Living Room Renovation – Fairfield Split-Level
Project Overview
A Fairfield homeowner purchased a 1972 split-level and immediately knew the sunken living room needed a full overhaul. The space had dark wood paneling on every wall, a shag carpet that had been in place since at least the early 1990s, a drop ceiling with 2x2 acoustical tiles, and a single switched overhead fixture that made the room feel like a cave regardless of the time of day. The room measured approximately 14x18 feet — a generous footprint that was being completely wasted by the finishes. The homeowner envisioned a bright, open space with modern finishes that could serve as the primary entertaining area of the home. Exterior Solutions LLC removed all existing finishes, replaced the electrical, installed a full recessed lighting layout, added a shiplap accent feature wall, laid wide-plank LVP flooring, and delivered a Level 4 drywall finish with a complete paint and trim package.
Analysis
Behind the wood paneling, we found original 1/2-inch drywall in varied condition — some sections were in good shape and could remain, while two sections near the windows had older moisture damage and small mold colonies from a failed window sill caulk joint that had since dried. Those sections were removed, the framing treated and dried, and new 1/2-inch moisture-resistant drywall installed. The drop ceiling was the second major discovery: when we pulled tiles we found the original framing above it was still completely intact at a ceiling height of 9 feet 2 inches — the drop ceiling had been reducing the room to just 7 feet 8 inches for decades. We demoed the entire drop ceiling grid, opened up the full 9-foot-plus ceiling height, and patched the joist bays where the old grid wires were anchored. The shag carpet had been glued directly to the concrete slab in the sunken section, requiring a floor grinder to remove the adhesive residue before the LVP subfloor prep could begin.
Process
Demolition and framing work completed over two days. Electrical rough-in on day three. Drywall repairs and skim coat day four — allowed three days to fully cure. Shiplap wall installation on day eight: boards cut to length, staggered seam layout mapped on studs, installation completed in one day. Flooring began on day nine after a final check of subfloor flatness. Painting: one primer coat on patched areas, two finish coats on all surfaces over two days. Electrical finish, ceiling fan installation, and trim paint touch-up on final day. Total project: 12 working days.
Outcome
The transformation was dramatic. Opening up the 9-foot ceiling alone changed the character of the room before a single finish material was installed — homeowners reported that even the framed-out space looked bigger than the finished drop-ceiling version. The shiplap accent wall gives the room a focal point and a sense of texture without making it feel heavy. The 9-inch wide-plank LVP with its warm tones grounds the space and flows cleanly to the adjacent hallway. The dual-zone dimming system means the room can be set for bright family evenings or warm ambient entertaining without changing a single bulb. The homeowners hosted Thanksgiving in the room three weeks after project completion and called it the best party they had thrown in the home.
Project Details
Materials Used
Flooring: COREtec Pro Plus XL Enhanced 9-inch wide LVP, Antique Barnwood color, floating installation over 2mm attached underlayment. Feature wall: 1x6 finger-jointed pine shiplap boards, pre-primed, painted Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn SW 7028, tongue-and-groove installation with 1/8-inch reveal gaps, finished with color-matched caulk. Drywall: 1/2-inch mold-resistant drywall (damaged sections), skim coat over remaining panels, Level 4 finish overall. Lighting: eight 4-inch Halo LED wafer lights, 2700K warm white, on two zones with Lutron Diva dimmers. Ceiling fan: Hunter Beachfront 52-inch matte black, remote control, LED integrated light kit. Paint: Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige SW 7036 (main walls), Peppercorn SW 7028 (accent wall), Extra White (ceiling and trim). Trim: 4-inch MDF colonial baseboard, 2.5-inch door casing, painted Extra White. Window casing: new 3.5-inch flat casing with backband detail on all four windows.
Methods & Techniques
Full demolition: wood paneling removed, drop ceiling demo, carpet and adhesive removal. Damaged drywall sections cut out, mold treatment on framing, replacement panels installed. Electrical: existing single-circuit overhead wiring removed, two new 20-amp circuits installed, eight recessed light rough-in cans, two wall switch boxes for dual-zone dimming. New ceiling fan rated box installed at center of room. Shiplap accent wall installed on east wall: horizontal boards run full length of wall with consistent 1/8-inch spacing, fastened to studs. Drywall repairs skim-coated over remaining walls, new drywall finished to Level 4. Baseboards and window casings removed and replaced throughout. LVP flooring installed floating from south wall, transitions at doorways. Two coats paint on all surfaces. Final electrical trim-out, ceiling fan hung, dimmer switches installed.
Key Highlights
Full demo of wood paneling, drop ceiling, and glued carpet on concrete slab. Drop ceiling removed — ceiling height restored from 7'8" to 9'2". Two new 20-amp electrical circuits with dual-zone recessed lighting on Lutron dimmers. Shiplap accent feature wall in Peppercorn gray. COREtec 9-inch wide-plank LVP flooring throughout. Hunter 52-inch matte black ceiling fan with remote. Level 4 drywall finish, full paint and trim package. Completed in 12 business days.