All those little things

Just a few updates here. While I have other projects that have been started, they remain incomplete. Here are those that are now done and were either mentioned previously or were just too small to get an individual post. 

A new outlet

  There was nothing wrong with the old one, but for one of my future construction projects I want to have an area that acts as a phone docking station. This includes being able to plug in your phone using just the USB cord, without an adapter. So I tore the old one out of the wall. Turned into a real mess, as I misunderstood a piece of its anatomy and destroyed it, RIP old outlet. This is currently located where most outlets are, way down low near the floor. But when the new construction is done it will be at easy arms reach.

Indoor lighting finished

  Almost all of the lighting fixtures have been replaced. A couple were not, simply because they were fine as-is: modern and nice or simply out of the way enough to not offend. Bathroom lights were left in because I intend to remodel them both completely. But the rest have been updated.

  The lighting fixture here on the left was used in both the upstairs and downstairs halls as well as the master bedroom. It's one of those super cheap ones you'd expect to find in a creepy motel. Their replacements are below. Both halls got identical lights, the one downstairs is slightly smaller.

Master bedroom

Upstairs hall

Also had the wallpaper and light removed from the office. The new light fits a similar style to the rest. Of course, I now how to paint the place, so I'll have to choose a color. But I also want to complete a little project that will make the room office-able. That will have to be new post for another day.

Door improvements

  Added a couple door catches. While most of the doors have the little springs with the rubber tip, a few were just banging into walls. In a couple spots I added a little rubber pad to prevent a hole being added to a wall where I normally wouldn't want one. Some spots already had a start, so I just covered them up with these guys on the right.

Several doors also have these little clips that grab a hold of the door stopper and hold it open. But some of the doors only had the clips. So I grabbed extra stoppers, put the new one right into the old hole and got things working again.

Also added a more modern touch to this by putting in a magnetic catcher stopper to a door that spends just as much time open as closed. But this was quite a feat of acrobatics putting in as I installed it at the top of the door to keep it out of the way. Why would that be important? Because this door is at the top of the stair and I don't want it putting anyone's eye out, or really looking at it all that much as they come up. But since it is on stairs the top of an open door, I had to perch on a small ledge and the handrail (just for balance) to reach it. Now people can wonder about my magnet, "How does it work?" 

Window shade

  In the garage we have an additional front door. Problem is it has this giant window that looks straight up our pantry. So I got a simple draw shade and attached it. I put a screw down at the bottom to hold it in place, even when opening and closing the door. But the shade easily comes off of this for regular use.

Window frame pad

Remember how in the 80's all the dresses had these giant shoulder pads? Well, even this window framing device in the living room had them. Had to pull these suckers off by hand, which had been upholstery stapled on. A few minor cuts and now the frame looks much better. Also added the lights, intended to be permanent, not just for the holidays.

And just for scale, this window is about nine feet by five. It's gigantic.

Hang 'em high

Back at the old apartment, having cleaning tools about was a pain. The broom, dustpan, and mop were just wedged between the fridge and a wall. Now that I have the space to expand into, I'm putting these items out in the garage. But I don't want them hanging out just anywhere. Well, there is a pretty dead wall where little does or can happen. So I just installed one of those gravity grabbers that uses the weight of the item itself to hold it in place. There, out of the way, but still within easy reach.