The weekend before we welcomed our new baby girl into our family I went into full nesting mode over at the Underdog. I got the master bathroom squeaky clean then moved onto the three bedrooms.
{master bedroom before}
{boys’ bedroom before}
{nursery before}
In each of the three bedrooms, we tore out shag carpeting, demo’d the exterior walls to the cinder block to insulate properly, upgraded the electrical, hung new drywall on the exterior walls, painted, installed engineered hardwood flooring and replaced the old termite-damaged baseboards with taller, beefier trim. The boys’ bedroom and nursery windows had been replaced by the previous owner. The master bedroom windows were the original aluminum kind with cracked glass panes. We replaced them with new vinyl ones.
{master bedroom after}
{boys’ bedroom after}
{nursery after}
A few thoughts on the bedrooms {i.e. there’s still work to do!}:
- Like the master bathroom, the bedrooms are done from a renovation standpoint but not so from a design standpoint. I’ll go into more decor detail room-by-room after we move in.
- We need register covers for all the bedrooms.
- We’ve yet to install interior doors for the bedrooms. I’m going to implement fabric doors for all the bedroom closets. At first, we thought we’d reuse the original bedroom doors and paint them but now we’re leaning towards buying solid wood doors to increase privacy in such a small house.
- Did you notice the thicker, meatier baseboards?
To clean up the renovation dust, I relied on my trusty cleaning favorites.
I used a mixture of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day all purpose cleaner and water to wash the windows inside and out. The Underdog’s roof has a pretty deep overhang that extends about 2-3 feet beyond the brick facade. It’s not optimal for letting in lots of natural light BUT I think it helps protect the windows from excessive dirt and runoff. The new windows in the master bedroom weren’t any cleaner than the windows in the other bedrooms. I’m hoping this means less frequent window cleaning in my future. Our previous house had no overhang and as soon as it rained, my clean windows would be grimy once again.
Before tackling the dirty engineered hardwood flooring, I did some research. I wasn’t sure how to go about cleaning them…especially since there was still glue residue on them from the installation. {We installed them onto a concrete slab and weren’t able to nail them into a subfloor. Boo.} Everything I read said to clean them the same way as solid hardwood. So after shop-vac’ing the loose debris, I used my favorite wood cleaning mixture – Murphy’s Oil Soap mixed in warm water. It worked great not only on the the renovation dust but also on the glue residue. For the first deep cleaning, I skipped the mop and worked on my hands and knees with a bucket and microfiber cloth. In true Cinderella style. Well, if Cinderella had been 38 weeks pregnant. The best part about the Murphy’s Oil Soap is that there’s no need to rinse. And I’m all about less steps when cleaning is involved.
Update: So apparently Murphy’s Oil Soap isn’t the best choice when it comes to cleaning hardwood flooring. With repeated use over time, it can leave a residue. Sheesh! I have a lot to learn!
Another important thing to remember is that each of the cleaners I used – Mrs. Meyer’s & Murphy’s – is concentrated. That means thorough cleaning requires less product…which means one bottle lasts a long time…which means more money for more important things…like pillows. I’ve had these two bottles for at least four years now. And I use them all the time.
This is where I wish virtual scratch-n-sniff pictures were possible. The mix of Mrs. Meyer’s lemon verbena and Murphy’s oil is delish. Not only is the Underdog starting to feel like a home, it’s starting to smell a little like one too.
I also got the hallway cleaned up and protected. I just cut up a bunch of cardboard boxes from our IKEA kitchen install, duct-taped them together in sidewalk fashion and laid them on the floor. It’s my version of the Yellow Brick Road. Since we still have some renovation projects going on and will need to move in furniture at some point, I’m hoping the cardboard rug will keep dirt and dings to a minimum until we’re settled in. Then all bets are off after that!
With one bathroom and three bedrooms in move-in condition, Handy Hubby has moved onto the kitchen install. The goal is to get the kitchen functional {cabinets and appliances in working order but probably not all finishes will be done when we move in…who needs countertops anyway?!} and install tile flooring in the mudroom/dining room/laundry nook so that we can hook up the washer and dryer on moving day. We’re chugging right along.
Finally, I apologize if any or all parts of this post are incoherent. I’m on newborn time. My brain is foggy and my heart is full. Per your requests, I’m working on a few posts that will discuss Mabrey’s birth story and how we came to choose her name. Coming soon!
images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking
DIY, renovation