As I explained in my post “Master Bath”, we are seriously remodeling our home. We finally have the master suite of our dreams. I have shown and explained the bath, now the bedroom and closet.

This area was originally our old master, small closet, hallway, another small bedroom, and small office. Our son was happy to move into a room much larger than his old 10×9’ space, he now has 13×14’- nearly doubling his square footage.

We finally have room around our bed! We currently have a queen size but hubby is hankering for a California King, this is the longest bed not custom made. Previously, we had the same trunk, bed, bedside tables, wardrobe, an additional wardrobe, jewelry box, mirror, and a smaller trunk too! All in a much smaller space.

When our contractor left, we had studs, but no insulation, no ceiling, no wiring, no doors. Hubby did all the wiring, with help from sons, and sheet rock. It was cheaper to have the insulation blown in, so we took that route for the attic. The old walls were 2×4 construction and could not hold the size of insulation batts new houses use, so we had this foam insulation sprayed in. Every 1” was an ‘R value’ of 7, 3” got us to what new houses have. It also helps add integrity to the structure, as it is pretty darn solid once dry. I was in charge of the mudding and taping of the sheetrock, then priming it before he textured it. Painting is always on me, fresh texture really drinks up the paint! On a positive note, he let me choose the colors 😉

The window is the same size but replaced with a new one, now with inner panes. Hubby framed it out in wood. The floor is 8” pine tongue and groove flooring, from Oregon. Hubby installed it, I sanded it, then it needed a VERY thorough cleaning, as did the entire room. I enlisted the help of my two oldest children for the cleaning. We vacuumed both directions, wiped down the walls, then went over the floor with mineral spirits. At that point, all were banned from the room but me. I finished the floor with a product that hubby had found, called “Waterlox”. I have used polyurethane but it has its drawbacks. This product enables me to fix spots far more easily than most products do. I am happy with the result, however, I do enjoy a more plain and simple look. It is with my ‘stuff’ that I jazz the place up.

The doors were quite a find, a special purchase that Home Depot had last winter. We were expecting to pay twice as much as we did! They are a knotty alder shaker or craftsman style. Hubby then ordered knotty alder baseboard off the internet. He cuts, I finish, he installs. We both have our part to do. I finish all the wood in our home. It is a process covering several days, apply, let dry, repeat, repeat, repeat, steel wool, polish- fini!

The closet is the stuff of dreams, especially in these older homes. The dresser is part of a set that we purchased used through Craigslist. The bed is that Cal King hubby is hankering for. Our son is currently using the bed; he needs it with his 6’7” frame! Using a dresser, instead of purchasing more pieces of the closet system was more economical. The closet is tall, hubby wanted to utilize those 9’ ceilings we created. I keep a small stool in there, to get to the top of the shelves. I am thinking we may need to figure out some more shoe storage. There was a window in this area, originally the small office, but we covered it up. Hubby does love natural light, so he installed a solar tube. It is sufficient light during the day to get around in there. It is also amusing, at night we have a glowing bubble on our roof.

The sitting area was our son’s room, his small closet, and some hallway space too! It currently has the roll top desk that hubby wanted (reminded him of his parents) and the file cabinet we picked up off the street in Florida. The file cabinet did require a complete overhaul. I made the very simple panel curtains, their greatest feature is that they are lined with insulating fabric, to help keep the light out. It is entertaining: our smaller, older female cat, regularly terrorized by the younger, much larger male cat can fit on the window sill but he cannot. She often sits there as he looks on rather wistfully; we imagine she is enjoying her moment of triumphing over the little brat!

I’m still decorating, as most of my items are still packed. Our larger pictures were easy to find. The one above our bed is titled “Country Home” it is by Steve Hanks, our favorite modern artist. His water colors are amazing. It has resided between those same bed posts since hubby gave it to me, 24 Christmas’ ago.

We absolutely love our new space. My daughter read that large master suites are on their way out. Of course, we hope to be in this house at least another 30 years, so trends may return. Also, this is finally our home, we are not remodeling to flip the house; we are fulfilling our dreams!

http://www.waterlox.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spray_foams_(insulation)