June 4, 2014

home office makeover - getting to zero

It's been a few weeks, so I thought it was time for an update on my home office. Between being out of town, the end of the school year, work, and general life, work has been patchy, but we have made progress.


Why have I found three extra doors when I can think of only one place upstairs that has a door removed? Good question. The answer is, I have no idea but I'm keeping them for sure. "You never know when you need a door," someone said at some point.

Cleaning out all of this, let's be honest, crap felt so good. I feel like the house has lost 20 pounds. And we cleaned at the right time as our neighbor was prepping for a garage sale, so everything went upstairs and out on their yard. Then the tarp went up.


I got a spray gun for Christmas and what better chance to use it for the first time than in a space where every single surface needs painted. We washed everything down and then went to town. The plan was to start with the ceiling and work our way down. I had grand visions of just spraying the whole space in a matter of hours and then spending the afternoon relaxing with a well earned G&T.  But, it turns out that whole 'you get what you pay for' thing is true.

Our gun was crap. It didn't have much power, in spite of the air compressor, and it was really...sploty (which I've just declared a word). It could very well be the fact that we were spraying a ceiling and maybe the thing wasn't meant to go at weird angles. At any rate, we were just able to get the ceiling done before I was ready to choke myself with the damn thing out of frustration.

So the paint gun went into the trash and I brought in reinforcements.


I love painting white over white. I'm amazed at how un-white the old white is/was each and every time.


I used Kilz and ceiling paint on the ceiling but since this is after all, a basement, I choose to go with Behr Basement Waterproofer paint on the walls. We haven't had any water in here (knock on wood) but an ounce of prevention... The paint went on well, it is nice and thick, and covered like a champ. We did two coats just as a matter of course but we could have easily gotten away with one coat.


While the girls and I painted, the hubs made fast work of drywalling this little spot since I'm not really a fan of the 'here are the back of our stairs' look. God I love a man that can knock out some drywall!


Everyone in the house pitched in and after several afternoons, we have arrived at this. A bright, white, empty space. I told you I got a lot of light down here. Now we can actually start on the room.

Let's take a minute to look at the before and 'in process'...



I love it already. Let's celebrate by crossing some things off the list.

Goals for the space:
- brighten it up
- fix and paint the floors
- do something with the exposed ceiling
- replace the window to let in even more light
- girly this place up to create a happy, adult work space
- add more light
- use what you HAVE
- get organized girl!

I've got great things planned for that floor and several ideas on the lighting situation so let's see what ends up sticking.

Do you like to have helpers when you work on a project at home? Would you rather spread a project out or get it done as quickly as possible? Is it weird that I have about three different light fixtures sitting in my basement and I want to use them all?

33 comments:

  1. Cutest reinforcement ever!
    I have cute helpers too but they do drive me nuts sometimes when they try to help. I know I will miss it one day though :(

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  2. What a great start! Nothing beats a clean white slate :)

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  3. So smart to clear it all out and start fresh. Something I should do more of!

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  4. Wow that ceiling had to be frustrating to paint! You and your little crew did a great job - it's much, much brighter now!

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  5. LOVE it- Im glad you left the ceiling exposed and painted it- SO fun!! We are about to add a huge master suite onto our home- isn't this fun!!!

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  6. Ahhh, doesn't it feel great to have a fresh white canvas? And the little reinforcement duo must have loved being able to help ;) Looking good so far!

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  7. We just did this to a room in our basement to make a (rough) extra bedroom/playroom. Our handyman is not nearly as cute as your workforce, however. We painted the floors white too and I LOVE IT!

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  8. Your co-workers are super cute!Glad you got a lot of work done with those two!!!

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  9. You are one trooper! I adore the picture of the girls painting. How adorable can you get! You have a major work crew there.
    Can't wait to see the finished room!
    Teresa
    xoxox

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  10. WOW! Your home is so spectacular. I am sad I couldn't see it in person last year when you hosted your soiree. You are so talented, I admire your design aesthetic - so west coast and so relaxed. Love that its timeless and classic too! Gorgeous!
    blue-living-room-design

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  11. I like having helpers for about 3 seconds :) I can't wait to see what you do with your blank white canvas!

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  12. Too bad about the spray gun...I've always wanted to try one! Good progress, I can't wait to see how it looks after all the pretty happens!

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  13. I cannot wait to see the finished product! Love your little helpers!

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  14. WOW!! look at that nice clean slate! and now i know what my kids will be doing this summer.....

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  15. I absolutely love those painted beams. You've already brought this room so far!! Ooo, what's next?

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  16. Oooooooh I love crossing things off lists!!! My favorite activity EVER! And you totally deserve a G&T for all that - and your hubby too - he's a keeper, what with those drywalling skillz and all….also the girls. Keep them!! Painters are very helpful when one chooses to repaint every now and again!

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  17. Lets discuss your spray gun btw……what was it? I am having such buyer's remorse about the one I just bought.

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  18. love this post -- too funny! your helpers are much cuter than that gun and I cant wait to see what you down here!!

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  19. Whoa, it's come a long way already! Nothing like a clean white room and darling assistants! :) Btw, I loved my Homeright Spray Gun that I used for my kitchen!

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  20. It's going to be so fab! And those little nuggets with their paintbrushes are too cute!

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  21. This is a large space once all the stuff is gone. Looks so bright, now. I have still not purchased a spray gun and now I think I probably won't. This time of year is just crazy.

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  22. Looking good. We had the same problem with a spray gun. I believe that Pam of Simple Details had a good one that she used on her cabinets. I keep meaning to ask her about that.

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  23. As my son would say, this is going to be "cray-cray amaze-balls." :-) Painting the ceiling made a huge difference. Super bummer about your sprayer. Thank goodness you have your girls to help. ha!

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  24. So exciting!! I cannot wait to see this transformation!

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

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  25. wao that is a lot of work! Love how hands on you all are. I love the potential of a white space! The sky is the limit. This will be fabulous!

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  26. Love that you're keeping the ceiling exposed. It looks awesome painted out!

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  27. It's looking better already! I can't wait to see what you do down there. Perhaps the paint wasn't shaken or diluted to the right consistency for the sprayer? That can be a bit tricky.

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  28. Love your little helpers...I could use them to help me pack up my kitchen cabinets as I prep for demo! Happy Friday!

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  29. That stinks about the sprayer! I actually asked for one for christmas too, but my husband didn't believe me and thought he's be in a world of hurt if he bought me a sprayer... :)
    Love this bright white space and kinda jealous you're going to have a big girl office!!! Can't see wait to see what else you've got up your sleeve, but i know it will be awesome!

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  30. Damn girl that is exactly what we need to do to our basement:)
    Crikey it is always something!

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  31. You have such lovely painters!!:) I think the space is coming along beautifully!!

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  32. Awesomeness!! Already you can start to see the potential, nothing like a bit of white on white action to make a room glow baby ;) xxx

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