D.I.Y. Projects!

Ever wonder what we do during the dry season?

Most years we try to catch up on projects that get neglected during the year when we're busy with calves, hay, and regular chores.  Often the projects are house related, since those are easiest to work on during the cold winter months.

This past year we planned to remodel and re purpose our living room and enclosed front porch areas during the dry season.  Over time I found myself not inviting people over and feeling embarrassed over the condition of the rooms.  As our family grows, our needs also change.  We have come up with a better way to organize parts of the house to meet those needs.

In January we had seven new windows installed.  The change is incredible!  Our old windows were single pane aluminum, and were in horrible shape.  I used the curtains to hide them rather than enhance them.  All of Rick's work cutting wood to heat the house escaped through the windows, and they would condensate, frost, and produce mold on the inside...yuck!

Living room before:

 

 

Here the new windows are taped and the room is ready for paint.  In this room we had 2 regular size sofas, a love seat, the corner sectional piece, chair, toy cabinet, the treadmill, the toy barn, and the TV/media cabinet.  It was wall-to-wall furniture.  Although it was nice to be able to seat a lot of people, all the furniture made the room feel small, and the toy storage was spread out through the house, some in the front porch and some in the living room.

 

So, we made the front porch into a dedicated toy storage and play place. I do not have a before picture of the front room (who needs a reminder??).  It was very dark paneling and a cement floor. We painted, installed window blinds & valances, special sub floor panels that will control condensations, and some clearance carpet.  Rick did all the floor trim by himself with the miter saw I got at Menards on black Friday.  Who knew he was so great at trim? :) Here is the finished product:

 

entrance into front porch area from dining room

To see or not to see....our choice!

To the left-a small electric fireplace heater, throw pillow, and totes of toys.  All the toys are sorted by likeness-blocks, Lincoln logs, baby toys, puzzles, etc.  We only get one tote out a time.

The toy cabinet, moved in here from the living room.  Fisher Price Little People toys on top, although they don't look great here.  The bench is also for storage, with a couple of pillows for a cozy place to read or play.

In the cabinet are all the toys that do not have a tote, or their tote does not match the décor.

 

The electrician is coming tomorrow to install a light fixture and an outlet in this room.  Now, all the toys will be stored here.  This will help us keep the volume of toys under control, too. It also gives the preschoolers a place to play where the 1 year old will not be able to interrupt them, when the door is shut.  The exception to the toys is that some of the older kids do have some things that are special to them in their rooms, that they do not want the little kids to have access too, such as Lego's.

 

With all the toys out of the living room, it gives us more space to enjoy the room with a more open feel.  We disposed of one of the largest sofas that was in the worst shape, and the sectional piece.  This is the (mostly) finished living room:

 



The paint is "Grey Stone" and we used a combination of shades and cordless blinds for the windows.  The valances are black and grey.  The floor is prefinished hardwood.  No more allergen hoarding carpet!

The new furniture arrangement.  Placing furniture 12" to 24" away from the wall makes the room appear larger. It also keeps the walls in better shape....for awhile.  There's no great place to put the treadmill, but it gets used daily, so that is more important.

We're having a custom corner cabinet built here, which is why the trim is left undone.  It will be later in April or May until it is done. I'll post pictures then.  So excited!

We also need to install new outlets and switch plates in the living room.  The rugs are a little awkward, but later in the year I will be shopping for new furniture, which will not be blue (!!).   I have a couple of items for the walls, but am undecided about exactly where I want them.  After filling all the holes with putty though, I can say that command strips are my new best friend!

 

 

So we spent the first 3 weeks of dry season on the house project.  The next three will be outside getting ready for calving!  We have a parlor to wash and do regular maintenance on, hutches and calf pens to prepare, and fences to put back up.  Hopefully the weather improves soon!

 

Special thanks to our neighbor who helped Rick install the wood floor, and for those that gave Rick helpful hints on how to do the trim work.  Thanks also to Mom for waiting in line with me for over an hour at Menards on black Friday! Sometimes just having the right tools makes all the difference.

Happy organizing!
-Terri