My Work Begins!

As Russ and Brendan pack up and clear out their tools from inside the cottage, I have to start working.  The painters arrive on Monday to sand and prime the walls and woodwork.  Colors are finally decided, I think, and when the week is done, the cottage should be ready for the floors to be sealed.  We will wait to decide whether we are going to stain the pine flooring or leave them natural until we see how the floors look with the paint on the walls and trim.  Think we will probably do a hand rubbed, brown based stain, to give the floors a bit more depth of color so the walls and furnishings pop. 
 

I have struggled with the color scheme for the last few weeks but I never faltered on wanting to use three plaster squares with shells in relief I bought in Florida for the fireplace surround.  I am  sure that I was the only one who could envision this at first but we planned it out and here is the final product.  Could be my favorite design decision yet.  We are going to paint the woodwork and the plaques all the same color and I will decide later if I put a light beige wash over the shells once the painting is done.  Isn't the workmanship just amazing?!
(The 46" HDTV is ordered along with the Blue Ray DVD player and the sound bar to be installed above the fireplace.  The reservations for football Sundays are filling up fast!)

My work involves upgrading a dining room table and chairs that I go at the swap shop several years ago.  The chairs and the table need to be painted and the seat cushions recovered.  First things first...

Take off all the seats...check!

Removed two different seat fabrics attached with about three hundred staples on each seat.  I am using two chairs from the old cottage and in removing the fabric from those seat cushions that I put on in 2005, I realized that I was able to attach the new fabric with just 20 tacks.  SO much easier to remove that staples. 

Chairs ready for sanding and then priming.

Primed and ready for paint color decisions.

This is the fabric I am going to use for the seats.  It is a Ralph Lauren stain resistant table cloth gotten on sale at Marshall's.  It is always a good idea to look for fabric in places other than fabric shops.  I bought several 108" rectangular tablecloths for $8 each which will give me more than enough fabric to cover 8 seats. 

The dining area chandelier is ready for Henry, the electrician.  Painted in gloss white and I hand painted a green glaze on the leaves to give it a bit of character but I didn't want it to be too colorful. 

This is a better shot so you can see the green leaves.  Will decide once it is hanging whether I need to add a bit more color or not.  Am thinking I want to "kiss" it: keep it simple, stupid!

The master bath is waiting for the painters, bead board is up 5' to give the impression of height and the frame is ready for the mirror. 

We had one strip of bubble tiles left from the shower and Brendan is going to make a frame around the bubbles, grout it, and glue it all to a leftover piece of marble from the fireplace surround.  I think it will make an amazing dish for soap and lotion.  Waste not want not!

The additional window has arrived and been installed in the guest room.  We needed to have a bigger window in the room in case of a fire to allow guests to escape.  Although it looks a bit odd, I think it gives the room a better view of the water and adds character at the same time.  I have always found when there is a problem, it is always a good idea to say that the solution adds character!

Anne taking a break from sanding and priming on one of the two nice spring days we have had so far.  The work begins on the deck on Monday.

Lessons Learned:

 

1.  I have done a great deal of shopping online these last two weeks.  I found the pendant lights for the kitchen, the deck lights, the bathroom lights and the rot resistant flower boxes all on the Internet.  I have found that if you Google a concept, such as flower boxes, go to images of flower boxes from bing, you then can scroll through the images until you find something you like.  There is usually a link to a store/website where you can buy what you like.  I have found that Build.com has amazing products as does Overstock.com.  Good places to start if you are thinking of doing some renovating. 

2.  Not only can you find some amazing products online, you can save a lot of money.  Locally I could buy rot free flower boxes for $189.  These boxes were very plain with no molding around the top.  Shopping online, I found simple but detailed boxes for $99 each.  Better boxes at almost half price. 

The only caution I have is to make sure that what you are ordering is in stock.  It is my understanding that if lighting is not "in stock" it probably means that it is still in China and could take months to get to you.  Everything I ordered was available for immediate shipping and all items arrived in two to three days.  Also, most sites provide free shipping with orders over $100.  It takes some time but is worth the effort.  It also gives you time to decide just what look you really do want in your space. 

3.  The biggest disappointment this week came when I went to buy the TV for above the fireplace.  I can get a 46" HDTV in the space and thought all my issues were resolved.  We had wired the space before the walls and insulation were installed and had thought to wire a spot away from the mantel for all the boxes for the cable.  While I was at Best Buy, the salesman said that I should have the Geek Squad come out and evaluate the space to better determine just what I will need.  If you buy your media equipment from Best Buy then will do this consultation at no cost. (I am sure that most retailers would provide this same service.)  The consultant came out on Friday and even though we thought we had planned properly for my media needs, we were not as "wired" as we should have been.  Apparently the Best Buy Squad will, for a cost, come and wire your home before the walls and insulation are in, giving you exactly what you want and need.  They will then come back and set up the system when the time is right.  Although this costs both for the pre-wiring and final install, it is well worth it.  If nothing else, getting a consultation will get you what you want in the end. 

4.  FYI:  As more and more people are mounting their flat screen TVs on the wall, wanting thinner and thinner models with narrower and narrower frames, the speakers are being placed on the back of the TV.  This design makes it necessary to have surround sound, or at the very least adding a sound bar, in order to get the sound you want from your new TV.  If that isn't enough, starting next year, the bigger screens will not come with any speakers in the TV itself, demanding surround sound or sound bars as an add on when you go to buy a new model.  Clever marketing if you ask me!