had no idea what the majority of these decking materials and hardware was called until it came time to write this post. I had to ask HH. Ledger, ferrous metal what?, “J” bolt, joist, huh? If you have any questions about this part of the deck install, feel free to post them in the comments section. I’ll be happy to bug HH for more info ;) Stay tuned for more deck progress…

We have partnered with Trex to build our deck. They have provided us with some of the materials for the build but all other materials, designs, labor, injuries, flubs, four-letter exclamations, opinions and reaping of the benefits {i.e. chillaxing with beverages on our new deck} are our responsibility.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Normally I share ideas, furniture pieces, home accessories, projects, etc. that HH and I love. Today I thought I would do the opposite and share five things around the house that we’re not too crazy about. Our house is far from perfect {um, still LOTS to do} and I really don’t want you guys thinking otherwise. Plus, maybe knowing the truth about our unfavorites might help you make a decision for your own home. So, here goes…five things we’re not in love with starting with the things that bother us least and ending with those that are most bothersome, the pros and cons of each and what we plan to do about them. {Keep in mind these are things we’ve bought or done already…there are plenty of other incomplete projects/rooms that we aren’t especially in love with right now but maybe someday?!}

First up, is our shower curtain rod. It’s a basic tension rod that HH picked up out of necessity right before we moved in last year. Since then, it has come crashing down probably 10 times – and always at the most inopportune times. Like when someone is taking a shower or when everyone is sleeping soundly in the middle of the night.

In the rod’s defense, it doesn’t help that we butt it up against slick, textured tile. The pros? It was cheap and when it stays put it’s great. The cons? It loses tension over time and slides off the bumpy tile. We’ve considered replacing it with a ceiling track when we finally get fed up with it but, for now, it’s something we’re living with because it’s not a big deal. Just inconvenient at times.

Next up on our “not over the moon about it” list is the kitchen faucet. While good reviews are posted on Overstock, I have a few issues with ours.

The included soap dispenser is awful. It must be rusted inside because when we pump soap out of it, it’s brown and smells like metal. Yuck! We’ve stopped using it all together. That’s why you see a bottle of hand soap next to it.

The online product features claim a “two function spray” but that’s not true. The extendable faucet only has one option: power stream. No spraying action. Not having a true sprayer is not the end of the world but it would be nice.

My third complaint is that the pull-out sprayer doesn’t retract all the way back to the faucet on its own.

I have to give it a little push to get it back in position. Again, it’s not a huge deal but it is something that irks me.

The pros? The faucet is solid stainless and has a good weight to it. It’s very high quality. The kitchen faucet in our previous house was chrome and plastic and I can definitely tell a difference. The single lever works great. We love the minimal look of the faucet. We haven’t had any problems with the faucet leaking, dripping or clogging. The cons? Pricey, no spraying action, the soap dispenser is rusted and unusable and the pull-out feature doesn’t retract all the way back to the faucet without a little help. I think we’ll probably remove the soap dispenser, plug the countertop hole and get a soap caddy of some sort to sit on top of the hole for bottled soap. The faucet stays. The negatives aren’t really that bad to warrant replacement and, for the most part, we really do like the way it functions/looks. For the price, though, we were expecting perfection.

Then there are the magnetic spice containers that I previously praised. Well, they worked great for about two months then things got a little hairy. {Several readers warned me these babies were too good to be true. They were right!} The containers that hold grainy or fine ingredients {salt, cinnamon, cumin, etc.} have become extremely difficult/impossible to open. So frustrating! The ones holding dried herbs {rosemary, oregano, red pepper flakes, etc.} are fine.

The finer spices are getting caught in the canisters’ thread and causing the lids to stick. The pros? They were cheap and work fine for dried herbs. The cons? Now we have a bunch of spices we can’t get to. I need to find a better way to store the spices. Ideas?

Now we’re getting to the things that are our most unfavorite. These ceiling fans are one two of them. We installed them on the ridge beam in the great room to circulate air. That, they do. But with an accompanying whirring sound. They are LOUD. We only run them as a last resort and have to turn them off to hear the TV. In their defense, technically they are commercial ceiling fans. In a busy restaurant or noisy warehouse, you probably wouldn’t notice the whirring over all the hustle and bustle.

It’s difficult to see from a distance but there is a gap between the ceiling canopies and the ridge beam. We haven’t been able to fix this. I think I remember HH mentioning something about the type of hardware the fans need to hang from. We tried mounting ceiling medallions to cover the holes but the gaps are too big/the medallions were too thin.

The pros? We do like the way they look. They are simple, industrial. We left the white protective tape on the gold ring around the motor for a more cohesive look. They do their job well. On extremely hot or extremely cold days, we can tell a difference temperature-wise when we run them. The cons? THAT NOISE. Ugh. The gaps too. HH dislikes them more than I do. I’m okay living with them for several years. HH wants to replace them ASAP. We’ll see.

Finally, the thing that has caused us the most problems is the inability of Behr to successfully color-match Benjamin Moore paint colors. Originally, we chose Benjamin Moore paint colors and had them color-matched in Behr paint at Home Depot. It worked okay for some colors but not so great for others. Lesson learned.

The pros? None really. The cons? We ended up with colors we didn’t truly love and have spent more money and time making it right. I’ve repainted several rooms – some twice! To be honest, I no longer have a lot of confidence in color-matching between paint brands. From now on, when I find a paint swatch I like I will get it mixed in that brand so I know I’m getting what I want. I repainted Mabrey’s room {seen above} in a dark moody blue/green/pewter. It’s Benjamin Moore Dark Pewter, mixed in Benjamin Moore paint. We love it.

Those are five things that have us not singing their praises. Is there anything in your home that hasn’t lived up to your expectations?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking 

This past October we excavated the yard {it previously sloped towards the house} and had the uneven front walk {tripping hazard!} removed and replaced. Then there was mud everywhere. Outside and inside the house.

One of our neighbors is a retired landscaper and his yard is immaculate. On our family walks, HH will stop and pet this particular neighbor’s velvet-like grass. Not kidding. {HH would like me to mention that he would happily lie naked in our neighbor’s yard if he knew he wouldn’t get arrested.} But we’re always leery of perfect lawns. Green grass and no weeds scream “pesticides!” and “herbicides!” to us. So we were pleasantly surprised and intrigued when our neighbor told us he doesn’t use chemicals on his lawn. With our yard freshly excavated, he pointed us towards a specific grass seed mixture {which we promptly bought and spread} and told us to water for only 15 minutes during the hottest part of the day on days it didn’t rain. We followed his directions last fall and now…

…NOW we have grass!

It’s the kind of grass that kids want to roll in {yup, ours do it daily} and adults want to lie naked in. Okay, maybe HH is the only adult wanting green grass to touch every part of his body. But, still, did you see that grass?! The perfectionist in me needs to point out three obvious details: 1) the original curtains in the garage window {?!} need replaced with some sort of shade and 2) the window to the right of the front door is Mabrey’s room and her shade was drawn at the time these pics were taken because she was napping and 3) the front door is still an eyesore.

So, please, continue to feast your eyes on the green, green grass.

There were a few areas in need of reseeding this spring. Mostly they were bare spots next to the sidewalk – scars from the concrete install. HH spread the same grass seed over the bare spots and the rest of the yard {to crowd out any weeds} just a little over a week ago and baby grass is already filling in.

I like baby grass. The perfectionist in me needs to point out two more details: 1) the sun decided to peek out from behind a cloud halfway through my shoot of the yard so the lighting is different from here on out and 2) I’m currently taking an online photography class and tried my hand at shooting with my camera in manual mode FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER during this little outdoor photo shoot so I apologize for any exposure inconsistencies. I’m learning.

If you were able to peel your eyes away from the velvety grass, you may have noticed that we’ve done a little landscaping, too. On a whim, HH felt the urge to create flower beds around the house one weekend. He rented a small tiller for $25 and a bed edger for $50. I helped him map out the beds then he went to work while I wrangled the kids. The very next day we found ourselves at a local nursery “just looking.” When we returned home from the nursery, HH asked if I could figure out what plants we needed where and how many. He wanted to go back to the nursery before it closed that day to purchase plants. First, I was all, “What?! I need time! I do not have a green thumb. I have no idea what to do. I don’t know where to start.” Then, I was all, “Yes. Let’s do this. I’m so over having a yard that I’m embarrassed by. Let’s just get some stuff in the ground already. Anything will be an improvement.” And that was it. We’re usually not that spontaneous when it comes to home improvement but we were so tired of our shameful front yard.

Two days later, HH took a vacation day off from work and we planted and mulched the front beds. I dug holes for and planted each and every plant you see in this post.

After being the spectator/babysitter for most of DIY projects that have taken place here over the last year, I cannot tell you how good it felt to be involved. It was hard, hard work. But it was cathartic. Sure, I had to take breaks to drop off kids, pick up kids, feed kids, change the baby, put the baby down for a nap, etc. but it was so worth it. I might take a liking to this gardening stuff after all.

I don’t think we’ll be winning any landscape design awards but we did it ourselves and we saved a ton of money. We actually got several estimates last year for having professional landscapers come out and do everything for us. The numbers we got back were upwards of $5,000. In all, we spent less than $1,000 to buy and do everything on our own.

Our house faces south so we made sure the plants we chose do well in full sun. The hydrangeas are the only ones that need shaded from the afternoon sun. I really wanted ‘em so I planted them on an east-facing wall under the eave. They get sun until about 1:00 p.m. So far, so good. They’re blooming like crazy. No signs of scorching. We purposefully left some room in this bed for annuals. Someday, when my thumb turns green, I will attempt annuals.

We also decided to use river rock {$30 for a ton! – crazy inexpensive} in the front beds for a different texture and to give the kids a place to walk through the beds since we know they’ll do it anyways. Eventually, the planter below the picture window will be revamped into a bench/outdoor toy storage.

HH and I both wanted bright greens and white/yellow flowering bushes to work with the red brick. We’re happy with the overall look.

HH created flower beds along the side and back of the house but we’ve yet to fill ‘em. The plan is tackle them this fall along with adding a tree or two in the front yard.

Other outdoor projects on this summer’s to do list: 1) install a platform deck off the back of the house 2) fix the front door already! 3) replace the garage door 4) replace the driveway.

The exterior of our house is in such a weird phase right now. I jokingly refer to our Underdog as “the crack house with the decent front yard.”

To keep things in perspective {because even we need a good look back to appreciate how far we’ve come} our house upon purchase…

…and our house as of today…

Slow and steady for the win. “For the win” is the cool blogging phrase these days, btw.

P.S. – Inquiring local minds want to know…

*Our grass seed is a mix of this and this. Pricey but cheaper than sod and totally worth it to us.

*We bought our seed from this sod farm.

*We almost always buy our plants from this nursery.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Our patio reveal is up over on The Home Depot’s blog, The Apron. Here’s where we started…

…and here’s where we ended up…

The goal was to create an outdoor dining space that jives with our simple, modern, cozy style. To see more pictures {day and night!} and hear all the details, check out my post over on The Apron. Bonus: There are many great ideas from other bloggers over there, too, to get your creative juices flowing.

Sprucing up the back patio jumpstarted more outdoor projects. Stay tuned…

Click here to see who won last week’s giveaway.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I’m one of 18 bloggers participating in the Home Depot Patio Style Challenge. Considering this is what the back patio off the mudroom looked like when we bought the Underdog…

…and this is what it looked like after we removed a bunch of dead trees {and replaced the roof and converted the original dining room window to french doors}…

…and this is what it looked like when we excavated the entire yard last fall {yep, the old cracked patio was ripped out}…

…and this is what the newly poured patio looked like pretty much all winter…

it should go without saying that we have a burning desire for a decent outdoor living space. Ideally, we’d like to see the patio off the mudroom used as an outdoor dining area. The goal is to make the dining area reflect our style {simple, modern, cozy} and make it feel like an extension of the indoors. To achieve the look, we’re using some new pieces, incorporating items we have on hand and doing a little DIY. Here’s the plan.

1 – I’ll bring in a pillow or two from the living room to cozy things up outside. I just bought these Crate & Barrel pillows and they’re great. I was recently asked to suggest a non-IKEA place to grab pillow inserts. C&B pillows are affordable and a feather down insert is included with your purchase. Can’t beat that! Of note: These are not outdoor pillows so I’ll only toss them outside when we’re enjoying nice weather.

2 – Stringing globe lights above the patio will give the al fresco dining area instant ambiance and a sense of festivity. Party on the patio!

3 – We’re giving Ariele Alasko‘s reclaimed wood wall panel our own DIY spin. Her pieces are amazing!

4 – On cool mornings or evenings, I can throw in a wool blanket that usually lives at the foot of our bed.

5 – My heart is set on a large succulent centerpiece for the outdoor dining table. I’ll use this oval concrete planter to make it happen.

6 – We’re using a simple outdoor dining table and coordinating benches for the basic dining pieces. I hope to show how this practical dining set can be personalized by mixing it with items from other sources.

7 – Mabrey enjoys pulling to stand {no steps yet! she can take her sweet time as far as I’m concerned} with the help of this leather pouf. On warm, sunny days I’ll carry it out to the patio for her to play on – or maybe I’ll prop my feet up on it if she’s napping and I have five minutes to sit outside in the sun. Dear summer 2013, please give me five minutes of sun-to-myself time at least once!

8 – This woven chair looks good enough for an indoor dining room but it’s made of rattan-like plastic and is suitable for outdoor use as well. I think it’s airy feel and white color will contrast nicely with the clean-lined, dark brown dining set. I also like the fact that it’s light enough to move around easily. We can move it up to our future deck when extra seating is needed.

9 – We have a bright green garden stool leftover from our previous house but I think it could use a fresh coat of brassy gold spray paint. I paid less than $40 for the green stool. Transforming it with gold paint will be a cheap DIY version of pricier drum stools.

That’s the gist of our plan. Of course, I’ll be adding greenery and maybe a surprise too. I can’t wait to share the reveal in early May on The Home Depot’s Apron blog. In the meantime, click over to check out a bunch of other inspiring reveals!

I also have a patio-related post on Wayfair today with a few more before shots of our patio and a brief discussion on painting the french doors. What color would you paint them?

images: 1-4) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking  5) Polyvore collage by Dana Miller, linked within

Still no sign of spring. But that’s not stopping us from turning our attention outdoors. Last fall we had two plain Jane concrete patios poured just outside the two sets of french doors {one in the mudroom & one in the kitchen} at the back of the house. We have plans to build a platform deck spanning the gap between the two patios.

These are HH’s hand drawn plans. We’ll be implementing Trex materials to build the deck. Looking for inspiration online, we came across some pretty elaborate deck designs that were amazing but a little over the top for us. Our house is a single level ranch on a modest flat lot and we don’t want our deck to look like we pulled it off the back of a large home with sweeping lake views. So, we’re going with a simple 15′ x 17′ design.

If you can’t read HH’s notes, here are the details:

*The deck will adjoin two concrete patios that are flush with the ground.

*The deck itself will sit ~6″ higher than the patios.

*The deck floor will be split into two equal sections.

*Each section will have a picture frame detail at the borders and the deck boards will run parallel to the house.

HH put together a more detailed 3D design using Trex’s deck designer tool. You can view the pdf here - Platform Deck Plans - if you’re a visual person. It’s a better representation of what the deck will actually look like although the decking material will be more of a gray color. As you can see, the deck is low enough that no railing is required. Our backyard isn’t that large so we like the idea of a low deck sans railing to avoid obstructing views and chopping up the yard. The window looking out onto the deck is the window above our kitchen sink. We’re hoping to use the deck as a casual outdoor seating space and the patios as dining and grilling areas.

With the way the weather has NOT been cooperating, it’s likely we won’t start on the deck until mid April after a little spring break action. To give you a better feel for what we’re working with {not much!}, I’ll be sharing some real time photos of our backyard soon. I’m also working on converting one of the patios into a dining space. Stay tuned. Have I mentioned I am so ready for spring? You?

We have partnered with Trex to build our deck. They will provide us with some of the materials for the build but all other materials, designs, labor, injuries, flubs, four-letter exclamations, opinions and reaping of the benefits {i.e. chillaxing with a beverage on our new deck} will be our responsibility. If you’re considering an outdoor space, see what a few pros have to say about designing, entertaining and living outside.

image: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Happy Friday! I hope your day has been less eventful than mine. Last night after the kids were tucked in bed, I was enjoying a hot shower for the first time in I’m-too-embarrassed-to-tell-you-how-many days when the shower decided to stop draining. I hollered {that’s what we say back where I come from} for HH to bring me the plunger then proceeded to plunge the heck out of the drain. To no avail. My long awaited shower was ruined.

After further investigation, we discovered that the toilet, too, wasn’t draining properly and water was coming up around the base of the toilet and through the toilet drain in the unfinished kid/guest bathroom.

Did I mention it was 11:30 p.m. and we were under a winter weather advisory due to an ice storm? HH texted our plumber and he called us back this morning. {Only after a fretful night of sleep on my part. I’ve mentioned this before: my #1 house-related fear is anything involving water leaking, dripping, trickling, seeping, rushing, pouring, flooding into our house.} Plumbing isn’t our thing so we’re happy to have found a reliable plumber to handle all our plumbing needs. Eek. That doesn’t sound quite right now that I’m reading back.

Turns out there was a blockage in between the two bathrooms which was remedied this afternoon. How does a family of five go to the bathroom with no toilet for 12 hours, you ask? One word: bucket. And we were home all together due to the weather. Good times.

We’re not sure what the exact cause was. Old pipes? Possibly. The new cushy toilet paper I bought last week due to HH’s incessant whining about the cheap stuff I usually buy? Maybe. Either way, we’ve decided to have the pipes inspected via camera BEFORE we finish the kid/guest bathroom. That way, if there is a problem with the pipes then our plumber can fix it without busting up a bunch of tile. If there’s no problem, then it’s worth the peace of mind and I’ll rest easy. And I’ll be sticking with the dollar store toilet paper from here on out. So goes living in an older home.

Not only did I feel like jumping ship in regards to our temporary bathroom-less situation, I’m also blog-hopping today. Click on over to Pepper Design Blog to check out my interview with Morgan.

Thanks Morgan!

Congrats to Jenn who was a fan of the TV show Cheers {one of my dad’s personal favorites} back in the ’80′s. Jenn is this week’s winner of the EcoColor giveaway! And to those of you who were only babies/eggs in your mama’s uterus in the ’80′s…you make me feel verrrrrrrrry old.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Remember the photo shoot? Well, today I finally get to share the fruits of our labor with you.

HH and I partnered with The Tile Shop over a year and a half ago during the renovation of our Underdog. After many, many, MANY months of hard work {and very little sleep}, we are so excited to be a part of The Tile Shop’s blogger spotlight and ad campaign. As of today, you can read about the details of our tiling adventures over on The Tile Shop’s site here. The online spotlight includes many never-seen-before photos of our kitchen, mudroom/laundry nook/dining room and bathroom as well as commentary and DIY tips contributed by moi.

If you happen to live in one of The Tile Shop’s major markets you may just find full page ads featuring our house popping up in your local glossies. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek! As far as I know, the ads should run in the following prints over the next few months: Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, Chicago Magazine & Chicago Home and Garden, Kansas City Home and Gardens, Charlotte Home & Garden, Cincinnati Magazine, Indianapolis Monthly, Madison Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, Nashville Lifestyles, Philadelphia Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine, Long Island Pulse, St. Louis Magazine, Buffalo Magazine, Washingtonian Magazine and Atlanta Magazine.

Fun fact: The Tile Shop will be featuring several other bloggers via their blogger spotlight and ad campaign so keep your eyes peeled. I am the guinea pig!

Can we talk for a brief minute about companies recognizing the voice and importance of bloggers? And I’m not talking about my voice. So many wonderful, deserving bloggers out there are collaborating with amazing companies and brands in  win-win partnerships. A few of my favorites: Holly Becker of decor8 + West Elm. Trina McNeilly of Lalalovely + Land of Nod. John & Sherry Petersik of Young House Love + Shades of Light. And don’t even get me started on the things that Joss & Main and One Kings Lane are doing. Fabulousness all over the internet. Fabulous. Ness. It’s a very exciting time to be a blogger.

From a consumer standpoint, I find these partnerships inspiring as well. I prefer seeing real homes - as opposed to lifeless sets or over-the-top mansions - in advertisements and catalogs. I think it shows how brands and products can be implemented realistically and effectively. More companies should take notice of this latest trend in marketing!

And just so you know, it wasn’t easy capturing a decent shot of my family in our kitchen. I find it mind-boggling that we got one pic in which everyone is looking at the camera with their eyes open, hands down and tongues in their mouths.

Um, Everett can be a bit of a ham in front of the camera.

images: Megan Hoy for The Tile Shop

I posted this image of HH on instagram a few days ago with the caption “scratching an itch.” The image and caption caused some confusion/hilarious comments. HH is not literally scratching an itch. The gutted kid/guest bathroom is giving us quite the tick though. And we’re ready to do something about it.

Last week we took the first steps towards making this space a functional bathroom.

HH poured concrete to fill in around the future tub’s plumbing which we had a professional plumber update back when we were in the midst of a full-on reno.

HH also removed and rehung the backerboard under the window because the drywallers did a shoddy job.

Once that was all finished and the new concrete around the plumbing had cured, HH prepped the floor for leveler primer + self-leveling underlayment. We used Henry’s brand from Home Depot. The underlayment is cement-based and helps to smooth and flatten surfaces before flooring installation. In our case, we’ll be laying a tile floor in the bathroom and the job is 200% easier when the floor is nice and level.

To prep, HH cleaned the floor of all debris then fashioned cardboard “dams” around the toilet drain and floor vent. He caulked around the toilet dam and secured the floor vent dam with masking tape along the inside.

He built another dam at the bathroom’s doorway. Hint: If you’re going to be using self-leveling underlayment, it’s important to block off any parts of the room that you don’t want to be affected by the concrete. Then the primer went on. {Sorry, no pictures of this step. It’s likely that I was tending to a blown out diaper.} The primer improves the underlayment’s bond and prevents pinholes/air bubbles in the finished surface.

With the primer dry, we tag teamed the  mixing of the underlayment. Hint: the dry powder is fine so wear a mask to prevent inhalation. It’s not difficult – you just add water and mix with a drill gadget – but the leveler sets up very quickly. You only have 10 minutes after mixing to pour and work with the leveler. We guessed we would need 2 bags of underlayment. So HH mixed one bag in the garage and took it inside to pour while I began mixing the second batch. Then I brought my bucket of mixed underlayment in {muscles!} just as HH was finishing up with the first bag.

Here’s the first batch going in. HH poured the mixture in small sections and used a hand trowel to gently move the leveler into tight spaces.

He also used a section of 2″x4″ to work the larger areas.

We set a timer for 10 minutes to keep track of how much time we had left before the cement started to set.

With ~four and a half minutes left, we poured the second bucket. At this point, HH was working from the hallway.

After 10 minutes and 2 batches of underlayment, we had a floor covered in wet cement. A few hours later, the floor looked like this…

It’s only cement but it already looks 10x’s better. Seriously. I sat in the hallway watching it dry and dreamt of a finished bathroom. It’s going to be great! I just know it. {See my plans for the bathroom here.}

But we’re not completely ready for tile just yet. The area around the tub plumbing didn’t level up the way we had predicted. Turns out self-leveling underlayment is great for smoothing out minor discrepancies but not major ones. Looks like mixing and pouring more concrete is in our future to get that corner as level as possible.

When do we expect the bathroom to be finished? I dunno. 2014? Hehe. I laugh but it’s totally feasible. We’re just working on it whenever we have a chunk of time to devote to one step of the bigger project. HH has a lot of traveling to do for work over the next three months. We only have a few free weekends coming up but every little project we tackle gets us that much closer to not sharing a bathroom with the little people in our house. I’m stoked.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Q – Hi Dana,

I first want to say how much I love your blog. It’s one of the few I read regularly. I’ve been a loyal reader for several years watching you decorate and your transitions in life. I must say – I was really keeping my fingers crossed for that girl ;) We have two boys, ages 9 & 7, and the third is a girl. At age four now, she can draw a dragon and wield a light saber like it’s nobody’s business. In a tutu, of course! 

I digress. My question to you is do you ever have regrets or doubts about downsizing? If not the whole process, are there things you “miss?” Surprised you miss? What have you unexpectedly gained? What gains have been the most significant? Is there anything you would do differently such as buy smaller but not needing a total overhaul or was the demolition/ renovation worthwhile? – Ellen

{our previous house}

A – Great question, Ellen. And one that I get quite often. Before I delve into my thoughts on downsizing, I’d like to give you a little background on our decision to downsize.

When HH and I first discussed downsizing, it was mainly for financial reasons. I was working as a pharmacist and HH is an engineer. From a budget standpoint, we were completely comfortable paying for the big, new spec home that we were living in but we always had this elusive dream to own our home outright {no mortgage} by the time we were 40. We probably could have paid off our previous house in that time frame by following a strict budget that would have left us with little to no money to do much of anything else…like pay for extracurricular activities for our kids, pay for a good preschool for Everett, take trips, eat out sometimes, make upgrades to the builder basic finishes that we detested, etc. And we realized this. To make our no-mortage-at-40 dream come true, we would have been tied to a big house that had blah finishes {carpet, vinyl, standard tub/shower enclosures, etc.} and way more space than we needed. There were several rooms in the house that we didn’t use on a regular basis and they felt like such a waste. There was nothing wrong with the house per se but we’re house people and we get a lot from living in a home that we enjoy.

Also, I had become very unhappy with my job. I was good at it; I made good money; I worked with good people. To most people, that would be enough to keep them satisfied. But I was craving something else, something creative. My heart wasn’t in it and I was becoming more and more turned off by the entire pharmaceutical industry and what it stood for. At the same time, I was becoming more and more interested in decorating, designing and blogging. Downsizing could be just the break I was looking for to make a career switch in the future once our mortgage was paid off.

In the midst of the real estate fallout, most people saw an opportunity to “super size” their house {i.e., buy more house than they had or needed}. We saw it as a chance to downsize {i.e., buy less house than we had or needed}. In fact, I think downsizing has such a negative connotation associated with it. Like you’re giving something up or settling for subpar. Why not call it “right sizing?” That’s how we looked at it. Sure, we would be moving from a big house to a relatively smaller house but we didn’t need all the space or mortgage tied to a larger house. Together HH and I made the decision to downsize. We didn’t arrive at that decision overnight. HH was more reluctant to move than I was but, in the end, it was a collective choice to do what was best for our family.

Oh, family. That’s another thing. Up until a week before we officially sold our previous home by owner, we were a family of four and thought we would remain that way. We were done having kids. Or so we thought. Then we discovered we were unexpectedly expecting and initially it threw a wrench into our plans.

Oh no! Maybe we need a big house after all? Will a three bedroom, two bath house be enough for our growing family? Is this a sign? Should we call off the whole thing? 

But after taking everything in, we quickly realized that downsizing was the perfect solution to our surprise addition. Our childcare costs were going to go through the roof with a newborn in the picture and me working nearly full-time. HH and I did the math and decided the money I would bring home after paying for daycare wasn’t worth the hassle of shuffling three young kids around. I was tired of missing their class parties and school activities too. After baby #3 arrived, I would quit my job and stay at home to care for the kids full time. Here’s the funny part. Just as HH was the one reluctant to downsize, I was the one reluctant to quit my job and stay home {even though I hated my job}. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but deep down I also knew it was the best decision for our kids and our family.

{our house on inspection day}

So now that we’ve survived downsizing, do we regret it? NOT AT ALL. Even with me not working, we are on schedule to pay off our house in 4-5 years – a year or two before we turn 40. I’ve said it before. This house is not our dream house but it’s the house in which we are pursuing our dreams.

What don’t we miss about our previous house? We don’t miss living in a big house. That may have something to do with the fact that we lived in a 900 sq ft apartment for nine months in between living in our previous house and our downsized house. When we moved from our apartment to this house, we almost forgot we were downsizing! Cleaning our previous house was a day-long task that I dreaded every week. I can clean this entire house in one morning. While there are times that we {I’m talking adults as well as kids} need our own space, we make it work. Sometimes Layne hangs out on our bed reading while Everett plays in their shared bedroom to get away from each other. Other times, HH will wrestle with the boys in their room while Mabrey and I take part in more refined girly things…like playing peekaboo in her room. Haha. I don’t even miss having separate sinks in our master bathroom!

We don’t miss having carpet. We have only engineered wood and tile in this house. It is such a breeze to clean. Makes me wonder what disgusting things were living in our carpet at our previous house. HH and I have both said that if we ever have another house, there will be no carpet.

We don’t miss living in a newer, developing neighborhood with construction going on all the time. We like our established neighborhood with its mature trees and roomy lots. We like that the houses aren’t cookie cutter clones.

We don’t miss our old location. Here, we’re closer to HH’s work so we get to spend more time with him in the mornings and evenings during the week. He still leaves early and gets home late but we’ll take what we can get! We like the fact that we are in a quiet neighborhood nestled within city limits. We are close to everything. Layne can even walk to and from school if he wants.

Are there things we’re surprised we miss about our previous home? Yes. One thing. Our previous house had a neighborhood pool. This past summer we longed for a pool nearby to splash in. It’s one of those things that we probably wouldn’t think about if we hadn’t had it before. This year, we’re seriously considering a membership to a local pool just a few minutes away.

There are things we miss that aren’t surprising too. We miss the neighbors in our old neighborhood whom we had become close friends with. We knew we’d miss them. We keep in touch but, obviously, we don’t see them as much as we used to. The twist is we’ve made some really good friends here.

We miss living in a house that’s “finished.” Our lil’ Underdog has come a long way but there’s still a fair amount of work to be done. When we look around, it’s difficult not to see all the unfinished projects. The guest/kid bath is gutted. The driveway is in bad repair. There’s no landscaping whatsoever. Our unusable front door doesn’t exactly scream “Welcome!” The garage and attic are in desperate need of organizing. And then there are the little decorating tweaks that we’ve barely even started. I remind myself that it will all happen in good time. So, I’m trying to enjoy each step we take that gets us closer to home.

I miss living in a well-oiled machine. I had our old house organized and decorated for the way we live. Everything had a place and it was really functional. But it took me nearly four years to get it that way, so I need to give myself a break.

Are there things we’ve unexpectedly gained from downsizing? You bet. The schools in our new city are outstanding. We can’t say enough good things about our experience with them. It’s not that we had a particularly awful experience with our previous school district but the schools here offer our kids so much more and have been a huge help in tapping into our kids’ potential. If anything, we’d do it all over again just for the schools.

We’ve been surprised by how little space we really do need. Editing and purging our belongings are ongoing tasks that are necessary for keeping a small house clutter-free. But they’re pretty damn fulfilling as well. We have no room anymore for “what if”, “maybe” or “someday” items. Which reminds me. I need to get on the attic and garage organization soon.

We were genuinely surprised when several companies contacted us about partnerships pertaining to renovation, home improvement and home decor. We weren’t buying a new old house to feed the blog. Collaborating with some of the companies resulted in forging a few symbiotic relationships. Very cool.

We didn’t realize how much we would enjoy living within 10 minutes of three grocery stores that focus on healthy foods for a healthy lifestyle. I am cooking, people. And I’m actually starting to enjoy it. Surprise! I know, right? HH has noticed a difference as well although I think he’d say, “I love it!” to just about any dish I make if it meant I kept cooking. This may have more to do with me staying home than downsizing but, whatever the cause, we’re eating better.

We’re surprised that living in a smaller house has made us more affectionate towards one another. Our modest house forces us to be together. And that’s what family is all about, right? In our previous home, there were days where we would all be home together but rarely see each other because we’d be off in different parts of the house doing our own things. Here, we touch each other more. You know what I mean. Spontaneous hugs or little squeezes just because we’re close. It’s nice.

Parks! There are numerous parks and playgrounds within walking distance from our house. It seems we discover a new one every couple of months. We switch it up and frequent them when the weather allows. Our previous home had nearby parks but nothing that you could walk to {other than the small, usually overcrowded neighborhood playground}. We’d have to load everyone and everything in the car to visit the nearest park and that step alone was usually enough to make us say, “Ugh. Let’s stay home.”

On a more abstract level, we’ve gained confidence. The confidence to try something new and scary, to act on big plans, to live more simply, to prove all those people who think we’re crazy wrong, to bring an old neglected house to life, to pursue whatever dreams we may dream up, to make any house our home, to change career paths, to make new friends, to walk off the beaten path, to become completely debt free.

Of course, there are pros to downsizing that we expected. We’re well on our way to becoming mortgage-free. HH has a shorter commute. With a smaller home, we’re able to focus on higher quality materials and finishes that we couldn’t afford if we were installing them in larger quantities in a bigger house. We use every single square inch of our house on a regular basis and I love that. We’re able to send Everett to an excellent pre-K program. We’re able to let Layne participate on a competing gymnastics team. We have less space to take care of. We are discovering a new city.

Would we do anything differently? We’re not ones to focus on the past. However, HH and I keep bringing up one property we looked at during our downsizing adventure. It was a duplex in a highly sought after area. Each unit was ~1,000 sq ft and had its own kitchen, three bedrooms, one bathroom and a laundry room in the basement. It needed some work but was livable as is. When we were looking to buy, we had two kids and I was working. We had no idea we’d be expecting a third child and that I would quit my job to stay home with the kids. Looking back, the duplex would have been a sound financial investment. We could have lived in one side of the duplex and rented out the other side to cover the mortgage. Knowing what we know now, I think we may have jumped on that duplex. But bygones are bygones.

Could we have gone even smaller? Probably. But I’m really looking forward to having a second full bathroom this year.

As for the sheer amount of work that we’ve put into our home, we don’t regret it. Every big project we’ve tackled – from removing interior walls to vaulting the ceilings to adding skylights – has been a huge learning experience and helped make our house work and feel like ours.

Would less demolition and less renovations have been nice? YES! And easier. But we wouldn’t have found that house in our price range in this neighborhood. We had to make it.

Has it been easy? NO! Throw a new SAHM and baby into the mix and, well, things get complicated. And sometimes yelly.

Would I recommend downsizing and renovating to everyone? NO! You have to do what’s right for you and your family.

Is it worth it to us? YES! There’s still so much that needs to happen to make this house our home but we try to be patient with ourselves and the journey. Let’s be honest. We’ll probably get bored when/if everything is done.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking