Bedroom Remodel

It was time to replace the bed in the master bedroom, and what ensued was a classic case of expanding requirements, with a very satisfactory result.

Our bedroom with a new look.

We started by realizing that the 14 year old queen bed was not delivering comfort and restful sleep. So it was time to replace it.

Along the way:

• Realize that we'd like to give each partner a comfort level for their best sleep. We shopped for and selected a Sleep Number bed.
• Realize that a king bed would be preferable to a queen.
• See that a king would be crowded in the end of the long room. Plus when and if one of us becomes infirm, that layout would certainly not be conducive to handicapped access.

We didn't take a picture of the old bed location before we started. In this picture, the old bed is resting against the east wall where the headboard was.

• Plan the layout to make use of the long dimension (19 feet) of the room by turning the bed so that the headboard is on the long outside wall.

After getting the new bed and building a frame for it, this is the layout concept we settled upon.

• See that layout would work to accommodate handicapped access, and provide a nice sitting and reading area on each side of the bed.
• See that with the new orientation, the big 5X5 window is absolutely in the wrong place. It's placement would be wrong visually and also the room's fire escape route would be blocked.
• Decide to hire someone to replace the big window with two matched casement windows and an accent window in the original centered location. This project included demolition, framing, window installation, drywall, painting and stucco work. Decades ago, I probably would have taken it on myself, but I'm sure pleased that we hired Bryce George at Built Right Home Improvements. Their work was first class.

The exterior view before we started.

The exterior view on completion

• Realize that if we were going to take it that far, I wanted to upgrade interior window casings for a natural wood, craftsman-style look (the rest of the house, built in 2002 has no window casings, just a drywall finish around the windows). I took on that part of the project, and could not be happier with the result. The woodwork is western red alder finished with hand-rubbed polyurethane.

The interior view on completion. It's nice to enjoy a space that is both functional and attractive.