Home improvement.

I wrote in more than a few posts about how much Lowe's sucks and how you really shouldn't ever get anything from there that you're not a) taking with you and/or b) installing yourself. Do NOT use Lowe's to get ANYthing installed...tile...doors...blinds. Just don't do it. Trust me.

Well here's the before--the old back door that opens on to the deck:
Bad photo. Even worse door. It had been painted over about 6 times, and it was covered in deep dog claw marks, inside and out. Plus, this side of my house gets northern exposure, so not a whole lot of natural light enters the den/family room. So, I got Lowe's to install this (took them over three months and two misordered doors, mind you), and...

SO much better. And brighter. And it's got those integrated "between pane" blinds, so I don't have to worry about dusting those fuckers or having The Geej get all up in their shiz.

Okay, next project: The dining room windows.

I love my dining room. It's only been used on 4 occasions since I moved in, but still...I love the furniture, the hardwood floors, the wall color, and the fact that I even HAVE dining room just because it makes feel so grown up!! The previous owners of this house were using this room as an office/dog kennel room. What a waste. They had hung these sheers in the windows (which face the front of the house) and left them when they moved:

Not great. Not terrible. But what I disliked was the fact that there are functional windows you can open in those casings, and it was sort of impossible to get the full benefit of that with sheers stationed in the way. Also, it was never 100% private (at night) and never allowed 100% of the southern exposure sunlight in. So, I decided to do this:

Custom built plantation shutters, bitches!! It looks like a COMPLETELY new room now. Very clean and elegant. Plus, the light and privacy were totally worth it. I used The Shuttermaker (Kyle, TX) and would recommend them to anyone. Not only were they on time for the measurement/estimate visit (and came in a full $80 cheaper than my previous two estimates), they called the NEXT WEEK to schedule the install (even though the blinds wouldn't be ready for a couple of weeks) and then, the day of, called to make sure that it was okay if they were EARLY to the install. They got here, did their thing, and were gone within an hour. SO different from the band of imbeciles and no-shows at the intalled sales department at Lowe's.

Fuck Lowe's.

So yeah. The home improvement continues. Next up: electricity and a celing fan for the covered deck, new fixtures in the master bath and some custom built-ins in there.

This crib is gonna be pimpin' before you can say "Huggy Bear."