poplar road

First, the "great room", which looks much cosier in proportions and less like a long hallway now that the wall has been finished between it and the new office. At this point Richard has finished two coats out of at least four in his mudding job.

The new doorway will get a French door in a couple of weeks, and a replacement front door is on order. We brought one home Friday night, but unfortunately it was an inch and a half too wide, so we had to order a custom width version – for $2 less, surprisingly. We also took two layers of wallpaper off the entry area wall - and underneath that, it's key lime pie green, yikes!

I'm finished painting the cabinets inside and out (except doors, which we've decided will be green), the drawers, and the faux tile. I'm so glad to see the end of the inside of those cabinets! Here are a couple of before and after photos. The mac-tac lined cupboard shown here was one of the "clean" ones, compared to those bottom cupboards. It's hard to see the faux tile but it was pale blue in several different floral and grass patterns. I spent a little more time removing the wallpaper stripe near the ceiling but didn't get very far – maybe tomorrow.

Here's the other side of the new wall – my office. This was Saturday morning after we got the insulation in for sound, and finished putting up the last few pieces of gyprock. Since then it's had two coats of mud like the rest, and Richard mudded, but didn't tape, a 10' tall piece in the corner that is easily removable if the electrician needs to get in there for the upgrade.

Since finishing the insulation and drywall it's much warmer at this end of the house – a good thing after snow flurries and dropping temperatures this week.

And finally, another shot of the bathroom, because I'm just so pleased with the way it has turned out. We have a few more finishing touches, like installing the chrome shower curtain rod, towel racks, and a white seat for the toilet instead of the wood… but one task I finished this week was painting the countertop white, and it looks so much better.

We have two more bathrooms and the rest of the house to finish before we consider changing out the tub & surround, etc in this one – but I think the painting we've done will hold up for a couple of years at least, and it's a nice space to be in now. Believe it or not, the dark teal is quite flattering - we just need new, brighter light fixtures so I can actually see in the shower.

This week I'm heading to Ottawa Wednesday through Friday for work, and then I'll be at my parents' place in North Van from the 4th to the 8th, returning here on the 9th. I'm working at the office that Monday through Wednesday, but I'll try to see people on the weekend and in the evenings while I'm there. Looking forward to catching up with everyone! (And shhh, don't tell Richard, but I'm going to IKEA for holiday stuff!) And when I get back here, Richard should have a few surprises for me! So look for photos again the weekend of the 11th/12th.