• Home
  • About
    • Personal Posts
  • Privacy
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Checkout
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Sawdust Girl®

Sawdust Girl®

Renovation, cabinet building and woodworking plans and tutorials. Build like a Girl®

  • My Home
    • Clinton TN House
      • Clinton TN House in Progress
    • Maryville TN House
      • Maryville TN House Tour – Completed Rooms
      • Maryville TN House in Progress
        • Basement
        • Basement Storage Closet
        • Bedroom Office
        • Craft Room
        • Dining Room
        • Entry
        • Garage
        • Guest Bedroom
        • Hallway
        • Jack and Jill Bathroom
        • Kitchen
        • Kitchen Entry
        • Laundry Room
        • Library
        • Living Room
        • Loft
        • Madison’s Room
        • Master Bedroom
        • Master Closet
        • Pantry
        • Porch
        • Powder Room
        • Wes’ Office
    • Illinois House
    • Calderwood Cottage
  • My Workshop
    • Clinton Workshop
  • Build & Breakfast
  • Cabinet Making 101
    • Cabinets
    • Doors
    • Drawers
  • Projects and Plans
    • Countertops
    • Beds
    • Benches
    • Bookshelves
    • Desks
    • Gift Ideas
    • Holiday
      • Christmas
      • Halloween
    • Home Accessories
    • Kids
    • Kitchen Cabinets
    • Lockers
    • Nightstands
    • Organization accessories
    • Recipes
    • Sewing
    • Tables
    • Vanities
    • Wardrobes
    • Woodworking
      • Wood Finishing
    • Workshop
    • Workshop Storage and Organization
  • Remodeling 101
    • Baseboard and Trim
    • crown molding
    • Demolition
    • Door and Window Casings
    • Door Installation
    • Drywall
    • Electrical work
    • Flooring
    • Home Maintenance
    • Painting
    • Plumbing
    • Resources
    • Safety
    • Tile
    • Wall and Ceiling Treatments
  • Sawdust Squad
  • The Sawdust Diaries
    • Andrea
    • Ava D.
    • Beckie F.
    • Cara C.
    • Courtney B
    • Fawn T.
    • Jenn D.
    • Kelly C.
    • Kristy K.
    • Lara T.
    • Malisa B.
    • Marnie D.
    • Robin C.
    • Val F.
  • Tools
    • Products
    • Tool Reviews & Overviews
    • Inspiration & Ideas

Studio Recap – A Year of Progress

All Posts, Craft Room, Loft

Now that I finally finished my kitchen entry makeover, I’m back to work in my studio!  I usually have about 5 different projects going on at once.  I like it that way so I don’t have much down time.  While glue is setting up here, I can paint over there.  While that paint is drying, I can start building something else.  While that glue is curing…

After taking a whole month away from the studio, I had to regroup and decide which project to start back on first. While looking around and taking stock, I realized that it was about this time last year when I started building my studio “craft room”.   I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane and look back at how this project has taken shape.

This is what the loft was like when we purchased this house.studio recap

At one point I started building a recording studio for Madison.  studio recap

 Then life happened and we realized the recording studio wouldn’t be used much and I decided that the loft would be my studio! Pergo Laminate Flooring in Recording Studio

So I tore those walls back out.Building a craft room in the loft.

I wanted a clean slate to build on with nothing other than the existing HVAC closet to work around.Building a craft room in the loft.

I saved money by beveling plywood to create a faux tongue and V-groove plank ceiling.

studio recap

I built cabinets and installed countertops for the craft room island area.Building Countertops in place

I created a faux brick wall and painted the ceiling and built angled cabinets.

studio recap

I painted the countertop, cabinets and ceiling with my Graco airless sprayer.  

I get asked often so …Sherwin Williams, Pro-Classic in semi gloss.  Color is Decorator White.  🙂

White Painted Craft Room Cabinets and Countertops

The loft has it’s own heat pump so I can control the temperature on this level, separate from the main floor.  Which I love!  But it’s a big ugly unit so the closet here is essential for hiding it.  However, the closet wasn’t planned for function so I had to do some fix’n.  As it was, there’s not a whole lot of space for shelves so the best storage option is stacking bins against the angled, low ceiling wall.  Waste of a very big closet!Closet access - currently

I removed the door (and frame) and changed the location and height of the doorway.studio recap

I moved the doorway over as far as I could without encroaching on the HVAC unit.  The I built floating shelves.Studio Closet Floating Shelves

Now that closet has oodles of room for ORGANIZED storage!Studio Closet Floating Shelves

I also added a little partition wall inside the closet to hide the hvac unit from view when the door was open. 
studio recap

And speaking of door, I installed this chippy paint barn door over painted cork panels I installed on the walls.Chippy Paint Barn DoorThen I installed my Pergo floors.Studio Flooring

I built a distressed picture ledge.Faux Beam Picture Rail

And then built drawers, drawers and more drawers!Map Drawers - cabinet drawer installation

And that’s the half finished state which THAT part of my studio still remains.

I’m currently working on the other side of that space.  If you can look past all the tools, cabinets and other junk, this is how it looked before…loft

I extended the stairway walls to go all the way to the ceiling.  I don’t want the loft to be one giant open space and I want to use the vertical space for storage.

 

 

 

 

 

Studio throw back

I also extended the length of the wall at the front of the staircase.  These wall “bump outs” create nooks which for built-in cabinetry.  It also creates a wider space for my cutting table.Extending stair wallsBecause I want a giant cutting table. 
Cutting Table

That cutting table is one of the 5 projects I was in the middle of when I started my kitchen entry – detour project.  But I did complete another faux brick wall and my electrician got all the wiring hooked up and ready for the TV that will hang there.Chipped Plaster Brick Wall - Faux Technique

When I came up here on Monday and had to decide where to dig back in –I settled on the sink area.  I built the cabinets previously so the plumber could come in and do the rough-in work.  (Which he did while I was working on the kitchen entry.) 

 

Craft room utility sink placement Which brings us to today and what progress I’ve made this week.  I didn’t get a whole lot done because I spent some time doing family stuff (Christmas shopping with Madison).  What I did get done was install sheetrock in the “sink area” as well as inside my little broom closet.  I framed the closet walls to separate the sink area from the sewing area.   Each wall needed to be a certain length for the corresponding cabinetry that I plan to build.  I realize it may look odd to some at this stage — because Madison was puzzled by the small door opening.  But it was well thought out and is as it needs to be.  Trust that it will make sense at some point — or I’ll change my mind and tear it out.  I’ve been known to do that.

Studio recap

I’d like to get it all mudded and primed this weekend.  I probably won’t because I always spend days and days finding imperfections and adding just a little more mud here and there…

I’m not a professional drywaller.  I do a decent job but it takes me a really long time to do it.   Finding a professional that does a good job, is decent to work with and responds when you need a job done –is difficult.  Really difficult!  So I don’t have a “drywall guy” and don’t have the energy to vet one out.  I just spend a few days doing it myself when it needs to be done.    So we’ll see how long this job takes me.  😀

 

In other news, we finally found a “concrete guy”  and should be getting our kitchen entry deck poured this week!  Cross your fingers for us that they show up.  

Also, I’m flying to Dallas on Monday to see Shelby’s House.  I was able to help frame it at the Dallas “Women Build” with Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity.  I’m excited to go out and see it completed and spend some time with Shelby again.  

Women Build with Lowe's and Habitat for Humanity

We’re going to build a toy chest for her kids.  I still need to design it and draw up some plans.  So maybe I won’t be mudding any more this weekend.  I have plans to create, material lists to draw up and packing to do!  And can you believe it’s December already!  I’m so excited!  (crazy laugh)

See you soon!

December 2, 2016 · 6 Comments

« Using a Circuit Breaker Finder to add Under-Cabinet Lights
Jack-and-Jill Bathroom Remodel Begins »

Comments

  1. CC says

    December 2, 2016 at 1:09 pm

    whoa! this is awesome – have been out of your loop for awhile. love what you have done

    Reply
  2. Garry says

    December 2, 2016 at 3:47 pm

    Whew! I get tired just reading all that has been accomplished. I have been following this attic studio makeover from page 1 and love what you have been doing. Have given you a few of my thoughts which weren’t following yours but you have always explained why and I truly do appreciate that you have taken the time to do that. I love everything that you have done and agree with your reasons for doing them. You may not really care if I agree or not and that is also OK with me. (Wow that sounds a bit haughty – not intended that way at all) Am looking forward to following this build to the end and am sure that everything else is going to be as well liked as all you have done. I am also a perfectionist and so know about installing and taking out and changing etc. etc. but in the end I am satisfied with what I have completed as I am sure you are too. Really liked what you did with the kitchen entry as well. It looks great. Many ideas there that I might use in one form or another. Keep up the great work

    Reply
  3. Kate says

    December 2, 2016 at 5:47 pm

    Awesome post! I love being able to see how far you’ve come on a project. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish next 🙂

    Reply
  4. Vickie H. says

    December 3, 2016 at 8:45 pm

    AMAZING!!! Can’t wait for the finish . So fun to follow all you do! It’s cold & rainy here in Dallas so dress warm!!

    Reply
  5. Tammy (Pa.) says

    December 6, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    You are amazing..!! Did you go to school or are you self taught..?

    Reply
  6. Frank D says

    February 4, 2018 at 9:55 pm

    Been looking through the loft build (via a search for angled attic space cabinetry, I need some inspiration for my first built-in angled wardrobe cabinet 🙂 ), enjoying the many detail articles and am hoping to find a completed build?
    Anything since Dec 2016?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

New Post email notification signup

You Subscribed!

Legal Stuff

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Disclosure

Recent Posts

  • March 2023 Lodge Update- Moved in
  • January 2023 Lodge Update
  • Lodge Update – Floors, Cabinets, Countertops, and Appliances
  • Lodge Kitchen Cabinet Progress
  • Halloween Mad Gab – Halloween Party Ideas

Disclaimer:

Although it is my intention to provide accurate plans and clear instructions, not all plans have been tried and tested. Using plans or information found on SawdustGirl.com indicates that you agree with the Terms of Use policy and will accept full responsibility for the process and outcome of any project you attempt. All plans are for private use only. Plans and information published on SawdustGirl.com may not be reproduced, republished or distributed in any manner without written permission from Sandra Powell, Sawdust Girl. Actual projects built using Sawdust Girl plans may be published on your own site without instructions or "tutorial" as long as you provide a link to my original post with full post title or "SawdustGirl.com" as link title.

Copyright © 2023 · anchored theme by <a target="_blank"