Finishing touches

We're getting down to the "short rows" here at the renovation project. Now, a lot of the interior "fluffy stuff" is either still to be decided or on order, but I can show you some of the latest details.

 

 

Light fixtures are in!

 

 

 

 

Over the kitchen island.

 

 

 

 



 

 

Over the kitchen table. (Table yet to be delivered.)

 

 

 

 

In the dining room.

 

 

 

 

In the master bathroom. (Mirror not in yet.)

 

 

 

 

Guest rooms and the master bedroom all have ceiling fans.

 

 

 

Guest bathroom ("Jack and Jill" design - access to the bath from both guest rooms.) Mirror not in yet.

 

Oh, yes - did you notice the one missing globe on the fixture above???? 

The photo below should explain.

 

 

 

In case you can't see it, Electrician Magician Eric Burgess found that one of the globes was broken when he opened the carton.

 

Anxious not to be blamed for the break, he left a big note on the box,

"P.S.  I didn't do it!"

 

So, we had to order another globe. Apparently it takes much longer to order and receive a replacement part than just to order another whole fixture. So it may be a while before I have a complete, unbroken light fixture there. Boo.

 

 

And, the railing in now in on the steps and stoop at the new back entrance. Plus you can see how the new concrete pad wraps around the corner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another view. Please admire the railing and ignore the model.

 

 

 

Okay, everyone!  That's about it for now!  Official moving day is at the end of April!!! I'm sure not everything will be in place by then, but I will be in my new place. Can you believe it's been SIX months?????

 

Love, Carolyn

More progress

Finally, the huge island has been cut down to size!  Now, the granite countertop is yet to be installed, but it really does look better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, with that problem under control, we turned to other projects. Interior Designer Melinda Dickey (a woman of admirable patience as well as practical creativity) helped me visualize furniture placement again. The placement of the island dictated a bit of tweaking in the den.

 

 

Can you envision the new sofa (back against the sliding glass door) and the new chair (back to the camera)? The tape measures really help.

 

 

Here's one of those things that you run across in home renovation. The screening on the porch was fine. Just fine. Then, suddenly there was a hole in one of the screens near the door. Boo.  I was hoping that the hole could just be patched, but it would cost almost as much money to patch it as to re-screen the whole thing. So, now, instead of a screened porch, I have an open-air porch!  (Temporarily.)

 

 

 

I'll have some more photos in a few days.  Thanks for following along with me!  Love, Carolyn

New driveway at last

Here we go!  After several weather delays, I have a new driveway!

 

To recap, here is the original, cracked, and deteriorated driveway:

 

 

 

 

This view looks from the back yard out into the street.

 

Finally, the construction time line was right and the weather cooperated. So, the prep work was completed (below):

 

 

You've seen the mud bog before, but it's worth reviewing here!

 

 

 



 

The old driveway was removed.

 



 

 

 

 

Forms were put in place, and a base of sand was put in place.

 

 

Above photo is the area at the new back entrance and at the base of the stairs to the back porch.

 

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The big concrete truck arrived (from Randy Buchanan's concrete plant -- ha! I didn't know that until the truck showed up.) and the workers began.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I envisioned the truck backing down the driveway and just dumping the concrete out onto the ground, but that was not the procedure here!  Once again, my favorite pieces of construction equipment, the little Bobcat thing, dropped one big scoop at a time, in the exact place for the guys to work it in and smooth it out.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They did a great job -- and this is NOT easy work!  I am amazed at how these fellows made this sloppy, lumpy, loose stuff into a smooth, even surface!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay -- now, once again, for comparison --

 

OLD driveway:

 

 

 

 

NEW driveway:

 

 

 

 

I wanted to scratch "2014" in a corner, but the concrete was too hard by the time I got back again to take these photos. Oh, well.

 

 

It looks like I might be moving in within a month or so. 

 

Thanks for tagging along with me, everyone.

 

Love, Carolyn



Kitchen photos by request

 

Hey, everyone. Here are some photos of the kitchen, showing the new backsplash with the "bling-y" accent stripe. The tile was installed today. It doesn't show well in these photos; I'll try to get better shots tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, in the photo above, you can see the refrigerator and the HUGE island. Here's another shot of the island, below. Or, as Sandy Hutton Owens says, "It's not an island. It's a continent!"  I agree.

 

 

 

 

The measurements were correct, but when it was brought into the kitchen it proved to be just way too big. It will be cut down by about 20 inches, and moved to the left at bit and also out (towards the camera) an inch or two.  See those boxes leaning against the island? That's about the line where the island will be cut. Then it will have granite put on the top with a taller bar area. Three bar stools are on order!

 

Okay. More later. One day construction will be finished and I'll actually LIVE here. Yeah. And one day Spring will come. Hold your breath.

 

Thanks for following along!  Love, Carolyn



 

Stops and Starts - Miscellaneous

Hey, everyone. Here are a few photos to update you further on the house renovations.

One of my FAVORITE things is the new front entry. Here is a photo of the original front door. This is what it looked like when I bought the house:

The door on the right is actually fake. It was odd to enter - once you were in the house it was okay, but it was just weird.

 

 

 

For a bit of perspective, here is what the whole entry looked like before the new went in.

 

 

Now -- voila!  Here is the new front entry!  A new door has been installed in the center of the space, and the formerly weird entry now looks a lot better, I think.

 

 

 

 

The paint around the new front door is sort of a light beige with some green in it -- it goes with the grout in the brick. I may repaint it later, but for now I think it looks nice with the wood grain (stained) front door. I like the beveled glass design, too.

 

 

 

 

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Back inside the house, as you enter the new back entry, I've established a nice little banquette breakfast area. Jeff the Carpenter made this lovely wooden piece that matches the lines of the kitchen cabinets. The seats are hinged and I can hide -- um...store -- yes, store, not hide  -- stuff in those cubbyholes. There will be upholstered cushions on the seats and a tall upholstered back on the wall. There will be a pretty round table there, and a couple of chairs.  I was lucky to capture Jeff's work on the banquette, in various stages of completion.

 

 

Jeff is hard at work!

 





A lot of progress now!

 



 

And, here it's almost finished!

 

 

 

And, voila!  The completed and painted banquette! All I need now is the table, chairs, and cushions!

 

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Here, Interior Designer Melinda ("Mel") Dickey is putting painter's tape on the floor so I can visualize the placement of the new chairs and sofa in the den. We discovered that even though the design is good we will need to do a bit of tweaking to maximize the traffic flow.  Thank you, Mel!

 

 

 

 

That's all for now!  Thanks again to everyone!  Love, Carolyn

 

Starts and Stops - Kitchen

Here are some photos of progress on the kitchen!

 

 

New granite countertops installed on the sink/dishwasher/stove side.

 



 

I can't wait for y'all to see the granite "in person". It's really lovely, even if I do say so myself.

 



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More granite detail, above and below. This is called an "ogee" edge.

 

 

 



 

This shot (above) shows where the backsplash will be installed.

 

 

These two photos show the backsplash materials, ready to be installed. The white blocks are subway tile, with a crackle finish. The other "skinny" pieces will be installed as an accent stripe - Four skinny pieces are the same width as one of the subway tiles.   Instant bling!

 

 

Okay -- one last part of this installment. The cabinets in the master bath.

 

Before:

 

 

 

And After:

 

 

The same granite that is installed in the kitchen will go across this set of cabinets in the master bath. And additional cabinet "towers" will be on each side. Lotsa storage in there!

 

 

Okay -- more later! Thanks for your attention and kind words. Love, Carolyn