Project Bug - Utility Room and Family Room Built-ins

Well it didn't take long before we got the project bug again.  LD started about a week and a half ago with cleaning the soot on the fireplace as best she could.  She's been wanting to paint the fireplace for awhile now, and the first step is to clean it.  But we still need to get a liner installed.

Our next mini-project was to replace the leaking water heater pressure relief valve.  I had noticed that the pressure relief valve had been leaking for the last couple of weeks, but LD thought it had been doing it since we purchased the house.  If it had, it must have been so slow of a leak that I never noticed.  This weekend we replaced the pressure relief valve (thanks to some helpful advice from Lee and Steve).  The new pressure relief valve stopped the leak, but we were not thrilled to find sediment deposits on the old valve.  This means we will probably be replacing the water heater in the very near future.

Well being in the messy utility room finally got us to organize it.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any before pictures, but just imagine all the things in the shelving unit pretty much spread all over the floor.  Our handyman, Steve, can sure attest to how bad it was.  It only took us a couple of hours one evening to get the shelf assembled and get everything off the ground.

The mahogany doors in the photo will be going to Habitat ReStore as soon as the weather improves (assuming they can fit in my car).

The sense of accomplishment we felt after organizing the utility room, gave us a desire to get started on our list of 2011 projects.  It was between painting the office, painting the family room, or refinishing the built-ins in the family room.  Given how much I hate painting, I voted for the built-ins.  

Here are some shots of what they looked like before we got started.

This is what they looked like after stripping and sanding them.  

Our next steps will be to stain and seal them, and order new countertops.