Progress at the Projects

I just checked and it looks like I haven't posted about any house projects since we moved in! Oh dear, that was kind of the whole point of this blog.

Well, as you may remember if you've been keeping up with us, we spent May - Sept. 2011 getting the house just livable before we moved in. And then we had two things that put remaining projects on pause: 1. We had a baby, and 2. We had to save up $$$ for an expensive, city-mandated project. That project was completed in July 2012 and we're super happy with the results!

The garage floor had a huge crack, creating a slight valley. Also the front walk-way had a huge crack and we decided we wanted more of a patio. Apparently this picture below is the only one from last year that I have of the finished patio. Before we had it redone, the area where the chairs are now was just dirt and rocks, and a struggling, scraggly evergreen shrub.

After that project, we had the rest of summer to enjoy and use up extra funds. By fall we were able to get started on a few more inside projects, bit by bit. First we did some major shopping at Ikea for household items and furniture, and then we finally bought light fixtures for the bathroom and hallway. We STILL have just bare bulbs in the entry, bedrooms, and dining room. Partly because we haven't decided what we want yet.
Next we started on walls and trim. We are going by room, and the entryway was first. The stairway needed a new, up-to-code railing, we added new base boards, trim around the door, and painted the first walls since moving in! We LOVE the color and how everything is turning out.

Before we moved in, after a fresh coat of heavy duty primer over EVERYthing:

Daddy's helpers:

After! Sherwin Williams paint color "Alpaca", in Behr paint on the walls:

So fall and winter went by while we slowly saved pennies for hardwood floors, and meanwhile continued painting walls and adding trim to the hallway, front room, and dining room. More pictures in the next post!