Hello Friends!!
January has been an amazing month for us! Not because there was anything spectacular going on, but because it took all the hustle and bustle of the three previous months and slammed the breaks. Have you felt like January has been rolling at a nice leisurely pace? Me too! And we have truly appreciated the slow down.
So, lets talk projects. Is your list as long as ours? We will hit our 3 year anniversary in our home in April and we haven’t changed much. When you build a new home, there are a whole lot of little and big expenses. Last year we put in an irrigation system. It was a must if we wanted any grass to grow. That was our big expense and then there were a few other items–nothing to get excited about. Thank you, gutter guards!
When we built our home, there were things that we just chose to go basic with. One was the floor in the Laundry Room. It was fine, the builder didn’t have any tile that we just loved and after almost 3 years, we decided that it was time to replace the vinyl with tile. Our son is an Architect and he suggested we look at Floor and Decor after finding some well priced tile for my MIL’s bathroom reno. Wow! What a selection and the pricing was great. We have always been Farmhouse Rustic — way before it became popular. The tile we were looking for was a rustic hardwood style. We have a generous size space; close to 6 x 12.
To reduce some of the cost of the project, we did the demo ourselves. The cost we were quoted a few years ago had tripled. My guess is the labor is in such short supply that their rates have really jumped.
Once the room was demoed, the contractor put a new drain in. Originally, there was a PVC pipe with a plastic tray. The pipe was put in the wrong spot and did not match up with our washing machine so, Mr Chaos really wanted that fixed.
Side note: It’s always amazing to me when you clean out a space, you discover how much junk you have accumulated.
The tile went in very quickly. We chose to do a water barrier; hopefully, that will never be tested out. Steve, the tile guy, discussed a couple different options for laying the tile and we all agreed on the layout.
The tile was installed in no time and the next day they came back to finish with the grout. It’s a charcoal black and finished out beautifully. I am loving the tile!
Our Washer and Dryer are new too. We have had LG front load machines for 10 years and decided to upgrade when my brother and sister in law sold their home. They already had a set in their new home so, we brought these beauties home from the house they sold. Who doesn’t love a red washer and dryer? And my second question, did you have any idea the number of color options available today for appliances?
The light fixture was changed out as well. Nice and bright, but I didn’t have the right light bulbs so, I will show you a picture after I take care of that problem.
Obviously, we are still working on this space. Mr Chaos is going to add wainscoting or bead board and we are waiting to hear back from the cabinet vendor. And, don’t forget the paint! Kendall and I are very excited about the paint color; not so sure about Mr Chaos.
Well, that’s our first update! We’d love to hear if you have any projects planned for the year.
Have a wonderful day!
XO,
Susan
Fun filled days. Lots of gifts to be purchased and wrapped. Baking and baking. It’s all happening all at once. Until December 25th. Christmas Day, when you look around at a house full of family and friends, opened gifts and lots of boxes and torn up paper, old stuff, new stuff, food piled high in the kitchen and dare I say it–laundry piled higher. This was our Christmas this year. And I loved every minute of it.
When fall arrives so do all of my favorite fall recipes that have been locked up in the secret vault. Just kidding. Do you remember how Disney used to advertise this is your last opportunity to buy; after this date Cinderella will be locked in the vault FOREVER! Except, that wasn’t really true, right? Nope, they came out on DVD. Who knew?
