You know how they say “invite people over to get stuff done around the house?” As Tripp’s birthday party approached, I knew it was time to press play on the Library project. Obviously, this room is tucked away and I could close the door but the problem is what it does to the surrounding areas. I should not show you but this was what I did to the connected bonus room during the weeks of this project. Promise me we’ll still be friends.
The truth is no one really cares about the state of our bonus room or house. They’re coming to celebrate Tripp and that is all that matters but at the same time, I think it’s important to honor this gift of the home we have and present her in her best light. (And truth be told, someone could get hurt in here!) But this left me with two options:
- Figure it out and fix it
- Shove everything back in there, close the door and hope to come back to it one day.
Choice 2 would have been easier but I was so close to a major finish line, I just couldn’t do it. I had to make one last attempt to get it right. Of all the options I thought of to fix the problem (refresh your memory here) the best one was to just order more brackets. They’re very inexpensive and I’ve already proven they are strong and can handle the weight (screwed directly into studs- don’t forget this point if you try it yourself. This is not place for anchors!)
As I was already way over my $0 budget, I had to make funds. I took the easy route and sold an extra piece of furniture on Facebook Marketplace. I ordered brackets and paid back some of what I spent earlier (full budget recap at the end.)
When I finally got some time to install them it was easy and nice to get back to work. The brackets went in smoothly and we were officially back in library business.
For someone else, (and a bigger budget) this might be the sprint to the finish, but for me it’s halftime. I loaded the first round of books in basic categories, and started the clean up process. Would I love to go dig all our books out of every room and dewey decimal the day away? ABSOLUTELY but remember the state of the adjoining room? It was time to clean up my messes and get on with life… for now.
I had art and a lamp saved for this so I put them in their places so I can enjoy them while I wait to finish. It’s unfinished and over budget, but I love it with all my heart already. I am eager to figure out a system that works for us to organize the books, add a few more finishing touches (maybe a go fund me for a couch? I’ll leave my VENMO below. Just kidding!) but most of all, watch happy reading and learning happen right here. It’s a book nerd’s dream.
This is not the end. There is more to do, but it’s nice to have the construction phase done (and the adjoining rooms back in shape) I’m going to share my $0 light upgrade next then hopefully soon we’ll be back soon with more updates.
Next steps:
- Clean the carpet
- Touch up paint/ clean paint off brackets (oops)
- Gather and sort all the books
- Fill the shelves
- Sell/donate extras
- Add seating
- Make it pretty
- READ
Budget Checkin:
- Paint $15
- Extra supplies $11
- Screws: $13
- Brackets: $31
- Total: $70
- Furniture Sale: $60
- Total: $10
(Full transparency: I have $20 left from that furniture sale that I’m holding for a contingency so I’m a little over this for now but still really good, right?)
