Readers' Clever Upgrade Ideas That Wowed Us II
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Half-Wall Room Divider
Half-Wall Room Divider
"The front door opened right into the house, with no transition area. This half-wall and colonnade, a common feature of American Foursquares like ours, does the trick. I found the base and columns at salvage stores and had crown molding milled to match our woodwork."
Eric Dodane
Noblesville, Indiana
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Flower-Painted Floor
Flower-Painted Floor
"I wanted a fun, bright pattern for the floor of my new sitting room, which was once a sleeping porch. And I found just the right idea in a TOH story. (Visit How to Paint a Floor for the instructions.) I sketched the design in chalk before applying paint and glaze."
Amanda Geary
Herndon, Virginia
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Restored Garden Shed
Restored Garden Shed
"This shed, built on our property in 1930, was originally a playhouse and then used briefly as a home. My husband, Bob, and I relocated it and turned it into a garden shed. The color scheme was inspired by the orange quartz and gray schist on our 1809 stone house."
Nancy Jordan
Thornton, Pennsylvania
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Two-Level Tree House
Two-Level Tree House
"Our family's dream outdoor hangout became a reality when my dad, Ron, offered to help us make it. We built the floors of the decks on the ground and used a winch to lift them into place."
Matt Pavel
Kingston, Tennessee
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He Built a Sweet Garden Arbor
He Built a Sweet Garden Arbor
Wanting a destination for guests to gather in a seldom-visited corner of the backyard, This Old House reader Art Fink handcrafted an arbor with comfortable bench seating for four. The project began simply enough with some leftover wood and a chalk sketch on the garage floor.
Art Fink
Yorktown, Virginia
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Sweet Garden Arbor (Cont'd)
Sweet Garden Arbor (Cont'd)
But what makes the arbor so inviting are the finishing touches, such as the climbing confederate jasmine that covers the arbor's arched roof; a dogwood flower carved into the apex of the front arch that Art chiseled from a pattern designed by his wife, Faye; and bench arms that are wide enough to set a drink on. "Now when company comes over, we head straight to the arbor," says Art.
Art Fink
Yorktown, Virginia