how to remove a drop ceiling {drop it like it’s hot}

We’ve definitely transitioned from a few small pieces of molding on the floor to a full-scale demolition in our lining room (you know that room, the living / dining room combo room).  Here’s the full house tour video {before} for a glimpse into where we started.

It was so fun to hear from those of you who watched the video … we’re excited to see the transformation, too!!

Knock on wood … because there is an abundance of it around here … but we’re pretty happy that we haven’t had to take any walls all the way down to the studs … yet.  We’ve uncovered Dade County Pine on every surface (walls and ceilings) so far.

Luckily we love the wood slat look.  :)

Now, we aren’t necessarily the ‘define a plan’ and ‘follow the plan in order’ kind of DIYers.

Especially when it comes to these older homes.  We’ve learned to never get our heart set on one idea, because you just never know what you’re going to find when you start uncovering the changes the previous owners have made over the years.

Hello old front doorway hidden under paneling.
living room demolition

So when we first brainstormed ideas for this combo room transition I was in love with the idea of vaulted ceilings.  We have high ceilings in most of the house, but this weird shorter ceiling in the very front, where you enter.

This front 5 feet of house was the original porch.  And we love the added square footage the previous owners created by enclosing that porch and then adding a new porch to the front of that.  But we don’t like this weird ceiling line it created.
living room demolition

And that it is so short right when you walk in we think it makes the whole room feel smaller, even though the rest of the ceilings are 9 feet tall and this room is pretty good-sized (for Key West).

So, the whole design of the front part of that room had me thinking if we vaulted the rest of the ceiling it would make such a stunning statement (remember my inspiration shots?).

Lo and behold, we uncovered a complete Dade County Pine ceiling.  Seriously, we get wood slats on the ceiling, too, and we don’t need to install any wood?

This reclaimed wood loving girl is in house heaven!!

And once I found my grove, the removal of the drop ceiling actually went pretty quickly.

Here are the steps for how to remove a drop ceiling.
how to remove a drop ceiling

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house tour video {before}

Happy, happy Friday!!

We have made some serious progress on the living and dining room this week.  Raise your hand if you love a little demolition.  Yeah, me too!!

Remember the wall o’ mirrors??
wall of mirrorsWell, behind that was the omnipresent paneling, and then drywall and then what we’ve found under it all … painted Dade County Pine.
dade county pine wall paintedAnd then we did this …
dade county pine wall stripped

Lucky for me, and maybe you (you’ll have to decide on that), I took a little walk through of the house before we really got started.  (I guess the part where I trip over the molding I had already taken down proves it wasn’t actually before I got started, but it was still day one.)  :) (more…)

dumba$$ disclaimer {some common sense required}

Hey y’all!!  Happy Monday to you!!

I hope you had a great weekend.  We were finally able to dive head first into living room demolition around here, and man did it feel good.
living room before

Well, not the stepping on staples after taking down the drop ceiling because I was walking around with bare feet, or getting debris in my eyes as I was trying to tear down drywall because I wasn’t wearing safety glasses.

Those things really didn’t feel good.

And as I was taking a few ‘action shots’ of some of the steps of our demo … a thought occurred to me. (more…)

upcycling ideas {8 ways to use regular things around your house in unique ways}

I promise.  There really was a plan.  It was well thought out.  And it was going to work.

Just to recap, we have just relocated from Curacao to Key West and closed on our new-to-us-house.

And when we moved to Curacao over three years ago we didn’t take much of our stuff with us.  We just didn’t really know what we were in for and didn’t want to get down there with a ton of things we not only wouldn’t need but couldn’t use, or wouldn’t have room for or whatever.  And it really was a great plan.

We left 90% of our things in storage in our previous location in Maryland.  So, when we arrived here in Key West and found a house (that seriously is perfect for us in so many ways) we thought it made sense to get all of our things in one place again.  So, I trekked up to Maryland and sifted through our things and lo and behold we had another whole truck shipment arrive at our new-to-us little home last week.

The well laid out, strategized and over analyzed plan was this:

1. Close on the house – check
2. Things from Curacao arrive – check
3. Settle into one bedroom, one bathroom and the kitchen with those things that we’ve been living with for the last three years - check
(We will be remodeling/renovating the entire house, starting with the living/dining area and just wanted to create a few comfortable spots to be in during the whole process)
4. Things from Maryland arrive - check
5. Store all furniture pieces in the carport, tools in the shed and boxes in the guest bedroom and leave the furniture and boxes as is until we finish the living/dining area redo and have a need for things like decor and accessories and side tables and such …

So far so good … not a bad plan, right?!?!?

But this is where the well laid plan failed me … when I was organizing the shed and all of our tools in preparation for the reno project … I couldn’t find the sawzall.  You know that tool.  This one, we have a Ridgid.

And we already have a list of quick fixes we can do around the yard with this guy so I really felt like I needed to find it rightthatsecond.

So I started unpacking boxes.  And more boxes … and even more boxes.

And I rediscovered things like “we have a coffee bean grinder”, and “we really do own more than 4 plates and 2 bowls”, and “we have a goose on a cake plate“.
upcycling ideas in the bathroom

And this happened.
upcycling ideas in the bathroom

This bookcase was supposed to serve as a pantry in the short term, until we get to our kitchen remodel, but now it’s more of a thrift store (just like our shed).  And instead of finishing organizing the shed, I’m grabbing random things and using them to try to add a little bit of form to our functional set up right now.  I’m literally shopping the thrift store house, and taking everyday items and coming up with upcycling ideas for them without even changing them … just by using them in unique ways.
upcycling ideas in the bathroom

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my man is making a yardscape

I want to start with a note to express my deepest concern for everyone affected by the events yesterday at the Boston Marathon.  Many of you know I am originally a New Englander and part of my heart will always reside there.  I had a dear friend run in the marathon who, thankfully, finished before the explosions happened. And I’m incredibly grateful that two of my cousins who were at the event are safe and sound … and proud to say one was able to stay and provide help to the injured.  That sports medicine degree is already coming in handy, Taylor.

Seriously, my first post title thought was ‘my yard is manscaped’.  As in, my yard was put in order by my man … but we all know that’s not really what that collection of words says, now don’t we.  :)
yardscape ideas for small spaces

But, to refocus here, I really need to brag on my man for just a minute.  Usually I’m more about mocking him, that’s no secret.  But for anyone who knows us in real life there are a few things that are for sure. (more…)

our shed is a thrift shop

Hey hey!!  How goes it today?

One of the most fun things I’ve been able to do since closing on this house is sift through all kinds of goodness that was left in our back yard shed.  You know, our big back yard.

vintage finds from an old shed - it's like our shed is a thrift shop

Admittedly it took me much longer to get to where we are today than it would have, say Joel.  As may have been pointed out to me a time or two.  ;)

But I like old junk and sifting through it all made me think that our shed is a thrift shop.  And who doesn’t like to shop for things they’ve already paid for?  ;) (more…)

real simple garden tool storage

Hi there!  How are you today?

I am doing great.  To say that Joel and I are like kids in a candy store settling into our new space is an understatement.  We thought we had an understanding about how much we really missed tinkering around a house and yard and creating a space we love.  But seriously, even we didn’t realize exactly how much this little move would fill us up.

AHHHHHHHH!

Yeah, that’s pretty much what it sounds like inside my brain on a regular basis right now.

But that’s not to say it’s all warm and fuzzy all the time.  I am constantly oscillating between unpacking more boxes and then organizing the madness that has been unpacked.

One of my personal priorities is the shed/tool storage and getting everything in order so there is at least a little sense of order when we start tearing apart every room around here.  And getting everything out of order.  :)

real simple garden tool storage (more…)

one of the easiest pallet projects ever

Do you remember the last time you moved?  When you unpacked your things in your new house and all these old memories flooded back of those same things on your old space?

I’ve been relishing the nostalgia of it all for about a week.  With every new box I opened I would uncover some of my favorite upcycling ideas or pallet projects.  The palm frond pumpkin made it pretty much unscathed!  And all of the pallet art projects need to find a new home here.

And then when I found the diy door trough, one of the easiest pallet projects ever, I thought the tutorial was worth resharing.  This little gem might just happens to be one of the first bits of pretty around here.
one of the easiest pallet projects ever

After I shared this tutorial I also shared how to reverse image and text in Word and make an easy little Welcome sign for your pallet projects. (more…)