Not just repurposing, but BEING repurposed......" if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come." ~~ 2 Corinthians 5:17



Thursday, June 30, 2011

World's Smallest Bathroom: Let there be light!

After years of being on hiatus from home remodeling, I've picked up my tool belt again and am trying to complete our home -- starting with the tiny space I had carved out at the back of my small laundry room for a powder room.  I'm going to share as much of my progress as I can:

So I begin with lighting, not only because it will come in handy as I move forward, but also for the sake of practicality and safety.  Because this is what I was starting with:

We had put those wires there so many years ago that I couldn't even remember the thought behind them and whether any were live or not!


So using my handy dandy circuit tester, the red light lighting up when I touched the wires told me each was indeed live.  Yowzers! Holy Electric Powers, Batman!  ZAAPPP!!  With my reluctant, grumbling, computer-missing son -- I mean trusty sidekick -- at the circuit box, the circuits were switched until I found which one was THE one (yup both connections on same circuit).  Then with it off, I unconnected the four wires, turned power back on to determine which of the four wires was the "source" of power.  
  

Armed with this new knowledge, I connected the "source" (I call that IN) to the continuation of power (I call that OUT) and found I had an unnecessary piece of wire -- I kept it there for now in case it comes in handy later for threading wire where I wanted.


Because the current program didn't work for my plan, an L-shaped room with an overhead light on each side, using my ceiling box as a template I drew a circle at my desired locations.  
  

The ceiling plaster was too hard for a utility knife (and I can't find my sawzall....waaah) so I first drilled holes around edge of hole and then whacked away with my hammer.


The threading of wiring and figuring out the flow of the power (think RIVER) was the most time consuming part and is difficult to show in photo form -- I did end up creating a new hole for reaching (post on hole repairing coming soon!) 


But eventually I got it all set in proper order with one switch to turn on both lights (that's what I had wanted all along but could only do two lights/two switches until my husband offered his clever guidance).


With everything firgured out -- and proof it all worked -- it was time to install everything "for real".  This is an OLD ceiling work box, OLD because it's for old, not new, construction.  See the three "wings"?  Those mean I don't need to climb into the (scary, dark, scary, dirty, scary, cramped) attic, instead I simply put the box up into the ceiling hole and turn the three screws until the wings spread out and hold the box in place.


So everything attached and connected has to be undone (power off, of course) and the wires slid through the openings in the box and pulled slightly downward as box goes upward! 


Til you make it all the way up!  I wanted a nice, precise fit so I had to gently tap with a hammer to get it in, and then, thank goodness for those wings (not to be confused with any other wings, girlie or otherwise you hear tell of -- no beautiful music in the background here).  I had labeled my wires so I'd know what's what.  


Now time to reattach everything -- FOR REAL, complete with wire nuts and electrical tape.  This is where it gets tricky for me, not the reattaching, taping part, but the shoving it all into the box and making it fit and not come apart part.  :)


And of course I need to have THE switch to operate the lights.  Too bad after taking this picture I realized that I had done it wrong -- not electrically, but structurally.  That switch box is an OLD box too.  I think I was supposed to mount it into drywall.  Ooops!  Oh, well, easy fix later when I have drywall.  


And so......LET THERE BE LIGHT!!

YAY!!


Midge

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Why, YES, my dryer IS upside down!! So glad you noticed.

Pretty excited about a recent development in my laundry room -- my dryer is upside down!



It started out several years ago right side up, sitting on a shelf I built for it, right above our new front load washer.  The washer only lasted a couple years, so for the past 6 years we've been using our temporarily hooked up washer of my parents -- 30+ years old, never a problem.

FAST FORWARD TO A FEW WEEKS AGO:
I decided it was time to deal with this issue.  So first we determined that the front loader was a goner, and we would embrace the oldster as our chosen machine.
However....

we couldn't just slide it in the washing machine spot because the shelf wasn't high enough.  No problem, I'll just rebuild it higher! 
Except...
.
as it was I was tiptoeing it to reach everything....
Hmmm....
And then it hit me -- what if the machine was upside down? 
The dials would be lower, and the barrel would be about the same. 
So....

I took out the old shelf, cleaned up the whole area, painted it, added side shelves this time, and put in the machine upside down.  Viola!    

And although my tiny little laundry room isn't quite completely done yet, making some headway on my halfdone house inspired me to keep going
(we had taken a several year break after severe house burnout)

 So...adjacent to my very tiny laundry room will be the world's smallest bathroom!
Just a sneak peek.  I'll keep you posted!
(the wall you see on the right is the before shot of the painted laundry room wall) 

Midge

Saturday, June 18, 2011

It's WHAT ?!?!? Say it isn't so !

Wow.  It's been so long since I've posted, I hope I even remember how!  It's not that I've been monumentally busy, just enough going on to keep me a little unfocused.  Plus, I'm a bit of a procrastinator (yes, Rachel, I still owe you a package, sorry, it's still on the way).  I have been getting some organizing done around my house, and some home improvement projects.  Had a son graduate AND get a drivers license.  A couple out-of-town (okay, several states away) weddings, which reminds me I need to focus on my daughter's wedding in August.   My best friend moved back to town from Kansas (YAY!!) and another friend is opening a business that I've been helping with.  

SO, though I've been buying, I haven't been doing a lot of repurposing projects lately.  I thought Donna's "What was it?" Junk party would be a great way to get back into the swing of things. 



So what is this?....I don't know, but I'm thinking that it came with a box of stuff from an auction, because I don't think I'd buy this.


At least I got my money's worth!  It's actually two pieces that were nested together.


At a recent speaking engagement I was showing it off Vanna White style, explaining that I didn't know what it was.  Someone from the audience spoke up and said she believed farmers placed them outside their back doors.  They were for scraping MANURE off their boots.....EWWW!! 


Not sure if that's really what it is.  All I know is the spikes are VERY spiky!  Keep this one away from the kids! 


So I'm using it as a fun way to showcase some vintage photos, similar to a frog. 

Now I've got to go, my list of awaiting projects is calling me!

Oh...AND...I've got to go wash my hands (maybe twice!).

Midge