Holy crap! It's so easy to liken it to doing a show. You prepare and plan and organize and even kinda practice (girls? Wedding shoes? Am I right?) and lose sleep thinking that you must be missing something. You want it to be fun for all your guests (audience?) and as the end is near, you finally realize that, wait, why are you doing this in the first place? Obviously, to get the "job done", but WE have to have some fun, too. Some unavoidable mishaps are inevitable; just like live theater, wedding planning is impossible to control completely. But, boy, does it take over your thought process in the meantime.
So, that's where I've been the last month! Things are coming together pretty nicely. Heck, we've got the license and rings, so we could just do it tonight if we wanted to...but, we're SO looking forward to seeing our friends and family (many of whom are traveling quite a way to get here!) and giving them a bit of a party to get to know each other and celebrate, well, love!
But, what about AFTER the wedding? Dave and I are itching to get going on a project or two (or more) around the house. Here's what we've got in mind?
#1: MAKING THE BASEMENT USABLE: You've seen my post about my basement inspiration as far as decor goes (if you haven't, check it out here). First, however, we'll obviously have to do some prep work. Any time you're working in the basement (especially when you're trying to make the space more livable through the use of furniture and decor), waterproofing is essential. So, we've got some cement walls to scrape, a few patches to fill and Drylok to apply.
We're deciding to take my stepdad's advice and only apply a foot or so of Drylok around the perimeter of the basement. Why? First, it's cheaper. Second, the only areas that we've had moisture problems have been where the floor meets the wall. Oh, and we're not just doing the wall; we'll be coming down onto the floor 6-12"s, as well.
After Dryloking (which will inevitably be a project, since we'll be applying a few thin layers), we'll be painting the walls a creamy tan to modernize and brighten things up. The floors will be painted a light brown to coordinate and hide dirt.
We'd like to have these projects done before the snow flies. That way, any additional work down there can pretty easily be done on our schedule, regardless of weather. Don't want to paint when the walls are freezing, but working on adding storage and decor can definitely be done in a cozy fashion.
In addition to working on the laundry area, additional living space, and hopefully a half bath, we've got extra room for some storage! In a 1920s house that is full of closets -- TINY ones -- extra storage is a must. We have a cut-out space on the far side of the house that is just begging for pantry shelving. Yay! My potatoes and onions can actually store, unspoiled! Plus, there's an awkward area in the center of the whole shebang that seems useless -- except for storage that we only need to access every once in awhile. (Y'know, Christmas decorations, tubs full o' our childhood and adult memories.)
The space under the stairs also needs some work to make it a safe place for Beardslee to hang out -- which he can't WAIT for! He loves "discovering" the basement. Plus, we can finally move his potty space down there (right under the stairs) now that his cough has gotten better. Man, is this basement going to be a huge multi-tasker! How have we lived using it so unwisely so long? ;-)
#2: MINI-BATHROOM RENO: We have one bathroom. We MAY be adding one (is it sick that I dream and wish about it?) half bath, like I said, in the basement. For now, one bathroom is all we have and, honestly, it's all we need. Sure, it's small. Compared to the bathroom that I left behind in my old apartment, where you could easily practice ballroom dancing, this one is awkwardly-shaped (the 3rd bedroom, aka office, closet juts into the room -- and bedroom minus closet equals no more bedroom AND a lower home value...yeah, we ain't movin' nothin') and just fits the toilet, sink, bathtub, and built-in storage.
Our goal? (Well, mine.) Three words: modernize, modernize, modernize! We'll chip away the tiny tiles that cover the bottom half of the walls, cover with white bead-board (and finish with chair rail), paint the rest of the walls, add some new towel hangers, then turn my attention to the built-in and shower. The tub is a brown-ish color and, if I can get an eco-friendly heavy-duty cleanser, I'll keep it. It's in good shape and I'm a little lazy; tubs are frickin' HARD to move! But, the surround was put in improperly. I'll be consulting my stepdad for options (I'd LOVE to put subway tile just on the shower interior to add some more value and interest, but a new surround to replace the now-torn one would also work). Ah, and the floors need some consistency -- I had considered tiling, but since we're still trying to determine how long we'll be here, I know that vinyl tiles may help achieve what I want easily and cheaply. Then, I'll turn my attention to the currently-ugly built-in cabinetry. I'd like open storage, so I've just gotta continue brainstorming. Overall, I'd like to go for a spa-feel. Heard it before? ;-)
#3: KITCHEN CABINETS: We have two cabinetry./counter areas in our kitchen. One is as old as the house and would be impossible to move -- and we don't need to, we just need to clean them up and give them a new countertop. The other...well, to put it bluntly, is a piece of crap. The previous owners put in a CHEAP press-board sink cabinet and let's just say that I cry every time I open them. They had a leak issue with the faucet and didn't bother to fix it. So, what were we left with? A rotted-through bottom. So, while we have some cleaning supplies in there, it reeks to open it and I can't take advantage of the storage as I'd like. It just needs an update!!!! My loving future-husband (I'd say "hubby" but he hates that) has promised that, before too long, I'll at least get new a new sink area. We're also pretty much constantly pricing new appliances, although we're lucky that these (as with the washer/dryer) were F-R-E-E!!!!
We've got lots of other must-do's around the house (can you say "tree"?!), but for now, these are where our priorities lie. Anyone else out there have some fun to-do's helping to distract you from other things -- be it work...or wedding planning? ;-)
