The Bathroom... The first DIY experience.

"If you would one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day.  Yea, let there be daily renovation."  

~Confucian Analects

 As with any good renovation project, we have our before picture:

 Our demo pictures:

 The demo contractor: (aka my cute hubby Joe)

So this project had to be done first for many reasons, but the most important is we have a 3 year old and she enjoys her baths.  However, there was NO WAY I was letting her soak in either of the two bathtubs in the house in the condition they were in when we first moved in.  After some aggressive cleaning I was able to get them to a state that was acceptable for showering and even a bath or two.  Joe surprised me in April/May by demoing the whole bathroom, as well as re-wiring, and putting up new sheet rock while I was at my niece's wedding in Utah.  We than together taped and mudded the sheetrock together.  This was the state that the bathroom stayed at for the majority of the summer.  In June, with the help of my visiting mother as babysitter, I was able to finish the texturing of the walls and the painting. Joe and I than put up the bead board, tile board (a cheap temporary solution until we can afford the tile we really want), and the trim. In August I re-finished the bathtub with an epoxy refinishing kit which went very well. We finished the installation of fixtures, curtains, cabinet, and other little things here and there today on Labor Day which we thought was appropriate. LOL We still need to decide on what we are doing flooring wise, change some of the shower fixture parts, and I have some touch up painting to do. BUT for all intents and purposes our first reno project is complete and was a SUCCESS! 

Here is the After:

 

Our bathroom is a combination of new as well as refurbished items that are original to the house. We wanted a mix of old and new because we feel that is what fits our family's personality. Most of the material was either already here when we moved in or our friends and family donated. What we did buy new was on a budget.  Over all we spent less than $800 on the whole project and never had to spend more than $100 at any one time! Thank you to all those who contributed to this renovation! Larry (Joe's Dad), Phyllis (Britt's Mom), Steven, Melissa, and our kids! (Thanks Sam, Britt's Dad, for purchasing our bathtub refinishing kit.)

The New Adventures of the Adams Family

Our 1920s Farm House in Logan, KS

          As most of our friends and family know we moved to Kansas in December of 2012.  It was a decision that we did not take lightly.  We knew that if we moved it would most likely be a choice that would be long term if not permanent.  It would mean a lifestyle change on many levels.  Even with the knowledge we had in making this huge decision, we had no idea the series of events and changes that would take place.

         The biggest realization that came after returning to Utah to visit family was this, I am a country girl at heart.  I LOVE IT.  I love my boots, ducks, chickens, dogs, acre of yard, the neighbors horse pasture, that I can walk from one end of town to the other in 10 minutes, and I love the small town life.  I have found solitude in my very own "Mayberry."

        So... I have learned how to do so many things! Most of the things I am learning are things I KNOW a lot of my friends, and maybe family, would want to learn and can do even if you don't live in the middle of the prairie! Over the next couple weeks I will try to update the projects that we have been working on over the past several months.  The DIY renovation of our home, my jerky recipe that Joe's co-workers have dubbed "The Best Jerky Ever," ducks, chickens, canning, baking, crafting, and so much more! We even had a wedding reception at our house this summer!

      Feel free to share anything posted.  It will remain a public blog even though I am sure I will be sharing a lot of family experiences on here it will not be just a family blog. 

Living simple, serving & loving big, this is Simply Prairie.