Home Improvements

When we first looked at our potential home about a year and a half ago, it had some fantastic features and some not so fantastic features.

One of the home's best attributes is it's location, the Village of Millerton, and the fact that the property is only a block off Main Street, on a large lot, and on a quiet culdesac. What they say about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION is entirely true.

I also fell in love with the oak woodwork - especially the red-oak floors which were in terrific shape. But from the start I knew I needed to make some changes to bring this home from stuck in the 70's to a more contemporary feel - but without losing it's Victorian charm.

As I've mentioned before, practically every room had wallpaper. And, as I've said, the idea of updating an entire home - practically by myself - was daunting. So, I had to pick projects. My first project was the foyer. I began by stripping off all the old wallpaper which left unfinished walls. I then "thin coated" the walls which is not necessarily a difficult task - but an arduous one indeed. Coat, sand, coat, sand, fix dings, coat, sand.... you get the picture.

FINALLY, this past weekend I was able to prime the walls and PAINT!

This is what the view from the staircase

- looking into the foyer and living room through French doors -

looked like when I purchased the home.

And this is what the foyer looks like now!

(Note, however, it's not done yet. Obviously the tape protecting the molding must come down, the radiator needs to be dealt with, the paper protecting the floor needs to be removed - but you get the idea. More photos will be posted when the project is completed so stay tuned.)

This fantastic shade of red is Benjamin Moore's Caliente (muy HOT - that's for sure). It changed the entire feel of the foyer. It's fun, warm, inviting and exciting. I learned a few things along the way that will definitely help with future painting projects.

• If you're going to paint RED, then prime with grey first. (These walls took 4 coats of paint - and I could probably have done more.)
• Leave yourself lots of time - it always takes longer than you think.
• Prep! Yes, put down that protective layer of paper or drop cloths and secure them tightly. It will really help when it comes to clean up and your whole painting project will go smoother.

I can't wait to get back at it! Only a few more steps before the foyer is complete and then I'll be able to move on to the next project. YAYE.