We have decided to tackle the living room remodel. Phase One-The ceiling is the first step. There is a texture effect we call popcorn. It's just drywall mud sprayed on, no asbestos. There's a nifty tool/scraper we found which makes the job less strenuous. It took us a full day. But not as messy as we expected. After Rich patched a few spots and re-sanded, we primered and painted the room and hallway ceilings. What an improvement. Phase Two will be demolishing the fireplace surround and hearth. We finished that today 10/22/09. The plan is to reduce the size of surround and hearth. Phase Three-There will be a tile surround, new mantel and tile hearth. Phase Four is putting up crown moulding in the living room and hallway. Next, we'll add a decorative trim to all the door frame tops. All the moulding and trim have to be painted and that's a big job.  This project should keep us pretty busy for a few months. We will pace ourselves, no need to rush.

     Check the photos here. Click on picture to get full size and descriptions. More added as the project coninues.