Well, this is probably THE most overdue update as it stands today.  Our guest bedroom has been finished for almost a year now.  You may recall that we had to gut the room over a year ago due to some rotten studs we found in the walls when we replaced the old windows.  While we were at it we decided to move a wall so we'd be able to have a closet in the room instead of at the end of a narrow little hallway, which was detailed in this post if you'd like to re-live the action.  Things progressed slowly but steadily and we were so happy when we were able to finish it up and have a comfortable room for when we had family or friends stay over.

In celebration of our finished room, I'd love to present you with the before and after photos that I've been holding on to for so long.  So, here we go!

Back in February of 2009, we closed on our house and immediately got to work.  I recall that evening very clearly, it had been snowing and the roads were greasy.  We hit a pothole the size of my car and lost a couple hub caps but that couldn't dampen our spirits; we had just bought our first home.  When we arrived at the house we went upstairs and started ripping down wallpaper and tearing up flooring in the largest of the four rooms.  We had intended that this room be our master bedroom but changed our minds after realizing that the back of the house had less noise from the road.

This is what the guest bedroom looked like back when we moved in.  Complete with two low, cracked windows, layers of peeling wallpaper on the walls and ceiling, Congoleum on the floors, and a bare light dangling from a ten foot long cord.

After we got our hands on it we managed to update the wiring (which was done by a professional), re-insulate the walls, replace the windows, refinish the wide pine boards that were painted and hidden below the Congoleum, move a wall to not only create more floor space but provide a small walk-in closet in the room, install a ceiling fan light fixture, and paint.  We're pretty happy with the result.  Take a look.



As you can see, Kyle had created a small built-in shelf/cabinet next to the closet which has added a lot of character to the room.  Also, we found that if we hung the curtains from just below the ceiling we could trick the eye into thinking the windows were taller than they really are.  It also makes the ceiling feel higher.  We could still use some decoration on the walls, some pictures perhaps, but other than that we're pretty happy with the finished product.

So, there you have it folks!  The first room we ever finished in our house!  Still to come is the final before and after of our master bedroom and the nursery.  Stay tuned!