Let me begin by sharing that I'm not really sure how we made it through this project without one of us crying. At 7:15 am, it's not the right time to look at a newly taped and mudded wall and say out loud "You better be f***ing fixing this wall later or I'll call someone" while your boyfriend is still half asleep. I'm pretty sure never is the right time to say that after he spent hours putting that new wall up, but I'm also pretty sure he still loves me. Not my best moment, but when all you can think about is how much it's going to cost to go back and fix something it throws you in a state of panic.
Our master closet was small. It was technically a walk-in when we moved into the house, but it was tiny, and the wire shelving wasn't utilizing the space. The first time I saw it I remember scrunching my face until I saw the other room. The guest bedroom had a huge closet that spanned the wall shared with our closet and had two entrances, so obviously one of those doors had to go. In all fairness, the comment that I mentioned earlier came two days after this phone conversation:
Tim: Hey baby what's up.
Me: Nothing. Done with work and I'm headed home.
Tim: Good. Soooo don't be mad but I blew through the wall today.
Me: Without me? Damn.
Tim: Yeah, it's better that way. Looks big. Also a big mess so be careful when you come in. See you later love you byeeeee *click*
And now the closet was past the point of no return. As much as I'd love to tell you that we didn't have any problems with the studding and setting the new wall and closing in the door hole to the other bedroom, this was not easy. This is likely the reason Tim won't even listen my little whines about building our own built-ins in the living room. He's still recovering from the closet... and it was nearly two months ago. Truth is, I caved to my inner-crazy and called one of our friends to come help us smooth out that wall. A reasonably priced handyman is a new home owner's dream. Once everything was plastered and set, we finally painted the walls navy. Navy is one of those colors you see on Pinterest and really want to use somewhere in your house but are too chicken to actually do it. Since I was set on having white shelving (and a lot of it) I hoped it would balance well with the blue.
Tim let me design how I wanted my part of the closet. I gave him a drawing that could have been better executed by a 6 year-old, and Tim made it happen. We ripped plywood at Lowes for the shelves and used trim around the edges. The most annoying part of the whole project was the painting. All that wood has to be painted and then repainted once it's up where it's supposed to be. (And someone was still staining those cabinets downstairs in the kitchen...) Tim finished my side first and then took about a week to finish how he wanted everything. Super tall people need super tall shelves. (And fancy hand made tie racks...)
I haven't mentioned the holy grail of tools in this blog. Yes, Tim is incredibly handy, but the reason we can even get this stuff done is because we have a Kreg Jig. If you haven't heard of a Kreg Jig, it's a device used to put holes in wood to join pieces at 90 degree angles without using biscuits or dowels. The Kreg, the saw, and the tool set made this year the best Christmas ever (for me) and everything was addressed to Tim.
Some good points to remember:
- Someone will cut wood for you at your choice of home store.
- Plywood is still better wood than particle board.
- Blowing out a wall makes a HUGE DUSTY MESS EVERYWHERE.
- "Low-dust plaster" is a liar.
- Master closet remodels improve equity...we hope.
(The guest bedroom new wall-->) Mandy