ANIMAL HOUSE

I've always lived in a house with animals. In fact, some of my earliest memories are of waking up in bed with a dog (or several) stretched around my body like pieces of licorice. Today, our pampered pups are as important in making our house a home as are the stone, wood, nails and plaster that keep it all together. Speaking of wood, nails and plaster...when we headed to the east coast we knew our work was cut out for us restoring an old fieldstone house. The photos above (kitchen, landing and living room) represent our "year in review." While we've been working our fingers to the bone on many projects (like the first photo..the old Kitchen, which we're turning into a parlor/media room so "after" shots are forthcoming, but you get the idea) most of the transformations happened with a little paint and a lot of patience. To remove the fun house colors, I purchased monochromatic paints to tone down the loud rooms. The first time I stepped foot in this house I wanted to jump back in the motorhome with our puppies and speed back to the west coast and back to the comfortable, clean house we left behind. The lessons I preach I continue to learn everyday. Looking at the whole house, the entire project, every crack, every penny can be and IS totally overwhelming. When we broke our projects down room by room, project by project, it's impressive (at least for me) to see what we've done in such little time with so little money. Whether you want to bash down a wall or paint it, make a list and DO IT. There is no excuse to live like a pig!
TIME TO COMPLETE TASKS: Each room took less than a day to paint

COST: $16.99/gallon for Glidden paint at Home Depot

STRESS LEVEL: Out with the mold and in with the new: LOW