With the basement cleared out, the master plan in mind, and the plumbing and waterproofing drains in place, it was on to the next step: framing and electrical. It's no secret that I hired a contractor to do a majority of the basement project. And from day one, when the framing went up, I knew that I had made the right decision. For me, figuring out how to properly frame around the various obstacles would have been like trying to solve a rubix cube: totally doable, but not without messing up, starting over and messing up again. Had it not been for the exposed beams, the HVAC system, a sunken entryway, … [Read more...] about Basement Made Beautiful Part 2: Framing & Lighting the Space
Basement Made Beautiful: Part 1 – Planning & Plumbing
When house hunting in Baltimore, I knew that a finished basement would probably put me over my budget (or it would be an outdated finished basement with drop ceilings and mysterious carpet stains). Instead of looking for a finished basement in my price point - I kept the idea of a future reno in mind as I toured each house. Almost every house I looked at had a basement, but some of them were just barely deep enough to stand up in comfortably. One of the selling points of the home I purchased was the depth of the basement. It was just deep enough to where it wouldn't have to be dug out and underpinned (a … [Read more...] about Basement Made Beautiful: Part 1 – Planning & Plumbing
Painted & Glazed Credenza Makeover
This was pretty much my first [completed] DIY project... I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Pretend it's a poem or something... I bought a credenza/dresser off Craigslist in anticipation for moving into my new home. It had been painted white. I didn't want it white. I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. All the drawers were quite 'sticky.' I wanted a DIY project. Eric wanted power tools (a power sander). We decided to sand and stain it. But the top was laminate. So we realized we had to paint it. So we sanded everything, primed, and painted it. And then I realized I didn't like the … [Read more...] about Painted & Glazed Credenza Makeover
Ikea Tarva: Round 2
After a successful (IMO) makeover of the 3-drawer Ikea Tarva chest, I set out to spruce up my 6-drawer Ikea Tarva chest. I wanted the two pieces to match, but at the same time, I didn't want an overwhelming amount of wood finish in my small, neutral-tone bedroom. Confession: I also did not want to go through the whole pre-stain+stain+gel stain+polyurethane process again. My solution: Paint! Just like the 3-drawer chest - we framed out each drawer front with simple screen door molding. But rather than staining the wood, we painted it a rich navy blue and topped it off with a coat of satin … [Read more...] about Ikea Tarva: Round 2
Functional Furniture & Decor for a Small House
Our row home is small (12' feet wide, and a total of 1090 square feet). And while the basement addition gave us extra space to live in, the individual areas and rooms are still...small. I quickly learned that such spaces have their own rules to play by when decorating. You can't just select from the vast selection of furniture that a suburban ranch dweller can. Well you can...but things are going to look grossly oversized and make the room seem that much smaller. Here are a 3 [rather blunt] design tips I value: 1. Hang mirrors - Mirrors will carry your eye past the wall. They are a great way to reflect … [Read more...] about Functional Furniture & Decor for a Small House