A deck with a plan.....

Hi y'all!  Summer is almost here and we are in the middle of a makeover on our back porch/deck.  We had big plans back in the fall to work on it but....well life happened and the plans didn't.   

I want to share some before pictures and our plan.  The picture below shows the view from our back door.  The deck railing when our home was purchased was lattice.  Several years ago we removed the lattice and put up narrow fence pickets instead (that is what you see here).  We are going to remove all of that and build a proper railing around the whole deck.  The deck itself will be getting a good cleaning and a fresh coat(s) of gray stain that matches the window trim on our home.  The porch ceiling, posts and  new railings will be painted white.    

We have 2 sets of stairs off of our deck, a wide set to the backyard and a narrow set that leads to our side yard.  The narrow steps are where that small gate is.  We plan to remove the narrow set of steps which will give us more usable seating space on that end of the deck.  Right now the table is in the center of the deck.   The plan is to create a lounging area on one end and an entertaining/dining area on the other end.  (I just recently scored a patio set at a yard sale!  WOO HOO!!)  I like the table that we have and we got a great bargain on it from Target a couple summers back, however I have a plan for it elsewhere in our backyard.  So, I would like to build a table that will seat more people too.

These two chairs actually came with the table set as well.  They bounce. :-)  I'm using this space as a conversation area at the moment.  The big hole in the railing behind the chair on the left is an opening for a slide.  The slide and the opening will be going away when we build the new railings. 

Here you can see our backdoor.  I am hoping my husband will install a light fixture just to the right of it.  Some patio string lights are a must as well.  This will be so great at night because right now, the only lighting we have lights up the backyard and not the deck.  

To the right here, you can see the wide set of steps that leads to the back yard.  When the sun comes up in the morning, it shines very bright in that opening.  Adding some outdoor curtains should help that.  Curtains will soften up the space too.  (Plus, I just need want some flow-y outdoor curtains) 

Here is the view of our deck from our backyard.  

The structure is in very good shape.  We hope that our improvements will extend the life of it further as well as make it as function for our family as possible.  The table always seems to get piled with stuff and the porch is just a walkway to the yard most days.  When we are finished we want the space to be an extension of our home.


**Below is a patio love seat and two chairs which I scored from a yard sale down the street for $40!!  I am going to spray paint the frames and replace the cushions and it will be as good as new!**

Feel free to follow along with my Back Porch inspiration board on Pinterest.

Follow Kayla's board home [BACK PORCH] on Pinterest.

  

Evolution of the Girls' Room

Hi!  I wanted to share a little bit about the evolution of our girls' shared bedroom today and the reason I decided to DIY a wardrobe for their space.....

When my oldest (and back then only) daughter Paige (aka Jellybean) was three and transitioned to a "big girl" day bed, we gave her room a makeover.  A makeover which began with Mommy just trying to scrape a small part of the popcorn off the ceiling.  I'll never forget the day my husband came home and asked me what I was doing.  Well, we were off and running after that!  Scraping the ceiling led to crown molding which led to...well, you get the idea.  Jellybean's special request??  Rainbows.  After finding the perfect rainbowy bedding, we painted her walls, put up new window treatments and added cubbies & shelving for storage.  The space was "just right"!  

Shelves, shelves, shelves....

Here you can see that we utilized those shelves to their maximum potential.  Looking back, it amazes me how easily just one child filled up a bedroom!

Two years after redoing Jellybean's big girl room, we were blessed to find out we were expecting our second baby.  We had to figure out the best way to fit a crib, a changing table, and all the things that come with a new baby into this space.  It had been 5 years since we last had a baby in the house and one easily forgets how much schtuff they come with.  We had to make the best of what we had in our quaint, 1930's, 2 bedroom, 1 bath house.

I was thrilled to find out a baby girl was on the way!!  You see, our first time around, a gender neutral nursery was in order because we did not find out what were having until the day she was born.  (sorry I can't find any before pictures)  I was giddy excited to be able pick out girly crib bedding to match Paige's rainbowy room.  It was a challenge.  There just wasn't much to choose from in the way of bright color's for a baby's room but I eventually found a set that I L-O-V-E-D! It arrived about a month before #2 was born.  We re-worked the shelving around the room and added some new wall art then the room was "just right" again!

A little less than 2 years later baby Morgan (aka Gummy Bear) transitioned to a "big girl" bed (aka a twin size mattress on the floor).  Between their clothes, toys (for 2 completely different ages) and books their space seemed to be getting more chaotic day by day.

Keeping it real!

We needed a new bed to hold Morgan's "big girl" mattress and preferably another one that matched for Paige to sleep on.  The daybed just wasn't working for us anymore.  The trundle was convenient when we needed it, however it is very pinchy in the way of toddler fingers.  I had to come up with a plan to make 2 twin size beds fit and still leave enough play area for the girls (so my living room wouldn't be taken over by toys.) I had an idea to make their closet solely into toy storage and find some way of storing all their clothes in one large storage piece.  I started looking around at clothes storage options online.  I came across the Stuva system at Ikea.  I loved it, it was kid friendly and could hold hanging clothes and folded clothes.  However, I would need at least 3 of the combination shown below for what I had envisioned.  Together that would have cost over $600 and that was not in our budget.  

My wheels started spinning.  I began looking at different ideas all over the internet.  Then I came across this dresser and 2 identical cabinets on craigslist.  An ambitious idea to make there room "just right" again was born.

Just in a few short years, the girls' room has gone through so many changes in order to keep up with how they grow and change.  It is always a challenge to make sure their room is functioning well for them.  In fact it feels like our home is always going through changes in order to best suit our family. Reminds me of this Lowe's commercial.

  

Do you feel like your home is always changing and improving?

I do and I love every minute of it!  I can't wait to show you the outcome of the wardrobe project and then their beds which we built ourselves.

Have a blessed Wednesday friends!

Shed to a Schoolhouse Side No.2

Great news!!  Side No.2 of our Shed to Schoohouse makeover is finished and ready for caulk and paint.

In February last year, my husband and I began to reside our shed with the hopes of turning it into a "Schoolhouse" that we could use for homeschooling.  **squirrel trail......At the end of the 2013 Summer, we decided to put our daughter back in school.  She really missed her friends and her school!  She had an amazing '13-'14 school year and we couldn't be more proud of our book-aholic!! **  We have continued to make progress over the last year on this project.  It has certainly been a challenge, but we have learned so much along the way and are thrilled with the outcome so far.  Here is what we started with.  Some major TLC needed to be given to our dilapidated backyard shed which was once an apartment with dark paneling and a half bathroom.  Our plan is to take it one side at a time and repair the outside then we get to move on to the inside.   Side No. 1 was an amazing transformation!!

  

Without further ado, I introduce you to Side No. 2.  Do you see that window?  It faces our side yard and further on, some of our front yard.  In order to see those yards through this window you have to stand on a stool on the inside.  

I was able to talk my husband into switching the windows from Side No. 3 to Side No. 2.  

Below is what we were left with after prying off boards so we could frame for the larger window.

Here is the new window installed.  So much better!  Now we can see the front and side yards without having to stand on a stool on the inside.  Also, when it was on the opposite side, our carport ran right through the middle of the window.  Who wants to look at the top of a carport??  This was a win-win kind of change! Yippee!

Below we are prepped and ready for plank siding.  We also replaced any 1 x 12 boards that were in all around bad shape.  Cutting all those angles was so tedious, especially using a circular saw to do it.  Let's just say, I am gonna be an old pro when it comes to handling a circular saw by the time we are finished with this project.  

Here she is, Side No. 2 in all her yellowy glory! (Don't worry, she won't stay this color)  Isn't she just beautiful!  Again, it is quite the transformation!  Can I just for go the other sides and paint Sides 1 and 2 NOW!  Hahaha, patience has never been my strong suit...

Here is the before and after of Side No. 2 of our Shed to Schoolhouse Renovation:

Now I can't wait to build a window box and fill it with flowers and landscape and start on the inside BUT I have to!  Have you ever just wanted to skip ahead on a project just to get to "fun stuff"?  I certainly am having to reign myself in, but just 2 more sides to go then on to the "fluffing"!  In the wise words of Dorey from Disney's "Finding Nemo" "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."

Have a blessed day!

Shed to Schoolhouse Side no. 1

I'm back with an update on Side no.1 of our "Shed to Schoolhouse" project.  A few days ago I shared the before pictures of our backyard shed and our plan for it.  Right now we are focusing on the exterior of the shed because it was in BAAAD shape.  Also, it needs to be sealed (no holes or openings) completely before we do any work inside.  My husband and I began slowly working on side no. 1 back in February.  He works full time, so we work mostly in the evenings and on weekends (when we don't have plans).  It has truly been a team effort thus far.  Over the summer I've been able to work some on it during the day while my girls play outside (or watch too many cartoons....hehehe).  Our first step was to pry off all of the battens and decide which boards would need to be replaced.  Then we had to decide the height that would be our "half way" mark to cut the boards.  It took some discussion and trial and error because we needed to make sure the height that we chose would work all the way around the building.  Once we decided on the height, we snapped a chalk line across the shed.  Next, my husband set our circular saw to the depth of the boards and cut the side in half.  The picture below shows you the side "in half" with the left side of the door ready to have the plank siding put on.  We had also installed the new door.  The new door makes such a big difference!  The natural light that floods in through the panes is great.  The interior definitely needed more light!       

We purchased an outswing door which is sealed differently than an inswing door.  The previous door was not an outswing door, it was rigged to be one which is why it was rusted and in such poor condition.  Elements (i.e. wind, rain, ice, high temps) can really wreak havoc on buildings when things are not properly installed and maintained.  Moisture especially can really mess things up!!  That has been a huge lesson for us throughout this process so we are taking care to do everything right.  

The next picture shows several battens in place, 3 planks up and the place where the window is going to go.  I want to say here that JamesHardie products are HARD!!  A hammer and nail and plain ole' saw blade was not going to cut it(haha, no pun intended)!!  After many bent nails and some research, we ended up investing in a roofing nailer and a special blade for our circular saw.  Both saved us a ton of time and effort!     

Once we snapped our chalk lines, the planks went up fairly quickly.  Below shows the rest of the planks up before we added the window and the trim.  The tan/yellowish color is the way the planks and trim come.  We plan to paint after all four sides are complete.  Plus, we have a ton of caulking to do!  Exterior caulk has to set-up for several days, sometimes as long as 10 days depending on the humidity, before it can be painted.  

Something really cool happened as we put our planks up.  The planks come in a 12 foot length.  Per installation instructions, a gap minimum of 1/8 inch is supposed to be left between the planks and the vertical trim.  Well, the length of the planking ended up being exactly 12' and 1/8" which left our gaps on either side of the plank between 1/4 to 1/8 inch!!  Folks, we absolutely did not plan it this way!!  It simply just worked out this way!! (I don't believe it was just coincidence either.  Only God could have had it work out so perfectly!  And yes, I totally believe that He works everything out from the tiniest detail to the biggest in our lives.)      

The next picture brings us to the almost completion of Side no. 1 of this Shed to School house renovation!!  The small window has been installed as well as the battens completed too.  We still need to change out the floodlight with something prettier, power wash that metal roof and of course paint.  However, it is quite the transformation already!!  We are so pleased!  

We are hoping to complete all four sides by the end of August.  For now, I will leave you with the unbelievable before and after of side no. 1.

Now, on to Side no. 2!  Be back soon with an update!

From a Shed to a Schoolhouse We Go......hopefully

I introduce you to our backyard shed.  Yep, it's pretty bad.  (as I hang my head in shame...)  

Side "no. 1"

Our house was built in the 1930s.  This building must have been used as a garage.  We're not sure whether it is the same age as the house or not.  Either way, it is still pretty old.  At some point, a previous owner finished out the interior and put in a bathroom.  It was dark and dingy and hadn't been used for anything other than a storage space in a long time.  Shortly after my husband and I got married, we decided to rip out the dark, stained paneling and replace it with a brighter bead board paneling.  As we pulled off the paneling, we found 'old' termite damage.  Old meaning they were no longer active because we did not find any trace of them.  Gotta love that, right!  For anyone that has never dealt with termites, they eat wood.  A lot of wood in a fairly small amount of time.  As they eat the wood, they leave behind a dirt type substance.  It was gross with a capital G!  It needed some major TLC.  Then life happened,  we had babies and we never went any further with the renovation.  It became a catch all for anything and everything from tools to baby monitors to fishing poles.  Storage was not exactly what we had envisioned the space being used for.  

Side "no. 2"

It's got potential though, 320 sq feet and 1 bathroom worth of potential!!  Oh yeah!!  Our house is small so we will take what we can get when it comes to extra square footage.  We plan to use the space as a homeschool room/guest room and a workspace for my husband and myself.  We were gonna call it "The Shed to Cottage Makeover" but then my husband called it "The Schoolhouse" and it has kind of stuck.    

Do you see in the above pictures how bad the wood is around the bottom of the building??  It is like that all the way around.  Side 1 is the worst though!  The siding is traditional board and batten with 1" x 12" boards all the way around with 3" battens over the joints.  Some boards are completely bad while others are bad only toward the bottom.  Most of the battens are in rough shape as well.    

Side "no. 3

Side "no. 4"

Obviously, we need to get the exterior shaped up before we can start on the interior.  Replacing every board and batten will not be very cost effective as one 1" x 12"-8 ft long board costs $11.29 at our local McCoy's Building Supply.  The price is even higher at the "big box" hardware stores.  Several of the boards are longer than 8 ft which means a higher price there too.  

We have tossed around several ideas.  One is HardiePanel siding with HardieTrim for the same board and batten look.  We like the board and batten style but this option still wasn't cost effective since we would basically be re-siding the entire shed.  We are hoping to save as much material already on the shed as we can.  We put our thinking caps on.  Together we decided to join 2 styles together, Board and Batten on the top half of the shed and Lap Siding on the bottom.  


We will cut off the bottom half of the boards and install HardiePlank Lap Siding that will match the look of the siding on our house.  This way we can save the boards that are still in good shape.  We will replace the boards that are bad at the top, replace all the battens with HardieTrim battens, which will hold up better in our climate, and repaint the whole thing.  Here is the best sample I could come up with of our vision.  

Shed Possibility

In the sample above, I added a small window next to the door and replaced the door with one that has a window.  My husband's work space will be where the small window is placed.  This window will give him more natural light there and also lets us look into our back yard so we can keep an eye on our little ones.  I also show the window on side "no. 2" a little larger.  I am hoping to convince my husband to switch the windows from side "no. 3" to side "no.2" and vice versa.  I'll explain this move a little later when I show you some interior pictures.  

Over the summer, we started putting our plan into action so I'll be back with an update soon!  Our goal completion date is September 3rd.

A list that goes on FOREVER....it seems

Overwhelmed is the feeling I have right now!  Only my fault though since I seem to be all over the place when it comes to projects.  I have several (more like 66) projects either in planning mode, progress mode, or "want to do" mode.  On top of that I began homeschooling our 2nd grader in September.  (A huge blessing! more on that later)

**Can I just say I am so incredibly thankful for such a loving, supporting and incredibly PATIENT husband!!**

I heard somewhere that a brain dump is a good thing to do when you begin to feel overwhelmed.  Well, I am at that point I think, at least when it comes to our quaint way too small home.  At least right now it just feels way too small and by society's standards it is way too small.  However, we decided to make do with it for now.  It really isn't all that bad, besides the bigger the house, the more you have to clean right?  And, I certainly am NOT the greatest at keeping a regular cleaning schedule!  (If you are, please be my best friend and I promise I will teach you how to fold a fitted sheet! )

Anyhoo, here comes the brain dump!!

LIVING ROOM

• Paint frame for chalkboard & hang
• Change or make new lampshades for red lamps
• Put up natural roman shades on windows
• Hang curtains all the way to ceiling
• Paint/stencil bookcase backing
• Artwork all around the room
• Paint back of front door
• Refinish Flooring

KITCHEN

• Replace light above kitchen table
• Make a leaf for kitchen table
• Refinish top of kitchen table
• Sand texture on walls & repaint
• Board & batten in dining nook
• Wood plank ceiling to cover popcorn
• Build cabinet doors
• Replace light above sink
• Window treatment
• Replace kitchen light
• Replace flooring or uncover hardwood (fingers crossed)
• Plan a kitchen update

LAUNDRY ROOM/PANTRY

• Install bi-fold doors between kitchen & laundry
• Cover litter box
• Paint laundry room walls
• Paint shelving
• Matching storage baskets
• Replace back door with one w/ window
• Replace back screen door
• Window treatment

HALLWAY

• Put up trim 
• Prime & Paint trim
• Paint upper walls
• Command center
• Artwork wall
• Wood plank ceiling
• Trim attic door
• Paint attic door
• Replace hallway light
• Repair corner

GIRLS' ROOM

• Finish wardrobe doors & shelves
• Revamp closet
• Make cushion for toy bench
• Repaint
• Book Storage
• Sconces
• New bedding
• Build twin bed
• New window treatment (must be blackout)
• Cord cover for chandelier

BATHROOM

• Wall treatment
• Paint
• Window treatment (tricky b/c window is in shower)
• Flooring
• New vanity
• New toilet
• Kinda just need an all around remodel in here!

MASTER BEDROOM

• Some sort of filing system
• Organize desk area
• Organize closets
• Refinish white side table
• Find a space for a TV

OH MY!  That is one long brain dump and it is only the INSIDE!! (as my oh-so-kind husband reminded me).  Sorry that there are not any photos this time.  I plan to add photos, etc. as I complete each project.  That's all my tired, overwhelmed brain has to offer today!  Happy Friday everyone.