Our Bungalow

Our first house together was a Spanish Colonial Revival Bungalow that was built in about 1928 in Studio City, California. Nothing in it had been updated, except unfortunately the windows, which were circa 1970 louvered glass (and let me tell you, if you think it can't get cold in Southern California, try living in a house with those leaky windows in December). In my opinion, that is one of the biggest losses an older home can have - it's great old windows. I know that older windows also are not thought of as very energy efficient, but I think that, properly taken care of and perhaps with the use of storm windows, they can do a pretty good job.

Anyway, because it may be a little while before I get to post any "after" photos of our current place, I thought I would blog a bit about our beloved bungalow and the first major project we tackled together that likely led us to where we find ourselves today.

BEFORE: After living with a 1928 kitchen for a few months (including a cabinet that would pop open whenever anyone stepped on the floorboard in front of it), we decided that something needed to be done, but we were on a pretty strict budget, so we decided we could do it ourselves. We did hire a plumber and an electrician, but all the rest would be us (with a little help from our friends!)

The original plan was to install new cabinets, counters and tile (back splash and floor). But as we began to take down the cabinets and the old tile back splash, the old plaster walls just began to crumble, so it became a complete gut renovation.



Installing the drywall was probably one of the hardest parts of the job - I learned that I hate mudding. It's definitely a skill, I don't think I ever learned to get it completely smooth.


We decided that using a venetian plaster instead of regular paint would help hide the imperfections and would also help the new drywall blend with the plaster that was in the rest of the house.

Some of our helpers were more furry than others.

And some just added that cute factor:

Once the drywall was in, installing the cabinets and the counter tops was relatively easy. We went with tile counter tops because (a) we read that was one of the easier types for DIYers and (b) it fit the style of the house. Tomorrow, the after photos . . .