4 hours = new railing!

We are on a roll with the house in our attempt to get it ready by my birthday just a week and a half away!

Eric went around the house and replaced all the dated brass knobs with nice shiny satin nickel knobs. He also managed to fix a bunch of our doors that never closed properly.

We also managed to install some bedside reading lights that we bought a month ago. I love them as they really match our furniture and give off just enough light for reading. Perhaps some day we'll get some wires covers and paint them the wall color but for now they look great!



Of course that night (Fri) we got a call from the bank doing our refinance telling us our appraisal was all set except one thing - our deck stairs needed a railing!



I'm not sure why it wasn't addressed last year when we bought the house but alas, we said we'd have it up by Monday. A trip to Home Depot yielded all sorts of railing options and $300 (!!) later, we had all our parts.

We actually had to get up EARLY on Sunday to work on this so we could make a birthday party later in the day. (Sorry neighbors!) Neither Eric nor I have ever built a railing but somehow, after multiple broken drill bits, stripped screws, and removal of a stair tread, we had a pretty decent looking railing!



We opted not to continue the wrought iron railing around the rest of the deck in favor of this non-rust PVC type railing. Someday we want to expand the deck because for such a big house, the deck is really small! We can hardly fit a table and chairs on it.



It's still standing so I'm guessing we did a pretty decent job!

The Hallway

Well I am off to a running start aren't I? Truth is, we've spent the past week (and weekend) working on house stuff! But now I can present to you a before and after!

This is our master bedroom hallway before.

View from the main hall:

View from the bedroom:

Please note the granny-style valance left by previous owners and outline of a mirror on the wall which apparently used to be blue.

I know it seems weird our master bedroom has its own hallway but it basically has to do with an addition (our master bedroom and room below it) that was added on in the early years of the house. We have learned early on not to question what the previous owners were thinking when making house decisions so it is what it is. It is actually a large area for a hallway and I admit, it is kind of a waste of space!

So after 9 months (actually almost 10 I guess) of walking through this drab off-white and patchy hallway, we got around to painting and even decorating and wow, it is such a difference! Now when walking to the bedroom, you immediately start to feel relaxed.

Paint:

- Walls: Benjamin Moore Regal, Matte Finish in Rich Cream (next time I would use the eggshell finish to better hide the blemishes on the wall)

- Trim: Benjamin Moore Ben, Semi Gloss in Decorator's White

The best part about the decorating is we had everything on hand so it only costs us the paint and paint supplies! I am amazed how the hallway now is a pretty and functional space!

What do you think?

On a side note, I have been reading on other house blogs about the wonders of spray paint. I decided I had to try it for myself so I grabbed a scratched brown vase destined for a yard sale (forgot a "before" photo) and spray painted it white. How's it look? I don't know what to put in it but I think it looks so much better!