It's a strange feeling not being at work because of the move and settling in and I find that I need to take more time off more often. This is nice! Next week I head back to the office and then it's likely late evening posts for me again. However, since I'm home this week and my art/craft area is 50% complete and begging me to use it, I thought I'd give toss in a simple crafty idea but first, some background:
Privacy won out over waiting until we get the nice blinds for the 72-inch windows so at roughly $8 a piece, we purchased the white 36x72 light-filtering, temporary Redi Shades and cut them down to the correct width (I opted for 34.25 inches). Before you go running off to buy these, please note that the tape WILL pull off bits of your drywall when you are ready to take them down. If you don't want to spackle and repaint later, this is not recommended. I'm pretty familiar with the putty knife and paint brush so I don't mind. If you decide to go forth and spend the big $8, make sure you have a brand new blade in your utility knife so as to get the smoothest cuts. Also ensure you keep the pleat facing you so the shade hides the taped piece and gives a nicer appearance. (I put one in backwards and this is where I learned it will damage your drywall.)
If you're not familiar with the Redi Shades, you can't raise or lower them and they just sort of hang there. The manufacturer was kind enough to supply some light-weight clips so you can change the length of the shades. These handy little clips are not the most attractive things in the world but they get the job done. This is where the crafting piece kicks in and you can accomplish this in just a few minutes. Nice, eh? (for you crafty moms out there, this is similar to making the baby/toddler hair clips)
Things you'll need:
- scissors
- double-sided tape
- ribbon wide enough to cover the clips (I used 7/8 inch)
I went with a nice splash of color against the white shades and used this green to pick up on the other green accents in the family room. If you want them to disappear, choose a ribbon or fabric (white in this case) that matches your shade color.
Why use DS tape over a hot glue gun? Aside from the fact that I cannot seem to locate my glue gun or any glue sticks, tape is way faster and less permanent. If you like to change up your color scheme, opt for the tape so you can quickly and easily swap out your ribbon to match. I left these very simple but if you really want to break out that glue gun, why not embellish the ribbon with some buttons, bows, or anything that strikes your fancy? :)
If your windows are anything like mine, you can tuck the bottom edge of the shade under the sash and clip them in place (see inset #3)
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| Easy Peasy, 1-2-3! |
Still worried about how the temporary shades will look? Not to worry, I have pictures to share with bright and softer light. Luckily, some clouds gave way and I got a nice shot with some stronger sunlight. The images below are from the living room which is sparsely furnished at the moment and in some serious need of curtains but I think my grandfather's rocking chair makes its own statement. (miss you, Pop-Pop!)
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| find the red dot |
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I was working on the clips while the Guardian guys were here today. We are good to go and now the house beeps.
I'll get back to the comments from the previous post later (hopefully tonight) with some more info, especially for Amanda and start checking out some more of everyone's blogs (sorry -- I've been lagging on the post reading and commenting lately!)
RANDOM: One of the pooches was observing the work today. His eyes match the cherry stain...
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| Jaxon |
The suspense is killing me! :)
ReplyDeletewell, shoot. Maybe I ought delete my reply and wait some more to see just how long you can last. ;) Info has been posted -- let me know if you need more specifics!
DeleteThis is a great post, AnJ! Thank you! I have been looking at the temp blinds that lowes offers. I really appreciate the tip on the dry wall caution. btw--grandpa's chair looks awesome in that room, it's nice to have family heirlooms in your home.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteWe are planning to build our home with RH and I came across your post. I saw in one of your post you said that you did not opt for appliances , fan , lights. Is it cheapen to buy it yourself.?
Thanks we are first time buyers so have to learn a lot of not getting sucked into the sales of the managers.
Sorry to the delay. I hope this response is in time.
DeleteIt was a combination of price and limited selection, but mostly the selection. We only had three ceiling fan choices and wanted a different style and more CFM for the room size. I wanted some different lights for a few rooms but did purchase the majority through RH -- but remember to purchase the pre-wire with RH even if you don't buy their lights or fans. This will save you a headache in the future.
We opted for bronze hardware and lights but for whatever reason, our community did not offer bronze plumbing fixtures and we couldn't upgrade. We ended up buying the cheapest (chrome) via RH and purchased our own separately.
Depending on your PM and his/her subcontractors, they will install your personal purchases if you can get them there on time. This was true for our fans, lights, and plumbing fixtures but be sure to ask upfront so you aren't forced to find your own electrician/plumber afterwards. You can always install them yourself if you're handy. At least for us, our personal appliances had to be installed after settlement and not by RH.
The stove and dishwasher must be purchased through RH -- something about housing code and habitable residence. If you want something different than what RH offers for these, get the cheapest thing possible to save money and replace them at your leisure or re-use any of your existing appliances.
With that said, keep an eye on the appliance deals. We found a great deal at Lowe's and Best Buy will price match and even honor the Lowe's 20% moving coupon. (Plus if you use Best Buy Rewards, you can apply that toward your purchase.)
Hi, was wondering if you chose to get the basement finished? we are trying to decide between the Courtland gate and the verona model,and can't decide if we should go for a 2 storey foyer home or not.
DeleteAny sound issues, meaning when your are in your bedroom does sound travel from the first floor even with doors closed. Can the study be made into a library?
We opted not to get the basement finished, primarily because we wanted to ensure there weren't any leaks (and we did have some). Leaving it unfinished also gives us the opportunity for a completely custom basement when we are ready to finish rather than RH's standard options and layout.
DeleteWe don't have a two-story foyer because of the finished attic--I call it a 1.5-story foyer because it's still fairly open to the second floor. I honesty love the look of a two-story but you gain additional square footage with a one-story foyer (which is also good in terms of resale). Even with the 1.5-story foyer, there really isn't a sound issue coming from the stairs. I hear more through the floor of the master from the family room directly below. Our previous house (not RH) had a two-story foyer and we never had any sound issues from the stairs.
The study can be converted into a library but it is rather on the small side. If you aren't putting in custom bookshelves, you may want to consider adding or moving additional electrical outlets so they're easily accessible.
Good luck!
P.S. Elevation C of the Courtland Gate should give you a bump out in the study if wanted a larger study/library.
DeleteHi Anj,
DeleteCan I ask you for a favor to post a few pics of your house. specially the kitchen and the bedroom?
I wan to see how the cheery floor look with the cherry cabinets and also, I think we may end up with elevation D, which is what you got, how much in upgrade was that for you specially since you have partial stone. My email is tin369@gmail.com
I'll see what I have on the computer and will try to post updates. I know I have some older ones scattered in some of the older posts and models -- that might tide you over until I get any new ones up for you.
DeleteAre you looking to do the "luxury" upgrade (bathroom over the morning room) or going with the large sitting room with the standard suite? The layouts are quite different.
I'll send you the cost in an e-mail but the stone was actually cheaper than the brick and of course the metal roof is extra over the shingles.
I think I saw in another blog that you said you were having issues with settling in your attic? And that the stairs needed to be redesigned or something, but I can't find where I read that. We are considering doing the finished attic but I wanted your input on what problems you are having. I have yet to see any models with a finished attic to view. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the extreme delay. It's likely OBE, but still wanted to provide a response.
DeleteI can't seem to find where I initially posted about the attic, but you are correct. The issues, we were told were because the CG model/plans was so new. The staircase in question is between the first and second floor. They didn't account for the walkway to the attic and left the dimensions for the original Courtland model. They had to cut off a stair or two. The major issue we encountered was in the attic itself at the top of the second staircase. There is an obvious hump which they believed was because of the trusses. We pointed out the hump and crew attempted to solve this by putting leveling compound ON the hump itself so it's even larger. We had scheduling issues and then life events interfered and I haven't followed through.