Our Old Building

In keeping with my apparent theme for April of avoiding my dining room redo, here is another 'Tour de Distraction'.  Our old building.

Some of you know that a few years ago I bought an old building to renovate.

Saying I bought it is accurate, saying I'm renovating it makes my nose grow.
Gotta give credit to Brawn and the boys for 90% of the manual labor.  Ok.... 95%.

Before & During

The building is in a great location on a main street and it has a view of a lake out the back.

It has a gutted top floor.  We did this, and enjoyed every minute of it...till clean up.

Many of you might covet this vintage wallpaper.  I am not one of those.
I repeat....
I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE.
YES I'M YELLING THAT.  Sorry.

I did however rescue the old Kelvinator stove.  It's in good shape, just dirty.

Doesn't the sight of that in black and white make you feel a bit Betty Crocker-ish?

Lights....
It came with old lights.  The dirt was a vintage bonus. 

These sconces hang on the main floor above the barber work station.

The upstairs living quarters had these lights and this ugly faux ceiling.  One of those two is gone.  

Put your money on the ceiling.

Three schoolhouse lights hang over where the barber chairs were.  We will reuse them. I am willing to bet that the dust on top of these lights is as old as the building.

There is a covered stoop where you enter the main floor or stairs to go to the living space above.  The outside entry floor is covered with these tiles.  I think with a good cleaning they will look nice.  I like the colors.

A very large, shallow cabinet, just big enough for hair care products, is along one wall.  It will either be repurposed and used in the upstairs apartment, or it will come home with me to replace where the barber shop sign I made hangs in our master bath.  

This barber sign IS going to the new bathroom in the old building.  

Eventually.

When we have a bathroom somewhere in the old building.

Also in the master bath is the antique ceramic scissor sterilizer.  Say that fast 3 times.

 And the old scissors.

The store front currently houses a photography display - it's a regular winter wonderland.  

Still.  

In April.  

I have to get up there and remove the melted snowman heads.  

Or maybe not, the weather man is predicting 6 - 12 inches of snow for us today.

The middle of April.  Yuck.

The front has come a long way since these guys helped dad hold windows in place.  Brawn came back two hours later to find them still holding the window.  

Just kidding!!!  

If you look at the reflection in the glass it looks like R is wearing a lampshade on his head and has a thick black mustache.  Neither are true.  #3 does however have a dark beard and is sporting a beanie on his noggin.  He sort of looks like he's from Duck Dynasty.  My other son is doing a pretty good mime imitation huh?

So this spring, in addition to hopefully getting the never ending dining room redo done, we will also be putting the upstairs of this building back together.

The main floor will have to wait, because there is lots of strumming going on in there.....

The main floor hosts the main attraction - #3's band.  (Check out that awesome original tile floor!).

So either #3 or me has to start making better use of the building so one or both of us can put some green backs in this.....

Subscribe, Bliss Ranch arrives magically!