Chaos

The house is filled with men working to put in flooring, tiles, built-in cabinetry, or landscaping every day of the week, and things are really moving along. Interior paint will be in soon, followed by granite, appliances, and final plumbing fixtures. Our move-in date is two and a half weeks away, so there is a rush to get everything finished.

Below are a couple of pictures of our built-in cabinets sans doors. The third picture is a Houzz picture that inspired the cabinet. Ours will feature glass doors in the dining area and solid doors in the family room area. Both should coordinate with the kitchen cabinetry.

The next picture shows the master bath tile. The final picture shows the chaos in the kitchen.

Cabinets

The cabinets are being installed right now. Tile has gone into several bathrooms, and the backyard is almost level. Hardwoods and interior paint are coming later this week.

Updates

The renovation is in its final month, and many things are dependent on the drywall drying, which is slowed by rain and cold temperatures. Below are a couple of updated pics. In the picture of the front, the new columns and stone are visible. The picture of the back shows many updates including the addition of the deck and steps and the removal of some very large trees. The yard will soon be leveled, and the play set will be reconstructed.

Paint

Below is a pic of the exterior paint. We're not certain about the trim color on the board and batten gable that's creating a striped look, and we're missing the new front and garage doors, shutters, stone work on the porch, etc. The metal porch roof hasn't been painted either, but we are making progress.

Real Progress

There is nothing better than showing up at one's renovation and seeing 8-9 men working on the outside and knowing there are even more men working inside. Things are getting done. There's a new roof on the house. The windows and doors have been centered, and we now have symmetry on the front. The Hardie shakes and board and batten gable have been added. The siding has been completed. The plumbing and wiring rough-ins are being completed. We'll be seeing the stone mason's work on the porch in the next week or so. The exterior will also be painted greige. Big things are happening.

Everything is going very smoothly. Our only speed bump has been related to the landscaping plan. I use the term "landscaping plan" to describe what will actually be a major makeover for the yard. We're a little hung up on materials and plans, but we're sure we'll get our plan firmed up soon.

Exterior Updates

We've been looking forward to seeing the new exterior of our home take shape since we finalized the plans with our architect. Finally, we have a glimpse of the final product. The new gable was added to the roof, and the porch was added to the front.

Meetings

I've had a couple of long meetings to finalize our cabinet order and decide on flooring. Our exterior updates have been put on hold due to the rain, and the changes inside are necessary but not dramatic. The plumbing lines have been changed out and unneeded pipes removed. And, the framers are tweaking a few things. Once the weather clears up completely, we hope to see the major updates to the exterior. Things are a little boring right now.

Pics Coming Soon...

The framing is almost complete! The back wall of the house was bumped out this morning. Our updates required the addition of several LVL beams, which are used to provide support over long distances, and a 270 lb steel beam. These beams allowed for the removal of several load-bearing walls. The siding has also been added to three sides. The shakes will be added to the front once the porch is complete.

A couple of funny things happened today. I did my usual site visit, and I decided the guys deserved some coffee and doughnuts on this Friday morning. I left to get the surprise, and I got lost! I need to learn my way around this side of town! I eventually gave up on the doughnuts and decided I was lucky to make it back to our current neck of the woods.

Once I made it home with both kids after school, I decided to look online for granite. I scrolled through hundreds of Google pics before finally finding a picture of a granite with both beige and gray plus an interesting pattern. I clicked on the picture to find out the name of this beautiful stone. The word "Formica" came up on my screen. I do have great taste.

Details

We started with floor plans, and we're progressing to more detailed sketches. The kitchen layout is a work in progress, but below is the latest sketch of the wall that will house the range top.

Another Week of Framing and More Decisions

The framers have a big job, and they're continuing their work on the three interior levels and the major exterior changes. I have a big job as well. I've been busy looking at exterior paint, shingles, bath plumbing fixtures, tile, carpet, and hardwoods. I came home with a bag of tile samples yesterday and wasn't quite sure what I'd selected. I've realized that I can only look at materials for one hour before I get frustrated/confused/overwhelmed. In one hour yesterday, we discussed tile for five bathrooms. That includes floor tile, shower/bath tile, and accent tile. Only two baths will have the same finishes. We also discussed the kitchen, the basement bar, the mudroom, and, possibly, something else that I've forgotten.

I also realized that I need to do my own research. Some of the products that have been recommended are not highly rated by online reviewers. This selection process has really become a full time job.

Kitchen Plan

Here is the final kitchen plan. The perimeter cabinets are an off-white color with a light gray glaze, and the island cabinets are cappuccino with a black glaze. The hardware will be brushed nickel, and the granite will be light. Hopefully, we'll be able to find the right granite color to tie in the grays and browns.

Rewind to 1973

The new shake and siding will be going up in the next week or so, and that means the white vinyl had to come off. Under the vinyl is the original cedar siding from 1973, and now we know how the home looked almost 40 years ago.

Fifty Shades of Gray

No, not Fifty Shades of Grey. Fifty shades of gray. That seems to be where we're stuck. We love all the pictures of gray houses that have been floating around Houzz and Pinterest, but when we try to match these, we have problems. Too light, too dark, too blue, too cold. Where is the elusive, perfect, warm, medium gray that will coordinate with our stonework and black metal roof and shutters? Which shade will perfectly highlight our carefully selected Hardie shake, board and batten gable, and siding? And, which gray will look beautiful with the dark red double front doors that I just may be daring enough to select? At this point, I think no color will live up to my expectations. I am terrible with color choices, and I'm now afraid to commit to anything.

If this is the biggest issue we have during our renovation, we are very lucky.

Decisions

We're moving out of our current home this weekend, and we're moving into our less-than-fabulous temporary home while the renovation is completed. We also had a big appointment this morning to select our garage doors, fireplaces, and appliances. We may have set a world record by making all of these selections in about 45 minutes.

I'd sent our contractor a photo of a home exterior that Jeff and I both like. So, we pulled it out and picked the same garage doors. That process took less than one minute.

We moved on to fireplaces. The existing fireplace in our study will be cleaned and will house the gas logs from our old home. Our new living room fireplace will be directly vented outside and will have no chimney. We looked at a floor model, chatted about colors and materials, and made a selection. This took about 4 minutes.

So, we moved on to appliances. I've spent a great deal of time researching and considering these over the last couple of months. I decided against selecting all appliances from the same line and to instead pick the individual appliances with the features that are important to us.

First, we discussed wall ovens. I like the double convection wall ovens from our old house, so we picked the updated version of the same ovens. We looked to the right and saw the updated version of our old dishwasher. Done. Total time for ovens and dishwasher: 4-5 minutes.

Next we spent a minute chatting about warming drawers. The consensus seems to be that no one has ever regretted getting one. So, we said to throw one of those in, too. Matching the ovens, of course. Our GC budgeted for a refrigerator, but we decided to bring our Jenn-Air cabinet depth with us. It's a nice fridge, and it's free.

The appliance selections got a little more exciting as we discussed our new microwave that will be hidden away under the counter in our island. Because it will be low, we were debating a swing down door or a drawer style model. The self-opening and closing drawer won. It's easier to access, and it's kind of cool.

Finally, it was time to discuss the range top. From the beginning of this process, I've said that I want a professional-style range top with a hood hidden by cabinetry trim. Obviously I've been looking at too many pictures on Houzz. But, I also love to cook, and I do it often. And, I have a couple of scars from reaching over hot pots and pans on my old 4-burner, 30 in. range. So, the new one will be a 36 in. model with 6 burners and a high BTU output. And, of course, we'll need an upgraded hood/vent for the bigger range top. Because it will be hidden in cabinetry panels, we just let the salesman pick the most appropriate model for our range. He also advised that we get one with a remote control as he took note of my height.

So, we really made a dent in our selection spreadsheet in less than one hour. Now I'm stuck on the next most pressing issue-- shower fixtures. There's some part of the shower fixture that has to go in during the plumbing rough-in. And, of course, our shower fixtures need to match our other bathroom fixtures, so I have to make some more big decisions soon.

The house is coming right along with the cement going in for the porch addition and the basement room addition. The awful siding comes off the house in the next few days, too. It should look like a totally different place in a week or so.

Paint Shmaint

So, things are getting stressful with this renovation thing. Apparently, we/I actually have to make decisions. I know what I like when I see it, however, I do NOT have an eye for design or decor. Now it's crunch time for the exterior selections, and I seem to have no clue what to choose. I drive around looking at houses and thinking, "oh, I like that, but it won't work for our house because...", and I think of some reason it will look terrible on the new house.

The things we have been able to decide on are the exterior features. We're adding a long front porch with a metal roof, shutters, window muntins/grilles, stone accents, a gable over the main roofline, and two dormer windows over the garage. The things that are stressing me out are mostly related to color selections and materials. Our current neighborhood features many homes with shake, siding, stone, and board and batten exteriors. I'd like to find an the right combination of these to make our house look updated and interesting.

I'm also very concerned about the color. We like gray with black trim and a red front door. But, our front door is actually a double. Two red front doors? And, the house is below street level. If we paint the porch's metal roof black, will it look like a huge black stripe across the middle of the house from the street?

Decisions, decisions.

Renovation Day 8

The house seems like a totally different place with most of the interior walls taken down to the studs and the dark carpet removed. We're lucky to have had no real surprises other than a hidden metal support pole in the basement. Our original floor plans should work well for the space.

We acquired a few things (found mostly in the two attics) when purchasing this house "as is". These include an extension ladder, a portable basketball goal, a few golf clubs, boxes of unused tile, a giant shop vac, and one naughty DVD someone had hidden in the attic.

Renovation Day 3

We visited the house today to see the demolition progress, and I must say that simply removing the dark carpet has really brightened up the place.  We had fun spotting remnants of the original finishes--  a piece of orangish shag carpet that was hidden under a built-in bookcase and a piece of green and yellow linoleum flooring that was hidden under the newer kitchen tile floor.  

Renovation Day 2

Day 2 included more demolition and a phone call informing us that the house is not safe for children to visit as the deck has been ripped off, and there's a great deal of exposed "stuff".  We will check out said "stuff" this weekend.  The kids and I did a drive-by as we were in the area, and I was trying to let the baby sleep in the car before more errands.  The place looked busy.  That's good.  Our current home is under contract, and we'll be forced to live in an apartment for a couple of months after our sale closes in the very near future.  So, we like to see things happening at the house.  It means less time in the apartment. 

We've been working to pack up and store as many things as possible instead of cramming the contents of a five bedroom house into a three bedroom apartment.  I got four more boxes packed today.  That means we likely only have to pack about 100 more. 

Below are pics of the basement walls coming down and what is left of the kitchen, laundry room, and powder room.

Renovation Day 1

The proper permits were obtained, and demolition started.  I think the dumpster was actually dropped off on closing day.  Our general contractor doesn't mess around.

On that note, he had me meet him at a kitchen and bath  showroom to discuss cabinets with his favorite designer. I think I made some decisions.  I'm not exactly sure.  I had a four-year-old tag along.  Despite having a LeapPad, MobiGo, iPad, and three snacks, he still wanted to run around.  All future appointments will be adults only.  Luckily, school starts on Monday.

40 Years Young

So, we bought a house.  Unlike our current home and the condos we each owned before marriage, this house is old.  And outdated.  And full of 90s decor.  But, it's on a golf course.  It's in a great country club community, and it's in one of the state's best school districts.  And, despite the house being outdated, it has good bones.  It's been maintained pretty well, and it has a nice yard.  So, we bought it.  We spent months searching for a lot on which we could build a custom home in the same area.  We had no luck.  We started looking at renovated homes and new construction, and nothing we saw had the right combination of an efficient layout, the right finishes, a nice yard, and a quiet community.  So, we looked at this old house with our realtor and general contractor.  With their approval and without too much thought, we made an offer.

Now, almost two months later, we own the house.  We spent a frantic couple of weeks going back and forth with our architect to get the ball rolling.  It was a crazy, rushed process.  We finally decided on a 5/5 layout with an open floor plan on the main level and a finished basement.  We're also tackling the exterior.  New roof line, new porch, new deck, new yard, new everything.  It's a MAJOR project.

Below are the before photos.  We look forward to the day (three or so months from now) when we can compare these to the after photos.  I'm certain there will be far less hunter green, burgundy, and brass.  The home was redecorated twenty or so years ago, and it is a perfect snapshot of the 90s.  I'm tempted to break out my Bass Bucs, Nirvana CD, and Seinfeld quotes each time I enter. 

I was planning on mentioning the changes to each room/area below the photos, however, everything is going to be changed.  Even the way the yard is graded will be different. 

I do have to say something about the photo below.  This is not wood on the basement steps.  It's carpet.  Carpet that has a parquet wood pattern.  Seriously.