Nursery Construction 101

As some of you may know, we needed to do some major construction to the nursery this summer in preparation for Baby J's arrival. Not just a coat of paint and some furniture. Some major construction.

So, here is what we've done so far...and as always, pictures never show the real amount of work it takes to do a project like this.

Step 1: Clear the room of all furniture and odds and ends stored in it for 2 years. We did this back in April. It has now spilled into the other parts of our basement.

Step 2: Fix, replace and repair vents (see picture above). The vent on the far end is the fan from our bathroom that had to be re-routed outside. The vent in the middle is our dryer vent that had been leaking small bits of lint all over the room for about 2 years. And the final part was installing a new heat vent into the room.
Step 3: Gather friends and hang dry wall on the ceiling. Not an easy task. Then tape, mud and sand seams (and repeat 2-3 times). Then, texture the ceiling with a paint roller.

So far, Joel has completed most of Steps 1-3 either on his own or with great help from friends. We couldn't have done it without help!

Step 4: Gather friends and paint, paint, paint. I had some great friends who came and busted through a bunch of painting projects in one morning. It was really amazing! They painted the ceiling and the walls (a nice tan color) and a number of other odds and ends--shelves, baseboards, etc...

Then Joel was able to install the light fixture and vent cover. I put on all the outlet covers & it's really starting to look like a real room!

Step 5: (To be worked on this Sunday) Level the floor. Somewhere in the last 30 years, the floor in the this room has cracked and one end has sunk about 4-5 inches. It wasn't a problem when we were just using the room for storage, but it is pretty noticable now that we want to use it as an actual bedroom. So, a friend of Joel's is coming over to help him level it out on Sunday using 2"x4"s and subflooring. I'm not exactally sure how it will work, but I have full confidence they will do a great job!

You can kind of see in this picture how far the cement has sunk down from the bottom of the drywall. The drywall is level, the floor is not!

Step 6 & Beyond: To be completed ASAP. We will have carpet installed (also on our stairs, in our bedroom, etc...) I am really looking forward to that! We'll need to install baseboards, some trim & window sills. But, all of that can be done post-baby if we have to. I already have curtains, decor and everything else ready to be moved in!

I am anxious to get it all completed, but I know that sometimes I just have to be a bit more patient. Joel has worked on this project very hard all summer while trying to manage vacations, grad school and a pregnant wife. He has been a great husband!

I'll let you know when we get some more of it done. (and by "we" I really mean Joel!)