Remodel continues

Ugh. Painting an entire house really wears you down, especially when that involves:

• Changing every power outlet from an almond colored outlet to a white one (~50)
• Changing every light switch from almond to white (~25)
• Removing doors, painting doors and putting them back
• Deciding to buy all new door hinges

• Attempting to create clean separations of two paint colors (tape doesn’t always works as advertised)

  Much of the painting was greatly simplified when we also decided that all the carpet floors were to be changed out with hardwood (main living spaces) or new carpet (bedrooms) or natural stone (bathrooms). As such, protecting the floor from paint was not a concern. I removed all the carpeting, linoleum, and parquet myself to save money. In addition, I am installing the tile, and we decided to install heating pads underneath the stone to save on future energy costs and keep our feet comfortable on the natural stone in winter. This adds some complication of wiring and raising the stone a bit due to the height of the pads, which sit in the thin-set mortar.

  All told, when this project is finished in the next two weeks, I will have touched every surface of the house with the exception of the ceilings (which are popcorn, thank goodness). That’s a lot of area! Despite all the toiling and complaining, it really does look great and will improve the value of the home considerably. Already, it feels more comfortable than it did previously.

  The painters finished today with the exterior of the house, changing the colors from white with sea green trim to stone grey with white trim. The contrast with the small areas of red brick near the garage and under the living room window in the front looks great. The stone grey goes well with the concrete roof tiles, too. All in all, this major undertaking has turned out quite well, and I am pleased with the knowledge and skills I have mastered.