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Old 04-01-2013, 09:45 AM   #1
Matt A
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OMGHi2U home renovation showcase thread

There's a couple renovation threads for certain projects, but nothing for just showing off a completed job or for showing the process. I didn't want to jumble up the OT Home Owners: Home Improvement Tips, Tools & Technologies thread either.

My latest home reno job was to redo the second bedroom/office...

I've been using our small second bedroom as an office area since we moved in a couple years ago. All of our books are in the basement in boxes, taking up tons of room down there. I've been wanting to create a space where both Ally and I can work and where we can keep all our books. The plan was to make the entire back wall a large wall of shelves. I bought all the shelf standards and brackets from a local manufacturer - www.rakks.com - very cool stuff. Then, had my cousin make the shelves from nice birch ply with a 1/4" facing (not that iron on veneer).

Well, we went to put up the standards after I found where the studs were and realized that the old lath/horse hair plaster wall was so uneven that a straight shelf would looks ridiculous if we put it up. So... we decided to rip out the wall entirely, fur out the wall and put up new drywall. I tore down the wall and realized that if I was ever going to fix the ****ty drop ceiling (that undulated like a wave) that now was the time to do it, plus Ally really hated it. So, the ceiling came down too. That of course meant that I could also add some recessed lighting and a switch and a blank plate to add a ceiling fan at a later time. oh and outlets! I added a center outlet a bit higher than the other two so it could be at shelf height, then put in the type of outlet that has two usb ports for charging phones, etc. very cool!

I also built a new desk by "customizing" some stuff from Ikea. Ally also got the sitting/work area she wanted - I got a chair and laptop desk from Ikea as well. Of course, she loves working at the huge desk too, and that's fine.


on to the photos!

Before:





Horizontal furring strips were used so we could put the shelf standards anywhere we wanted and not have to worry about where the studs were. We put a strip at each of the standard's screw hole locations









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Old 04-01-2013, 09:45 AM   #2
Matt A
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Two size shelves were used and the long ones (70") are a bit warped. Once the books are on them they will flatten out quickly:



Ally testing her spot:



Pickles jumped up on the low shelf immediately:





oh, my old desk for reference, what a mess!





got the books put away and the Flor carpet set up








that was like 20 ****ing boxes of books, it looks like nothing on those shelves!
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:47 AM   #3
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That is a ****load of shelves.

Nice work, bitch.
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:48 AM   #4
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Looks good.
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:48 AM   #5
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That looks damn good! Nice work.
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:50 AM   #6
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Pickles!
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:50 AM   #7
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Ugh, I need to rip the ceiling out of our master bath to add a fan/vent. Right now it's tiled.
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:52 AM   #8
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That looks awesome Matt.

My wife is a voracious reader and book hoarder. We have at least 3 spots in the house with shelving w/ similar capacity and probably higher density. On the bright side - my six year old reads better than a lot of college students.

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Old 04-01-2013, 09:55 AM   #9
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Nice, very modern and clean looking. My wife would freak if she saw that many bookshelves...she's a huge book nerd and already complains that the 3 floor to ceiling bookcases in our study are full.

We just did a bathroom reno with a new vanity, floor tile, light fixture, shower hardware and mosaic tile vanity top. I'll try to remember to post some before and after pics in here.
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:55 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpicheva View Post
My wife is a voracious reader and book hoarder. We have at least 3 spots in the house with shelving w/ similar capacity and probably higher density. On the bright side - my six year old reads better than a lot of college students.

Definitely a good problem to have.
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Old 04-01-2013, 09:56 AM   #11
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Love the shelving. I want to do something similar to my spare bedroom, which is now just a repository for my spinning bike and a ping pong table. The walls are painted paneling, so I have some gutting to do first. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Old 04-01-2013, 10:05 AM   #12
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thanks all! It was going to be a weekend project that turned into a 2 month project. But, it turned out great and is now a wonderful space to work.
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Old 04-01-2013, 10:18 AM   #13
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Quote:
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thanks all! It was going to be a weekend project that turned into a 2 month project. But, it turned out great and is now a wonderful space to work.
The lighting looks perfect too. Not too harsh -- good for reading.
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Old 04-01-2013, 10:22 AM   #14
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4 dimmable LED recessed lights.
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Old 04-01-2013, 10:24 AM   #15
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Looks great! Makes me feel lazy for not putting the finishing touches on my floor yet.
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Old 04-01-2013, 10:26 AM   #16
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That is a really nice home office. Good work.
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Old 04-01-2013, 10:49 AM   #17
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amazing job! How old is your house?

I am considering gutting our walls too, built in 1960 and virtually no insulation.
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Old 04-01-2013, 10:54 AM   #18
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Quote:
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amazing job! How old is your house?

I am considering gutting our walls too, built in 1960 and virtually no insulation.
Built in 1873, no insulation either! The office is much warmer now.
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:16 AM   #19
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Quote:
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Built in 1873,
Wow.
WOW.

That is amazing. I knew you had an old place...no idea it was that old.
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:22 AM   #20
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Do you two do all the work yourself or did you have any help?

I wish I had even a smidgen of ability at any of these home improvement tasks.
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:35 AM   #21
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I'd do something like this in our living room if I knew it wouldn't turn into a 6mo project. We need much better lighting....
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:35 AM   #22
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Quote:
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Do you two do all the work yourself or did you have any help?

I wish I had even a smidgen of ability at any of these home improvement tasks.
Contractor did the ceiling and electrician did the wiring - no need for me to risk burning down the house.
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:36 AM   #23
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Quote:
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Do you two do all the work yourself or did you have any help?

I wish I had even a smidgen of ability at any of these home improvement tasks.
It's not hard to learn, the trick is to get way in over your head, so you HAVE to figure out how to fix it. That's how I replaced by back door.
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:38 AM   #24
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Quote:
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It's not hard to learn, the trick is to get way in over your head, so you HAVE to figure out how to fix it. That's how I replaced by back door.
I end up crying in a corner and then calling someone to help me.
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:44 AM   #25
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I was going to do the whole thing, but then we decided to take down the ceiling and add lights... so that sorta sealed the decision to hire someone.
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