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So yesterday, I showed how we added two big picture windows, a taller slider, took out a room dividing beam and dealt with some strange looking duct work.



Next up, the floor was layed and we built an entertainment center with a fireplace.

First we built the toe kick for the cabinets out of 1x3 fir.



We used IKEA cabinets. The kind that are 30x15x24. We only wanted the finished cabinets to be about 18-20 inches deep, so we cut off about 2-3 inches off the backs of the cabinets after they were assembled. Then we set them onto the toe kick and secured everything



Next we built a bump-out out of metal studs that would house our ethanol fireplace insert.



We were going to clad the fireplace in glass tile, so we spent quite a bit of time calculating where the studs should sit so that after drywall the width and height would add up to the exact with of our 1x2 inch glass tile with 1x1 inch glass tile that would fill in the end of each row.



Then we added drywall to the whole thing.



For a table top we used 3/4 inch solid oak flooring planks on top of sheet of 3/4 inch plywood, then finished the edge with a 1x2 oak piece which makes the table top look extra thick.

We got the Tidaholm cabinet doors when they were being cleared out at 20% off. Too bad they discontinued that door style. It was by far one of my favorites. It had real craftman-style to it.



Here the boards were dry-fitted first.



Then glued and secured.



Here we had finished dry-walling the fireplace. We added bull-nose to the top half of it where you would see the wall, but left the corners square where the tile would go.



Then we had someone come tile it and build a mantel out of a couple of pieces of 1x3 and 1x4 oak. Then I stained the table top and mantel. I used Minwax Ebony stain - 4 layers before it matched the Tidaholm finsh. Then two coats of satin poly, For the inside of the fireplace, I mixed drywall mud, fine sand and dark gray paint and troweled it on.

Here is the finished entertainment center with fireplace. First the cabinets on the left side. That is one of the speakers from the surround system.



I just got that green glass vase at HomeGoods in the clearance section for $7.99!! and here is one more picture where you can see the tiled fireplace. I think that color glass tile is called Moonstone. I got it on sale at a store that since became Marazzi tile, and they don't carry it anymore, but you can get 1x2 glass tile many places. I chose this color because it went so well with my paint, which was custom tinted to match my IKEA graige (gray-beige) Ritva curtains that I got on sale for $10 a pair. 



Take a look at the big reveal here.

We started our living room remodel in June 2010 and I thought I would show some of the pictures from that time before I reveal the "after" pictures.

In this post I am going to post about the windows and general remodel, in the next post I will share how we made our entertainment center and fireplace. The third post will be showing all the after pictures. I have quite a few!

Here is the living room before, from when we moved in in 2009.



The living room and dining room had been added on by the previous owners with a master suite on the first floor. There were a few issues with some of the layout. For instance; they had made the wall between the former and new living room 6 ft long making it impossible to furnish. Also, when sitting by the short wall, the sofa would stick out. In the ceiling they had built this uhm... contraption to house the heating and AC ducts in an octagonal shape which was sticking out into the living and dining space accentuated by a long beam going across the ceiling and two nice (not) vent covers.



There were no windows from the living room to the back yard, only two smaller windows looking into a wall and then the neighbor's house. The slider and window in the dining room (not shown) did not line up, which we thought we could take care of at the same time.

They had added wiring for surround sound, but no speakers and some of the wires had a somewhat interesting placement as you can see here.



Here is the lovely beam and wires for surround sound. We added speakers all around. Here you can kinda see that the two windows did not line up perfectly.



It was exciting taking down the drywall. We wanted to add a taller slider with floor to ceiling picture windows - 88in tall.



It was very satisfying taking that beam down.



We discovered why it was there: The ceiling in the living and dining room had a quarter inch difference in height. We solved this by floating the difference over a couple feet over chicken wire with some special binding stuff so that there won't be any cracking.



All the drywall on that wall came down.



The windows were taken out and a hole made for the new one.



The windows arrived.



And got put in. This all happenend in June and July of 2010. I know... I am a fast blogger



We took out the small window and framed it in, then had someone come and put up all the siding on the outside.



And drywall and paint on the inside. The carpet and tile was removed and the floor sealed before installation of the hardwood floors.

No more beam and octagonal contraption.



Then the living room was ready hardwood floors and for the entertainment center. More on that in the next post.

Here is Before and During (Progress, right?) We also put in a set of 8ft tall sliding pocket glass doors, which you can almost see on the left hand side.



Here you can see how we built the entertainment center and fireplace