Starting in November lasting through December we had contractors come in and do all the work in the basement that we needed done quickly, or that we didn't want to do ourselves. This included putting up the closet framework for our master bedroom closet, the drywall in the master bedroom and the ceiling in the 2nd room, and lastly installing new windows. The windows were quite an ordeal because they had to be special made so they took a REALLY long time to come in, and then the contractors had to cut out the concrete in order to fit the bigger windows in. We still have concrete dust flying around the house- I think partially because we haven't started, or cleaned, the 2nd room downstairs. But what we worked on last year was our bedroom and the laundry room.
Laundry Room
We paid the contractors to put the ceiling up in the laundry room and put folding doors in the laundry room over the HVAC and Water Heater.
What we did was :
- Mud and sand the drywall that was already up
- Install the tile in the laundry room and the landing
- Paint the laundry room ceiling
- Paint the laundry room walls
- Install the baseboards
What is left
- Painting the folding doors (started)
- Paint the molding and the trim (started)
- Build a shelf right above the washer and dryer but only 4-6 inches deep - this most likely will not happen until after we get a new washer and dryer
- Install cabinets above the washer and dryer
- Find a new storage unit/trash can for between the washer and dryer
Master Bedroom
We paid the contractors to do a lot more in the master bedroom than we normally would have, mostly because we wanted the room mostly done by Christmas, and we did succeed. We got the contractors to fix the electrical work, install the bigger window, do the drywall and all the mudding.
What we did :
- Paint the ceiling and walls
- Install the flooring
- Install the baseboards
- Install the trim
What we still need to do
- Install the quarter round/shoe
- Touch up the paint on the ceiling and the walls
- Find a painting to cover the breaker box
The bedroom has the least amount of work that we still have to do to have it completely done.
2nd room Downstairs
The 2nd room downstairs is pretty much a blank canvas. We paid the contractors to do the ceiling and some of the drywall above the knee wall and put the bigger windows in.
What we have left (which is a lot)
- Empty the room & clean it
- Seal the floor, use concrete filler and seal it again
- Install the sound wiring for TV & surround sound
- Drywall
- Taping & mudding
- Painting the ceiling
- Painting the walls
- Install the floor
- Baseboards & shoe
- Build book cases & recessed DVD shelves
I have found I am more productive if I have a deadline, so I'm telling myself I want to have the 2nd room in the basement done by the end of April so we can move onto focusing on getting the carpet upstairs ripped up and the flooring installed there. Then we will have most of the big projects at the house done!
