Adding a HVAC vent in the Dining Room

OK, so this project is not terribly interesting. But I like to document the things we do to improve Wendhurst, and sometimes that is adding beauty, and sometimes that is adding function. This would fall under function.

Our dining room has not had a heat vent since we bought the house. It has a cold air return, but no heat. And although the kitchen directly adjacent does have a vent, it is blocked by the chimney that runs right through the middle of the house, thereby directing all the heat into the kitchen and none into the frigid dining room. And we live in Upstate NY, the land of freezing cold winters, and we frequently entertain. In the dining room. And it was cold. So yeah, this was kind of a necessary improvement.


Now the interesting thing to note here, is that this room previously had heat. How do we know this? Well there was a patched part of the floor, and a patched part of the duct directly beneath said floor. So we knew this would, potentially, be a very straightforward project. I say that with some trepidation, because all projects have the ability to morph into something insanely complex and frustrating. But (spoiler alert) this one was easy!



Basically, our process was as follows: measure the length of ducting we would need, and figure out how many elbows we would need as well (one). Make a trip to Home Depot to purchase said ducting, elbow, joint that would attach to the main duct and a heater vent.

Once home, remove the wood panel in the dining room, and cut out a hole that would fit a heating vent with a drill and a reciprocating saw. (A jigsaw would have been easier, but we don't have one) Replace wood panel in floor, now with a hole. Then cuddle with the babies on the bed in the basement (thereby keeping them safe) while Lover assembles the ducting and attaches it. Marvel at the fact that this man can do anything he sets his mind to. Take a picture.



Install the vent in the floor in the dining room. By install, I mean, drop into place and make sure it lines up with the ducting beneath.



Hit the new ducting with a quick coat of white spray paint so that it blends in a bit with the painted basement ceiling. Make a mental note to add more coats of paint in the summer when we will not die of fumes. (Get on that Jenny!)



Breathe a sigh of relief, enjoy your toasty warm dining room, and invite guests over without fear of them contracting pneumonia while they eat. Blog about it. Easy peasy.

And yes, we did this project before we bought the new buffet. And I am just getting around to blogging about it. You're welcome.



 

 

The Van that Led to the Buffet that Led to the Shopping Spree...

So we found the perfect buffet for the dining room. Wait, let me back up. In February, in the dead of winter, when we thought the longest winter would never, ever, EVER end, we started browsing Craigslist looking for vans. We've debated owning a van for years, basically since owning Wendhurst Castle. Our constant DIY projects, and occasional large furniture purchases were always unecessarily complicated by the annoying "but how do we get it home?" question. And then we would have the endless debate - do we ask again to borrow a friend's large vehicle? Rent a truck? Tie it precariously to the top of the Saturn?



Anyways, since no one else was willing to brave to cold to look at this van, we got a killer deal on a used Grand Caravan. And although I still hate a little the fact that I drive a van, since February we have driven over 4,500 miles, hauled home mattresses, dressers, a couch, plywood, countless 2x4s, a 20ft ladder, borrowed folding tables... In summary, we are getting every  penny's worth out of our van.



OK, back on subject. One sunny, and cold day in April, I was browsing Craigslist, and saw this beauty.



We've gone back and forth for years on what would work best for this skinny little part of the dining room. It needed to have lots of storage and an ample top (that's what he said) that would be used for all our entertaining. I wanted something that wouldn't require a ton of work, since my life is not terribly conducive to taking on new projects these days. Not that I'm usually stopped by that reality, but on this particular day, I was slightly saner.

Anyways, I showed Lover, he loved it too, and at $125, the price was right. I emailed, and a very nice guy named Adam called me back almost immediately. He said we could come see it whenever. Then I was struck by what I've deemed "Craigslist Panic" Have you ever experienced it? It's when you've found something so awesome that you must immediately go to purchase it, driven by the fear that someone else will beat you to it. So we loaded the kids in the van, and hightailed our way out to Hilton.



Luckily, no one else beat us out there, and the very friendly Adam told us that he had received this dresser from his in-laws who, apparently, live to makeover furniture found on the side of the road. Sadly for them, this dresser didn't fit in either of their houses. Happily for me, he was willing to sell it to us! I asked him if he was flexible on the price (knowing that I'd pay full price if he wasn't) I offered $120 and he agreed, and then proceeded to help Lover load it in the van.



When I went to pay him, he said, oh what the heck, how about just $115? Why sure, I'll pay you less! :) Oh, and by the way, the base is painted with Miss Mustard Seed chalk paint, how great is that? The color is fantastic. Anyways, we paid him, grabbed the kids and made our way out to our very full van. As we loaded the kids in their carseats he came out to us again and said "I'm a terrible negotiator. Here's another $5 back" :) So for $110 this practically perfect dresser was ours.



There are so many little details on here that I love. There is so much character! How darling are those little rosettes? The handles are spraypainted and are wearing off pretty quickly on the drawers we use a lot, so at some point they'll need to be redone. Hurray for more spraypainting! :)

Anyways, it works much better storage and size wise than the little dresser we had there before. And it looks a lot better in the background of pictures too.



Oh and the drawers! HaveI mentioned how much I love drawers?? It has EIGHT drawers. #itsabeautifulthing And two of them are completely empty, and two others are not even half full. Sounds like this girl needs to go shopping! :) How lucky for me that I am writing this from New York City, shopping mecca of the world?? Homegoods, here I come!