Slider!

We bought a new sliding door for our dining room about two months ago and we finally got it installed today. Not only does the new slider look a million times better than the old one, but it opens, closes, and locks so much easier!

Here's a picture of what the slider looked like the day we closed on the house:

Note: That ugly light fixture is also gone :)

Here is what the new one looks like:

                                 

The trim (inside and out) still needs to be done, but it's great to have a pretty new door that functions the way it should!

...And another window is done!

It took the hubby and I pretty much the whole weekend, but we replaced the kitchen window all by ourselves. Here are a few pictures:

Here is a pic Derek took after getting the kitchen window out

Derek working on the shingles after getting the window installed

All done! ...Accept for filling the nail holes, painting the trim, and painting the shingles :)

After installing the first window we decided that we wanted to add a sill to the bottom rather than "picture framing" the window with the trim. We changed the first one and then did the same when putting the trim on this one. We like it a lot better this way!

New windows!

We recently bought new windows (Andersen 200 series) that we will be installing ourselves over the next few months. We got the first one in today and we love how it looks!

Here's what the window looked like before (20 years old and never taken care of):

Here's what the new window looks like with new PVC trim:

We also already bought Benjamin Moore stain and had it color-matched to the old shingles so we can make the new ones match.

Glazing Kitchen Cabinets

One of the biggest projects we've taken on in our house so far has been refinishing the kitchen cabinets. We have honey oak kitchen cabinets that are in pretty bad shape:

We want to replace them all eventually, but that's just not something we're able to do right now, so we decided to refinish them somehow. I came across directions on an other blog for how to glaze cabinets and decided it was the perfect solution!

First, we had to take down all of the doors and sand them to remove the finish.

The sanding took a few days, but it's probably the most important part, so we took our time.

After that, we were able to mix the clear mixing glaze with the paint (Benjamin Moore Branchport Brown). We used 4 parts glaze to 1 part paint and painted two coats on all of the cabinets, doors, and drawers.

                            

After we sanded, we put two coats of polyurethane on everything and were able to add the new hardware.

                                   

Finally, we hung all of the cabinet doors and saw the transformation!

                            

We also bought a new bamboo roman shade and a pendant light for above the sink.

New blog!

I used to have our DIY projects on a separate page, but the formatting was driving me crazy, so I decided to transfer the info/pictures to a blog. Here are the DIY projects we completed in the first 6 months of owning our house.

July 2nd--First things first. We installed a new toilet the first night we were able to get into the house.

July 3rd--Counter top and sink were removed to prepare for the new sink, counter top, and appliances.

July 4th--We have space for a dishwasher! The far left cabinet was moved over about 2 feet to make room for our new dishwasher. We also removed the nasty stove (the range hood was removed after the photo was taken). The new counter top is almost ready to be installed.

July 5th--Derek and our friend Eric installed the counter top and cut the hole for the sink.

We also pulled up all of the carpet in the bedrooms---thanks Jenna and Ethan for all of your help!

July 6th--We have a working sink! We also started to put primer on all of the trim in the kitchen since we plan to paint it white.

July 9th--We've spent the last few days painting. We finally have paint on the walls of the kitchen and no more yellow ceiling paint! Here is the paint with the counter tops. Ignore the blue painters' tape. :)

July 11th--We have appliances! The above-range microwave still needs to be installed and so does the dishwasher, but the stove and fridge look pretty. :)

We also replaced the hideous light fixtures in the kitchen and dining room.

July 12th--The kitchen is almost done! We moved the cabinets above the stove up a few inches to mount the microwave (thanks, Eric!!!) and Derek installed the dishwasher. Most of the hard work is done in there at this point and really all we have left are a few finishing touches.

July 19th--We've spent the last week prepping the foyer, living room, and hallway for paint. This weekend we were able to start putting final coats on the trim and walls. We're this color on the walls of the foyer, living room, and hallway and no more yellow ceiling paint!

July 21st--I haven't had too many updates lately, but here's a picture of Derek painting the foyer to prove that we're actually getting some work done!

July 22nd--We have doors! They still need to be painted white to match the trim, but even unpainted they're a huge improvement to what was there before.

July 28th--The living room is just about finished and ready for furniture. The window is just primed, but hopefully the painting will be completely done before the furniture comes on the 30th.

The "master" bedroom just about ready for paint. The walls were bright pink (as you can kind of see) and had writing all over them from the kids who lived there before. They've now got two coats of primer and the trim is almost done (except for the windows), so we should be ready to paint soon.

July 30th--We have furniture!

August 1st--We bought a tv stand and got the tv mounted on the wall---thanks, Mark!

August 4th--Our bedroom is painted!

August 6th--The other two bedrooms are painted! You can't see the color too well in this picture, but they're both a blue/gray color. We actually thought the color was going to be more of a silvery-gray, but oh well, we still like it.

August 7th--We finally started in the bathroom! We took down the wallpaper border to start getting ready to paint.

August 9th--We painted the ceiling in the bathroom and primed the wall where the border was to make sure the paint will stick.

We also removed the old vanity to get ready to paint. Hopefully the painting will be done and the new vanity installed within the next few days!

August 11th--We have carpet! Empire came in and put carpet in all 3 bedrooms. They look great and it really makes them feel like bedrooms rather than the storage rooms we were using them for previously. :)

August 13th--We painted the bathroom. It's the same color as our bedroom. That wasn't the original plan, but we didn't like the color we chose once it was on the wall and we had a gallon of the blue leftover, so that's what we're going with.

August 17th-The sink and vanity are installed and working properly! We still have to find a mirror we like and install the light fixture above the sink.Here's a view of the bathroom. We still need blinds and to re-install the heating vent, but it's almost done.

August 18th--We installed the light above the sink. Next step: find a mirror that matches.

September 20th--It's been over a month since I posted on here, but I finally have something to update! The bathroom is just about finished.

We bought the mirror yesterday and Derek installed the towel rods and toilet paper holder today.

October 10th--We finally finished painting and re-hanging all of the doors about 2 weeks ago.

January 3rd---I haven't updated in a while, but today Derek finished changing our tub fixtures. Not only did he stop the leaking, but the fixtures are a major improvement!