Master Bath Renovation – Part 2 – Never Ending Demo (This Old Dean House)

This bathroom was like demo’ing a lasagna…layer upon layer upon layer. Paneling, drywall, wallpaper, beadboard, wood lathe…you name it, and this bathroom had it. I was already planning to remove one wall entirely. As I dug deeper, I realized I needed to get all the way to the studs to make sure the structural walls …

Master Bath Renovation – Part 1 – Find The Missing Water Pipes (This Old Dean House)

Our tiny “master” bathroom had the pipes for the upstairs bathroom running through it. We think they added the upstairs bathroom in the 1940s. Both bathrooms have been remodeled several times since then. To repipe the entire house, I had to find those pipes. This was one of my very first projects. It started a …

Dining Room Renovation – This Old Dean House

We repiped the house, and the upstairs bathroom was above the dining room. The quest to find the plumbing led to the excavation of the dining room ceiling. This eventually led to the entire drop ceiling coming out to complete the room’s renovation. It was interesting to try to piece together 135 years of home …

Emily’s Wallpaper Removal Project – This Old Dean House

There were about 5 layers of wallpaper in our 135-year-old foyer. I say ‘were’ because Emily went wild and started rippin”, tearin’, scrapin’ and sprayin’…and now there are zero layers of wallpaper in our foyer. We were going to repaint (or rewallpaper). I say ‘were’ because we decided we ain’t gonna do that.

BEFORE and AFTER – Den Remodel – This Old Dean House

It could have just been some drywall patching and a little paint. It wasn’t. Foundation damage, ceiling damage, and a whole-house plumbing repipe turned what should have been an easy room into a darn big project. I think we moved in and out of the Den four different times over many months as we lived …

“Emergency” Mulching – This Old Dean House

This was the most challenging house project we’ve undertaken so far. But I liked it the most. The area near the street is still a mess, but it is much better than it was. I put this emergency to bed with my trusty shovel and some back-breaking work. Whoever put gravel in this area is …

This Old Dean House – Outdoor Renovation List

We’ve been doing inside renovations for several months, but when the weather warmed up, I got to thinking about all the outside projects/renovations. I’d rather be outside than inside almost always. I go from 1) there isn’t that much to do to 2) I’m so overwhelmed I’m crippled really quickly. LOL Emily and I don’t …

Finally…Window Treatments – This Old Dean House

The window treatments that were in the house when we moved in had seen better days. It was the first thing I wanted to update (because it had crack house vibes). Also, I don’t want to be walking around half-naked with people looking in at me. Emily said we had to wait until almost everything …