The first room I completed minor renovations in was the master bedroom of the apartment. One night after the tenants had moved, my husband and I ripped out all the 30-year old burgundy carpet after I put our daughter to sleep. On the second night after our daughter was asleep, we ripped up the foam padding and staples. I was balancing the weariness of full-time teaching during the day, and completing the last assignments of my Master's courses, including a National Board Certification Take One! entry and Plan B Portfolio. In hindsight, God had worked many miracles for me during that time!
Using leftover paint from the living room accent wall I had painted earlier in the month, I decided to be bold and paint the bedroom ceiling Benjamin Moore's Whale Grey color matched in Olympic Eggshell/Satin finish. I jumped from room to room and worked somewhat non-linearly throughout this process. This was a Saturday, so I actually took the second photo using daylight.
I installed curtain rods ($30 for 2 rods), hung some curtains I already owned, and painstakingly mounted new ceiling fan hardware in the attic crawlspace and installed the new ceiling fan. I replaced all the beige outlets with new basic white outlets for safety and to match the fresh white trim. The night before my graduation ceremony, I spent about 2 hours installing our vinyl plank flooring in Espresso Kentucky Oak using a carpenter's square and a box cutter. Pulling boards tight with my hands was a challenge until I was given a box of tools for the job a few weeks later. :) My graduation gift to myself and my family was finishing the major base renovations in this room.Here are the Before and "Current" shots side by side for comparison:
