Another Build

Remember Slim's room? It was literally a sea. Dark blues, browns, and light blue on every wall, with various sea animals painted everywhere.

Here is what it looked like the first time we walked into this house, back in January 2010.


Cute, but not almost seven-year-old-boy cute.

Finally, back towards the end of August, I was ready to tackle his room. I know what you are thinking. "August? The end of August? You mean immediately after you were physically, emotionally and financially drained from finishing your back patio and tree fort?"

Yes. You are correct. A mere days after we totally finished our back yard projects, I started feeling that feeling. That feeling you get when you want something changed and you want it changed now. This seems to be a constant struggle of mine. Finish one major project only to start another.

But this one was fun. Slim was ready for his room to be painted and I also promised him a bunk bed.

Since starting to build earlier this year, I have been dying for a bigger project. My desk was fun, but I wanted a more complicated challenge. A bed for Slim seemed perfect. This summer, in Alaska, Slim and his cousin slept on his newly build loft bed that my brother had made. This seemed like a great option. Only, unlike my nephew's bed, I did not want Slim's bolted into the wall.

Also, since my kids still like to sleep together, a loft bed seemed like the perfect fit. Peaches' bed would just go underneath, then, in the event she is ready for her own space, her bed can move and Slim still has a ton more space for Lego building.

I found some decent plans online and modified them to fit what we would need. Since I am cheap, I also bought build-grade lumber, which is only sanded with about 80 girt. Since this was a bed, I had to hand sand (also 'cause I am cheap & did not want to invest in a sander) all the wood for the bed three times. That is a lot.

Then I had to prime and seal the wood before I could paint it.

So, in between sanding, sealing, and painting I worked on the room itself. I primed the walls. I primed the ceiling (yes, they painted the ceiling! WHY?) I put up new trim and base boards. Because I wanted Slim's room to match Peaches', I hung chair rail and decided to paint the walls two colors.

Total the room took 10 days from start to finish. I also painted Slim's desk chair to match the bed and re-upholstered it with fun fabric. I bought individual shelves from IKEA and painted them to match the walls. They each have a reading light by their bed.

All in all, I think it turned out perfect. The only thing left to do is curtains. I have the fabric (a duvet cover from IKEA's 75% off bin) I just have to sew them!

Take a look at the progress!

Here you can see where I sample colors. You can also see the blue ceiling that I had to paint over!

Decided on blue and grey!
Ready for chair-rail, trim, and base:

Base, chair-rail, and trim up!

And voila!


Future fixes? Wood floors, new windows, new light fixture and the closet! But that will just have to wait...