Hey everyone, I’m back again with Pt. 2 of the “Brick Cottage Project” journey.   If you missed Pt1 you can view it here.   This is how the renovation was going.  All the carpet in the house has been removed.  I didn’t think we’d eeeeeevah get finished with pulling up those damn carpet tacks and nails….good grief we hated doing that,  but it had to be done, (didn’t want to risk any nails coming up through the new flooring).   The walls had to be prepped with compound and sanded to seal some of the cracks.  Some of the walls are made of cement in this house.

The flooring was cut out here to install the a/c vents, so there was no way possible of saving any of the hardwood floors in this house.

Scraping off the popcorn ceiling in the bedroom was another tedious job.. but again, it had to come down.

The master bedroom was painted Navy Blue (in lieu of black walls) and trimmed in bright white

My aunt offered a can she had left over from her room makeover.   We gladly accepted it and used it to paint the bathroom.  (I know.. it gets better.. i promise..lol..)

The sink and toilet were replaced but we kept the cast iron tub.  In the beginning, I wanted to rip that out too and install a shower, but due to cost constraints, it had to stay.  Luckily it was in good condition  (just needed a good cleaning).  The tub surround was ripped out and we had ceramic tile installed.Vinyl flooring and new lighting was installed as well.  The wall light fixture was  purchased for $12.00 from Lowe’s about 7 years ago.  It was a clearance item and I wanted for my masterbath, but it wouldn’t fit in the space.  So, I just kept it around.. (i know.. don’t ask me why, again.. it was a “you never know” ) hold onto item… (remember I confessed I’m somewhat of a hoarder).  I was glad I did and was able to use it in his bath.  I tried to find  a ceiling fixture to blend with it, but just chose this one.   The medicine cabinet had to be removed because it was not the right size for the new vanity base.  Starting to look somewhat better – right?! Initially, Amir wanted his bedroom walls painted black, which I was kind of leery about, (but after seeing the different decor pics of black rooms I had second thoughts). Meanwhile, I searched for some inspiration because although he wanted a black room, I was gearing towards black trim in the house, as oppose to the normal white trim and found this picture.

He gave it thumbs up and I smiled… but he came back and said.. “whatever you decide is fine with me.. just no antiques” …lol  so I said “it’s a deal”.  “GOOD-BYE and Good Riddance” to the mint green walls… I chose a very light gray with for the wall colors in the dining and living rooms and the trim is Tricorn Black.He recruited one of his friends to help him tackle the paint project.

The storm before the quiet is what I call this.  If you peeped the cute brass light fixture, that was a thrift store find for the kitchen (for just $25.00)The kitchen was painted a blue and ivory color and I chose a vinyl floor that looks like wood.The layout of this kitchen was bothering me because where the stove is suppose to be, there isn’t a work station or cabinetry above it.  The refrigerator was sitting in the middle of the wall and then these cabinets were over the washer/dryer area.  That was taking up too much space and was off balanced (in my mind).The bottom cabinets were torn out because it had missing drawers and a new counter top was definitely needed.We kept the top cabinets because they were in very good condition and gave them a fresh coat of paint.After all that was cleared out, I still couldn’t rest with those cabinets opposite the work station, so I had them moved. It seemed like a better flow to me with the refrigerator in this corner instead of the middle of the kitchen wall.This is the flooring I chose for the house.  The Saddle Pine is throughout the main areas and the Aged Gray Oak will be in the bedrooms.The painting in the main area is looking similar to the inspiration photo.. (excuse the mess around..).  The Knolls mid-century chairs were yard sale finds for the mid-century tulip dining table we’re using for the dining room  The light fixtures in these two rooms will be changed.

The foyer was freshened with a bright white paint.

The painting is done, and the flooring and cabinetry was delivered and the inside work has been completed.  On the next post, I’ll be showing the completed look of the house.  Were you feeling our exhaustion as you were looking at the projects? lol..  See ya’ soon!

CIAO!!