Home Office/Guest Room Reveal

Happy hump day! Today, I am bringing you a little glimpse into one of our spare bedrooms. We have been working (a bit leisurely) throughout the past two months on updating this drab little space. Here's a look at what it looked like when we first moved in.

 
Here it is now.  Looking all like a mighty fine office space.

 

I need a work space to plug in and focus when I have to work from home and this space should suit me just fine.

 

I know what you're thinking... Dark walls?? Is that COLOR? I know. It's different for me. I think this is the darkest paint color I've ever used for a full room. This is definitely outside of my comfort zone.  But I love it!

I waited for inspiration to strike, and it finally did.  I came across this cozy space on Pinterest and I was hooked. I loved the idea of a dark, cozy room to work in.

 

(source)


We swapped out the light fixture, refinished the floors, painted the ceiling and walls, replaced all the trim, added crown molding, updated the light switches and outlets, painted a Craigslist'd desk, and built in two very fabulous Ikea-hacked drawers/bookshelves.
 

Want to know a secret? I bought that crystally chandelier for my last house three years ago. But it was backordered. By the time I actually received it in the mail we were discussing the idea of moving, and I wasn't ready to hand over my purty chandelier so I kept it in the box.

Let's just hope those crystals repel dust. I don't even want to think about having to clean that.

We wanted extra storage space in this room since we can expect this room to transition over the years - and we definitely got it! So many drawers! 

We added crown molding to amp up the glam factor a bit. This is only the second room in our house to have crown (the kitchen is the only other room). We plan to add it to most of our house...eventually.

I gotta tell ya, replacing trim throughout the entire house is a thankless job. Big impact, but oh, So.Much.Work.

Measure. Cut. Nail into place (the only fun part). Caulk. Fill nail holes. Fill nail holes again. Tape. Paint. Paint again. Maybe paint again. Remove tape. Touch up wall paint because painters tape sucks no matter how much it costs. And then do that to every door, window, closet, built in, etc.

Long story short. We're going to take our time adding crown molding.

Let's talk about them sexy built-ins, shall we? The bottom half of the shelves is an Ikea dresser (that came unfinished). I framed out the floor with 2x4's and set these on top (just like when framing kitchen cabinets). Then I anchored the dresser to the wall and we added our bookshelves (made from poplar boards) on top. We try to think ahead in our designs, so we designed the bottom shelf of one built-in to be removable.  Think future diaper changing station. No, this is not a pregnancy announcement.

Genius move.  I think. Do babies grow longer than 35 inches???

The distance between the two built-ins is 60", just enough to fit a queen bed; a full would fit more comfortably or maybe even a crib (now I'm just teasing you). We have a queen-sized inflatable mattress and a full-sized mattress with frame ready to go if the in-laws ever visit...*crickets*crickets*

Anyway, the space will transition to a guest room just by moving the desk down to the basement and hauling up the mattress. Or it can become a full-time room if we need it. That's a lot of function for an 11' x 10' room!

The best part of this room? Putting the finishing touches on it, of course! The vintage map of old Czechoslovakia is a something I made for Justin (his grandmother immigrated here from the Czech Republic). It was actually his Valentine's Day gift, I made it for $15 using a sheet of plywood, 1x2's for the frame, and the a free vintage print online. He loves it - probably because it reminds him of Kolaches!

Those fun mirrors are from Homegoods (about a month ago). I hung them by the rope using wooden cabinet knobs I stained and drilled into a stud.

I made these veneer spheres from embroidery hoops a few years ago and they've been found around my house since. One of the spheres found a home on the shelf.

And these little wooden printing blocks (I bought while at the Country Living Fair two years ago) are chillin' on a shelf.

Here's how much the office space/guest bedroom/future bedroom set us back:

• Ikea dressers - $299 x 2
• Poplar boards - $110
• Trim and crown molding - $120
• Wall paint - $35
• Craigslist desk - $75
• Outlets, covers and switch - $13
• Trim (and desk) paint - already owned
• Stain (for built-ins) - already owned
• Cowhide - already owned
• Chandelier - already owned
• Full-sized mattress and frame - already own (we keep it in the basement)
• Printer - already owned
• Homegoods mirrors - $55
• DIY vintage map - $15
• Chair (World Market) - $50
• Cabinet knobs (for hanging mirrors) - $4
• Total cost: $1,075

Not bad for a room that has so much versatility!

The office is amazing. But I'm pretty excited to tackle our next update...

Interior doors and closet bi-folds...throughout the whole house! Woohoo!!  I just need to suit up and spray them later this week.  Then hopefully they'll be ready to hang by the end of the weekend.  Have a great evening!

This post is linked up to the {Thrifty Thursday Link Party} at Living Well, Spending Less Blog. Click that link to head back to the party. Thanks for visiting!

Family Room Reveal

I've made you all wait long enough, so here's is the official "to date" update of our family room addition.  Come on in and make yourself comfortable.

The temporary drapes have been removed and this room is looking less like a bachelor pad, and more like the space we dreamed about.

So go ahead, grab that knitted blanket and stake your claim in that cozy corner

This is the place I settle into when I finally get around to catching up on my past 8 months of magazines. 

Or when we the guys want to catch a game.

It's the perfect spot to converse with friends. 

Or play a lazy game of  backgammon.

Don't tell the other rooms in our house, but this is my favorite update.  Ever.  Which is why the woven chairs from the sunroom packed up their pillows and moved over here.

The table is a perfect addition to the new room.

And the perfect spot to kick up your feet.



That is, if your legs are long enough.  If you're 5'2" like me, then they won't extend past the edge of the couch. 

I wish we could say that we are complete with this space.

But, just like a teenage girl's Facebook selfie, I worked the camera angles.  We are actually only about 70% done. 

 

I still have to hem the curtains. 

 

 

Build the wet bar (the alpine trees are hiding the roughed-in plumbing).  And cut in the attic access above the french doors.

 

 

Install steps (and a patio) outside.  We also have to add trim to the exterior of the sliding door... and rebrick the area where we removed the window.

We still have to wrap the roof trusses in a fancy wood finish.  And create a natural privacy barrier on the side yard.  This will give both our neighbors and us more privacy.

 

 

Finish up the closet space (drywall, install shelves and tile, and finally install the closet door and trim).  We originally wanted to place a media console below the TV - but we've decided that maybe a gas fireplace would help maintain a warmer environment in this room.  That feature blows our budget, so we'll wait a year or so to do that.

Here's a breakdown of what we have left to do...

Interior:

- install tile in closet space

- drywall closet space and create shelves

- trim and install closet door 

- wrap exposed beams in fancy wood finish

- update furnace, because with out a bigger furnace ours isn't strong enough to heat this room (it's about 6+ degrees colder than the rest of the house).  We run a space heater when we use this room which works really well, but this is definitely not a long term plan. 

- make an end table
- install window shades on front window (these are on order)

- install fireplace below TV

- build wet bar

Exterior:

- plant privacy greens or privacy fence on other side of the window

- create a hard surface patio area outside sliding door

- rebrick window opening
- trim out exterior of sliding door

Do you remember what this place looked like?



And after.

And one more time...

Source list:

Coffee Table - DIY Restoration Hardware Balustrade Knock-off

Rug - RugsUSA

Sectional - Crate & Barrel

Woven Chairs - Pottery Barn

Bamboo Shades - JC Penney

Drapes - Ikea

Drapery Rods and Rings - Ikea

Pillows - Pottery Barn, TJ Maxx, and Crate & Barrel

Tile - Troy Tile

Trim, Casing, and Accent Wall - Home Depot

Wall Paint - Benjamin Moore Thunder (AF-685)

Trim Paint - Benjamin Moore Simply White (OC-117)

Insulating With Spray Foam

Our bonus room is coming along, and we are finally to the point of tightening up these walls. 

 

Let's talk insulation, shall we? According to the US Department of Energy, the R-values suggested in our climate zone are R30-R38 in the ceiling, and R13-R15 in the walls.  Fiberglass insulation has an r-value of 3.14 per inch of insulation.  Which means that we would need to add 9-12 inches of insulation in our ceiling to meet the recommendations for a cathedral ceiling.  Our roof rafters are only 5 1/2" deep, and we knew we wouldn't be able to get the recommended r-value with out extending our roof rafters with furring strips. 

 

I wasn't too excited about the labor involved with adding furring strips or losing our ceiling height once we went through all that trouble to raise it. 

 

Research of fiberglass insulation convinced us that we should consider other options while we have this room down to the studs.

 

We wanted to close off all gaps that could allow air flow and critters to enter the walls, and we wanted something that would keep our room nice and warm.  Well, as warm as we can get with 3 exterior walls and 4 glass windows.   

Our research led us to closed-cell spray foam insulation (r-value of 6-7 per inch).  Yes, it's a costly alternative.  Since we have 3 exterior walls in this room, we wanted to tighten up this room and stop all drafts, so closed-cell spray foam seemed perfect for an air barrier and to achieve insulation recommendations in our narrow space.  And we wouldn't have to extend the depth of our roof rafters. 

We were sold on the advantages of spray foam.  This project is way out of the realm of DIY abilities so we shopped around for professionals.

We received several quotes from metro-Detroit insulation companies, and one was by far the most knowledgeable, professional, and affordable.

We ended up hiring Excell Insulation to get the job done.  They sprayed the ceiling and walls in our 400 square foot room and cleaned up in less than 5 hours.

First, they installed roof baffles from our ridge vent down to the soffit vents.  This would allow our roof to breathe.  Spray foam insulation does not require any type of venting, but we felt most comfortable allowing air flow beneath our roof.

The contractors went above and beyond the scope of work, too.  They carefully removed all of the old fiberglass insulation from the walls and spread it throughout the attic of our house.  They could have just tossed it with out asking, but they took the initiative to double up our house when possible.

Once the old fiberglass insulation was removed, they suited up in protective suits and respirator masks and sprayed 3-4 inches of foam in the roof rafters and 2-3 inches in the exterior walls.

Not only did they spray the roof rafters and the interior walls, but they also filled the interior wall to the attic.  This was not included on our quote, they just did it the day of because they felt it was a good idea.

We only had them spray the exterior walls since this stuff is pricey.  Interior walls can be lined with plain fiberglass (for soundproofing).

Closed-cell spray foam is not the safest stuff on the market.  It's sprayed with a chemical and it creates an off-gassing that may be considered dangerous.  The workers must wear Teflon suits and respirator masks to spray the foam, and a vapor barrier was placed between the house and the area being sprayed (so I wasn't allowed in during this process). 

There is still a potential for off-gassing while the spray foam dries, so we opened up the windows, stayed out of the room, and kept the vapor barrier in place for a day to allow the foam to cure.

Once the room had aired out, I turned on the heat vents and let the room warm up.

We still have a lot of work to do in this room. And while the temperature in Michigan was quickly falling, having heat would make working in here much more comfortable.

Now that the insulation was complete, we can drywall!

This room will start to come together pretty quickly now.  Drywall, cement board, tile, paint...all the fun stuff is right around the corner!