Tuesday, February 16, 2010

actual progress! Bowie's nursery almost finished...

It started like this... This war zone was the Ground Zero of our little man's nursery. This is one of the short side walls. Each side wall looked the same - both had closets. We decided to keep this one, and turn the other closet into a bookcase (more on that later...)


We tore out the ceiling and I thought, "Why not take his ceiling all the way up?" Yeah. It was a huge project. The whole room has been a victim of what we project managers call "Scope Creep." But, I think it will be worth it.

So Steven built up the wall with studs and insulated the whole room. He re-wired everything, getting rid of the knob and tube. We planned out new outlets, cable, phone, etc.

The black felt paper went up to act as a moisture barrier, so it provides insultation. But most importantly, it will prevent light from showing through the gaps in the wood that went up on the walls.
Ahhh.... the wood. You know those highway projects where they have to tear down old houses and barns to make way for the new highway? We began salvaging materials from these projects... Not only is this the best sort of recycling, but it adds tons of character. Bowie's walls are covered in walnut planks from an old barn's hay loft. We have no idea how old the barn was, but the planks have saw marks on it from the tractor blade used to cut it.
We like to think that someday, Bowie will appreciate the character and daydream about all the horses that might have lived in that barn.
The sidewalls, and the little weird angles in the corners, were covered with beadboard. I think it gives a nice contrast to the rustic-rough walnut planks. This used to be a closet...
But now, it's a custom built-in! Two arch-top bookcases were built especially for Mr. BoBo's toys. He already put some of his favorite trucks on them. We like the way these turned out, so we are thinking about adding two more! The floor vents are functional. We decided to incorporate the HVAC vents into the design of the bookcases. The vent covers will be painted black.

A close-up of the bookcase. The angle comes from the roof line of the house. We think it will provide a cozy spot for Bowie's elephant collection.

And here is the closet we kept.


The ceiling is up next, and it will be a bear. It will be covered in corrugated steel with decorative wood beams.


The walls will be pale blue, the ceiling creamy white, the trim white. All outlets and fixtures will be matte black. The hardwood floor will be redone in ebony stain.

So much work, but we are in the home stretch!! (Hey, the project has only taken 3 years!)
Look at that ceiling... all those angles are like origami! I am sure there will be some choice words uttered with that project...

5 comments:

for the love of a house said...

Wow Puck, amazing progress! It looks great! I know it was tons of work, but it will be so worth it when it's all done!
Best,
joan

Tammy said...

Looks awesome. Great to see you back again..Keep up the good work and keep posting those pictures.
tammy

Nicole @ the style hatch said...

How fun! I am glad that I found your site. I actually live in Leawood, KS and and going to school for IT!!!

Nicole

Helen said...

This is a project only the brave, hale and hearty could tackle! I think you and husband fit the bill! Can't wait to see the finished room.

Its So Very Cheri said...

This looks amazing. What a precious room he will have.

I came over to let you know that my blog has moved and I would be ever so grateful if you would come to the new site and RE-sign up to follow me there.

www.itssoverycheri.com
Cheri