It’s been 2 1/2 weeks since we started demolition at #themodhouseproject.
My muscles ache, my body is tired and my feet hurt. . .YET. . . there’s something so gratifying about seeing the process come together. We’ve committed most nights and weekends to our new home and we’re getting that much closer to turning this construction site into something presentable!
Here’s a quick update of just a few things we’ve been up to:
We’ve got Treads+Risers for the Curving Staircase!
As you recall, I was unsure how to tackle this staircase. Hiring someone was just out of the budget and going DIY on something we’ve never done before was not the best option. So I found a happy middle ground.
I came across a great stair company that was willing to provide me with the stair pieces we needed. They came out and measured every step so they could create custom oak treads caps and risers for us.
That only leaves us with staining and install which should be a piece of cake (hopefully!).
WTF!? We have different height variations in our subfloor?
Once we took out the tile and carpet, we noticed we had a little issue on the main floor.
The tiled areas of the house (hallway & kitchen) seemed to sit on a thicker subfloor than our carpeted areas (family/living/dinning room). We had to address this problem before laying the hardwood to maintain a levelled floor, free of all creaks.
To fix it, we added an extra layer of plywood subfloor on the ‘once carpeted’ areas to prop it up to the appropriate height.
(And yes, you see correctly. My vacuum is out in the middle of reno. I can’t stand dust)
Hooray for Hardwood!
Two and
half skids of hardwood were delivered to this home. I watched while nearly 100 boxes were carried inside. To avoid any flooring nightmare, we waited for our hardwood to acclimate properly before we began laying (very, very important!).
Over this past weekend, we were able to start and completely finish our kitchen and family room areas.
Big Joe even created this tent outside for the mitre saw to protect us from our Canadian winter.
But then another issue arise.
The mitre saw died on us after one day of use. We weren’t happy campers at this point but we had it coming. The mitre saw was pretty old and went through our two previous renovations with us.
Mike and I made a late night run to Home Depot. We purchased this 10″ Ryobi Mitre Saw.
Obviously the boys are excited for a new toy. I’m thrilled we were able to stay on schedule!
We’ve got light!
The holes for the pot lights were made. We placed them in our kitchen and family room. In the former set up, the family room had no light fixture so you could only imagine all the difference it makes at night to light up the room.
We also started with a little painting. A nice new coat of ceiling paint from PARA Paints is starting to set the mood. Love a paint that goes on streak free!
So as you can see #themodhouseproject is coming along. We still have a million and one things ahead of us and a tight deadline! Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter for updates along the way.
19 Comments
how exciting! My gosh, the stairs look like a massive project! Good luck – will be following along.
Thanks Meagan! Yes, it’s a massive project indeed. One that better be worth it in the end LOL! *fingers crossed*
Good job! Actually pretty amazing. It’s going to be beautiful when done.
Thanks Indigo!
It’s going to look fantastic when it’s done. Very exciting.
It looks like a lot of hard work, but will be nice when you are done!
You’re making some serious progress! It’s looking awesome. (Aside… this may sound a bit like whining, but I don’t mean it that way. It was so nice to see a hardcore reno story in my blog feed. All the holiday decorating and Thanksgiving recipes are starting to blur together. Your post really stood out.)
Awee thanks Julia! Absolutely no holiday decor in my life right now. Just power tools and dust 🙂
The hardwood looks great! Seems like a big job, but it will be worth it 😀
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Wow what an exciting renovation! I LOVE your floors and can’t wait to see your staircase when it’s done!
Thanks so much Jo-Anna! We are pretty excited about the floors. Hopefully we can get the major stuff done before we are hit with snow storms :s
That hardwood is gorgeous, and I LOVE curving staircases. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks so much Katie!
Wow! What a big project! I love the floors.
Oh my goodness! You are so brave. I have a bunch of home renovation projects that I’m dying to get done… but I’m too chicken. LOL. You inspire me. 🙂
The hardwood looks amazing! My husband and I will be installing hardwood shortly after taking out the carpet in our family room and den. Any suggestions of the right brown to pick, a shade that is more classic rather than trendy. The family room faces the kitchen where we have natural oak kitchen cabinets, which I am thinking of painting or staining a darker shade too.
Hi Lisa! That’s a tough question. I would pick something that appeals to you and the furnishings you have in your home already. If your furniture / cabinets are on the warm side, maybe stick with a shade of brown that has a little more of a golden tone to it (yellow undertones). For my house, I love to decorate using whites and greys so my hardwood has a slight grey undertone to the brown. I personally would stay away from anything hinting at red or orange colours. Hopes this helps and good luck 🙂
Thanks for the advice, Sabrina. I”ll keep that in mind as we figure out what works best for us.
Sabrina! You have accepted quite the challenged, I love what you said though, it’s worth it as you see progress being made! I’m sure more has been accomplished since this post but I just wanted to encourage you to keep the good work up! The stairway looks like it will be breathtaking and I love the color of the wood floor!