So when we bought our beautiful home, we accepted the fact that we would be starting the DIY process all over again. That is okay. That is what we love to do.
Drew was offered a new job on the north side of Atlanta and we would pack up everything and head off...yonder. To a new territory. On a new adventure.
We bought the second house we walked through. Literally. My beloved Birchwood Lane had sold the first day on the market and the clock was ticking. I was hormonal and emotional with my 1 month old new daughter. Packing up my first-ever home had been very difficult. So many memories can be tied to a warm home.
Our beloved Georgia-mom, friend, and Realtor hadn't even unlocked the door and I knew Taylor's Wood was ours. And if you saw my previous post on Garage Door Therapy, you'll know it wasn't exactly the curb appeal that "knocked our socks off". I remember staring through the dusty window panes of the front door. I remember thinking: "This one is the one".
When you know, you know.
I will have many-a-more post that tells of the story of our Taylor's Wood home. She's got a lot of brass knobs and 90's tile, but we love her. And she has impeccable 'bones'.
Our first-ever renovation was the dreaded master bath. We started a month after we moved in. We worked in the evenings after our daughter went to bed. I know I have readers out there that have a dreaded master bath. Master baths can be easily neglected by young families who buy fixer-uppers. But here's the deal. If you end up selling, they command the second biggest return on investment, aside from the kitchen. And statistically, people are more likely to buy homes that have bathrooms and kitchens that show as updated. Here are some pictures to show you how special the bathroom really was before we got started:
It's a massive bathroom, as you can see. However massive bathrooms cost massive money to re-do. See that shiny brass shower? Yea those can be over $1,000 to replace. Oh, and see that 11 foot builder grade mirror? Wait, 11 foot?! Yes. That's right. At this point you're thinking "Ashley, you need professional help." And as a matter of fact, in a lot of areas, I do need help. But not in this area.
Behold...REMOVING THE 11 FOOT BUILDER GRADE MIRROR
Supplies needed for this project:
Safety Goggles & heavy duty gloves
A long piece of wire (length of your mirror and then about 2 extra foot)
Crow Bar
Trash bags
Hammer
Duct Tape
Meter Stick
Old bed sheet
Step 1.
So first I taped all over the mirror. Tape up, tape down, tape sideways, tape your name. This is because the mirror, inevitably, will crack. And when it does, you want tape everywhere so that glass shards don't start flying.
Step 2.
You and your volunteer (someone very brave) will need to position yourselves on either side of the mirror, each holding an end of the long piece of wire. Drew was my lovely volunteer. He volunteered for a lifetime of 'risky business' on May 19, 2007. Apply safety goggles. Also apply turtle-necks, steel toe shoes, prayer beads, and jugular covers).
We slid our meter stick behind the mirror (at the top) until we discovered where the "glue spots" were located. Usually there are random big glue patches on the back of the mirror. These glue spots are what will need to be loosened with your wire. Once we located the "glue zones", we used the crow bar to GENTLY pull back the top of the mirror. We then started to slide, back and forth, the wire behind the mirror. This loosened and detached the glue. Mind you, the 11 foot mirror is pretty heavy, and I was a NERVOUS NELLY.
Step 3. Once the wire successfully can slide behind the mirror from the top to the bottom, all the glue has been detached from the mirror and the mirror is ready to come down. At this point, we were holding the mirror steady, and ready to use the hammer. The reason being, our mirror is 11 foot long. We couldn't physically carry the mirror. We couldn't even budge it. Your mirror, however, may be smaller. In that case, it can be lifted safely to the floor.
So Drew took the hammer and did a couple of smashes to the mirror. 7 years of bad luck. Actually, probably 35 years of bad luck. It's not as scary as it sounds because you taped your mirror. So it, theoretically, cracks, but doesn't shatter. Okay I am lying. It was a little scary.
Step 4. Take the mirror down chunk by chunk as it is attached to your strips of tape. We had a big old bed sheet on the floor. We wrapped pieces of the sheet around the chunks of mirror. We also further smashed the taped chunks within the bed sheets so they fit perfectly into large garbage bags.
Step 5. Double bag your crushed-mirror trash bags and dispose of them.
And that's it! Your scary mirror is off the wall! Don't forget to tag us in your @Instagram posts! We want to see your big scary mirrors come crashing down!
For a sneak peak of our final Master bathroom reveal, visit the tab on this blog called "Taylor's Wood House"
Enjoy!
Love Y'all!
Ashley