Top 15 Home Improvements

[~Daisy~]

that is "Onghetti." Our own sauce that is fresh tomatoes, basil, onions, green red and yellow peppers, garlic, and olive oil. You dump it in the pasta and stir it up and its a very thin coat over all the pasta. Yum.

[Sunny]

Great ideas Sunny!

If youre going to the trouble of tearing out a  wall in that bath (which is a great idea in my opinion)...move the lights while you're at it.
Im guessing your ceilings are 8', so it may not be as much of a problem, but every woman I know with cans only in her bathroom cusses them because the lighting is terrible for putting on makeup.

Thanks, Gryphon! I did think of that...maybe that's where I can call on FTW to help! My husband doesn't really like to do electrical stuff (for obvious reasons) because aything else can be repaired.

What type of lighting would you recommend?

[Sunny]

It looks YUMMY!

So, since the good ideas are rolling & I've already invited you all into my Shabby Chic '70s Palace -- what are your thoughts on this lower level family/media room (besides the obvious of removing the god-awful carpeting & street lights)? The room is 27X14 :

From one angle:


The other angle:

[Sunny]

This is MY vision:



And put some type of facade on the fireplace:

[~Daisy~]

Hmm, not sure. I do like the beams, though...

[Sunny]

Really? Husband wants to remove them when he goes up to paint everything! He doesn't think they're real. And he'll remove the paneling (if it is paneling)...or just paint over it. *shrug*

[~Daisy~]

Yeah, get rid of the panelling, but I like those beams, real or not. I think they have character, especially if you use incandescent lighting around that fireplace. I dunno, I've never had them, but I've always liked the look.

[Gryphon]

Sunny, I love your vision.
Guessing from the vintage of your house, and my own experience with almost that exact same family room that the beams are fake. If you want a cozy european cottage look, you could keep them. But if you want something fresh and bright, rip em out. If getting rid of the paneling is out of the budget, you can paint or glaze over it. I hate to recommend tearing out stone...but the grout lines are so huge and they are all the same gravel color...knowing what I do of your style, youd never be happy with it.

[Sunny]

Sunny, I love your vision.
Guessing from the vintage of your house, and my own experience with almost that exact same family room that the beams are fake. If you want a cozy european cottage look, you could keep them. But if you want something fresh and bright, rip em out. If getting rid of the paneling is out of the budget, you can paint or glaze over it. I hate to recommend tearing out stone...but the grout lines are so huge and they are all the same gravel color...knowing what I do of your style, youd never be happy with it.

In your experience, are those beams typically put in after the construction of the home? What do you find underneath them?

And, would you recommend building a facade over the stones? (I've been watching too much Trading Spaces)

Also, earlier we were talking about the bathroom...what type of lighting would  you recommend?

Thanks -- and please just mail the bill.

[Gryphon]

Ive seen those beams sort of glued to the drywall...and made out of styrofoam...or if they are actually wood, they MIGHT be nailed to the wood and then drywall was hung in between them, but thats doubtful. Likely, youll just have to patch and texture the ceiling to match...

You can put a facade over the stone, but its tough because the stone is irregular. You could basically "float" furring strips out in front of it.

Bathroom lights...for some reason wall ones work better...I guess its because even if theres a glass globe on them, they are shinging onto your face rather than just from above your head.
I got some really cool ones from restoration hardware recently...but Lowes and Home Depot almost always have pretty decent lighting.

[Sunny]

I appreciate all of your tips & knowledge! 

[Pa Kettle]

Paint the grout lines with a semi-transparent wood stain in one of the charcoal tones that would closely match the predominant colors found in the stones, then wipe the excess off the stone.   There's just too much contrast as it is now.
    Replace the bottom horizontal  hearth surface, and overlay the verticle surfaces with a light colored granite or marble, then finish by having a smooth finished mantle built over the existing one.
Clear pine or poplar would work well, but you can't beat Walnut for character if it were to be stained and finished. If it were to be painted, it wouldn't matter.
          Paint the paneling, add crown moulding to the ceiling, and go with one of the high grade modern vinyls on the floor.
A crown moulding and "dental work" overlapping  frame around the entire fireplace surround would also mute the rustic look of the fireplace somewhat, as would painting the wall the fireplace is on in a darker shade that the rest of the walls.
Lose the beams.
     We did a variation of this in one of our previous homes, and it turned out quite well.
Good luck and have fun!

[Sunny]

Paint the grout lines with a semi-transparent wood stain in one of the charcoal tones that would closely match the predominant colors found in the stones, then wipe the excess off the stone.   There's just too much contrast as it is now.
    Replace the bottom horizontal  hearth surface, and overlay the verticle surfaces with a light colored granite or marble, then finish by having a smooth finished mantle built over the existing one.
Clear pine or poplar would work well, but you can't beat Walnut for character if it were to be stained and finished. If it were to be painted, it wouldn't matter.
          Paint the paneling, add crown moulding to the ceiling, and go with one of the high grade modern vinyls on the floor.
A crown moulding and "dental work" overlapping  frame around the entire fireplace surround would also mute the rustic look of the fireplace somewhat, as would painting the wall the fireplace is on in a darker shade that the rest of the walls.
Lose the beams.
     We did a variation of this in one of our previous homes, and it turned out quite well.
Good luck and have fun!

This is incredible feedback! I'm taking notes & will share with husband.....thanks so much!

[Gryphon]

Great Ideas pa!