Come On In and Have a Seat!

There was a lot of thought that went into how to build the bench for the entry way. Initially, I wanted to the bench to span the entire length of the back wall. But after finding out that the jut in the wall was actually part of the third bedroom addition, I changed my mind. Rebuilding a wall for only three feet of extra bench seemed like a little too much work.

After that somewhat disappointing realization, I began to contemplate how to build our "plan B" nook bench. There were a few problems to consider:
1- I wanted the bench to be open underneath so that people could kick off their shoes and leave them underneath the bench. This meant that I had to still be able to support the weight of 1-2 people without the bench tearing off the wall.
2- The wall on the left of the nook is 8in, and the wall on the right is 15in. Obviously, an 8-in bench is not wide enough for even a little butt. I had to think about how I was going to allow the bench to be the width that we needed but also keep it securely attached to all three walls.

Considering both obstacles, here is what I came up with:

The bench was essentially a 2x4in. wood frame with additional 2x4s spanning the width for additional support. On the sides, I used two 2x8in boards so that they would go down to the ground and I could screw them into the wall. My bench will be able to hold a small army. Once again, I picture a (non-existent) kid jumping up and down on the bench. No skulls will be cracked due to my faulty handy work! However, if the next owners don't like the bench, they may have a real hard time taking it out, but it won't break while it's in there.

Incase you have a very similar lay out and would like to know the cuts that I made (or rather, made my husband cut for me), here they are:
1- 2 x 4 x 44in (for the back wall)
1- 2 x 4 x 37.5in  (front of the bench)
1- 2 x 4 x 6.5in  (angled side of the bench, measured from the inside)
2- 2 x 8 x 19in (side pieces spanning to the floor)
1- 2 x 4 x 4.5in (additional piece on the right side)
1- 1 x 4 x 12in (to securely connect the pieces on the right side)
5- 2 x 4 x 9in (support beams going the width of the bench)
1- 1 x 4 x 40in (face of the bench in front)
1- 1 x 4 x 9in  (face of the side angle)
plywood:
1- 47 x 13in (top of the bench)

Once the bench was put together, we fastened the bench to the studs using four, 4in. hefty bolts.

I also secured the legs to the wall with 3 1/2in. screws. You may also notice I found another use for a strip of our bead board: the flooring under the bench.

This bench is going nowhere! It can actually hold both Nabil and I with no hands (or feet), but no one was around to get that picture. ...but we tried it.

Next, I added the baseboard and trim pieces, caulked, mudded the holes/gaps, sanded the surface, and primed and the unpainted wood. This is the part that I hate the most because the end is in sight, but it always seems like this stuff take FOREVER! Once it was all said and done though, this place was actually starting to look like an entryway with a pretty kickass builtin bench if I do say so myself (and I do).

Here is the view as you walk in the front door:

To wrap this post up, let's look at that entryway to-do list shriveling away:

- tear out the bookshelf
- take out the paneling below where the picture shelf is going to be and add another texture to separate from the rest of the paneling
- build a picture shelf to span the length of the back wall
- incorporate hooks for hanging coats/purses
- build a bench to go in the wall "nook" with a place for shoes underneath (in progress, just need to finish painting and add the cushion on top)
- replace all the outdated trim and add crown molding
- replace the light fixture with something a little more modern
- replace the front door (eventually! Realistically, this is probably a few years down the line)

Picture Shelf

Aaaahhhhh... That is the sound of the heavens reigning cheers of glory on my half-way done entry way.

I have always loved the picture shelves in the dining room of old houses, so I knew that I wanted to incorporate one in our new house somewhere. ...and why not cross it off the list on our first house project right? When building the picture shelf, I had to keep a few things in mind. (1) The shelf had to be sturdy enough to support the weight of frames and other decorations over the years but also not stick out of the wall too much. In my mind I kept picturing an eight or nine year old boy doing pull-ups or just hanging off the shelf. I'm not sure who this boy is because he obviously isn't ours, but it seems like a prime idea for some pre-hormonal kid with bottomless, unfiltered energy. I don't know where I get these premonitions, but I wanted to make sure the shelf could support the weight of this non-existent child before he got hurt. (2) The shelf also had to have some kind of stopper on the end so that the frames didn't slide off the end hitting some un-expectant guest on the head. And (3) the shelf would be the divider between the gray wood paneling above and the white wall below where people would hang their coats.

Keeping all this in mind, here is what I came up with:

I use a 1x6in. board to cover the gap between the two boards. This would also serve as the base for the shelf, so I made sure it was securely fastened to the studs. Also, at this point, I had decided that I wanted to use knobs as coat hangers. Luckily I decided this before hanging the board, because with knobs, they have to be screwed in from the back of the board, so before securing the board to the wall, I drilled eleven holes and placed the screws where the knobs would eventually live.

To assemble the shelf, I used a 1x4in. board and two rounded 1x1in trim pieces. Once measured and cut, I wood-glued and hammered on the trim piece on the end of the picture shelf because that would have been more difficult to do once the shelf was already assembled. Next, I screwed the shelving pieces directly into the edge of the 1x6 support boards. If you do it this way, make sure to drill pilot holes so you don't crack the wood since the screws will be so close to the edge of the board. I then added the 1x1in. rounded trim on the underside of the shelf. This was mostly just for aesthetics, but I suppose it could be adding just a little more support too. Below is a cross-section of the shelf which probably explains it better on it's own than my long winded descriptions.

Just incase you were wondering, I do realize that the corner cut has a big gap. I quickly realized that the wall was not exactly 90 degrees, so my corners were a little off. Nothing a little mudd and sanding can't fix, right?

This is the view right when you walk into the house. The coat closet is on the left, and the living-room is to the right.

Once it was all mudded, caulked, and painted, here's what we have:

I love the look of the knobs instead of hooks. We also decided to use all different kinds of knobs to keep some interest. They are all bronze or oil rubbed bronze (or at least they look it), so it isn't too distracting. Love love love!

So there you have it, a step-by-step on how we built a picture shelf. If you'd like to see the before pictures, you can check them out here. Once it's all complete I will post more pictures of all the fun details, but for now, let's take a look at the things we have crossed off our enrtyway to-do list, shall we!?

- tear out the bookshelf
- take out the paneling below where the picture shelf is going to be and add another texture to separate from the rest of the paneling
- build a picture shelf to span the length of the back wall
- incorporate hooks for hanging coats/purses
- build a bench to go in the wall "nook" with a place for shoes underneath
- replace all the outdated trim and add crown molding
- replace the light fixture with something a little more modern
- replace the front door (eventually! Realistically, this is probably a few years down the line)

Phew, half way done! ...and all this was done in time for all of our Christmas holiday guests arrival (barely). Next up, the bench to go underneath the shelf.

Until next time...

Entryway Makeover - The Plan! Muahaha...

That was my evil plan laugh if you couldn't tell.

Anyway, back on track. Nabil and I have been in our house for a little over six months now, but it feels like we are still moving in. We haven't had the chance to do as much with the place as we would have liked so far. A very leaky roof and a lack of furniture to fill the place have made our to-do list projects a little cost prohibitive, but this winter we started working on our first room. This being one of our first house projects, we needed to start with a small room that we felt confident tackling and not getting overwhelmed mid-project.

Enter entry-way. If you can't remember, when we first moved in, it looked like this:
Note: This is the view looking at the entryway from the living room. The front door is on the left wall of the entryway.

Hate, hate, hate! I don't think that you can really get more out of date than wood paneling. And bookshelves in an entryway? Really?! I'm sure that they were meant to house picture frames, because I can't imagine who would want to store their books by the front door, but I would like my entry way to be a bit more functional. So what are the new plans you may be asking? Firstly, tear out those shelves and add in a little more light with paint.

I stupidly forgot to take a picture of the room right after I painted and before I took out the bookshelf, so here is my pre/post primer photo from Instagram. It's crazy how much paint can change a room.

As I tend to do, I got a random twinge of motivation just before we had a dozen people over for Thanksgiving. Less than a week before everyone arrived, we primed and painted the wood paneling a lovely shade a gray (Ozark Shadows by Benjamin Moore). I may have been a little crazy for starting the project and organizing dinner within the same week, but I desperately wanted the color to be at least a little more inviting when the guests arrived, and literally the day that they all left (less than 15 min after to be precise), I grabbed our new crowbar and tore out the hated bookshelves.  Soon after I realized that the pesky jut in the wall was actually part of the addition and I couldn't make the back wall flush like I originally planned, so onto plan B.

On Pinterest, I found this photo for my inspiration:

Side note: I would normally site the source here, but the link only lead me to a url with just the picture. What a shame.
I knew that I wanted a lot of the things that this entry had: a bench for putting on and taking off shoes, hooks for jackets, and a picture shelf for a little aesthetic appeal. The only thing it is missing is a place to put your shoes once they're off.

Here is the to-do list for the entry-way:
- tear out the bookshelf
- take out the paneling below where the picture shelf is going to be and add another texture to separate from the rest of the paneling.
- build a picture shelf to span the length of the back wall
- incorporate hooks for hanging coats/purses
- build a bench to go in the wall "nook" with a place for shoes underneath
- replace all the outdated trim and add crown molding
- replace the light fixture with something a little more modern
- replace the front door (eventually! Realistically, this is probably a few years down the line)

More entryway progress to come soon. Until next time...

Ringing in the New Year... 2013 edition

2013 already?! Man oh man, I really can't believe it has already been a whole year since I pledged that I was going to make 2012 better than the year before, and I have to admit, we totally did it. The Zerizefs rocked 2012! Some of my resolutions may have fizzled out by mid-February, as they tend to do, but this past year was really one of the best years of my life. Here are some of the things that made this year so great:

# 1- After many years of photographing for a hobby, I decided to try my shutter hand on more of a professional level. I have made so many great, new friends and connections this year. And by second shooting weddings and meeting with other local photographers, I realized two things. (1) I have a LOT of work a head of me, and (2) I LOVE doing it.

# 2- Nabil and I bought a house! There is so much that goes into buying a first house. We learned more than we ever thought someone could know about the house hunting (more on that here) and by the end we were both exhausted, but we did it. We bought a place of our very own and now we get to do all sorts of fun projects to make this place our own.

# 3- We took the trip of a lifetime to Europe. I mean that literally. It was something we will probably never be able to do again. On Zerizef Eurotrip 2012, we hoped through Spain, drove around the French country side, spent a week in Paris, and saw the Olympics in London. I still can't believe we did it all, and we left with some awesome memories that Nabil and I will share forever.

We had a lot of great things in between, but those are the big highlights, and for the sake of keeping this post shorter than a small novel, I will stop the recap there and move onto resolutions. After much deliberation, I thought of three great resolutions that will help make 2013 even better than the last.

# 1- Remember people's birthdays and send cards (mostly) on time. Okay, this one won't necessarily make my year better, but I used to be so good at this, and who doesn't love getting a birthday card in the mail?! Just so you all know, I think about (most of) you on your birthday, and many times I may even get a little gift. The problem usually falls in sending it. Curse the Post Office which is only open when I am at work. And the mail box at the end of my driveway! ...okay there is no excuse for that one.

# 2- Prioritize! I really shouldn't care so much about the next new full season on Netflix. I mean the Walking Dead really isn't that good, right? But really, I need to put down the remote and focus firstly on what is most important: researching stuff for the photo biz, editing photos, marketing, snapping some shots, cleaning the house, working on the next house project, and of course, posting on the blog more often.

# 3- Work hard and play hard. I often get stuck in this element of keeping one foot out of the door incase I need to back out at the last minute without getting too injured. The fact is however, if I put 100% of myself into my business, my projects, and my friends/family, all of those things would be so much more successful and worthwhile. It's a little scary to say type that out in the open, because like I said, I want to grab onto my safety net and be able to say "Oh that, it didn't work out because the market is over-saturated, or ...I don't have the know-how to start that project, or ...Congress shoved me off the fiscal cliff..." You get the idea. I know that if I set my mind to it and put 100% of myself into anything, it will work. Failure breeds in uncertainty.

So that's it. 2012 was amazing, but I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be even better. :)

And here is this year's inspirational picture (courtesy of Instagram at 30,000 feet) to help you pick your kick-ass New Year's resolutions. Anyone feel like sharing theirs?

...until next time.