Working Vacation*

*blog title from Bill's dad, Bill Taylor :)

Bill's dad is right--the Taylor's should have their own show!  I don't think there is anything these guys can't do!  Bill's parents, Bill and Sally, and Bill's brother Jason came down this past week to visit and for a project fiesta!  Last time they came down (August 2010), it was so hot I thought we were all going to spontaneously combust as soon as we walked outside.  I was glad that they were able to come down in better weather!  There were a few yucky days, but in all, it was a great time :)

So, before I post pics, I'll give the total project tally:

• beadboard installed in the master bathroom
• new ceiling fan installed in the downstairs family room (goodbye old brass fan)
• new lighting fixture installed in eat-in kitchen (goodbye nightmarish old brass chandelier!)
• replaced 17 brass (again!) doorknobs with satin nickel doorknobs (this included all entryway doors)
• replaced 4 ceiling lights (yeah, the old ones were brass)
• painted 2 sets of bathroom cabinets, 2 medicine cabinets and 6 cabinet doors
• installed a ceiling fan on the nearly 16 foot high living room ceiling!
• installed new light fixture in entryway (replacing another brass dandy!)
• installed new light fixture over staircase (see above comment!)
• please note that the last 3 items involved renting a 12 foot ladder and plenty of nail-biting on my part!  But these guys are pros--they got it all done with no problems :)

It is amazing the difference that these fixes made!  And these guys got it all done in one week (minus the 2 days we went to Houston, as well as the arrival and departure dates).  So really, they got all of this done in about 4 days!  Wow!

Ok, enough of my babble--here's what you really want to see--the pictures!

• beadboard and painted cabinets in the master bath

Before

(sorry for the poor picture quality--this is an older pic from a previous project, which was removing the bathroom carpet and installing tile--I forgot to take a "before" pic from this particular project, but this is basically what the room looked like before this current project)

After:

new beadboard and cabinets painted white.
we had painted the walls a light green the weekend before

a closer view of the beadboard and cabinets

                                  

                                                  a closer view of the painted cabinets--we also added new door pulls

• new family room ceiling fan

Before:

as usual, I forgot to take a "before" pic, but this is the old ceiling fan

After:

the new fan!  looks much better in this room

• new light fixture in the eat-in kitchen

Before:

again, I didn't get a "before" pic of the old one, but this is it disassembled in the garage.  imagine horrible pieces of glass  hanging in two rows around the top and middle circular sections.  it is a larger version of the entryway light, which you will see in a pic below.

After:

i love it so much!!

a closer view with the light off

• doorknobs

Before:

After:

these are the same throughout the house

front door (the old one was a dirty brass)

• new ceiling fan installed in the lofted living room

Before:

this isn't the best shot of the room, but that little circle in the middle of the pic is where the fan was installed

After:

awesome!  this will help so much with air circulation during the hot Texas summer!

• entryway chandelier replaced

Before:

After:

Bill took these pics for me in the rain this morning--what a great guy :)

• chandelier above the stairs replaced

Before:

After:

Well, that is about it--it is amazing how improved our house has become in under a year, thanks to these changes and the help of our family! We still have some things to do, but we are getting there :)  Thanks again to Bill's family for helping us transform this house!

Happy Spring!