Breezeway Stage 1 aka No Poop Allowed!

We spent this past weekend finishing up stage 1 of the breezeway remodel. It's a really akward space to photograph but here is it almost at the beginning, dark wood, wood paneling and falling down ceiling texture. Craig had already taken off some odd fake support pieces but you can see where they attached in the upper corner. And the possible asbestos tiles were removed before we moved in almost 5 years ago but their lines remained.

This is after Craig

• took the texture off the ceiling
• primed everything
• painted ceiling and trim white
• painted walls gray

Then I was up. I laid the main tiles Saturday afternoon and Craig helped me cut the rest and place them after the kids went to bed. It is not a square room to say the least (he had a heck of a time leveling that door) which made for a few annoying cuts but working together we got it done by 10pm which made me happy.

Also, funny story (don't you love diy stories that start out that way). We've had this tile in the basement ever since the bathroom project. After I used it there and liked it, I knew I wanted to get more matching tile for this room and since it was on sale and I was worried the pattern would be gone, we got it then, knowing we wouldn't use it for a while. Imagine my surprise when I opened the new box only to discover it was a different pattern. So I had half a box of tile that matched my bathroom and 2 boxes of a similar color scheme but very different pattern. Oh crap! Luckily, I really liked the new stuff, it had bits of grey but also more tan and I think it looked even better in this space than the old stuff. But I was still short about half a box. We tried thinking of a pattern that wouldn't look awkward but eventually Craig ran to Home Depot. And as luck would have it, they not only had it in stock (we had ordered this online) but they had some tiles you could buy loose. He bought all but the last one and we were only out about $15 in the end.  I'm just glad I looked at all three boxes before I had already laid the old. And that the new stuff matched my wall color, because I had color matched it to the old and there is no way Craig was going to repaint if it didn't go.

Then it was time to grout. Because apparently, grouting is what I do when I am 5 months pregnant. And apparently, I always steal Craig's clothes to do it, since I think I am wearing the same shirt of his in both pictures. But it makes sense. I have a very limited maternity wardrobe and there is no way I would risk getting grout on my one pair of maternity shorts. Those things have to last until September at least! But this time. I had more "help" overseeing my work

 

But as of yesterday afternoon:

I love it so far! We still need to trim out the door, put a new light switch and outlet in and then figure out the organizational part to help with the functionality. And I'd love a new light fixture. I know pineapples are a symbol of hospitality but it's not really my style so how about I just say "Welcome" when I open the door. But already it is so much brighter and cleaner. I'm teaching the kids to be very vigilant about shutting the doors because for some reason, the chickens love this space and want nothing more than to poop in it. Which was annoying before but it now strictly forbidden. Because even with a pineapple on the ceiling, poop isn't welcoming to guests.