Welcome back to another fun filled remodel at Casa DauvO. Today I am going to share one of our more destructive projects. Looking through old photos, you may have noticed a fireplace positioned right in the middle of our living space. It was large and very rustic. The hearth was a dark stained 8X8 beam and above that the texture of the wall resembled a blanket of popcorn. During the first winter living here, we used the fireplace a few times which was pretty inefficient as far as a heat source goes, but did give a warm glow to the room. Sadly, it was pretty ugly. On the left side was a wood storage cubby that I used temporarily as a work desk. Due to it’s location the TV area was pushed slightly to the edge of the room, creating a small viewing space. With our large couches from our previous apartment, (Which were another punch in the eye) it was crowded and left little space for coffee tables or floor space. 

Since the couches were pushed to the side, we opted to put a dining room table between the couch and window. The table itself filled the space entirely and could only be used if we slid the couch over decreasing the floor space even more. 

The Plan

Going through a number of ideas based around refinishing the fireplace, we opted to remove it altogether and replace it in the future with an enclosed wood or pellet fireplace. It wasn’t the principal heating system in the home, but I liked the idea of having it for comfort and emergencies. We would rip down the entire thing hopefully finding matching tile underneath it. This was highly unlikely, so we budgeted to replace a section of the floor. We’d be gaining only about 1 square meter of space horizontally, but since it was in the center of the room, we’d be opening up opportunities for larger living room furniture. 

Once removed, we planned to buy a new TV Stand and intended to continue the theme of gray and white to connect kitchen and living together. Additionally, we wanted to move the dining room table into the kitchen which we would paint white until we found the kitchen table we wanted. This would almost double the size of the usable living room space which would also give us the opportunity to replace our couches. Much like the dining room table, we chose to cover the couch with a gray fabric until we found what we wanted. 

About halfway through this plan, we decided we wanted to do something about the adjacent wall as well. When we moved in, the bottom third of both this and a portion of the external living wall was covered with a wainscot. Upon removal, we learned why. Under the paneling we found signs of humidity which created a pungent smell. On our first remodel, my father in law resurfaced these two walls with a plaster. The wall near the kitchen was larger and was left slightly deformed. I decided to buy some white tile that resembled stone and give the house a little personality.  We’d take this opportunity to replace the baseboards that felt too small for the room and replace them with a broader 2×10 collected from old wood in the garage.

Materials and Labor

So let’s think about this.. We would need:

Most of these things we would pick up from Leroy Merlin, a local hardware store similar to Home Depot. The furniture we’d buy later on from Ikea. The baseboards I made at home using wood paneling that I trimmed and sanded. 

For labor, I have to say I have great friends. The removal was performed by myself along with my brother in law who just had to take this iconic video. This was perhaps the first time he had ever done real work in his life… Of course I’m joking.. He’d be a great asset on our next project. The good news is after removing the fireplace, we discovered they had constructed it over the tile so we would not be needing to tile the floor.

To refinish the wall, my good friend Pablo came to give me a hand. In truth, he pretty much did it all by himself. I acted as a grunt fetching things for him, but he single handedly resurfaced the section of wall that was behind the fireplace. Thanks Pablo! 

Painting and placing tile on the wall was done by my wife and I together. Tiling the wall actually went by very quickly and it turned out great. I had to follow it up by grouting the joints to give it a better aesthetic, but I am happy with the result. 

Cost Breakdown

Pretty straightforward here. We always try to control our costs as best we can. When I can I buy materials like cement from a local hardware store in our neighborhood. It’s nice that they are just down the road and if I forget something I don’t lose a lot of time stopping by. Our most significant savings came from the furniture. Ela found the IKEA furniture she loved most and decided to check an online used marketplace just out of curiosity. You might be thinking… But IKEA is so cheap, why would you waste your time. 

I’ll tell you why.  Just on the TV Stand alone… 

New at IKEA = over €1,000.

Using her tricks of the trade she found the bottom and top center sections used for €120 and the two side bookshelf sections for another €180. 

All in Used IKEA TV Stand = €300

BAM… over €700 savings. 

It was in good condition too! The others we would buy new thought we might have been able to do the same with the kitchen table and Couch, but we opted to splurge a little. 

Here’s the breakdown:

• A sledge hammer:       borrowed
• Floor Tile:   N/A
• White wall tile: €  120
• Grout: €      8
• Plaster: €    10
• Paint: €    75
• Baseboards:   Free
• New TV Stand: €  300
• New Couch: €  900 
• New Kitchen Table: €  280
• Various Tools: €    27

Final Thoughts

This was one of the larger remodel expenses so far. Most of the larger costs were furniture and as always we saved money by doing it ourselves and finding skilled friends to help us out. Now the living room is spacious and comfortable.  Aside from the old TV Stand that I cut in half and we are using as a shoe rack (to be thrown away shortly), everything combines together to create a great atmosphere.