2006: Year in Review; 2007: The New Plan

We definitely didn't accomplish as much in 2006 as we had hoped, at least not on the living room project. Life really gets in the way sometimes, you know? Here is where we were at the end of 2005:


And here is what we've accomplished in the living room:

1. removed all wallpaper in the living room and upstairs hall
2. repaired the sagging ceilings
3. skim coated living room and upstairs hallway walls and ceilings
4. painted
5. removed and stripped all woodwork
6. refinished the floors
7. begun sanding the staircase (nearly finished)

The living room now looks like this:

Somehow, no matter how hard I try, the paint colors never show up exactly right in the photos. The area above the table lamp is closest for the "Roycroft Copper Red", but the "Hubbard Squash" is a little less yellow and more cream-y.

As far as the rest of the house and property goes, we've made some advances there as well

1. rebuilt the leaking, rotted roof between the two garages
2. removed the yew bushes in front of the house and created a raised flower bed
3. began tackling the jungle of weeds and blackberry bushes that are taking over the beds on the side of the yard
4. removed the carpet and padding in the office and its closet

In 2007, we will finish the living room and begin buying furniture (no more futon!!). We're also taking on smaller projects, like painting the dining room and small upstairs bedroom. We're not ready to tackle the walls, ceiling, and floors in the dining room yet, but by painting, we'll freshen it up a bit. I'd also like to work on the office and completely renovate it. Everything in that room is ugly, and I hate it more than any room in the house. During this time, we'll be saving up for the big bathroom reno, for which I hope to be able to hire some professionals to lay the tile and move the plumbing. I'll also continue with Apartment Therapy in order to organize and beautyfy the rest of the house as much as possible.