The source of our coming insanity

As we (or Nick, really) attempted to prepare the upstairs for the installing of carpet that we bought in October, we found ourselves patching plaster, attempting to remove wallpaper, exploring paint colors and wondering if our windows were salvageable.

Below are examples of Nick's amateur plaster craftsmanship:





And here was the icing on the insanity cake:

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Once we realized that the hallway (and likely most of the rest of the upper level) was covered in multiple layers of paint over old wallpaper, we tried to strip it (and then tried to hire someone to strip it)... only realizing that the wallpaper was likely the glue that held the decades-old plaster together.

After getting a couple quotes for contractors to come in and strip the wallpaper and repair the plaster, we finally decided that it was worth the time, money and effort to gut the entire upstairs (save the closets, which we already gutted and drywalled, and the bathroom, which the previous owners remodeled) and replace all the plaster with drywall.

Why we didn't do this when we did the closets is something that we'd change in hindsight, but live and learn, I guess!