Old Town Home

Entry Hall Overhaul

One of the first major projects that we tackled when we purchased the house was the renovation of our entry hallway and stairs. Though a small area, the project was significant since it sets the tone for the rest of the house as guests enter. Also, since it was one of our first big projects, we were cutting our teeth on plastering, woodworking, and a whole lot of other goodies that go along with home renovation.

Overall, we're still very happy with the end results. The changes we made fit with the house, make the entry hall feel more inviting, and remain a major focal and discussion point with visiting guests. If only we had dropped a quarter into a jar every time someone has said, "So these diamonds... You painted them yourself? This is paint?"

Have a look around through the posts below that cover this project. From pulling up carpet and stripping the stairs to replacing an ugly pull chain hall light, installing a period transom to painting the walls, we've covered all of the major elements of this project that we're quite proud of.

Before

During

After

Monday, March 4, 2013

Boobs in the Hizzouse: You Voted, I'm Listening

Posted by Wendy

Comments 12

The boob is staying. Or at least that's what the popular vote dictates, much to my dismay. I'd like to thank everyone who voted in last weeks "au natural or cover that shit up" vote in regards to our feminine looking (in my opinion) Victorian doorstop, despite the fact that...

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Comments 12

Friday, June 10, 2011

How To Create a Harlequin Paint Treatment: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Posted by Wendy

Comments 13

In previous posts we've covered the renovation effort we embarked on to drastically overhaul our entryway. Given our home's modest facade and shotgun layout, the entry to our home is the first opportunity we have to make an impression on our guests. And when we purchased our home back in 2003,...

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Projects

Paint

Comments 13

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Hold On Tight! Staircase Wainscoting and Handrail Project

Posted by Alex

Comments 24

Back in April we covered part one and part two of our entry hall update. This significant feature of our home was what welcomed visitors and provided an initial impression of our home. We wanted arriving guests who were visiting for the first time to be pleasantly surprised by the home's...

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Projects

Woodworking

Comments 24

Friday, April 29, 2011

Our First Impression of Renovating: This is Harder Than it Looks!

Posted by Alex

Comments 11

We bought our house in January 2003. I started itching to write a blog chronicling our renovation adventures by 2004. Since then, I've bored my co-workers and Facebook friends with details of our follies over the years. It is now 2011 and we finally have our DIY blog up and...

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Comments 11

Thursday, April 28, 2011

You Only Have One Chance to Make a Good First Impression

Posted by Wendy & Alex

Comments 4

And our house was blowing it. Big time. Since this is the first week for our blog, we wanted to look back at a project that we tackled during our first week of home ownership that we feel made a significant impact on our home and how people were introduced to...

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