Before and After: This Sunroom Becomes a $300 Second Living Room
The owner of this space described it as “a very scary sunroom,” and the presence of asbestos alone earns it that designation. After six weeks of hardcore work, it’s now anything but scary.
Here’s a bit more insight about what our intrepid DIYer was facing:
The before of my sunroom was symbolic of the entire house—unloved, a little broken, but with a lot of potential. There was a lot that needed to be done, including covering the asbestos floor, scraping off the peeling paint, and fixing the broken light fixture.
This now has everything I want in a sunroom: a comfy place to lounge, verdant ferns, a table for a cup of tea, and a blanket for sunny but chilly days. Jenn Meyers of Goals & Garbage, however, went a few steps further by adding a fascinating wall hanging, a midnight blue accent wall, and beautiful walnut floors. And that futon makes this a dreamy sleep spot and bonus guest room, besides being an extra living room.
Here’s what inspired Jenn to tackle this neglected space:
I spent a solid six months working on the inside of my home and getting it ready for a housewarming party. The sunroom couldn’t continue being ignored by me though, because you have to pass through it in order to get to the backyard. I wanted my house to be presentable before inviting my friends and family over, so I took part in House Beautiful‘s One Room Challenge to really kick my butt into gear.
Here’s another look at the newly-painted wall.
I love that I went beyond my comfort zone and painted an accent wall. I am typically a cream or white wall color type of gal, but I really wanted this room to look classy. I think the navy wall does just that. I also love love love the herringbone style pattern floor. One of my family members told me I was being too ambitious in trying to complete that look in six weeks, and I almost backed out on it and did a more traditional style. I’m so glad I didn’t.
If I had more time and money, I think I would have ripped down the ceiling, redone the electrical, and replaced both the light and ceiling. Originally I wanted a different light fixture, but it wasn’t possible with how the ceiling was being held up. Maybe one day…
Not the most inviting lounge area, especially with all that asbestos lurking. It’s so inspiring that Jenn was able to turn this into something so special—especially for a low, low price:
The entire project only cost $298. I have an entire price breakdown on my linked blog page. The project took six weeks, which is how long the One Room Challenge goes. However, within those six weeks I spent nearly every second from the moment I got home from my job until midnight working on it. I brought in no extra help and learned and did everything on my own. This included using floor patch to level the floor, laying down the vinyl floor in a herringbone style pattern, and scraping, sanding, and painting every inch of it. The only surprise was that I finished in time. I have never considered myself to be “handy”, and the only reason it came together in time was through sheer stubbornness and determination.
The floor was about one-third of that total cost, and Jenn does a good job listing the things that were already on-hand.
Jenn has some encouragement to share:
Even if a project seems daunting at first and even if people are discouraging—you can do anything you set your mind to!
Thank you, Jenn Meyers of Goals & Garbage!