Homework: the basement

This week I won the bench lottery at my place of employ. Orchestra Hall was replacing old lobby benches, and I got to take home one of the old, worn ones. I've been looking for a bench for my private entry, a.k.a. the basement door from the garage. This works beautifully. I moved the shelving unit that used to be under the stairs, to try to make something functional here. I also added a coat hook. It kind of works as a makeshift version of something like this, I think:


Of course, it would look a lot better if I would tidy up the workbench and get rid of some of the junk leftover from the rennovations. And if only I could do something about that floor. It's clearly been painted a couple of times, and now it just looks yucky. I think I'll wait and see in the spring if the basement gets wet, but it would be nice to maybe just carpet the whole thing. It would feel a lot nicer down there with an even-toned floor. Although I'm not sure how that would work in the laundry room area, where the floor is all sloped.


I had plans to cover up that ugly old linoleum this weekend. I went back to Home Depot to buy some more of the carpeting that we used on the stair landing, but unfortunately it only comes in strips three feet wide, and my area was four feet wide. I was ready to make due with 12 inches of ugly showing, when I found big chunks of indoor/outdoor carpeting for cheaper, and in 6' x 8' pieces. I haven't cut it to size or laid it out yet, but I have high hopes that it's going to make the laundry room a little less ugly. I don't seem to have the energy for evening work anymore, so that will probably be a next weekend project.


The other big thing I did this weekend is rent a carpet shampooer for the basement bedroom. I got an email on Thursday from a girl I know who is moving overseas and is selling all of her belongings, so I bought her mattress, box spring, bed frame, down comforter, and bedskirt for $200! With a real guest room in sight, I had a burning desire to clean the carpet in there. It looks better, but it still needs some spot treating on some stubborn stains. I'll post pictures when the carpet dries and I can put the furniture back in there. The room looks great with a bed in it!

Homework: Mom and Dad Back Again

Phew! Mom and Dad came this weekend and we accomplished SO MUCH! The addition of curtains and rugs really makes the place feel like a home. Here's what we did:

• Leveled and stacked the washer and dryer. When the gas guy came to install the gas dryer, it he suggested stacking them since the plumbing, gas, and dryer vent were all on the same wall. Then I could save the cost of extending one of those across the room. He's coming back on Saturday. I haven't done laundry since I moved in! Saturday will be a good day.

• Hung the stair banister.

• Fixed the light Chad broke in the guest room.

• Attempted to repair the dining room table and chairs. You may recall that I bought an antique mahogany set on Craigslist, and found out it was a little more flawed than I had thought. One of the legs was loose, which made the whole table tilt. Most of the chairs are a little wobbly, too. Dad and I used some wood glue and some super glue to try to remedy the situation. I don't think the chairs are all that better, but my main concern was the table. Right now it's still upside down on my floor. I'll have to post an update when I get someone to help me flip it over.

• Dad replaced outlets and switches in pretty much the whole house. Most of them were painted over or just really old looking. It's amazing what a difference new outlets and cover plates can make!

• We gave the basement stairs a facelift. We originally intended to focus on the landing at the top, but ended up painting the whole staircase. We had to remove the cement board on the landing and build some baseboards to cover up the ugliness. We bought a strip of all-weather carpet from Home Depot and used double-stick carpet tape to hold it in place. Before we could paint the rest of the stairs, we had to pull a whole load of old carpet staples. It was a lot harder on the stairs than it was in either of the rooms where I removed carpet! And there were a ton more. I started counting, but after I reached 247 jillion, I just gave up.

• Re-hung the bathroom door in the basement that Sarah R. had varnished.

• Mom touched up the paint around the whole house, including covering up some ceiling smudges, did the secont coat in the guest room, and painted the guest room door and the support beam that I couldn't decide what to do with. With a thorough carpet cleaning and the addition of a bed, this room will be ready to go!

• I got tired of being indecisive about the heat registers in the dining room, and bought some spray paint. We painted them a bronze color.

• Best of all, I finally picked out rugs, curtains, and curtain rods for the living room and dining room, and those are all now in place. It makes such a huge difference.
  

There are too many photos to post, so you have to follow the story in pictures here.

My plants love it here.

Well, I may not feel 100% at home in the new house yet, but my plants are loving it here. My shamrock is so happy, it bloomed!



I got a call from my mom and dad last night. They realized their calendar is chock full of weekend activities from now until planting season, and when that comes, all bets are off. So this weekend is the last chance for them to come help out. Unfortunately, the guest room is no where near suitable for guests, but I like sleeping on my couch. Here's my wish list for the weekend:

□ Level and stack washer and dryer
□ Fix dining room table & chairs
□ Replace outlets
□ Check leak in washer hookup
□ Stair landing (I don't know what needs to be done, but it's ugly.)
□ Re-hang basement bathroom door
□ Weather stripping around front door
□ Paint baseboard in my BR closet
□ Paint guest BR door
□ Paint inner window trim in living room
□ Touch up paint throughout
□ Paint vent covers
□ Second coat of paint in basement bedroom
□ Install splash guard on tub
□ Seal grout in upstairs bathroom
□ Caulk basement sink
□ Caulk basement window
□ Finish thresholds
□ Shampoo guest room carpet

Whew, that makes me tired.
Time for an early bedtime for me.