Below are some pictures of the house as it sits now with the current homeowners. These pictures are going to make great reference points as we begin to do our own mini house remodel. Of course I am going to be posting pictures of all the great projects that we will do with before and after shots!

We didn’t find any good tables but we did end up finding something even better!  My wife showed me the 3 drawer dresser below and although I wasnt fully convinced at first, I quickly warmed up to the idea of the challenge.

So we purchased the dresser and headed home. The first thing I did was to measure out how much of the dresser I wanted to keep. I knew that I was going to need to put a 1/2″ piece of MDF under the desk in order for the rail balusters to connect to so I measured a 1/2″ inch more than the trim piece below the top drawer.  I then put some paint tape over my lines to prevent chips when I cut it with my circular saw.

Here you can see the two pieces after I made the cut. I might end up using the bottom part for another project. Maybe a nightstand?

After the dresser was cut and the two pieces separated, I set out to paint.  I used a latex high gloss black paint that I applied using a foam roller. It took 3 coats before I finally achieved the look and cover I was going for.   The molding on the front of the drawer was plastic attached with screws so I quickly removed it and along with the rail balusters sprayed them both with a high gloss black spray paint.

Here is a picture of the 1/2″ MDF being painted to go below the desk. I drilled two 3/4″ holes in each corner to support the rail balusters. This board will be screwed into the bottom of the desk to help hide the drawer and to add some stability.

I attached the desk to the wall using 2.5″ screws making sure to drive them into the wall studs.  The rail balusters were cut to length to match the desk height and attached to the black MDF using the pre-drilled holes and then inserting the balusters into them and securing them with Gorilla glue and a wood screw.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product. I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out and the girls absolutely love it.

One place that I have always wanted to do something was at the end of our hallway. There is a little space there beyond the girl’s room that I always thought would make a great linen closet; something that this place doesn’t have.

Finally one weekend I set out to create one. Overall it was a pretty easy and straight forward build. The toughest part of the whole thing was trying to get the texture to match up.  I attempted to duplicate it using the spray can product from Lowes. It worked good but only after 3 cans. For that amount ($60) I could have purchased a hopper and sprayed it with my compressor. Oh well. Live and learn!

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Finding an air grille that would fit our existing hole proved to be a challenge and I ended up ordering one online and had it shipped in. The first grille that arrived was damaged in transport. Lucky for me, the company in which I purchased the grille sent me a replacement free of charge. A few days later and I had my new grille.

Overall the project took about an hour to complete. I had to take off the old grille and then notch out the 2×4′s located behind it to accommodate the depth of the new grille.  Then it was just a matter of cleaning out the junk the builders left in the air box and wiping down the entire box with cleaner.  Not a bad project but not sure if it’s one I would want to tackle again.

This morning came early. We got up at 6 and were fully dressed, fed and out the door by 7:15. Upon getting outside it was discovered that a tire on my car was about 15lbs low on air. Off to the gas station we went!  First gas station had a broken pump so we headed to station number 2. 15lbs later we were on our way to school and work.

Things don’t slow down tonight though. I am off work early in order to make sure I get the girls picked up from school and Grandma from the hospital where she has been keeping Ashlye company. Then its home for a quick supper before we turn around and bring Craft Girl to dance recital practice and Chicken Nugget to a school play.

Ashley doesnt have it much easier. She is attending a infant CPR class for little dude.

What a night!