we looooooove before and after pics.. :) I cant wait.....what ideas do u have for it?

Oh Steven, you are a brave, brave man. Good luck!!! Your kitchen looks amazing so I can only imagine how fab the dining room will look. Maybe you can send Brian to Holland instead and having the renovations completed while he's gone!! ;o)

Tracy

I agree with Tracy...bribe him with something he really wants !!

I read a description of a house locally that is the same era as yours and is currently up for sale. They did a "faux cottage finish " on the paneling...I cringed when I read it.

We had a huge den at our last house that had 70's paneling..it was original to the house. We filled every seam and then papered with a heavy cream linen paper. It looked wonderful and was still beautiful 10 yrs later when we sold. You might think of trying that. It was a lot easier that tearing off the panels.

Good luck and check back with progress pics...we LOVE pics. Caroline

Heck, I want to see "during" pics too, share the horror! Good luck, I hope you get estimates that don't make your eyes water.

Ahhh, a kindred spirit... I think your dining room looks quite nice but after the transformation that took place in the kitchen I think I know exactly how you feel, similar to having an abscess on your neck that your collar keeps rubbing, right? After seeing what you did with your kitchen I can hardly wait to see what you do to your dining room.

The pic of your hall reminds me of the time I dealt with the paneling on the living room wall. One night I shocked my DH and DS2... needless to say it looked a h*ll of a lot better after I had my way with it. It's just amazing what some plaster, a few wooden skewers and some paint can do.

I could write a book about, lets call them adventures I've had in this old house of ours. The day smoke came billowing out of the kitchen ceiling, the night the furnace blew it's door off and lets not forget our tiny bathroom remodel.

Brian, take a few deep breaths, they say meditation helps. You know you're going to love it when it's done.

I'm sending smooth sailing thoughts your way. I just know it's going to be fabulous when it's finished.

Annette

Tracy gives some good advice :-)

I love your wood floors.

Edna

Hey Steven,
Think of all the money you'll be saving by trading your trip in for the d'room. I'm with ya friend. Once you start it'll go fast. I could lend you Hazel...she could probably lick it off!!

Go for it...Brian, you'll love it.
georgeanne

Ah, the dominos are falling -- you started one thing, then the next....it's contagious.

I do look forward to seeing your dining room. Remember your advice on my kitchen wall color change? I've been "painting" with BM for days. I've just got too many colors in the kitchen for one color to work! I actually thought about sending you photos for your advice, but since you've already moved on to your next decorating adventure, I'll spare you the distraction! LOL

Cameron

I'm betting this will go much much faster than the kitchen did, Brian. With that great new kitchen and spruced up DR you'll be able to entertain all through the winter. It'll be great!!

I heart your buffet and hutch!

MeMo

The first thing I made Brian do when he got home tonight was read these posts. That and the fact that I had gutted the dining room, seemed to do the trick. While he still hasn't risen to my code red level of excitement, he no longer thinks I've gone mad.

I took four bids over the past two days and hired a contractor this afternoon. The rub was that he had a tight window. This project will be done by Monday. So I skipped out of work two hours early and flew into action. The contents of the dining room (and there were many) have been safely moved. Although the rest of our house looks like a giant flea market tonight...that dining room is clean.

Contractors are a mysterious bunch. I'm not used to them, seeing as though I'm accustomed to doing the work myself. I was quoted a range between $800 and $1,800 (one laughable bid came in at $3,000 but that's another story). It turns out the guy who quoted $800 came with the most experience and recommendations. He was the busiest too. He's in the process of restoring the exterior of a Victorian here in town. I took an immediate liking to him. Let's hope my gut instinct pays off.

I had a co-worker ask me this morning if I had it all over to do, would I buy this particular house. It really gave me pause. This property needed so much work. So many bad choices had been made over the years. We went blindly in thinking they were all easy fixes. But the answer was yes. I would do it again. This house deserved her face lift.

Off to explore paint color!

Steven

Dang, I was hoping you would decide to come to San Antono.
Have fun and good luck.

Kathy

The only thing I'm disappointed about this project is that it will mean you won't come to Holland this year, which means you won't be within a 2 hours flight from Portugal... I was hoping you could hop on an additional plane and finally come here :-( Having said that, your dining room is going to be fabulous, of course, and I look forward to see the finished result. Brian, brace yourself!

Eduarda

I have to say my first reaction to you giving up your Holland trip was "He IS nuts".

Now that I've thought about it for a while, I still think you're nuts.
But I mean that in the nicest way possible.

In the end, you're sure to have a scrumptious dining room that we'll all be drooling over,
and of course Holland will still be there.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Patti

Big Fat Smile!

San Antonio remains on my "Must do before I die" list. Look for me someday Kathy.

And Eduarda, you know I'll be coming your way someday. It's to be my Spain/Portugal visit. It's all planned out in my mind's eye, culminating with a relaxing glass of port in your garden. This will happen ;-)

And Patti - not to worry that I've given up my Holland trip. You're right, Nederland will always be there. This place is like a second skin for me. I've been many times. And believe me, I wasn't all that excited about being there this November. It's cold and rainy this time of year, plus, the dollar is so week against the euro right now. It just made fiscal sense. I'll go in the springtime when the fields are in bloom.

By this time tomorrow, that hideous paneling will be history and I'll have a blank canvas. This is as just exciting to me as any trip. I even got Brian excited about it. He was grooving on doorbells with me tonight. We're getting the Compass Star.

Cheers,

Steven

Here is a link that might be useful: Doorbell