4 Scary Monster

In the mood for a scary story? Alright, prepare for the horrifying sight behind this door…


Pretty scary with the shovel beside the old creaky door, right? I told you this was a scary story. Let’s take a peek inside…

Welcome to our laundry room. Don’t recall seeing this room on the before tour? You are not mistaken my friend. Never before has such scariness been featured on the LTHL. I think it is high time we crack into conquering this space…maybe this weekend. You in, E-Dub?

-Cara

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7 Column Like You See ‘Em

With such a beautiful Sunday in our midst, I had to break the chains from painting this guy…
  
…and head outside for some fresh air and a hearty dose of 60 degree sunshine.

Luckily there were plenty of outdoor chores to choose from. My project of choice? Caulking the front columns.

One of our very first items on the never ending to-do list was to kick up our curb appeal a bit by replacing the the old rot iron with lovely new square columns.



The columns are a definite improvement but when you get up close and personal, they were still in need of a little TLC.



Nothing a little caulking can’t handle, with a quick swipe of the caulk gun across the eye sore…

 
…and another once over to smooth everything out, we were in business!


 
Another glimpse…

 

 

How did you spend your beautiful Sunday? Home chores? Fun with friends & family?
 
-Cara

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14 The After Party: Master Bedroom

We thought we’d leave you on this fabulous Friday with a few shots of the master bedroom. Enjoy!…

   

-Cara

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3 A Little Wilkerson Dialogue + Fireplace Prep Work

I wonder what would happen if… Six little words that never fail to launch us into a full blown home project. Famous Wilkerson last words.

Example #1: Our first house in Fayetteville

I wonder what would happen if…we ripped off the kitchen countertop? 10 minutes later Eric was on the way to Home Depot for supplies and I was tearing into a dingy laminate countertop and backsplash.

Example #2: Previewing a Realtor friend’s upcoming listing

I wonder what would happen if…we pulled back this green carpet to see what’s underneath? After catching a glimpse of the hidden hardwoods, we rushed off to write an offer on our current construction site.

Example #3: I wonder what would happen if…we painted the fireplaces? Done! We’ll partially done—I mean partially finished or through. You are only “done” if you’re cooking.

Last night, Eric & I began to tackle the fireplaces in the living room & den.

I took on the orange monster in the living room…
 

Cleaned, taped and primed, we are already glad to say so long to the old orange brick.

  

Meanwhile, Eric was in the den prepping for paint. Filling a few cracks in the brick and a day’s worth of patience while the mortar dries were all we needed…

  
We’ll be back soon with the after shots!

-Cara

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12 The After Party: Dining Room

In our construction site, a room qualifies for an “after” shot as long as it is at least 80% functional and we don’t have to leap over boxes or paint cans to make it from one side of the room to the other. I’d say the dining room fits the bill…
 

We still have one rather large wall to fill, but I’ll take a blank wall over the wallpaper plantation scene any day!



Of course the first pals we had over for dinner were our good buddies Jessica & Scott. We had reason to celebrate! Our friends just found out that they are having a little baby boy nugget!

We were so excited that we dug right into the cake without taking a before shot. Oh well…

 

-Cara

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14 The After Party: Living Room

We’re getting there! Of course there are lots of bare spots where wall art needs to be hung and little to-do’s still haunting our dreams, but I’d like to think our living room has certainly improved over the past 4 weeks…



Let’s saunter down memory lane for a moment, shall we?

The before shot. Note the green carpet, lack of overhead lighting and of course, the lovely wall mural lingering in the background…


First we focused our efforts on removing wallpaper and painting the walls. With a built in drop cloth of green carpeting, painting was a breeze. Removing the wallpaper on the other hand…

Once the rooms were painted, it was time to bring in Mike the hardwoods guy. All that glory buried for so many years. Just heavenly…

 

 

Finally, adding much needed light to the space with recessed lighting pulled everything together. We tall gals tend to knock our noggins on light fixtures so this is one room that keeps my head bump free…

  

Which leads us to…

 

There you have it! The living room is up and running (for the most part). What do you think?

-Cara

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5 Check it out…

I'm in hardwood heaven! Enjoy a few before and afters as I continue hauling boxes across town. Please pardon the dust…






 




Not an ounce of scary green carpet remains in this abode and that, my friends, is a great feeling.

-Cara

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6 Mike Said No

When word floated through the grapevine that our floors were stained and smothered with the first coat of polyurethane, I rushed over to sneak a peak…but Mike the hardwoods man said no. Mike’s orders were expected but a buzz kill nonetheless. I obeyed.


I was able to bend my neck around the corner to catch a glimpse of the dining room. Glorious!

-Cara

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4 Progress is Beautiful

This rehabilitation train is rolling right along. Good thing, since we are moving in T minus 7 days! A quick update on the front of the house before we break into the good stuff. The awful rot iron has been replaced with lovely new columns…

 
Never before have we been so happy to clutter up a carport. Adios carpet…

         
…hello hardwoods! I’ve been dreaming of you. Sanded and just about ready for staining, I am glad that Eric was the only unfortunate soul that had to witness my happy dance.

 
Next came time to lock in a stain of choice. The first two options were a bit more ashy than the look we were going for. What do you think? Did we make the right decision?
   

-Cara

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