DIY Archives - The Weekend Country Girl

bathroom, Building a Home, Coldspring, DIY, guest house, Real Life, Texas, vintage style

The Inside of the Guest House is Finished

June 14, 2022June 14, 2022 Karen

Finally, finally, finally we have finished inside of the guest house. It was a project that we will enjoy for years to come and will increase the property value but man it was hard. I don’t recommend 60 years olds to take on this type project in the middle of a pandemic with supply chain issues and a shortage of contractors. Seriously.

We still have the porch ceiling to finish, erosion control, septic for the toilet (but it is happening this week!) and landscaping. It no longer stresses me to walk into the building knowing what we still have to do. Now I just get to enjoy being there.

I am going to link all the projects we have done here, mainly for myself, but if you haven’t followed along it might be something you want to check out. I apologize in advance for all the links!

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/04/01/progress-sort-of/

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/04/09/weekly-update-on-the-guest-house/

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/04/16/week-2-update/

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/05/02/the-struggle-is-real-remodeling-a-home-is-hard-right-now/

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/07/26/finally-an-update-on-the-guest-cottage/

*** If you are only going to look at one, this one has a good overview https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/07/30/learning-to-love-the-imperfections/

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/08/02/why-we-hired-a-pro-for-the-tub/

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2021/08/04/installing-a-vintage-kitchen-cabinet/

https://theweekendcountrygirl.com/2022/02/12/a-bathroom-vanity-from-scraps/

We now have a functioning 464 square foot house that has the ability to sleep 4. We have on demand hot water, air conditioning, a six foot antique claw foot tub, a 1935 kitchen sink, hardwood floors and a peaceful front porch.

We added these canvas prints of the gust house to remind us how far we have come.

The twin xl beds can be bolted together to create a king and a very cushy topper makes it more comfy than our bed.

We found the perfectly sized table and chairs on Facebook marketplace and the love seat is a double bed sleeper. The kitchenette is my second favorite area in the house. I love that sink and those vintage upper cabinets.

My favorite space is this beautiful bathroom.

Our final project was the closet. we finally have a place for all the stuff that we need but don’t want to see every day.

Thanks for following along on this year+ long journey.

We love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Coldspring, DIY, guest house

Guest House Closet

June 8, 2022June 13, 2022 Karen

I am really, really feeling like we are almost finished with the guest house. This past week we got the closet in the building built. It looks so good!

We built the closet on a concrete slab that was once where a wood burning stove sat. The closet is 4 foot by 6 foot and we decided not to add a ceiling. We knew we had to put the closet in this corner because the tankless hot water heater is there and it needs to be out out of sight!

We had a contractor do a terrible job sheet rocking the guest house so we decided we certainly couldn’t do any worse and jumped in. It looks great.

I can’t believe I didn’t get any pictures of the mudding and taping but my husband did a good job and I learned to do the screw divots. You can’t find them now!

After we finished the exterior we added shelves to the interior and remote controlled puck lights that can change colors. The add a cool glow out the top when the house is dark.

We saved a lot of money adding this closet by 1. Doing the work ourselves, 2. Buying a clearance pocket door frame that was too tall and cutting it down, 3. Using a door we bought at a garage sale and refinishing it, 4. Instead of priming walls, we used leftover latex paint before using the color we wanted.

We are so happy to have finished this project because it is the last inside project for the house. We are so close to being finished.

Thanks for following along on our journey.

Blessings,

Karen

cedar lumber, Coldspring, DIY, Mid Century

Hair Pin Leg Winfall

April 10, 2017April 10, 2017 Karen

I have a thing for mid century stuff. I particularly like hairpin legs. I never really cared for the Formica topped version of the 1950’s atomic, futuristic, sharp angled tables but I love the bent metal legs mixed with natural elements.

The photo above showed my screen when I searched Google Images for hairpin legs.
Two times in the last month hairpin legs fell into my lap thanks to The Social Planner.

At an estate sale my buddy, The Social Planner found this set of four coffee table legs. It was Sunday afternoon. They were getting ready to wrap up. I am not sure they knew what they were. I got them for $2.00. For the set. .50 per leg.

The coffee table legs are going to get a slab of cedar for a petite coffee table in the guest shed. It is under construction now.

The next set, my buddy found in a trash pile at our little cabin in the woods! There are three table height legs which isn’t that unusual. It was common to have three legs in hairpin tables. I wish I had a picture of her climbing into the pile to get them out. The photo below shows a three legged table off Etsy from Winespirations. I wish I had a wine barrel lid, but I think I will have something even cooler if I am just patient.

See the giant fallen tree below? Mr. Math is going to cut a section of this tree (called a cookie) for me to put on top of theses legs. The diameter of the trunk is 34 inches. I am not sure where it will end up when finished. I may be selling this particular table. It is going to be a fun project.

I sprayed all of the legs with a rust arresting spray paint then flat black paint. The will last forever if they aren’t allowed to rust.

Above is the difference between the legs once they are cleaned up and sprayed.

This is going to be a long process with lots of coats of poly, but I am looking forward to have something to do each evening that is pretty mindless. My life is about to have another twist in the road that even I did not see coming. More later. For now, the weather here is beautiful, the garden is growing, and it is dry enough to paint outside. Now if only the gale force winds would stop. Oh well, we can’t have it all.

Didn’t Mr. Math do a stellar job on the south pasture this weekend? It looks like a golf course.

I hope you had a great weekend.

Thank you for following along on our journey.

I love hearing from you,

Karen

Coldspring, DIY, Providence Acres

Summer Pojects

March 19, 2017June 12, 2017 Karen

Here it is spring break and already I am thinking about our summer projects.

We have three big projects to get done this summer.

1. We are going to redo our kitchen. Not a total gut, but repainting the cabinets, replacing the backsplash, new counter top, new farmhouse sink, new light fixture, and wall paint.

The picture above shows the kitchen the day we decided to buy the house. No more ceiling fan, a different peninsula light, recessed lighting installed, and a gas stove installed are the only structural changes that have occurred since we bought it.

The cabinets are going to be white and we are going to add a shaker style to them by adding to the cabinet faces.

Source: Home Depot

I think that the backsplash is going to large subway tile. I think. Not sure yet.
The counter tops are for sure going to be quartz that looks like marble.

Source: Home Depot

I think we are looking at something like santa margherita lyskamm

Once I decide on the backsplash I can get the wall paint color picked out.
The sink is going to be a white farmhouse sink. I am thinking about this one from Home Depot.

I haven’t decided for sure about the kitchen light but it is NOT going to be a huge fluorescent fixture. I really like this one from Home Depot.

2. We are going to get the guest shed started. This summer we are going to get the dropped ceiling in, fix the walls, get the plumbing moved and hopefully get the bathroom concrete poured. I really want it finished this summer but the reality is that if we get that far, we can work on the interior of the building a project at a time. We may have to have someone do our bathroom. I am not sure how time will work for us but I want us to have a space for family and friends to come and stay. I cannot wait for you to see my vision for the guest shed.

3. This project shouldn’t take long, but we really need an outdoor kitchen. Not want, we need one. I am not a germophobe but I cannot stand raw fish in my house. Ever. Like never. I really don’t love raw chicken in the house, either. If it is going to get grilled outside, it may as well get prepped outside, too. This is frankly the first project that needs to get done, so I have a sink to wash dishes in and food prep area when the inside kitchen is under construction. ( Just say no to washing dishes in the bathtub ever again.)

A sink station with a stainless steel sink and faucet out of our hoard. The top needs to be tile topped to make it more weather resistant.

Source: Studio C

We have electricity and water at the corner of the space so adding the sink right outside the deck and cabinets along the wall makes sense.

Counter space with cabinets underneath and around the grill. One set of wall cabinets for things like grill spray, oven mitts, and BBQ tools. We are going to use treated lumber for a shell, then clad it all in reclaimed cedar and tin.

Open the deck rail and extend the deck so that it is more comfortable for guests and has the smoker readily available. Also replace the wood parts on the smoker.

I didn’t make the deck look nice for pictures today. Mr. Math was on the tractor today but has promised to get it all cleaned up for our next get together so soon enough it will get power washed, scrubbed down and organized.

The projects sound daunting but we can do it. We also aren’t afraid to get help it it is too much. We are going to hire out the quartz counter tops and may have to hire help to get the decking done.

DIY, mudroom, Real Life, reclaimed wood

The Almost Finished Mudroom Bench

February 18, 2016February 18, 2016 Karen

I have to wonder, am I ever going to be able to show you a FINISHED project? I mean one that is completely done with nothing left to do kind of done. I think as long as we are weekenders that may not happen. It takes an hour to drive to our closest Home Depot or Lowe’s, as long we are quick with our shopping and scurry back. That never happens so it really takes at least three hours to go to town and back. Often when we don’t have what we need we move on to another project just to use our time wisely.

Our latest chapter in the almost done saga is our mudroom bench. It is functional now but not finished. I would say we are about 80 % done. Grrr.

Here is the lowdown on the progress:

The beautiful two inch thick cedar slab is installed. It is gorgeous.

We installed a ledger board around the perimeter that we glued to the drywall and screwed into the studs.

It is stunning.

What more can I say about this slab? It is something we will have forever.
In order to make the mudroom functional, we installed stock cabinets that we painted white above the bench. I am not in love with how big they are (30 inches tall), but we have such a shortage of storage in the house that aesthetics had to take a back seat to practicality. They will proved Mr. Math with closed storage right inside the door for his treasures. They are missing hardware because I completely forgot to pick it up at the store. We are going to have black hardware all around. The cabinets are not “built in” yet on the edges because they still need to be adjusted a little to fix gaps but we didn’t have the washers and shims needed to get it done.

The board and battens are in, but need paint touch ups, caulk, and we didn’t have enough quarter round to finish the moulding under the bench. Once the touch up paint is done, we will be getting the coat hooks up. I remembered to get them but couldn’t get them up because the other things didn’t get done.

I really am going to love this space. It will be a functional space that has the bonus of being a pretty place to stop and hang out.

It is very rewarding to see the progress we are making and I really need to cut myself some slack about what we get done. One day I will learn to do that. One day.

Thank you for following our progress. I love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Country Style, DIY, family, JJ Lane

Quilt Ladder DIY

January 27, 2016January 27, 2016 Karen

This past weekend I made my version of a quilt ladder so that I could hang my grandmother and great grandmother’s quilts out for display. I am lucky enough to have a collection of quilts from these amazing women.

I used several sites to get an idea what to do but in the end, I did my own thing.

The tricky part for me was figuring out how to cut an angle so that the board leaned against the wall and still was flat on the bottom. I over-thought the whole process. Mr. Math just took the board and leaned it so that it stuck out against the wall 18 inches. He then took a straight edge and drew a line where it touched in both places. No pictures because he was done before I got there it was so fast.

I cut the ladder rungs out of 1X4 board. They were 20 inches long.

I am crazy about the laser light on our saw.
Once the boards were cut I clamped them all together and trimmed the edge to make sure they were exactly equal.

I hate wood that is printed on. It just adds to the sanding. The bottom angle of the boards are showing here.

I stained everything before assembly. It was the smartest thing I have done in a while. I was able to get an even coat on everything that way.

Mr.Math measured and predrilled the holes for the rungs on one board. He then clamped the two long boards together and drove the screws in so that they put a hole on the other board.

He is a genius! That made sure the rings were level.

We started the top rung 3 inches down from the top then down every 12 inches.

I really didn’t expect to get it finished so quickly so I did not have all of my quilts for the rack. It is going to be awesome to have those memories around me.

Thanks for following on our journey to turn our 1980’s home into our forever home.

Blessings,

Karen

Building a Home, cedar lumber, Coldspring, Country Style, DIY, DIY Furniture, Ranch House Overhaul, reclaimed wood

Making a Coffee Bar

January 6, 2016 Karen

My kids love coffee, hot chocolate, and hot tea. I like it all too, but I really love the idea of having everything that our guests need set up away from the kitchen when breakfast/ evening meal prep is underway.

We have just the spot in our home for a coffee bar and we have just the materials to make a rustic coffee bar based on inspiration from The Summery Umbrella. I purchased windows last winter at an epic garage sale for $2.00 each. I brought our stash of reclaimed cedar planks and the storage buildings contain more random wood.

We used the windows as the basis for the front of the cabinet. When we laid out the windows it was obvious that they would have to go into the cabinet horizontal instead of vertical like My Summery Umbrella was able to do. The vintage windows are large and heavy and with them hung horizontally, the cabinet will still be slightly taller than counter height. The length of the bar is 90 inches. It is 12 inches wide and made from cedar we took off our old lake house, Star Hill that we have stored and moved. We really do like our reclaimed wood.

The next step was building the skeleton. We had enough reclaimed wood but a mistake meant we needed two new 2×4’s.

We got a new toy recently…a planer. Oh my goodness, Mr. Math got a good deal on Craig’s List but I was skeptical. I did not know how much I would love it. It makes all my mismatched thicknesses of reclaimed wood play nice with each other and knocks the sanding down to just finish sanding in minutes. We planed two 12 inch wide planks for the top and sides.

Any time you work with reclaimed wood and supplies it means you have to do a lot of trial and error. It feels sort of like we are playing a game of Tetris.

We used outdoor gate hinges and black iron handles for a couple of reasons; the windows are stinkin’ heavy and I liked how the black looked against the white and reclaimed cedar.

The display area will be filled with my pitchers, milk glass, and vintage cookware. I didn’t have everything up at the house but I put what I had in for you to get an idea.

We already used it as a serving counter on New Year’s Eve.

The coffee bar is going to serve a lot of purposes when we have a crowd. Having 90 inches of serving space away from the kitchen counters will be great.

Let’s face it, most of the time it is going to be a drink station.

Left overs from New Year’s Eve.

An all sorts of drinks station. (You have no idea how hard I had to look to scrounge up the drinks above!)

Mainly it will be a coffee/ tea bar, because that is who we are.

Here it is in our daily life. It will be a cluttered mess so my kitchen doesn’t have to be full of stuff. I am going to love this piece. It is narrow and provides room for the front door to open, it provides me 7 and a half feet of additional counter surface, and it looks like it belongs in our house. Be still my heart.

The house is coming along. I am proud of the progress we are making as we make Providence Acres our forever home.

Mr. Math and I are both thrilled to share our journey with you as we go. Thank you for the kind words you share.

Blessings,

Karen

collecting, Country living, Country Style, crafting, Decorating with mirrors, DIY, home decorating, Map, Ranch House Overhaul

Craft/ Guest Room Update

January 5, 2016February 11, 2016 Karen

Over the holidays we got a little done on the craft/ guest room. We aren’t finished with the room, but I am excited with how it is turning out. I love that this room really will have two functions.

The Guest Room

It is a guest room when the Murphy Bed is down and the Expando-Matic is closed.

See my zinc mirror? It found a great home after I changed offices and lost space at work.

I am planning an accent wall inside the Murphy Bed.

The quilt 0n top was made by my great grandmother. I just picked up the turquoise suitcase for fifty cents at a resale shop. I had to show it off.

The shelves that hold my globes collected over the years are made from left over plywood from the Murphy Bed build and brackets from Lowe’s. The yellow clock has a story. My dad was getting rid of the clock frame so I snagged it. The shutter was out of my stash. It got a coat of paint and will be my idea board.

The Craft Room

When the Murphy Bed is up and the Expando-Matic is pulled out I have six glorious feet of craft space. The most unfinished function of the room is the craft part. I need the leaves for the epansion built, some things installed, and the closet redesigned.

It is going to be awesome.

I am a lucky girl.

Here are some closer shots of the walls. The Texas map was rescued from the trash. Someone used permanent marker on it, the frame was broken and the bottom was messed up. It was perfect for me. I got the market off with hairspray in case you didn’t know that trick.

The room is coming together.

Thanks for following our journey to make our ranch into our forever home.

Blessings,

Karen

Coldspring, crafting, DIY, JJ Lane, Ranch House Overhaul

Murphy Bed

December 15, 2015December 15, 2015 Karen

You know that Lowe’s commercial where the announcer says “How to install a washer and dryer with one finger” then the lady points her finger and says to the installer…” A little to the left please”? According to Mr. Math, that is how our next, if there is a next, Murphy Bed will be installed.

We are better than average woodworkers, who aren’t afraid to take on a project, but this particular project was a challenge. It took a lot of work, a couple of “do-overs”, and challenged our following written directions skills. Our first clue was when the instructions came in THREE separate booklets.

Mr. Math started on the project one weekend, worked on it every night for at least an hour, then finished it on Sunday afternoon of the second weekend. All together I would guess he had about 15 hours of work involved and another two hours of watching the included video and reading the manuals.

There was a lot of gluing and clamping then waiting involved.
He brought everything to our week day house so he could work then moved it all back to assemble. Everything had to have blue tape with what it was in order to get it assembled correctly.

The kit we ordered included all metal hardware.

The plywood base for the bed was too flimsy for Mr. Math. We ripped it out and are putting in a more rigid base.

Here is the cabinet assembled and the wall board ready to go. This flat board is attached to the studs.

A stud using a stud finder. 😀

Open without hydrolic rods installed.

Closed. We still need to install the handles so Me. Math installed a string that allows us to pull it down.

Down with hydrolics installed and mattress in place.

Am I sorry we did this ourselves? No. It is quality construction that will last us a lifetime. We now have a room that can serve more that one use. It cost us more that I anticipated (all in it was about $600.) This is not a project for beginners. It required some skill and lots of tools.

Next step will be painting the room, painting the cabinet. installing the rest of the floor, decorating, and gettin leaves done for the expand-o- matic. This will end up being my favorite room in the house.

After Christmas we will get busy on the details.

Thanks for following along on our journey.

Blessings,

Karen

Coldspring, Country living, Country Style, DIY, Flooring

The Flooring Reveal

October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 Karen

I do believe we have discovered the perfect flooring for our hard-working, very active house. It is durable, water-resistant, doesn’t take any special equipment, and it floats over the slab so it allows for movement.

We purchased Tranquility brand Rustic Reclaimed Oak click and lock vinyl planks from Lumber Liquidators and I am so happy that we did. The cost for vinyl plank flooring was less than $2.00 a square foot.

This picture was taken in the sunshine so you could get an idea how realistic the pattern is.

We have purchased the quarter round shoe molding but it was a very busy weekend and it did not get installed. Bummer.

I just couldn’t wait to show you the floor. My buddy, The Social Planner, also clued me in to this amazing microfiber mop/ duster thing from O’Cedar. It is a must have for this type flooring.