Well, I caved and merged two weeks. In my defense, they were light weeks so it didn't feel like I was missing the opportunity to share a million pictures or updates about pocket doors. I could just summarize week 11 by saying - too cold. I ended up being home from work two days this week and it was so frigid. I blame nobody for quitting half way through the day. As soon as the house is sealed up from the elements, it'll be better for everyone. The thing that is really holding us all up the last two weeks has been the foundation. We can't do roof until we finish the trim. We can't finish the trim until the foundation has been finished because nobody wants to fall into the pit. We can't put on the windows and doors until the house is back on its foundation. So, it's all just one big holding pattern. Often times people ask me "so when is it going to be done?" or simple "when is <insert phase> done?". And, I've literally never a...
I am rather firmly planted in the online shopping camp. My Amazon shopping history includes everything from batteries, to paper plates, to kayak paddles. But, you really can't buy kitchen appliances online. Or at least I can't. I need to see all the nooks, crannies, and details of my big purchase before I pull the trigger. I need to turn all the knobs, pull out all the shelves, and push any buttons. All that being said, I only care about the oven. I barely care about the refrigerator and dishwasher. I'd like to see them but I also can use my imagination. I'm not doing a built-in microwave. I don't want to loose valuable kitchen space to one so I'm using my old reliable Sears microwave from 2009 that I've been carrying from one apartment to the next. I'll be hiding it in the pantry so nobody really sees it. Here's a summary of the appliances and primary goal: - range // 1.5 ovens - dishwasher // reliable, adjustable shelves - refrigerator // ...
Week 10 might be one of the biggest weeks we've had so far. So much happened - and the things that happened really signaled strong progress. Strong progress = happy homeowner = less stuff in storage... in the hopefully not so distant future. We are almost getting to a point where we are running out of work to do without the house back on its foundation. I see endless amounts of things that can happen (plumbing, electrical, shingles, insulation, etc) but a lot of these items apparently can't be started until we are on a solid foundation (literally). While so much happened this week, the windows are the most significant gain to me. It suddenly became a real house again. I could not stop smiling look at them. Although many of the windows are interchangeable, I got even more excited when I saw the standout windows like the upstairs bathroom and the kitchen. It wasn't until Thursday that I noticed the new bay window replacement leaning against a wall. It is so big - and...
I'll be honest. I'm writing week 9 while we are in week 10 - but both weeks are so good that they deserve to be on their own. Maybe in week 21 I'll change my mind and start merging things again. BUT, week 9. We started the back deck and I died with excitement. Not everything this week was a win. I learned that the gas company doesn't plan on setting up service until potentially June. That's seven months from when I called them if you are trying to keep track. Apparently, towns don't like them to dig in the winter and they don't believe in getting waivers. Even if you are planning on using them for essential services like ... say heating the house or for the stove. It was a very educational week all around - but especially related to the kitchen. Both the kitchen designer and kitchen appliance people are named "Catherine" but different spellings - and both helped me to realize that I know nothing about how to make these decisions. Kitchen...
I'm meeting with a new potential kitchen designer in a few days. During our initial conversation, it was interesting to reflect on how far this new potential design is from the old one. A world of difference and I love it. This new kitchen placement just feels so much more natural to me. As a point of reference here is the history of the kitchen placement: 1910 - 1950s --> middle of the house, where the den with built-ins used to be  1950s - 2017 --> converted the back porch to the kitchen Design  --> middle of the house on the back, very open concept Current Design --> back to the corner of the house Not only does the corner placement just feel better, but I also just love that it is back where it was for the last 50 years. Feels right. As a point of comparison, here are the two re-designs of this area of the house. vvv Current Design vvv vvv Old Design vvv With the new design, I'm really excited about so many things but specifically,: the ...
One of the best features of this house has been sticking around for over 100 years - the stairs. You can't build stairs like this. Well, you can - but it just would not be the same. I've loved these stairs from the beginning. I love the two landings. I love the window at the first. I love that we are turning the bitty baby closet into some built-in shelves. They are just a home run. And while I don't plan on changing the stairs at all, they will be different by virtue of all the work happening around them. Changes: updating the window on the first landing increasing the headroom walking from the second landing to the first transitioning the closet to shelves When I was trolling Pinterest for some inspiration images, I found this textbook image about the actual parts of stairs. Every bit about how stairs are defined is staying the same. It's the elements around the stairs that will be changing. So what's being added? Not totally sure yet. But, from ...