Deja vu

I am in the middle of a couple bigger projects but I am trying to get caught up with the things that we have already done to the house.

We finished this one before we moved in. When thinking about things that we needed to do before moving in we used a couple of questions to graph importance.

1.  If we don't do it now will we do it in the future?

2.  If we are living in the house, how much harder will it make it to do it?

This fit both of those requirements to do before we moved in.

The storage space.

In the basement, if you walk to the back of our laundry room is the storage space.

When we were buying the house this is what it looked like.

Like a lot of places in the house, it was stuffed to the gills. 

Truthfully, Blake and I figured that we would just gut this entire room and set up our metal shelves that we have from Costco.

Once it was cleaned out, it seemed like even though it was dirty and stinky, that we could figure out a way to make it work.

The shelving was painted a avocado green color and the flooring, which only extended half way in, was peel and stick tile.

But the shelving was sturdy and nicely built so we decided to keep it.

While I was cleaning in there I couldn't help but think that I had smelt a room that smelled like this before. Smell-ja vu?

Growing up, my Mom's parents had a room in the basement of their house right to the left at the bottom of the stairs.

I don't remember going in there much as a kid. I do know that it held some food storage items, and had one of those old machines that had a belt on it that you would put around you and it would shake you. I think it was supposed to be for toning or something.

It looked a little like this.

So I am standing in our new storage space and all of the sudden it hits me...and I called my sister. 

"Sarah. Do you remember the room at Grandma's house that had that little belt machine in it?"

Well, I don't really remember what was in the room but I totally remember the smell. 

"Our new storage space smells exactly like that room!!"

The only way that I could describe the smell was a mixture of old house, dirt, rotten food and maybe molasses? It was gross with a hint of sweetness.

I removed the peel and stick tile while Blake was at work one day.

It was probably one of the hardest things that I have done so far. It was back breaking labor. I think the tiles were stuck on with "Superman glue" as Canon would call it.

I scrubbed down the floor and then we were ready.

While the Home Depot Tile Man was tiling our floor Blake primed the storage space. We used Kilz primer so that it would seal in any odors or stains and so that the paint would stick and not chip later on. 

After Blake was done priming he used the paint sprayer and went to town.

Ceiling. Walls. Floors. You name it it got painted.

Surprisingly our stuff fits in there nicely with still room to spare.

There is even a space for all my extra, probably highly unnecessary, dishes.

For now this little space is done. 

Check that off the list. 

One room done.