A sweet reader, Monica, dropped in and left a comment the other day that read:

This is fantastic! We have a similar basement that we’d like to transform. Can you provide some clarity on how you actually renovated it? For example, did you tile right over the concrete floor? Is your ceiling pinned right to the old ceiling? What about wires or pipes? And you just drywalled the walls I assume?

It made us realize that while we touched on it here and there, and while you can find everything from our entire 1976 house renovation under our Money Pit series, it was such a process, the steps became garbled over time. So we thought it was probably good to touch on it again, in one succinct place. For what it’s worth, at the time of writing this I’m still waiting on a few key pieces that were on backorder, so we’ll also be adding to this post to share our final reveals, as well. Our basement is something we’ve received the most questions on so far, so let us know if you’re dropping in today to make sense of our posts with the timeline of our basement, if we can point you in the right direction for anything!

So let’s start at the very beginning, shall we? The story of how we took it from giant spiders and clowns-in-a-crawlspace creepy psychopath basement, to our family’s favorite hang out spot. {Without all that boring 1.5-year waiting period permit stuff, (wheeee Franklin!) anyway.}

Beyond our initial house tour, the one where we discussed our basement plans extensively {nearly three years ago this month!} can be seen here.

In retrospect, we’re glad we waited to begin this basement, because septic and all things permissions. It gave us a year after finishing the upstairs part, to think about what we wanted with the space, along with letting our funds recover a bit. To be honest, at the beginning, we weren’t sure what to do with those giant garage doors, and knew we didn’t want two large and in charge windows in their space. This amongst a few other obstacles like the crawlspace door and giant looming HVAC coming from the ceiling took some thoughtful solutions.

We finally began to make progress here this past fall, when we were granted a permit. We cleaned everything out, and started the drywalling process, right over all those unsightly cinder blocks and intrusive hvac – even though that part was new.

We took a slight detour and were quite derailed when a few more funds were given to our crawlspace due to moisture issues. It was promptly taken care of, and we’re so glad we were made aware of said issues before the rest began. It’s here that we share more plans and how they’ve progressed, along with the outside and how it will meld with the inside.

We did our own spray insulation, here.

You can see drywall installed, here. AKA we were able to get rid of those gross poles by enclosing one in the drywall, and eventually, another just closed in.

The ceiling progress / built-ins/ priming {and outside progress that was happening as well} It all started to come to life!.

Our “Big reveal” with paint and things actually clean, and all the fun lights, here. – AKA the great before and afters.

Design plans for all the pieces + sources that polish it up, in each area…. here + here + here 

A sneak peek with our barn doors – details and how to hang them – {from Artisan Hardware} here + our finished stairs how to here

At one point after we moved in and frantically threw everything in the basement, it shamefully looked like this. Now, it looks like this.

And our studio area finished, here.

Stay tuned for more, we’ll be adding as we go!

While a basement renovation looks complicated, it’s down to the basics and a little polish to finish it all off! No more murderous clown areas, that’s for sure.

As always, let us know if you have any questions. We’re oh so close to having it all complete. And so glad to be here after such a journey.

Have an inspired day!

Source

https://www.thehandmadehome.net/2018/03/basement-renovation-timeline/

We are so close to wrapping up the final few details on the resources used in our kitchen renovation! It’s been such fun sharing the journey with you; and writing about it after the fact, turning the spotlight on my amazing design and brand partners, has really helped me shift into gratitude for how beautifully this project turned out. It’s so easy to focus on the bumps and hiccups that come with any renovation—and the component I’m sharing today definitely had its share of them!

The Studio McGee folks and I knew from the start that we wanted to feature repeating sconces on the wall above the open shelving; sleek, contemporary sconces were all over my Pinterest board for kitchen inspiration. The design team’s original product recommendation was backordered, so in my infinite wisdom I chose a similar piece from another supplier…without looking at the dimensions. When the sconces came, they were beautiful but so large that they spanned the entire distance from the ceiling to the shelf, rather than delicately punctuating the space as we’d envisioned. Definitely not ideal! Our shoot was scheduled for a week hence, and I was dying to wrap up the renovation once and for all, so I took to the Internet in search of a quick-ship option that would arrive STAT. All I can say is thank goodness for Schoolhouse Electric! Whereas many lighting companies sell mostly made-to-order pieces (a great option when you’re not on a deadline), Schoolhouse offers tons of ready-made sconces, pendants, and flush mounts to suit any style. Their Eduard Sconce was exactly the right shape, size, and material—and hallelujah I could have it in my hot little hands in just a few days! Seeing them installed, so compact, modern, and elegant, made me excited to realize exactly how close we were to completion on the kitchen. They’re the ultimate finishing touch. Plus, they’re a slightly deeper and more burnished shade of brass than my first failed sconces were, which adds depth and matches perfectly with the unlacquered brass of our faucet. Serendipity!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, I was facing a similar version of the same conundrum. We’d ordered a handmade ceramic flush mount fixture to install in the entry nook, but when my electrician installed it on the same day he wired the sconces, I knew it simply wouldn’t do. Again, it was lovely for the right space, but in our space it didn’t jive. Against the cool white of our ceiling paint, the warm white of the ceramic was jarring. Plus, it was from a different manufacturer than our ceramic over-the-sink pendant, meaning that the two fixtures’ warm white hues were a close-but-no-cigar match—which I knew it would bother me every time I looked at them. So as with the sconces, it was back to the drawing boards! I figured the odds were low that I could find a replacement flush mount from the same retailer as the replacement sconces, but once again Schoolhouse delivered! Their Beacon LED is brand new for this season, and not only does it have a clean, low profile that is practically made for this little nook, it has a clean, green mission: it’s equipped with an integrated LED module that has the capacity to last for more than twenty years! The fixture shipped out with the sconces the very day I ordered it, and it arrived in plenty of time to install before our shoot. The touch of brass unites this section of the kitchen with the main area; the glow of the frosted shade is warm and welcoming; and the overall effect is buttoned-up, chic, and considered. In the trial-and-error game of renovations, I definitely came out on top!

P.S. Get all the details on our herringbone tile floor and subway tile backsplash, modern wood cabinets, brass faucet and farmhouse sink, over-the-sink pendant and brass cabinet hardware, custom wood blinds, and alternative to marble countertop! Photos: Monica Wang Photography.

Source

Our Kitchen Renovation: Brass Sconces + Flush Mount Light from Schoolhouse Electric

We’re now at the point where it’s actually hard to name a beloved 1990s TV series that isn’t getting a revival, but Home Improvement hasn’t appeared on the ever-growing list of shows getting a reboot.

That might be about to change though, since star Tim Allen just confirmed he’s very much on board for a revival.

Asked by ETon Sunday whether the original cast would consider coming back for a reboot, Allen teased: “I can’t say everybody, but it has been floated. And more [cast members] than I would have expected said, ‘Yeah, that would be cool to do it years later,’ like Roseanne.”

Allen also admitted that he’s still mourning the premature end of his cancelled ABC sitcom Last Man Standing, which concluded in March after six seasons. It was a decision that prompted backlash among viewers, who accused the network of ending the show because of Allen’s conservative politics (ABC has denied this).

“We didn’t get our seventh year,” Allen said. “I adored that show. It’s like having a new dog and now to go back to the old dog? I don’t know. I like both characters, but yeah, I’d be very interested in that idea.”

Allen played the lead role of Tim ‘The Toolman’ Taylor on Home Improvement, the TGIF sitcom that originally ran for eight seasons from 1991 to 1999. The rest of the cast included Patricia Richardson, Zachery Ty Bryan, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Taran Noah Smith, Richard Karn, Debbe Dunning, and the late Earl Hindman.

While an official revival is still yet to be confirmed, Allen has stayed in touch with several of his former cast members over the years, and even reunited with co-stars Richardson and Thomas – his on-screen wife and son – when they appeared on separate episodes of Last Man Standing.

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From:

Source

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a851674/tim-allen-home-improvement-reboot/