New carpet and floors (sorry for the delay)

Hi friends,

Time to continue the "Mom's house Remodel" Saga! Sorry for the time lag... there's a lot that's happened since the last episode... including...

New Living Room carpet!

Out with the old: Because of the addition to the living and dining room, wood floors were (sadly) not an option here. The front part of the room does have the same wood underneath, though. I must admit, I was a Little tempted to keep a swath of the old carpet as a relic of my childhood... I don't think this color carpet exists anymore.

In with the New! "Joust" is the color of the carpet. It is squishy soft (because of a very nice pad underneath) but still sturdy feeling on top. Clearly, we're all enjoying it! All piano students must now observe a strict "Stocking Foot" rule upon entry.

Refinished Floors!

The Floor guy did an INCREDIBLE job! He replaced the damaged pieces of floor board (there was some water damage by the hall bathroom), sanded everything down, and then re-stained. They just look Beautiful! So beautiful, in fact, that mom is sad that she might have to cover some of it up with area rugs! So advice to all: bring warm socks or slippers to mom's next time you come; you Will need them.We all unanimously agreed on the darkest color stain when given the options. We're all very happy about how the floors turned out. When Joe (the floor guy) was sanding, he wasn't sure how all the damage in mom's room would turn out, but everything was perfect!

Next up: Curtains and drapes! AND... recovering the goldenrod dining room chairs!!!
Stay tuned...

Crown Molding and Base Boards

The living room paint is now complete! Blue and tan (well, the real color names are much more fancy, but I can't remember them right now...) on the walls with white crown molding and base boards.Here's a close-up of the color contrast on the walls. Looking from the front hall, the two opposite walls in the living room and dining room are blue and the two adjacent walls are tan... if that makes any sense... it's a cool effect :)

The kitchen paint is also all done. I think the color is Home and Hearth Sunflower Yellow or something like that...

Next up is refinishing the hardwood floors throughout the bedroom area. It's a larger task than it seems simply because All of the closets at that end of the house have to be empty (all of them have hardwood floor in them). Mom and dad are currently staying in the family room... but at least they still have access to the kitchen. More to come :)

Demolition!

As many of you have heard, the Lansing Court house is undergoing an extensive makeover, including new paint, new carpet, new drapes, and maybe a few other things... I thought it my job to chronicle the momentous occasion!

Step one: removal of all wall hangings and furniture. For those of you that know the mantle above mom and dad's fireplace, you know this was no easy task. Taking down the family pictures was itself an all-day affair!
But where'd all the furniture go?? Down the hall and to the right as demonstrated by Larry:
Step 2: Removal of wallpaper... what a job! Just think... all those months Dawna and Adele were getting in trouble for picking at the wallpaper... come on, Nana, they were just getting a head start on what they knew would be a long and arduous task!
And the kitchen is complete!

The Hallway was extremely NO FUN! In this picture, it looks great... however, that was just the top layer of paper... under that was more paper; under that, a painted sealant; under THAT, really old thick wallpaper... all of it had to go and it required the use of water sprayers and several mean-looking tools:

Step 3: Carpet removal! Say a fond farewell to lime green shag! Look how beautiful the hardwood floors are! Mom and dad are still taking votes on whether to keep it or cover it with carpet:

Step 4: Painting prep: baseboards removed, piano covered, etc:

Mom says she likes the chandelier better all covered in plastic...shows how much she's liked it over the years...

And now... the first steps of reconstruction:

First, the hallway walls re-textured and painted (I think the wood floor looks particularly beautiful in this picture):
Second, living room walls are starting to get color! I LOVE the blue/gray color! Can't wait to see what it looks like Without the green carpet...
So that's the update so far... every day something else happens. I think today is crown molding day... I'll try to get as many step-by-step pictures as I can... even though my camera isn't the best! It's gonna be gorgeous, guys!