Storage Galore

In an attempt to finally unpack all of our boxes from moving, we decided we needed a liquor cabinet. Additionally, as it is, our kitchen has less space than the old apartment, so we decided to purchase a stand-alone pantry on Amazon for more storage.

Yes, it's anchored to the wall.

This is before we unpacked the rest of our liquor and glassware

 Our stand-alone pantry came in parts from Amazon for ~$100. We put it together and put it in the breakfast nook of the kitchen.

All stocked up.

BONUS: Megan got tired of the mess that is our kitchen wraps (saran wrap, aluminum foil, parchment paper). So she put them on the door to our built-in pantry. Still working on putting up the perforation so tearing it is easier.

Until next time!

-The Beavers-Shavers

New Toilet

One of the first projects we tackled was to replace the toilet in the half-bathroom off our foyer. Because not a lot of updating has been done to the home, much of it is original builder's materials. It's great that these materials have lasted 23 years, but it's time to update them. The old toilets ran for a long time and wasted water like crazy. The new toilet is a low-flow model and doesn't run forever. We decided to upgrade to a toilet with an oval bowl, soft close lid, and top of bowl rinse. It's an American Standard we picked up at Home Depot on sale for ~$100. Then one Sunday, we removed the old one and installed the new one ourselves!

 So long, old toilet! You can't see the color very well, but the old one was cream and the new one is white.

Disconnecting the water line.

Scraping down the wax seal for the new ring.

New toilet. Reconnecting the water lines.

New toilet!

Flushes like a dream.

If you'd like an old-school 90's toilet that wastes water like it's going out of style, we have one in our garage for you...

Next up: Storage galore



The Beavers-Shavers

The List

From the moment we stepped into the house, we began a list of things we wanted to change. The home has some wonderful features, but as you may have gathered from the last post, it is far from perfect. Besides, if the home were perfect, there wouldn't be a blog for you to enjoy.

The list, in all its glory, is a living document. This is a wish list where we can store our hopes and dreams for the home. It will be updated as finances and time allow. Seeing as Alex and I are equal partners in this marriage and equal owners of this home, this is a list we will be tackling together.

You will notice that we have a rough estimate on timelines for each item. In some cases there are links to the exact item we plan to purchase. As time goes on, things will be changed, but we think this is a good start:

Home Changes or Purchases

Immediate

Near Term < 1yr

Medium Term < 3 yr.

Long Term/no term

• All Rooms:
• Doorknobs
• Paint: baseboards, moulding, wainscoting
• Ceiling lights and fans - maybe part of electrical work at move in
• Drapes/shades/blinds
• Entryway
• Chandelier - $70 + ?
• Stain Banister
• Remove carpet on stairs
• Basement ~$15k - $30k
• Home theater
• Bar
• Game room
• Bathroom -
• Kitchen
• Sink Fixtures
• Granite Counters
• Gas Stove ~ $1000 + $500
• Refrigerator - $1200
• Dishwasher - $800
• Darken cabinets / update handles
• Backsplash
• Kitchen Table $700
• Freezer
• Bathrooms
• Sink Fixtures
• Tile floor
• Light fixture
• frame mirror
• Replace brass with nickel
• Tub tiling
• Megan office:
• Desk
• Chair
• Fan
• Bookcase
• Outside:
• Stairs to deck?
• Patio near basement walkout
• Grill - 2 x $150 (Charcoal on ground, portable propane on deck)
• Vegetable garden (prob. Spring 2017, maybe build Fa ‘16)
• Solar panels
• Garage
• Car charger ~ $1000

• General purchases:
• Cordless drill - Bosch PS31-2A - $100
• Laser/ultrasonic range finder - $60
• Electric mower - ego lm 2101 - $500
• Weedwacker
• Shop vac
• Garage broom
• Good tool set
• Lamps
• New shower curtain
• New bathroom rugs
• Area rug for entryway
• Hangers for cupboard kitchen wraps
• Kitchen table
• Dishes
• Deck furniture
• Snow blower
• Projector system
• Flower boxes
• Garage code entry
• Stud finder
• Nails

'Can't wait to get started!! The Beavers-Shavers Megan, Alex, Abby, and Figgy

The Dream of the 90s is Alive in Laurel

Last post I mentioned our home was built in 1993 and that the previous owners had done some of the heavy lifting as far as big ticket items go. The previous owners replaced the roof, updated the AC, purchased a new (much larger) hot water heater, and improved the deck by screening it in and installing a roof on top. We sincerely thank the previous owners for their updates and keeping the rest of the house clean.

With that being said, much of the house is still original. Original fixtures, original toilets, original furnace, original windows, etc. Furthermore, there is no evidence of the previous owners even painting the walls beyond the original builder's paint. Nothing against the previous owners; these things may not have been a priority for them, or they may have run out of finances before they were able to do more updating. Regardless of the reasons, this home is firmly stuck in the 90s. Now we have the opportunity to bring the home into the 21st century.

Below are some of the home listing photos from Zillow, meant to show the home in all its 90s glory.

Brass fixture, wainscoting, cream moulding. 

The fireplace has brass finishes, vertical blinds that are too long, notice how there are no lights in the ceiling. The previous owners took the curtains with them. 

Beautiful foyer, not so beautiful chandelier

The stove, microwave, and fridge may have been updated since the home was built but the dishwasher certainly was not.

While the upstairs bathroom has some updated fixtures, I'm not sure who decided carpet near water was a good idea. 

The master bathroom fixtures could use some updating and the giant mirror gives me flashbacks of our apartment in West Des Moines.

As you can see, there is quite a lot of updating to do and we are excited to begin doing it!

The Beavers-Shavers

Megan, Alex, Abby, and Figgy

The Beavers-Shaver Den

Welcome to our home-improvement blog!

We decided to name it "The Beavers-Shaver Den" as a play on what we call our small family: Team Beavers-Shaver. "Shaver" is easy, it's Alex's last name. "Beavers" is the last name of Megan's dear maternal grandparents. When combined together...well, we think it's funny. As we all know, beavers live in a den...I mean Beavers live in a house.

Below is a picture of us in front of our new house. This event just so happened to coincide with our 5th wedding anniversary. On our first anniversary, we began what I call our "Anniversary Photo Inception." Just like the movie Inception (a dream within a dream within a dream...), our photo inception is a picture in a picture in a picture...beginning with us on our first wedding anniversary holding a picture of our wedding day. On our second wedding anniversary, we held the picture we took on our first wedding anniversary and so on. The idea is to mark each big event in our lives as we continue on together. 

We purchased a home in Laurel, MD. It was built in 1993 and has seen some updates (roof, AC, water heater, garage door, and deck). There are many areas of improvement and this blog will document as many as possible. Follow along with our journey!

The Beavers-Shavers

Megan, Alex, Abby, and Figgy (our two cats)