Befores and Afters/Nursery

Before, minus the ceiling fan.

So... I realize that we've done some "befores", but no "afters." Not cool.   Hopefully we'll get some "afters" in here soon.  The bathroom is complete and functional, so we definitely owe you an "after" post.  

Our current project is getting the nursery ready for Baby Girl Barnes.  So far, we've changed the ceiling fan, installed crown molding (yay, nail gun!), painted (Behr's Silver Drop), bought a dresser/changing table from Alice & Jay, and had new carpet installed throughout the bedrooms and living room.  Keeping with our tradition of "befores", here is a shot of our former man cave/junk storage room.  Just keeping it real.

Below are some "in progress" shots. 

Priming

After priming and crown molding install.

After paint, new carpet, and Alice & Jay dresser.

That's all the updates for now!  Stay tuned for more...

How to Efficiently Remove Old Tile and Backerboard

The first part of the demolition effort involved removing the old tile. I googled several ways to do this. Some methods suggested chipping away at the tile; others, removing the backerboard as well. Regardless this tasks was going to wear out your shoulders. Some of the methods described would take several days to complete. However, after some tedious efforts and trial and error, we discovered the quickest, safest way to do the job thoroughly without needing physical therapy afterward. Use the tools and follow the steps listed below:

Studfinder
2.5" Mason's Chisel
4 lb. Engineer's Hammer
3 lb. Dead Blow Hammer
(They only sell this size and quality at Sear's and yes, they are expensive. Clare gave me an earful for buying it, but it saved a lot of wear and tear on my joints)
2' Fat Max Pry Bar

Me with my new expensive hammer, gloating as Clare takes a picture.

1. Cover all areas of the bath and floor that need to be protected from falling tile shrapnel.

2. I started by tapping the chisel around the upper edge of the tile to separate it from the wall. This step should minimize damage to the drywall if the tiled area extends beyond the backerboard.

3. Using the studfinder, mark the locations of all the studs behind the tile-covered wall that you are going to remove.

4. Starting near one of the corners or edges of the wall, strike the tile halfway between the studs with the engineer's hammer with about as much juice as you can give it. I used both hands for effective demolition and adrenaline release. Use caution not to damage any drywall that may be located closely behind the tile wall. Hit and break several points up and down the wall

Our friend Jonathan joined in on the fun.
He said it was the best entertainment he had
experienced in south Georgia.

5. Once you have broken through a section of the wall, insert the Fat Max and work it towards one of the studs. It may still be difficult to work the pry bar between the incredibly rigid combination of backerboard mortared with tile. This is where the dead blow hammer comes in. The no bounce back makes this MUCH easier than with a traditional hammer.

6. Pry the section of wall off. Work the pry bar up and down the stud until all of the area has been removed.

7. Repeat on the section of wall between the next two studs. Work across the length of the wall sections.

8. Once all tile sections have been removed, it may be necessary to chisel away any patches of tile remaining on the edge.

9. The hardest part that remains is hauling off all the heavy, cumbersome tile that you just removed!

Bathroom Remodel 2011

Bathroom Remodel 2011 is officially underway! We have busted out all the tile and are currently in the middle of our favorite activity - de-popcorning the ceiling! Here is a before photo of our boring, drab bathroom:



Cluttered, all differents shades of off-white, and uninspired. I preferred to use the guest bathroom to get ready because just being in this room made me feel icky and depressed. This room remains the only non-closet room that we have not painted since Will bought the house in 2008.

It also has some nicotine stains on the ceiling and walls. Unknown to us, the previous owner's husband was a smoker. Our house was sold to us as a "non-smoker" house, because the smoker-husband had passed away a few years earlier and the owner/wife had installed new (and cheap - a story for another day) carpet and painted a few walls.

Before and afters

Due to the continued demands by the one person who reads this blog, I will start a series of before and afters. First, I will only post "befores" so that you can truly appreicate the "afters."

First, check out the before of our living room.


Notice the ugly curtains from an earlier post. There are way too many ugly things going on here. After shot to come!

Someone buy me this. Please!

If you have ever lived with my husband or been around him for any length of time, you know that I am in desperate need of this:

Arizona immigration

I must admit, when I first heard about the immigration law in Arizona, I was quite peeved. All I could think of was racist cops using the ability to check IDs for no reason to discriminate against latinos. This terrified me because it brings us one step closer to an authoritarian state. Having lived in a foreign county where I stood out, I kept thinking, "What if that was me?" Can you imagine going to the grocery store in a county where the culture and a language not that familiar and being asked for your ID by some corrupt cop? Heart attack! Then I read this article which made me not quite as hateful toward Arizona.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/237196

Human trafficking and drugs, oh my! 60% of the marijuana coming into the US passes through Arizona. Pretty much all the reasons that I am currently afraid to visit and/or live in certain parts of Mexico (and I REALLY LIKE Mexico) are going on to a smaller degree in our own country. I would agree with the author of the above article get it right when he says we need to beef up border security and implement better guest worker programs.

Random Notes to the Universe

Ok, I always write random notes to things in my head. I know they will never be answered or heard, but I just want to get them out there. Here's mine for today:



Dear Pine Trees in my Front Yard,



Please stop duming pine cones all over the place. I don't want to spend half of my weekend picking you up.

Love,
Clare