Entryway and popcorn removal

We have a tall front entryway, close to 18 feet tall! So when Heather said she found a new chandelier, I knew we were in for a project!

 While I was "up there", I might as well scrape off the popcorn texture from the ceiling.

 I'm not a fan of popcorn texture, to me it makes the room feel dark. Just look at how dark this ceiling is from the shadows of the texture, it was time for the popcorn to go!

 The entryway transitions into the upstairs hallway which is full of popcorn texture and the notorious "boob" lights

 Since I would be scraping the ceiling I wanted something more sturdy to work from rather than an extension ladder. My father-in-law suggested I build a platform. Anchor a cleat above the front door and above the stairs and then run 2 x 4's to make a platform and then put some OSB down to make a sturdy surface to walk around on. Once the project is over, fill the dozen screw holes from the anchor boards and it looks better than ever!

 So that's what I did. The thing is, if you build a platform that is 12 feet up in the air in your front entryway...your kids will want to "explore" it!

 My helpers climbed right up and made sure everything was in order for me to work on the ceiling and the lights!

 Two thumbs up from G!

 Scrapping went really well, I didn't even need to get the ceiling wet, the popcorn just scrapped off. Here is a picture of about halfway through, you can see on the ceiling where I have scrapped and where the popcorn remains.

 Another view and the chandelier, which we have named "5 lights"

 I bought this scrapper from Lowe's for $18, a garbage bag attaches to the scrapper and it catches about 85% of the popcorn, so there is still a little mess, but this thing works like a champ!
Here's a link to the scrapper: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Homax-Steel-Paint-Scraper-Common-12-in-Actual-12-in/50183393
(I'm not sponsored or affiliated with Lowe's, I'm sure other hardware stores carry a similar scrapper, Lowe's is just close to my office)

 After the popcorn was removed, I gave the ceiling a coat of ceiling paint and then swapped out the chandelier.

 We went from old 5 lights to new chandelier, it is lighter and brighter than the old one!

 Platform came down and i filled in the holes.

 And I hooked up the wiring correctly...it lights up!

 Swapped out the "boob" lights in the hallway for these lights, here is the hallway ceiling without popcorn!

 Holes patched and painted and all lit up!

 A transformed entryway

 Another view of the finished project.