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One Room Challenge - Week Four

Read more about previous weeks following the links below:

Here we are! Almost half way through the challenge and it feels like we’ve just started.

Here is a recap of my previous week of ORC. It was dedicated entirely to building the framing of the fire place and hopefully being able to install it. It was a roller coaster of events that made this week quite memorable.

Originally my plan was to leave the fire place for last. Mainly because I didn’t think it will arrive before the end of the month and second, I was anticipating a beautiful fall weather until early November. I ‘ve could have lived another month or so without a fireplace, no question.

I usually stick to the original plan unless a disaster happens and the strategy needs to be adjusted accordingly. This time the cloudy foggy weather was the trigger to reverse the bullets on my list and jump into something I wasn’t mentally ready for.

Also, Amazon Prime is always there to deliver my shopping cart within a couple of days and accommodate any unexpected t

urn of events.

It’s the beginning of week 3 of ORC, I get my fire place delivered, hubby is on board to build the framing with me and here I am overly excited that this will be the fastest and easiest big project ever. I’m running to Lowe’s for 2”x 4” s, screws and all necessary supplies to start building the frame.

Picture perfect, until I started filming the DIY videos and decided to open the box of the fireplace. To my big shock, it was the wrong item and this time it wasn’t Amazon’s fault but mine.

I was so in a hurry to place the order that didn’t even read the specifications that the vent was on the bottom and this fire place can’t be built in. Rookie mistake!

♦ DO NOT play with fire!

Lost a whole day trying to find a new electric fire place and read hundreds of specifications before I hit the BUY NOW button.

♦ Moral of the story: Don’t try to take short cuts because they turn into the longest path you’ve ever chosen!

Our new fireplace is supposed to arrive by the end of this coming week but still we decided to stick to our plan and prepare everything in advance based on the specifications they had online. All things in place, all materials ready and here we go again – a thunderstorm hits the area and spoiled our weekend warriors Saturday. We don’t have a covered workshop or garage for our DIY projects so we do all the cutting in the back yard.

There is always a solution to any problem if you put your mind into finding it. Soon we resolved the issue by dedicating a tiny part of the basement to be out temporary workshop.

The biggest challenge was yet to come. We decided to use our left-over flooring to cover the front of the framing in a herring bone pattern. Neither of us has ever done that so it took a while to figure out the angle the planks should meet in the middle. Pythagorean theorem didn’t work since our frame was wider so we had to cut under 37° instead of 45°.

Also, we couldn’t use our miter saw for the width of the planks and urgently hubby had to drive to Lowe’s to upgrade us with a newer generation miter saw. This new tool was a life saver!

Precise cuts, meticulous work and a lot of math was needed for the flooring to be precut. It almost felt like we were making a puzzle from wood planks. To complete the puzzle, we needed a strategy. That’s how we came with the idea to arrange everything on the floor, draw the framing on top, mark all the pieces and cut. Maybe it’s nothing new for most DIYers but for us this was a new field. This time we decided not to watch tutorials but figure it out ourselves. To get things right from the start and not make mistakes, we had to be methodical and know the pieces inside out.

I even made a miniature version of our fireplace so I can visualize the process better and find a good 2-hour entertainment for my little girls.

♦ Happy endings come to those who are patient and don’t take short cuts, friends!

Installing the frame and putting all the puzzle pieces together was a breeze. Second step was to white wash the brown-gray floor planks. This was my most favorite part of the project.

Painting is my therapy, my Zen!

First time white washing on a big scale. It was a total improvisation that worked out perfectly well. When I love what I do and put my heart and soul into it, my intuition guides me through the process, and the results are impeccable.

So happy with the progress we made, the lessons we had to relearn and the outcome.

Now we are ready for the fire element of my design to arrive and take its prominent spot.

Looks like our fireplace place project will be extended and hopefully finished by end of this week.

Happy Week 4 of ORC and let’s continue to celebrate our accomplishments and all the big / small puzzle pieces we put towards the big picture!

Keep enjoying the process, cheering on the ORC community and work with passion everyday!

Om

décor

One Room Challenge - Week Four

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