- finished the flooring in the dining room, living room and hallway
- painted the living room
- blocked off the old random window (still needs plastering)
- painted the fire, fire surround and mantlepiece
- painted hallway (after replacing some of the wallpaper that was damaged)
- removed old meter cabinet and replaced it with a bookcase we had
- blocked in old window and hung message board
- painted some garden edging
- edged a tiny bit of flowerbed after weeding and turning over the soil
Naturally, there is still tons left to do but here is some of our progress so far, which we are thrilled with - it was tricky taking photos because my wider angled lens is away for cleaning - plus with windows here, there and everywhere my exposure was all over.
Hallway before
Hallway after
I am going to replace the cheap tulip picture with this family portrait.
Pictures above the stairs - love how they look against the blue (bad picture, sorry).
Living room
I'm most pleased about the old gas fire. I masked it off with paper and masking tape, with encouragement from Noah (*little pats on my shoulder*, "Well done, Mommy. Well done.") and went to town with the spray paint. What a difference it's made!! It has brought it up to date - no more ugly 60's/70's gas fire. The hearth will be covered with slate-effect tiles and black moulding around the edge. The mantlepiece has been improved by removing the random plastic scrolly thing on the front (the picture on the left was taken right after I removed it) and painted with bright white satin. Bye bye nasty off-white gloss!
New floor - I love that it flows seamlessly from the hallway into this room and into the dining room.
The random window blocked-in. This wall now needs plastering and then painting. We'll have large professionally-framed pictures of the boys above the sofa and a console table with lamp etc in the corner.
Garden
Before (recently posted picture) - the pansies were all chewed up by slugs, and I'd planted them badly in the first place. I'd grown them from seed but not seperated the seedlings so they were planted out as clumps and I couldn't get to the weeds or anything. The whole bed needed turning over.
After - we still need to throw more compost in, plant some flowers and add bark-chipping mulch. The edging will weather to match the edging around the deck, it's only lighter and warmer because it's newly done. The little plant on the right is a hydrangea - a housewarming gift from Rachel (thanks, Rachel!). It's got little buds starting.
