What If…
By now everyone’s probably aware that there’s a $5,000 bonus up for grabs for the person who earns the most votes on their project over on BHG.com (remember we did this to our porch?). And although we’re holding steady at second place, a bunch of people have commented and emailed us to ask what we would do with BHG’s $5,000 bonus if we were lucky enough to take it home. Of course our initial reaction is always “well, we hate to count our chickens… especially since the competition is so fierce and we definitely have some ground to make up…” but since you guys are very (very) persistent we figured we’d indulge you (and ourselves) and let our home-improvement-loving imaginations wander.
After all, $5,000 is ten times the amount of money that we had for the challenge (!) and although we would donate some of it to one of our favorite housing charity here in Richmond, we’d definitely put the rest right back into the house (no shopping sprees at Bloomies or fabulous vacations for us). Of course your votes would help that become a bit closer to a reality (if everyone who read this post voted once a day until June 12th we’d definitely be contenders). So without further ado, here’s what we’d do:
#1. Retile the hearth of the living room fireplace (it’s actually just old red terra cotta tile that we painted white and then sealed with about a hundred coats of water-based polyurethane). We’d love to do something with white river rocks, glass mosaic tile or even white marble so here’s hoping…
#2. Replace the boring builder light fixtures in both of our guest bedrooms. But they both won’t just be something off the shelf. That would be too easy. We’re thinking we’d love to DIY a large drum shade with little cascading tabs of white felt, or even something woven or rattan (perhaps made from a repurposed runner or a few woven placemats).
#3. Completely overhaul the 50-year-old master bathroom. We’re talking tile work, maybe some wainscotting, a new vanity/sink, etc. We did our best to salvage our vintage tile, but there are cracks and discolorations everywhere we look, so one day we’d love a complete redo. And that day would certainly come sooner with a little extra cash in our wallets (and you know John’s itching to pick up the sledgehammer, right?)…
#4. Add a lounging area to the patio. We’d bring in some planters, some posh West Elm-ish lounge chairs, a few accent tables and even an all-weather rug to make our little table-only patio into a bona fide outdoor room. Maybe even build a stone fire pit. That would be cool, right?
#5. Introduce a bit of layered, textural interest in the half bathroom. This one’s gonna be a surprise so that’s all you get.
#6. Transform our secret room. Yeah, we actually have a separate entry basement under the sunroom that currently looks like this. Pretty nasty, eh? But we’ve dealt with some pretty bad befores and we actually have a plan for this mindnumbingly terrible cinder block prison.
You may be asking yourself if we’re confused and think that the BHG bonus is $50,000 and not $5,000, but we’re cheap little buggers and a few of these projects would only run us around $100 which would leave a lot more bank for a few of the more major tasks on our dream to-do list.
And of course we have to say that we’re extremely thankful just to have been included in the challenge and to be among such fabulous fellow bloggers! And if the extra moolah isn’t in the cards we still have big plans here at Casa Petersik. This is just what happens when we let our imaginations wander… we get all hyper and sweaty. Thanks for the fun!
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Comments
We are keeping our fingers crossed and continuing to vote for yall! I love the current redo ideas – very inspiring!
Ok, ok, ok. I am a faithful reader who (gasp!) has been resisting registering at BHG. But the guilt is overwhelming now, and I just can’t stand it anymore. John and Sherry are so great. Off to register and vote . . .
Wahooo! Thanks Laura C. Every vote counts and we really appreciate the effort!
xoxo,
s (& j)
Voted! Now I wish I could vote more than once a day. Hey – I’ll ask my hubby to vote too! And maybe my mom will be willing to . . . Cool! I got a note from YHL! Just made my day! ;=)
Perhaps I watch too much Suze Orman. It is possible. I just always play devil’s advocate. While I LOVE LOVE LOVE to see all that you guy’s do, there is that little voice in my head somewhere. Never at all meant that you two are not levelheaded etc. because that is so so far from what I’ve encountered here.
I suppose I do not currently see home improvements as investments in light of all that is happening with real estate, etc. I’m sure it will all turn around and if you intend to stay forever, then there is no shame in buffing up your glam.
Hi! I adored hearing about YHL’s plans for the potential prize money. I’ve been voting daily! Good luck!!
Hi there, this is a little off topic, but I noticed that you painted your fireplace screen white. We have the exact same one and I spray-painted it a hammered silver color last week trying to get the brushed nickel look.
It looks a little dull but I wasn’t sure how to fix it. I hear you guys talk about polyurethane as a top coat a lot. Do you think this is the way to go to give it a little shine?
Thanks!
Hey Bridget,
We actually just used good old white semi-gloss paint (applied with a brush) for that easy sheen. But a few thin coats of water-based poly would probably do the trick for you! Good luck…
xo,
Sherry
Hi guys,
All your future plans sound great! But I would leave the fireplace alone. It looks great the way it is. It fits the period & style of your house. But that’s just me.
Keep up the great work.
Mary
Hey Mary,
The fireplace itself will stay exactly as it is, but the hearth (the rectangular piece on the floor) would get retiled in a white tone to work with the painted brick fireplace since all we did is paint the bad shattered terra cotta tile to hide them in the meantime (which is never a long-term solution when it comes to tile). Hope that helps to clarify!
xo,
Sherry
I’m happy your are leaving the brick alone. It looks so nice painted white. It has a Mid-Century Modern look. I can understand wanting to replace the terra cotta. I hope you guys win the contest. I’ve been voting for you.
Good Luck!!!
Mary
Hi guys!!! this is so great what you are going to do with the money, the charity.
I found your blog from the knot boards last week and i have been addicted!!! LOL… so far everyday i have logged in and voted for you love birds every day! I am eager to find out who is in first place?!?!?!? You guys really deserve it!!!
Do you have any inspiration pics of the river rocks or the tile for the floor around the fireplace?
Good luck and keep up the good work!!
Hey Chachita07,
Thanks so much for your sweet note (and your votes)! We actually do have a photo saved on our desktop for inspiration when it comes to the river rock tiling job but we haven’t yet uploaded it to share. Stay tuned…
xo,
Sherry
Thanks for telling us your plans. I have to admit, I haven’t voted up until now, but this definitely inspired me. :-)