Non-Toxic Strippers

Yes, I thought that might grab your attention. Thus far I've stripped about 4 layers of paint from one side of the built ins that were so poorly painted they looked like giant blocks of painted plastic instead of carved wood. To find a product that wasn't toxic was easy, but the cost was great. Considering how much paint needs to be stripped this may take a lot of $$$ though the money I save on a hotel could balance it out. 

Advice: Do not glop paint onto built ins. 

Plea: Do not glop paint into built ins. 

Threat: Do not glop paint onto built ins. 

...now for the walls. 

A Long Time Going

Homes are hard. Sometimes you just have to keep on plugging away at the little things, take a step back, scrap the project, and start all over. Since last I advised really not much other than painting has gone on. Painting is... well... a challenge with uneven stucco walls that had been poorly painted previously. Had to include some kind of alliteration... 

Better than the horrible paint job I walked in with, but I can improve upon it. They say you shouldn't use harsh chemicals while you reside in the home. Surely this is an excellent excuse for scraping down all the walls, ceiling, wood with a paint remover and spending the night at a hotel, budget allowing?

We shall see...

I Fought the Lamp and the Lamp (almost) Won

A note: electricity is dangerous. Having worked in the theatre as both a light tech and a lighting designer, let me tell you that it's not good enough to just have a switch flipped off. You need to make sure there's no power going to the wires at all. This means switching it off at the fuse box or panel. After you've done this, DO NOT take the light fixture (in this case a ceiling fan) down by yourself whilst balancing on top of a ladder. I say this from a place of experience and warn you that they are heavier than they look. 

The only benefit to taking it down this way is you'll find out if you have a natural self-preservation instinct and how quick your reflexes are. This happened in my case as the weight of the fixture threatened to pull me off the ladder and down (head first) to the floor. Fortunately I allowed the fixture to drop before I went over. 

Now, after taking off a fixture, assuming you've survived this step, you must cap off the wires if you're not going to put another fixture up right away. Again, make sure to keep the power off, cut the wires back with wire cutters and cap them off by screwing the caps on. Give a little tug and... voila. 

safe wires.