The Apple Street Cottage

As promised in the first CNC post  it's time to talk about the bathroom.  We knew it needed work and we also knew that once you open a wall there's usually even MORE work to be done.    This post may contain affiliate links. We weren't wrong!  Here's the story: At first glance, it didn't look too bad. Except for that ancient window in the middle of the shower that didn't open anymore.  Please keep in mind this photo was taken after we had a plumber come in to tighten up the shower pipe that was loose in the wall.  Did you notice the square hole around the shower head?  Yes, there was a reason for that hole. Now take a closer look at that shower surround: In addition to the fabulous paint job, do you see where the shower surround ended?  Who does that?!?  As stated in my previous post...another 'Landlord Special'. And then there's the 'ick factor' near the tub. The original tile extended on the wall all the way across the vanity. We deci...

Say hello to the updated powder room.  It's a  challenging space and my goal was to brighten it up on a budget.  The room is approximately 5' x 7'(and I'm rounding up), has no windows, and contains the washer and dryer.    The entire project cost me about $35.  Are you ready to see how I did it?   Let's get started... Behold the 1980's oak: Here's a separate shot of the vanity.  It was tough to get the whole area in one photo since the room is so small. I decided not to paint the walls since the dryer is stacked on top of the washer.  See them right next to the vanity? In order to get them out for painting, I'd have to take the door to the room off it's hinges and move it.  I wanted this to be an easy makeover, so I opted to paint the medicine cabinet and the vanity.   Off came the hinges, knobs, shelf pegs, and pulls.  The pulls were being replaced, but everything else was spray painted.   ...

I was so happy to find a nice, large linen closet in the new house, but I wasn't happy to find that the shelves were made of rough plywood.  The simple solution? Peel & Stick floor tiles.  Off I went to the local builders supply store for a box of tiles that cost about $20. Here's what the closet looked like before starting this project...keep in mind these are photos taken inside a closet! After wiping them down, I started laying the tile in front, mostly because I didn't want any 'piecing' to show and, seriously, who looks in the back of your closets/cabinets?? Then it was time to measure and cut a piece to fit in the back: In the interest of full-disclosure, I have to tell you that my husband did most of the measuring and cutting.  He's faster than I am and we were still moving in! As you can see, on the right, we only needed part of a tile, so we measured the width and cut the tiles with a utility knife. Notice there's cardboa...