Sunday, March 3, 2013

Goodbye Stucco ~ It's Been Nice....


First off let me just say
that I am not a DIYer

you will not click on this blog and find loads of before and after shots
because I am good at the before
the doing and after parts are lacking

so with that little disclaimer out of the way I will move along

so......
remember the end of January
and I was on vacation
and it was so cold that I did not want to get out of my jammies
or leave the house for necessities like
bread, milk or wine??

well ~ I hinted around that same time that I had a project
that I thought I may tackle 
if I was feeling brave
or foolish ~ pick one ~ it doesn't really matter

and also I feel that must mention our house was
built in 1974
so the basement was finished by the original owners in the 70's

are you following me
do you know where I am going??

one of my pet peeves when it comes to this house is the rec room
the place where we spend most of our time
it is where I am typing this post in front of the tv
on my big comfy couch

adjacent to the rec room is what we call the craft room
when I used to craft and create
and it has also been known as the catch all room

you see where I am going now ~ right

so we have talked the last couple of years of what we are going to do down here
other than call Fox to see if they wanted their set back
for a That 70's Show re-boot

we talked about gutting it and starting fresh
but then we realized $$$

so maybe put something over top of the existing treatment
but then all the electrical would have to be built out to accommodate it

or attempt to remove the stucco and see what we have to work with

easy peasy ~ right?

while I was on vacation armed with a spray bottle of hot water
and a putty knife I moved some things out of the way
and went to work

no ~ I did not pack anything up
cover anything or have proper ventilation
I moved things out of the way

dumb dumb dumb dumb

so here is a quick before shot to see what I was up against



yup ~ all it's thick swirly goodness
like frosting


silly me thought if I was wetting it down
it would not create dust
that it was soak in the water
and I could scrape it off

wrong again ~ you would think that I would use this computer
for research before starting a project



so the good news I did 1 1/2 walls on my own
and then stood back and said
"what have I done"

then Trev came home and said
oh ~ you are removing the panelling too
yes I am!

so yesterday we went back at it
yes ~ 4 weeks later because that is how we roll


I did pack up a lot of things before we started again 
and I have visions of the finished product already




we left off here because I did not have the time or the energy 
to empty the pantry cupboard to move it out of the way

we are going to have someone come in now and give us a quote
to do the seams and such as the drywall was installed
horizontally instead of vertically

we figure a good skim coat should get us paint ready
then I can pull up the carpet
and pick flooring and a paint colour

then we can also see if this was all worth it

before we venture to....


the other side.....

Hope you are having a fantabulous weekend!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, that's quite a project Lori, I'm impressed that you've done any of it, to be quite honest!! What a great space though, lucky you :) X

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Oh Lori,
That is a job and a half .....thank goodness we never had to tackle Artex ( that's what it's called over here) It is the one thing that people don't want to inherit in a house !! You have done so well and just think how great it is going to look ...... you have to have the horrible part before the good I'm afraid but, it looks as if you have broken the back of it. Please show us the after photographs although, I know that could be a while ! XXXX

Cathi said...

Wow that does look like quite a big project, Lori! Good for you for taking the first steps to getting it done! I see lots of fabulous potential in the making! Keep us posted, I love to read about a good home improvement project! Have a wonderful week! xxoo

Leslie Harris said...

Lori, I had to chuckle when i read your disclaimer. I love the idea of being good at the 'before' stuff. I can relate. Anyway, whew, what-a-job-WOMAN! I'm impressed, I'm not good and things that take days because I get tired and want to quit, tee hee. Keep going it's going to be fantastic!
Leslie (gwen moss)

Farmgirl Paints said...

Uh girl that is major work. Like MAJOR. I am a diy person and I would have added water too. Can't wait to see the end result.

Barbara Lilian in France said...

Wow ! what a job getting all that Artex off those walls. i remember it only too well, In England it was all the rage, mainly on ceilings. Dust harbours I called it. You had great courage to tackle it by yourself, plaster dust gets everywhere. We have a big painting project due to start soon. and I'm not looking forward to the mess. 'Bon courage' as they say here in France. I look forward to seeing the finished result.