Plans, Part Deux: Lower Half

So, in this next installment (only a while later.  See, I don't always make you wait :) ), we'll visit the lower half of the house.  Without further ado...

Library

Ahh, the library.  We actually have one--even if most of the books in it are geared towards teenage/preteen girls. It is also the media room.  Like I mentioned in the last post, I hope to move the TV from here to the attic.  This would include all sound-type items and game systems.  I think this may be the best room for my office.  This room just mostly needs new doorknobs for the east door.  There is a bigger crack in the ceiling than most of the cracks in the house.

Back Entry

This was the laundry room.  It is a very awkward, disappointing room.  It's hard to furnish or organize.  Moving the plumbing for the utility tub/washer will help immensely but probably take forever.  We are definitely not plumbers.  The drain needs something; we are not even sure it is a drain, but it is in the middle of the floor anyway.  the dryer vent needs to be patched up.  The wiring or electrical boxes should be moved.  The radiator needs to be bled.  Really, I have a hard time even thinking of this room.  For a long while, it housed laundry that was not done for months and the new dog.  I temporarily moved her upstairs after I bought her a home (read: cage) because I wanted a mudroom and realized I couldn't if she was in it chewing up everything.  However, her home was in the way upstairs in the hall, so back down she went today.  I really don't want the dog to have a room of her own (unless it is in the garage), but for now, she gets it.

Basement

It needs a lot of work and a dehumidifier.  So, very quickly, I want food storage, decoration storage and and excise room down there. Oh, and we need to do something with the cistern.

Kitchen

The room I hate most.  I really do not want to hate it as I would like to use it more.  It is kind of big, but it really is not.  The walls and ceiling need some patching.  The double oven needs to be installed.  In fact, cabinetry on the south wall of the kitchen to house the ovens and fridge would be nice.  As much as I would like to keep the cabinets, I think the lower north/northeast cabinets have to go.  I think under the sink, it is rotten after the leaking sink (which, YAY!, is fixed).  I hope to have a deck or back porch someday, so I hope to replace the little window with a door.  Our help with plumbing never returned, so we need to somehow install the dishwasher.  I would love to not have one, but we do not do dishes well as it is.  The island around it needs to be made.  I want to repaint the built ins and uppers (after moving them up) and put in stained glass at the top.  I also want to have rosemaling on the faces of the cabinets.  We need new flooring.  After tearing up the old last fall, waiting to finish because I thought we would have the winter to work in it (but did not after losing heat four times), thinking we would refinish the sub-floor, we finally put down some linoleum.  It is not pretty but it is not gross like it was before.  I would not even go in that room unless I absolutely had to before the linoleum.  Maybe I would like to install a cooktop as well as the range.  I may save one of them for the outdoor kitchen I hope to have. 

Dining Room

 This room is okay.  The swinging door needs fixing and the flooring needs refinishing. 

Eric's Office

This room was part of the porch at one time.  I would like to put doors out to the porch, but that may make it unusable on the west side.  It needs some insulation and cutening up.  The windows do not remotely match the rest of the house.  Unless I can get him in the attic, library or even outside, I had always hoped this would be my room.  However, it has been proven that we still cannot keep the kids out of it (not that the doors are closed that often anyway).  It also needs a radiator. 

Living Room

The lower half of the turret is part of this room.  The fireplace needs some repairing and a flue.  I would like the turret bench to open for blanket storage.  There is some water damage, but I think it is mostly paint bubbles. 

Bathroom

Man.  The upstairs sewer line runs right down the  middle of the room.  It is big and awkward in regards to the toilet.  We used to say it was a side-saddle toilet, but Eric turned it, so it is easier to use now.  I guess there used to be a shower where some of the cabinets are.  I am really curious about it.  The only thing that holds me back from tearing out the cabinet (which I don't think is in there all that well anyway), is knowing that I will not finish either putting the cabinet back or whatever I decided to do.  If we keep the cabinet, I'd probably move it a bit.  I would like to replace the tub.  If it would be then possible (assuming there is not a load-bearing wall), maybe expand the south wall of the kitchen a bit.  We could, really, make the bathroom down there tiny (since it wasn't original to the house anyway), and expand the kitchen even more to make a eating nook.  Plumbing is just always an issue whether is be installing, removing or dealing with existing pipes. 

Main Entry

Little. The closet needs some work after the upstairs plumbing job that the previous owners did.  The front door needs to be fixed after the glass was broken when we had a break-in.

In our next installment (which may take a while), we then visit outside our home. 

Plans, Part I: Upper Half

I had originally started this post complaining about our ineptness at handiwork.  Then it morphed into what I hope to do to the house.  I think it is better to post as much in a good way as I truly hate this house sometimes.  So, here, though I cannot say it will be a very easy read.  A much lighter (and longer) post than intended, but it sure does make me feel much more hopeful.  I'll do a walkthrough of the home as I order my boards on pinterest (which also holds many ideas that I hope to do).  All of the rooms need decorating and/or painting, so I won't even bother listing those unless there is something specific I want to do.

Attic

Currently, the attic is unfinished.  It covers the entire house but does have sloped ceilings.  There are three smallish windows on each side but the east.  I hope to turn the attic into two more bedrooms for Simon and Gabriel--one on the north and one on the south.  I believe I would like the TV up in the east side instead of the library.  The stairs come up on the west side.  Short.  Sweet.  A lot of work.

Kids' Bedrooms/Playrooms

Ideally, I would like to have a playroom.  I can be almost positive that will never happen.  However, I will not need a playroom if I can give each child his/her own room.  They will have enough space.  They do not necessarily need the space (especially because it will be that much harder to keep clean), but I did like the space I had throughout my childhood.  I am lucky to potentially be able to do the same for my children.

Aislynn

I want to paint her closet blue and paint some zebra stripes on the wall.  Her ceiling in the room and closet need to be repaired after water damage.  She has a decent-sized closet with some built in cabinets.  They need a little fixing.  Knobs would do wonders. 

Boys' Room

They currently have a pirate or ship theme.  I need to re-stain the crown moulding and re-install it.  Though the linoleum fits the theme (it looks like planks) I want in their room, they need some hardwood.  The west window needs to be put back together.  I also have issues with their tiny closet; it is so very awkward.  It may not be as much of an issue could I get just one child per room.  I think I want this one to turn into Roland's room. 

Littles' Room

Their bedroom is all white (primed white-not painted).  It is located in the turret.  It was the master as I did not want them to break the windows, but it was completely awkward for a master room.  It works as a one child room (or one little girl and one toddler).  It needs new flooring and a fixed radiator.  Oh the cute things I want to put in it.  However, most of it is SO girly.  Roland will not care, but I have other ideas for him. 

Master Room

This is the living-room-turned bedroom with no doors.  The flooring needs to be fixed or patched.  It has a nice arched entry into the once-kitchenette-turned-closet-turned-office-turned laundry/closet. 

Laundry Room/Jenn's Closet

Yay!  The sink did actually make its way out of this room.  I liked it, but it just was not practical.  Since plumbing was already there and a laundry in a closet is a genius idea, we moved the appliances upstairs.  However, the plumbing is in the way and needs to be moved.  I would like to turn the window into a door out to the little roof.  I have created a laundry line up there (with hopes to improve it), and it would be nice to have easier access to it.  Eventually, I would like a new washer/dryer with in front controls.  Then, I could make a folding table on top of them and have them on the same side.  Or I may like two sets of stacking appliances (though I hope to get our clothes situation under control by decluttering rather than constantly washing).  My mangle and sewing machine could go on the south side.  The cabinets need replacing or updating but work for now.  Everything in here is really dependent on where the plumbing is located.

Upstairs (Jenn's) Bathroom

I claim the bathroom because of the clawfoot tub.  The popcorn needs to come off.  The subway and flooring tiles need replacing (and I thankfully found some in the attic).  The big cabinet needs fixing or repairing.  I do not know what I want at the moment.  The old sink should go back in.  The old plumbing in the cabinet needs to be taken out.  The tub/plumbing again needs to be fixed.  The window needs repairing.  The door needs to be able to close.  I just found a doorknob in the basement yesterday, so we are getting closer with that find.  I wonder if maybe we could not put an elevated cistern toilet in here at some point.   

Sunroom (School/Jenn's Office)

Currently, this room holds my desk, crafts, and the homework room.  I would like to be able to grow plants here during the winter months.  I also want my office moved.  The door to the roof needs a good latch on it.  The windows need to be repaired, so they can more easily open.  I would move the kids' desks to where mine is to make things easier.   

Hallway/Stairs

The staircase is the original from the main entry (moved when the addition of the old laundry room was put in).  The railing is not as anchored as it once was.  It is unfortunate as it used to be one of the most solid features in the house.  Eric fell down the stairs one day and broke it.  I am glad that it was not him but sad that it was that, of all the house things excluding the windows, that got hurt.  The windows need fixing.  Crown moulding needs to be replaced in the hallway upstairs.  Unfortunately, the roof leaked before we bought it, and Aislynn's room and the hallway were the biggest casualties. 

That takes us through the upper half of the house.  Stay tuned for the the second installment of this episode.