Boy’s Bedroom Project for November

It is time for a new project here at BHH. We have had a few weeks off from tools and paint, and we are feeling motivated to tear something up and put it back together again. Keep in mind that when I say “we” I actually mean “me.” Nineteen years of marriage has not turned Andy and me into new people in this regard. I am still the catalyst, and he still provides the levity. When I enthusiastically told Andy that I thought it was time to start a new project, he grimaced, quickly recovered and then gave me a thumb’s up. He had no words, only that gesture, and it really was his thumb that he lifted. Couples like us do not need words. I completely understood what he meant. He was saying, “Great idea! I’m in!”

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In October I read a lot of blogs, and I became intrigued with the idea of the One Room Challenge. I particularly enjoyed this laundry room makeover from Home on 129 Acres. I appreciated her very attainable results within a realistic budget.

The One Room Challenge (ORC) is a commitment to complete one full room in one month. This is just the kind of challenge that I need to stay on task and get something done. I work better with goals and deadlines. Without them, I just wander from room to room feeling overwhelmed and despondent about the amount of work there is to do here.

October is the ORC month in the blog world, but clearly, we missed the boat on that one. How in the world is it November? Not only is it November, but it is a shorter month, AND five days are already behind us. Andy and I are going to have to hit the turbo button on this idea to make it happen.

Our unofficial ORC project will be S’s bedroom. If you recall, we had intended to finish it over the summer, but O’s room took so long that our motivation crashed and burned. About a month ago, in a burst of energy, Andy rented a wallpaper steamer, and he and his helpers removed the wallpaper.

Having that step done increases our chances of having this room completed in one month.

The budget for this project is about $250 for supplies and accessories. Fortunately, we still have leftover supplies from O’s room, and the repairs needed are pretty much the same.

The Bedroom To-Do List:

1. Repair Plaster Cracks
2. Encapsulate the lead paint
3. Paint the walls, window, closet, and trim
4. Thoroughly clean the room
5. Repair the two electrical outlets
6. Create a storage system in this very small room.

The list looks short, but we all know better by now, right? We have twenty-five days to make this happen.

Ready, set, go!

11/24/14 – Edited to add this comment from a reader giving credit to the founder of the ORC. Thank you! 

…the originator of the One Room Challenge is Linda at Calling it Home (www.callingithome.com). She hosted the weekly link-ups, recruited the “official” bloggers who participated and kept things moving. If you look back in her ORC posts, you’ll even find some suggestions of topics to post about each week and a bit of history on the ORC (I found the care she put into trademarking and growing the ORC brand interesting).