Techy Tuesday

DH is a bit of a tech geek. Not in a tape his glasses and wear a pocket protector kind of way, but in a super helpful, trying to make our life better sort of way. He has suggested many solutions over the years that I have not always gotten immediately on board with. Ahem. But he is persistent. In honor of his persistence, I intend over the next couple of weeks to high light a few of his suggestions and additions. In every instance, after installation, I have wondered how I lived with out it to this point. Why do I doubt him some times?

This week, I give you...The motion sensor light switch.

Do you have one of these? If not, you need one. It is so nice. DH installed one in the new pantry closet--which is perfect. Since nearly every time I open that door I either have my hands full going in or coming out and sometimes both. The switch is on a timer that you can adjust. Where ours is installed the motion of the door triggers it on so no frantic waving of your arms like many of the motion sensor switches in the public restrooms.
We had one in our old house in the laundry room--again a situation where most times my arms were full when I walked through the door way. Love it. You can buy one at most home improvement stores. Ours have all come from Home Depot.
What room in your house does the light tend to be left on or that you often are fumbling with the switch when you have your arms full?

The Mudroom Part 2

Because the mudroom is a converted porch, it has always been kind of an awkward space. It is long and narrow. It had closets and cupboards on the entire north wall which was great for storage but contributed to an incredible amount of wasted floorspace. Or perhaps the issue was more that I was uncertain how to best utilize the space that was available.

We have taken the space and divided it into three spaces. A room that will eventually be at least a half bath but for the time being will be an office cubby. There will be a small walk-in pantry. And then the larger room for a more formal entry to our home. Because, although it is a side door, it is the only door anyone uses and the house needed a more welcoming and defined entry area.

The new wall dividing the office cubby and the pantry:


We chose laminate wood flooring for this space because of the durability and the abuse it will take. Fingers crossed that it was the right choice.

The entry area:
We would like to do some sort of bench with coat hooks or cubbies along this wall. Still discussing the best configuration and design.

Bead board on the ceiling and crown molding to echo some of the details found else where in our home. Here's a little closer look:



Remaining to-do list:

• install the doors
• purchase hardware for the doors
• measure for trim and window casings
• purchase supplies for trim and casings
• paint and install trim and casings
• paint front door
• figure out configuration of bench/coat cubbies/cabinetry for north wall

The Mudroom Part 1-The Demo

I've been promising for awhile now that I would post some pictures of our mudroom/back entry remodel. I must preface this post by saying that this remodel has been long overdue. We've wanted to do something with it for a long time. Just never could figure out what so we waited. And waited. And waited. I can't believe that I don't have a full on "before" picture of it's former glory but here are a few. I am sure that you will quickly get the idea. Prepare yourself for a hideous display of faux wood paneling. Here we go:

BEFORE

Northwest corner:
Looking back toward the side/front door after the formerly "white" carpet was ripped out:

Northwest corner after demo-ing the closet, cabinets and paneling:I am certain that this was a former open back porch that was at some point in the mid 60's enclosed and converted into a more functional back entry. Needless to say when it was enclosed they did a lousy job of insulating and this room has always been freezing in the winter. I am glad we were able to take it all the down, insulate well and replace the drafty windows.

Fun thing about demo-ing all the way down is that occasionally you discover that doorways have been moved somewhere along the line.

The Little Man is waking up from his nap...I'll be back with more soon!

The Kitchen

So, here are some "after" pictures of the kitchen. Go here if you missed the "before"... go ahead, I'll wait. Back? Okay, here we go:

My new ceiling:

I know. Pretty much looks like a ceiling. Thanks for humoring me.
(If you look closely at the door frame to the left, you'll notice we have some painting left to do...shhh.) The door on the right is the walkway out to the mudroom...

I'll apologize in advance for the glare in some of these pictures. A professional photographer I am not.

Some shots of the new floor:

I'm happy with the job the contractor did...

The cabinetry (which is not new, but I still love it) on the opposite wall:

My pot rack:

So, there you have it...thanks for asking, encouraging me and generally putting up with my whining over the last six months while this was in various stages of done.

Happy Friday!