our place to gather

The kitchen comes next because well... it was the second most challenging space in the house. It was actually the first that we tackled though. The reason? I couldn't tolerate the Carolina Blue counter tops. 

This is the "before" picture of the counter tops on Step 1 of the Giani Granite system: steam cleaned and taped off, ready to be primed.

This stuff is amazing, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's thinking about re-vamping their kitchen by adding granite/corian/or even laminate counter tops to give it a more modern feel. It's less than $100 per kit, and this 1 kit covered my whole entire kitchen (you'll see how extreme that is once you browse through the photos and actually see how many kitchen surfaces we have).





Step 2: use the black "iron core" primer to cover the whole counter top and back splash.

Step 3: Use the sponge to start adding layers of color. 

The kit comes with the black primer and 3 different types of natural colors. The kit we chose for the particular project was silica sand, and you can see the results below. I don't really know if we followed the directions improperly, or if I just got paint-happy (the second of the two reasons is most likely), but eventually the paint started dripping on the back splash. You can see the results best it the picture to the bottom left.

After all the layers of color were applied, we ended up going back over some spots to make sure that the colors were properly blended and that it didn't just look like the sponge-painted counter top that it ultimately was. 


Step 4: Add the clear coat, and viola! you have a finished counter top that looks (almost) like granite! I know it's hard to gauge from the pictures, but I'm serious folks-- more than 1 person that's walked into the kitchen was shocked it was actually painted. Everyone feels the need to touch the surface for themselves to make sure we're not joking. Almost a year later it still looks exactly the same. No scratches or scuffs or any places where the original color is showing through. If we ever did decide to re-do our kitchen, I'd probably use Giani Granite all over again and start saving money for the remodel from that point on.

After the counter tops were finished the next problem arose. I positively hated the way the back splash had turned out. It was my own fault, but it needed to be changed. We ended up ripping the whole back laminate piece off, only to be faced with another obstacle-- the wall behind it was in shambles. It wasn't smooth, it had holes, and it was covered in glue. In retrospect, we could have probably just left the back laminate piece on and painted over it in the desired color, but that would have been too easy! Instead, we decided to use A LOT of spackle to try to repair the wall and make it a smooth surface. We tried to enlist the help of a general contractor, but he wouldn't have anything to do with the repairs-- he said it would be ill-advised to try to do it this way, and that we should just take out the sheet rock and start over. For those of you who know me, you know that once I have an idea in my head there's no turning back... 

So I enlisted the help of our dear friend Mike! With hours upon hours of Mike's help, he and Averitt started the rounds of spackling and sanding... and there were a lot of them. Luckily it was only one side of the kitchen.

Then come the "after" pictures! I decide to paint it a gray/green to compliment the red tones of the cabinetry.

Bottom Right: A different angle of the counter under the windows after the Giani application. Look at all that open space!

Top Left: The counters across the kitchen. Note all the cook books on the shelf-- a big THANKS to everyone who gave us cookbooks as gifts for our wedding!

Left: A view of the walk in pantry, doorway into the dining room and hallway. THANKS Aunt Loretta for the votive holder!




Lucky for us, the previous owners left us with a kitchen bar/island. It desperately needed to be refinished and to have some structural work done to it, and this was all Averitt.

Proof that I helped a little bit up until it was time to paint! Barely though... the sanding, prying off the top piece and adding a new sheet of plywood, securing the foundation and the top... it was all Averitt.

After that, it was a whole bunch of primer, more Giani Granite (remember, we're still working off the same kit here), some antique white paint, and finally some pewter drawer pulls and knobs.

We're not done just yet, but we're so, so close.


















Thanks for reading - JB

a sunny disposition

This is the "before" version of the living room bathroom... neutral colors, some peeling wallpaper, and a huge mirror. Definitely not bad, but the wallpaper...



It HAD To Go.

Upon pulling it all off, we discovered 1) that the actual "wall" was 1970's vinyl tile panels with gold and silver striations, and 2) that the panels were not even completely intact-- some places had been patched. There was no way we would be able to just paint over this to give it a nice clean appearance. So, after steaming the wallpaper off, scrubbing/scraping the glue off with a fabric softener solution (note: please don't even try the fabric softener if you run into this problem, it was a huge waste of time!), and ultimately sanding the glue off the walls to make them smooth, we finally started actually finishing the bathroom. The second thing that needed to be done after the wallpaper removal was to patch the joints. Since the "walls" were tile panels that were held together by tracks, we decided to spackle over them to give them a smoother appearance. This took the longest!

Initially, we did about 3 rounds of spackling and sanding. It worked great, until we realized that we were working in a bathroom and that moisture makes things expand and contract! It was devastating for me... having spent all the time really building up the layers and smoothing them down like you're supposed to. I eventually broke down and bought a few rolls of spackle tape, re-spackled over all the joints and cracks and re-sanded for a smooth surface. We took a risk and gambled that it would just stay that way, hit the walls with a few coats of primer and then faced with the problem of the rough wall patches that were previously covered by the wallpaper.

The solution? BEAD BOARD (or wainscoting)! Averitt spent roughly a whole day measuring and cutting bead board and moulding, then using the nail-gun to make sure it would never come away from the wall. In retrospect, using liquid nails may have been better but nevertheless the work got done. Caulking and priming completed the job.

The finishing touches? Leftover yellow paint, a frosted window (thanks Averitt), a woodland picture, and a chunky mirror and striped bath rug (thanks mom!). The "after"...



This is the first post to go up because it's the project that took the longest. Altogether, we think this transformation took at least 2 full weeks.

Thanks for reading! -JB 

our humble abode.

Okay, so Jenn and I closed on the house and here are a few pictures.  It's a 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom house with a detached one car garage that has a loft above it.  I will try and get some newly updated pictures soon as we've already began to tear it apart and update it with a little bit of 'us'.

	Here is the front of the house.
	My personal favorite. Here is the detached 1 car garage. The best part is it has a great loft above it. Next to the single car garage is a tool room which will be awesome when it comes to keep the garage a little less clutter than my current garage is now.
	Kitchen area.  Much larger than the kitchen we have now which is good since Jenn loves to have a nice place to cook all of her specialties.
	Living room.  The only part of thehouse that is carpeted.  Recessed lighting behind the beam that you can't see.

More images will come soon as we progress through our renovations. Let us know what you think!

blast from the past

“Cuz’ you’re gonna miss this,
you’re gonna want this back,
you’re gonna wish these days
hadn’t gone by so fast.”

For your viewing pleasure (please hold the laughter and the applause), this is arguably the first picture ever taken of us as a couple...

“All I remember is that it was Christmas Eve, Averitt was stuck spending Christmas with my family because we had missed his flight [by the way, where is Westchester County Airport anyway?].

My Aunt Susan, in her overly-protective-loving-glory, had just vowed to dismember and dispose of his body in the sump in her back yard if he ever chose to hurt me. Her sister, Gail, insisted that we take a picture by the Christmas tree to remember the day. She is no longer with us, but every time I see this picture I am reminded of the lust and appreciation she had for all of life’s little wonders.

Despite Gails and my AS’s slightly rugged exterior, they seemed to like him. That was good enough for me.”

-Jenn-

“From that particular trip, I distinctively remember the feeling of calm happiness that I had not experienced in a long time. I was only there for a few days, but it was in those few days that I knew right there with Jenn is where I wanted to be. And of course, I told her that as well. And I dropped the ‘L’ bomb on her. :) But in my defense, it was true.

The night at Aunt Susan’s house was fun to me. Sure, they threatened me AFTER saying something like “You may be a big bad Marine, BUT. . . [enter quote mentioned above here]” From there, I had a feeling that the family was going to be fun and loving (although I’m sure AS wanted to come off more threatening than adoring). She tried, but rather than hindering my desire to be with Jenn and her family, it kinda made me want it more. And before all others, Momma Beck (Jenn’s mom) was the first to really like me and want me to stay I think.

I felt that with her is where I wanted to be and to this day, I still feel the exact same.”

~Averitt

“I’ll have it be known that to this day, AS still refers to my wonderful and loving husband as Jarhead.”

-Jenn-

meet the fam

	the lovebirds together since 2003, we have certainly built our own empire of awesomeness. through thick and thin, we've continued to love and support one another through every whimsical detail of life. if our wedding day couldn't tear us apart, we're not sure that there's much out there that will.
	mollie butt the collie mutt meet our smart one. the seasoned veteran. this mama dukes knows it all. she's mastered well over a dozen commands, some both in english and in spanish, and she lays down the law when things start to get out of hand. as the first to come into our brood, our brindle baby girl is the apple of our eye.
	trippy; trip, gump, mr. chub a. lub meet our protector. when "the shiny" attacks, this handsome fellow will spare no effort to rid the world (and the living room) of the dangerous shiny. armed to the core, trip let's it be known when there's there's a predator on the prowl and will use his battering-ram defense strategies to make sure that his family remains safe.
	wolverine Where do we even start with this little guy? he's the ruler of the house, the godfather, the big kahuna. he rules our hallways with an iron fist. refuse to acknowledge him or rub his belly as you walk past, and WHAP right on the back of the heel. mollie moves to avoid his presence. trip goes on full alert from the mere sight of him. yet kitty never uses his claws. ever. on anything. yes, good kitty.

let's rock!

"I'm on my feet I'm on the floor I'm good to go-- all I need it just to hear a song I know"