the family room

One of the things I really like about this house is the old oak trim it's wider than what is usually on the market now. The trim gives the house character and a "homey" family feeling and it does make the rooms in the house STANDOUT.

The room I decided to make into a living room had been used by the former owners as a handicapped bedroom. There had been a ramp going up to the backdoor for the gentleman to get his wheelchair in and out of the house. So it made sense to make him a bedroom on the first floor.

Since the house had been empty for so long, and it had been vandalized, there were holes in the walls. There had been a fake fireplace in one corner near the French-pocket doors and the vandals had taken the fireplace and mantle out and the only thing left was an empty space that I turned into a built-in entertainment center with five shelves. I put an outlet on each shelf so I don't have to unplug any of the games, stereo, or television.

I was very surprised and happy that the windows had not been broken or removed. If that would have happened there would have been a whole lot more work involved or the house could have deteriorated beyond repair.

Between this room and another front room is a set of French pocket doors that can be closed and divide the living room into two rooms. I cleaned out this long room and decided to save the trim and put it back where I had taken it from.

The walls have blown in insulation so I did not want to tear them down if it was not necessary. I put 1/4 inch OSB 4x8 panels on the walls but between the walls and OSB I put a sheet of drop-cloth plastic. The plastic does not breathe so any drafts that get into the walls from the outside are stopped. This lets the outside breathe so that moisture does not build up and mold and mildew will not grow. The inside breathes because of the space in the rooms and circulating air. The plastic works to help the inside and outside at the same time.

For the electrical work in this room the outlets were very easy to do because I could drill through the floor and run the wires in the basement rafters. I put 3 outlets and the overhead light switch on one 15 amp breaker. I put another 3 outlets on another 15 amp breaker and a 20 amp outlet on its own breaker. The 20 amp outlet is under the window facing the back of the house so I can use a room air conditioner if it gets hot. Last I ran wire for a baseboard heater under the side window.

The ceiling in this room did not look to bad so I did not have to replace it or put in a drop ceiling. I took all the trim from around the floor and ceiling and put it in a different room so I could clean it. I put 1/4 OSB 4x8 on the walls, from floor to ceiling.screwed over the old slat and plaster. I painted, 2 coats, on the OSB with white barn paint to help make it a smooth surface. I was not going to leave this room white but so far I have not painted it any other color. After I finished the walls and painting I put 1/2 inch 4x8 OSB on the floor and glued 12 inch by 12 inch vinyl tile on the OSB. .

At one time I believe this was a dining room because there is a built in china cabinet that I have cleaned up and kept it in its original condition because of the atmosphere it helps to create and I put my "good" china in it. In the room on the other side of the French pocket doors there was a built-in fake corner fireplace that had been stolen along with the fireplace mantle that had been above it. I turned this corner into an entertainment center with 5 shelves. I put a 15 amp outlet on each shelf each with its own breaker. This way I can have the stereo, television, and my daughters different game consoles hooked up with out having to fumble with a bunch of cables and plugs.

I had been given some double pane vinyl windows from someone who had their windows upgraded.The windows were smaller than the original ones so I had to put in spacers on the top and bottom for the aesthetic value. I kept the storm windows on the outside of the house so it would be like a three pane window. The spacers don't look bad and some people told me they would not have noticed if I had not pointed them out. If I decide to put the original size windows in at a later date I can do so with very little trouble or hassle.

The single pane windows, in both rooms, were replaced with these double pane and the trim was cleaned and replaced. I also put ceiling fans with overhead light in each room just to be able to circulate the air if it gets to warm.