The Studio Living Room. 2 Rooms under $1500

Praise Be!!! Just a little detail touch up painting is now left.

The studio apartment was created during the 1930's apartment conversion, it consists of a: kitchen, living room, and bathroom. We tried, honestly we did, to save the original oak floors, but it was not in the budget as half of the floor was actually gone and replaced with plywood due to a plumbing issue decades (and I do mean decades) ago.  The color is Coventry Gray from the Benjamin Moore Historic paint colors collection.

Before, with the plaster patching completed.



 The Union Jack pillow was an amazing knock off I found that mimics a Jonathan Adler design pillow I saw at his studio in Minneapolis, sadly could not afford one of his amazing couches.  The radiator cover was found on craigslist from a home of similar age and was modified by DH to fit the space.  $20.00 plus paint is fab find that keeps this restoration true to our vision.  The bistro chairs are actually for my set that goes outside, so I'll need something different for in here.  The kitchen table was my great grandmother's and was used as a work bench for 40+ years. It is on the restoration list for summer.

This room will house DH's decorative motorcycle collection,  and in the after photos you can see one on the shelf already.  Both posters are WWII propaganda posters in honor of grandad who served in both world wars.

So what did we spend it on? (includes the  kitchen)
$500.00 flooring
$450.00 furniture on sale (remember...always ask for a better price)
$100.00 various paints and patching materials.
$0.00 light fixture left by a previous tenant.
$8.00 Edison Bulb
$50.00 Posters and frames (yes on sale)
$20.00 Curtains ebay
$150.00 curtain rods and tv cabinet from Target
$50 misc decorations
$5.99 the rug on super clearance.
$20.00 radiator cover on craigslist
$50.00 plumbing parts
The table is a family piece and the chairs I already had.

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 The cabinet and Union Jack Tray are both from Target, the table is Ikea.  Cannot wait to get a flat screen for that wall!

The Studio Apartment...Onward to the dungeon!

Our first major project at Howard House is the Basement Studio Apartment. In the 1930's my grandfather added a studio apartment to one corner of the basement.  This unit was was lived in up until about 1986 when it was then used as storage room.  To my knowledge the only work done to this room from 1970 on was a tragic attempt at wallpapering in the early 80's.  Repeat after me..we do not wallpaper bathrooms and we do not wallpaper basements. WHY?  HUMIDITY!!!! Seriously people, basements in our part of the state are damp, wet nasty messes.  

Our goal was to restore this space and keep it's industrial feel. No flowers in these rooms, its all about the sophisticated Man Cave. 



Soaking the original kitchen hardware to remove decades of paint.

  Restoring painted cabinet hardware.

The kitchen hardware was removed.  I had this brilliant idea that I would spray paint it all black.  Bad idea, it chipped when reattaching to the cabinets. However, after much research I learned that you could soak antique hardware overnight in a slow cooker with a little bit of laundry detergent.  The next morning you can then brush off the layers of paint with a tooth brush.  Amazing trick!!!   The reproduction replacement cost for these pieces is astronomical, so this was a great savings! 







The progression of the craigslist radiator cover.

 The search for a Period Radiator Cover:
Ah...the much maligned radiator, if I had a nickel for every time I heard some fool say, "Take out those old radiators and install central air."    Well I say to those people, you are wrong. If you buy a historic home, don't take out the very things that make that house charming and historic: the radiators, the plaster and the original windows. If that is your goal, there is a nice 1980's edition on the other end of town. I'll drive you out of my neighborhood and over there.    The husband I went in search of a radiator cover that could turn this small radiator into a bench seat.  We were lucky to find a lady in Minneapolis who had foolishly removed her radiators (and regretted it) who was selling her covers.  With a few slight modifications by the husband and a few coats of paint we now have the perfect bench seat.




Progression of the basement. You can see the start of the plywood patch in the lower right.
We could not save the oak floors...I know... throw your antique chairs and vases my way, but we tried nearly everything and as some of you know we did save the hardwood floors at our rental and those were covered in bad linoleum that I had to hand scrape off.  

 The Laminate Flooring...or the last time you will ever see me install it.
So in my defense, two things happened:  Item 1...there was a large sheet of plywood in the middle of the floor where the wood had been damaged in the early 1970's.  The patch job was awful and huge screws had been placed into the remaining 5" strips on one side of this sheet.   Whomever did that horrible job for my grandparents had ought to be ashamed!!! Item 2, there had been additional water damage and the floor had warped and come up in multiple places, most likely from an overflowing toilet in the studio bathroom.  Yuck!!! The kitchen floor had completely disintegrated and the living room was a patchwork mess.  Underneath this floor appears to be wide plank pine that was on top of a dirt floor..NOT cement.  It actually butts against the cement for the rest of the basement. Egads!!!   I do remember hearing that the basement floor was dirt before the 1930's conversion to apartments, but seriously...DIRT?!  So alas, my intentions were to save the floor, instead we covered it until we can afford the ridiculous amount it will take to fix the oak and tear it all up and add a cement pad.  So enjoy the hickory laminate I found on super clearance.  I am probably wrong in all of my assumptions regarding this floor and that those pine boards I saw would be fabulous, but until the budget allows we can make due with this substitution.
 


 

  


 

The kitchen progression up until the counter was installed.  Almost done!

Bathroom Freshen up!

This past month has been all about a 1st floor bathroom makeover to remove the truly heinous 1980's vinyl wallpaper. This now marks the 3rd time I have participated in painting this room and the first time I'm even remotely pleased by it. The first two were...blech. Now this is not a restoration, nor is it the much needed remodel as we are saving that for the gutting of the adjacent kitchen next year. This was strictly a remove the wallpaper and freshen it up job. We did install a GFCI Outlet which gave Matt fits as the wiring was all wrong for it. The paper removal was done using wallpaper remover spray and the rolling tiger claw tool. Neither worked well and even with TSP to try and get the ancient paste off I still had to sand the entire wall. The color used is from the National Trust collection by Valspar: Cincinnatian Hotel Nichols Taupe.

When we actually do get to the total fix on this bathroom next year (god willing)...wainscoting, wiring, new medicine cabinet, hex tile floors, new sink and tub faucets.



Terrible 1980's Vinyl Wallpaper that refused to come off!




Horrid aftermath of removing wallpaper





The lovely after yay!



Fall at Howard House

The Sad Demise of the Shag Carpet

One of the joys of living with an elderly person is that every once in a while something wacky tends to happen.  This week dear grandmother was left to her own devices for an afternoon and poor puppy apparently had a tummy ache.  Well poor puppy had a tummy ache all over the 1980's gold shag carpet that graced the second floor hallway.  Grandmother decided the best thing to do was to not wait for her doting grandchildren and to remove this mess immediately. What better way to do that but with a bottle of cleaner that contains bleach!

Of course this spot of carpet was already up for removal, so we had a good laugh over it. What we did discover is that the walls were clearly moved on the second floor during the apartment conversion.  Luckily there is a great salvage place in Minneapolis with bins full of period maple flooring.  When we reach the second floor next year, we will be feathering in to patch this hole.

Removal of the shag carpeting showing where the bathroom wall had been moved.

Bleach not approved for Gold Shag Carpeting!

As if the shag weren't bad enough, that green stuff is far worse.

Ah maple flooring, it may be stained, it may have weird carpet gunk on it, but it can be restored!

Replacing the Front Steps

This is from late 2011 in preparation for grandma's 95th. The steps had not been replaced since the 50s, and it was long past due, and I do realize we should have grabbed pretreated lumber.

Gorgeous! My husband does excellent work.

God save the Queen!

On the Queen's birthday her loyal Minnesotans wish her the happiest of days!

Oscar sends you warm greetings from Howard House.