Time To Paint

It's time for the exterior painting to begin before it gets too cold.  The siding and trim are white which is a little too stark against the brick so I want to tone it down.  I have chosen Sherwin Williams  "Downing Sand".  It is a creamy beige that will blend perfectly with the brick.

These shutters will be changed to a craftsman style and I have chosen a dark brown. 
I needed some help in choosing the front door color so I headed back to Sherwin Williams.  We narrowed it down to two colors:  Slate Tile and Dried Thyme.

The painter even helped with my decision by painting a larger area for me.  

Dried Thyme won!  That door knocker needs a good polishing too. 

The railing is done!

I love how it follows the curve of the steps!

One project finished.  After it cures, we will stain it slate gray.

Many people have asked who is doing the construction. 

Now it is time to start the next project.

Sheetrock is Hung

I am starting to learn the lingo of the construction workers. They have been hanging "rock".  What a difference it makes too.  We can now see the actual rooms.  

The entry to the living room has been sheetrocked to become our bedroom.

The kitchen is done and the opening to the left is for the breakfast bar.

Basement is done and the suspended ceiling is GONE!

The walk in shower is done. It is going to be doorless.  I love the glass shower enclosures but I do not want to have to keep the  glass clean.  Been there done that!

While all of this has been taking place inside, a lot has been going on outside too.   A hand rail extending down to the dock is being added.  My husband and my son's father in law are building it.  It sure helps when walking up the hill.  It will be stained a dark color to blend in with the surroundings just like we did at our previous house.  

This is the fence my husband built at our former house. As you can see, the dark stain blends in with the surroundings really well.  I do miss that back yard, but I keep telling myself that the new one will look just as good when we finish plus it has water. 

Time To Rebuild

Most of the demolition has been done on our house except for the conversion of the back porch to a sunroom and that is going to be done later this month.  In the meantime, it is time to start rebuilding the main part of the house. 

My husband and a dear friend rewired the basement and added can lights.

Beams have been added to support the ceiling.

The bar area has been framed.

This picture was taken from the back of the room looking toward the front door.  Those posts will be taken down.  

While all of this was being done today, we were out shopping for flooring, plumbing fixtures and kitchen appliances.  

This is the flooring we are using throughout the main floor. 

Ceramic Tile for the master bath. This picture was taken with a cell phone and appears to be green but it is actually different shades of creamy beige. 

Bathroom Fixtures

Kitchen Fixture

And of course a stainless steel apron front farmhouse sink

Next on the shopping list:  Lights

The Demolition Continues

Finally out internet is working again so I can post the updates.  You don't realize how dependent you are on internet until you are without it for a few days. When the suspended ceiling in the basement was ripped out, wires were everywhere and had to be rerouted and redone.  

Here is what has been done since my last posting.

The master bath is being changed to a half bath so the tub was removed. 
The area where the tub was located was framed and will become a wall in the toilet room. 

The very short cabinet was removed and a newer and taller cabinet will be installed.

These cabinets were removed from that same bath and will be painted and reused in the new master closet.

The formal living room is going to become the master bedroom.  A door was cut out to go into the current master bedroom which is going to become the master bath and closet. 

 This small area was the original master closet.  This is not even big enough to hold my shoes so it is going to become a double sink vanity in the master bath. 

 The bathtub was located in this area on the other side of the framing.  This will now become a walk in shower in the master bath.  After tearing out the sheet rock behind the tub, we found a large septic pipe.  These are the kinds of things you find when you renovate an older house.  So on to plan B. The shower won't be quite as large as we wanted but it will work.  Just build a frame around the pipe.

Now for the basement:

Suspended ceiling has been removed.

The fireplace was removed. 

Now there is much more room.   Do you see that little dutch door in the back?  It opens to the back patio.  I need some suggestions.  Should we keep it or replace it?  I want to replace it with a french door.  

Now for the outside. 

 We still have lots of work to do in the back yard but this is a start.

Lots of overgrown shrubs were cut down and trimmed.

Now you can see the dock from the house without shrubs blocking the view.  

The cabinet builder came by today to measure for the kitchen cabinets.  Sheet rock has been delivered.  The electrical crew comes next week.  Oh and I get to buy new kitchen appliances next week too.  

Stay tuned for updates. 

Demolition Day #1

I never thought I would actually like waking up in the morning to the sound of hammers and saws. The demolition started exactly at 7:00 AM.  I was so thrilled to see that yellow dumpster in the yard.

This is the way the kitchen looked this morning.

This is the way the kitchen looked this afternoon.

Dining room this morning.

Dining room this afternoon.

The framework on those walls is going to be taken out as soon as columns are added for support.  The light fixture is coming down and I have an idea for updating it and using it in another room.  

The family room had faux beams which make the ceiling appear lower. 

 See the back corner shelving, it was removed. 

 Faux beams are gone along with the wallpaper on the ceiling! 

See that blue tarp in the background, that is the barrier to the upstairs which is supposed to keep out the dust.  Hope it works.  

Can hardly wait to see what is knocked down tomorrow so check back for updates.