Project Backyard: Now with Access!

Kelly: "David, I just got home, and the house smells like gas and is full of smoke!"
David: "Um, yeah, that's because they are using a gas saw."
Kelly: "Using a GAS saw? That's a real thing?"
David: "Yeah, it's a two-stroke motor with a blade attached to it. I used to sell them."

...and that's about as interesting as I can make a post about installing a door where there wasn't one previously. As relatively un-interesting as it is, however, I am very glad to say that we now have a door from our basement to the outside world.

It's amazing what a door down there has done... We can now get into the backyard area without walking around the house. We can now move things in and out of the basement without maneuvering them up the stairs. We can now feel how the flow of the home will change once the basement is finished, usable space that connects to the outside world. And, we can now add an additional bedroom to the basement without having to add egress windows. Hooray!

One quick tip - Kwikset Smartkey Door Hardware and Locks. We used these in the new door, and it allows you to re-key the lock to any key in about 30 seconds. Waaay easier and more convenient than a locksmith.

Some before and after:

Guest Bathrom: Tub is in place

We have been making solid progress on the guest bathroom renovation. The cute mini-tub was installed, the drain was moved and plumbing adjusted, and the bench that bridges the gap to the wall has been constructed. It doesn't look like much yet, but soon enough it will look like a real bathroom again. I can't wait!

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

I'm so glad Spring is finally here and outdoor projects are starting up again! Before Winter hit we had a french drain put in. This left the side yard a muddy strip of ugly land.Since then weeds, random bulbs and grass have taken over.While enjoying the beautiful day I did some serious weeding, planted hostas and ferns, and put down a thick layer of mulch. Voilà! The side yard now looks like this...

Project Backyard: Now with Footings

While we enjoyed a wonderful trip to San Diego to celebrate the engagement of two beautiful people (congrats Erika & Scott!), our contractor was hard at work on the backyard.

The rest of the footings were poured:Forms for the stem walls also went up:

Project Backyard: Forming Forms

Things continue to progress in the backyard. Forms for the concrete footings are beginning to take shape!

Kitchen Demolition Begins

At some point someone decided it would be a good idea to construct a free-standing structure complete with cabinetry smack dab in the middle of our kitchen in order to house the vent for the range. Not only did the large and obtrusive structure make the kitchen feel much smaller than it really is, but it separated the breakfast bar from the rest of the kitchen and blocked the view between the kitchen and the dining room. It also blocked light from the two large kitchen windows from getting to the breakfast bar area and the dining room.

Here's the play-by-play:Any job that requires power tools, is a job that makes David happy. A big thanks to Sean for his expert demolition assistance and to Paul & Stacey, who know how to make crow bars and safety glasses look good.

House Tour

As we gear up to do several major renovation projects, I thought it would be fun to post a tour of the entire house as it was the day we moved in. The house in this tour is about to become a distant memory and I can't wait until these 'before' pics are replaced with amazing 'after' pics. :)

Click here and enjoy the tour!

Copy Cat Chic: Veranda Round Chandelier

One of my favorite blogs is Copy Cat Chic. It's a perfectly simple blog that finds cheap-yet-chic alternatives for chic-but-expensive home decor pieces. It's such a great idea for a blog and a great resource for affordable decor finds. When I stumbled upon a chic deal of my own today, I decided it was time to do my first post channeling Copy Cat Chic. Here goes...

Veranda Round Chandelier
sold by Pottery Barn
$349 + $34.90 shipping = $383.90
BVR-8W Veranda Round 8 White Shade Wood Chandelier
sold by general-lighting (eBay store)
$119 + free shipping = $119
It's the EXACT same chandelier at a savings of $264.90. And it will soon be hanging above our dinning room table!

Guest Bathroom: Less Floor is More

Removing the layers of flooring which have accumulated over the past 99 years was the latest guest bathroom demo project.

In the shower area, there were two layers of linoleum and three layers of plywood to rip up. In the rest of the bathroom, there were two layers of linoleum, two layers of plywood, a surprise layer of original tongue-and-groove Douglas Fir (a sweet surprise!) and a layer of metal.

David removed all the layers down to the original fir. Our goal is to salvage the fir to use as patches for the master bedroom floor (click here to see the wall we tore out) and the soon-to-be hole in the kitchen floor.

First the linoleum was removed:
Then off came the plywood:David's saw blade was the first to meet this layer of metal:We were pretty excited to discover original fir floors:Project 'Save The Fir Floors' begins this weekend. Click here to see what the bathroom looked like before demo began.

Project Backyard: Excavation Continues

The backyard is quickly taking shape! Most recently the walls of the future garage were marked and holes for the footings were created.I hope you all enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL weather yestereday! :)

Project Backyard: Excavation Begins

After months of painstaking planning we were finally able to break ground on the backyard!

Here's what it looked like before:
After two dump truck loads of dirt were removed, piles of back-fill dirt were created and a somewhat level garage floor began to emerge from the mudpit, here's what it looks like now:

Guest Bathroom: Take THAT!!!

Smashy smashy make David happy.

Before:
After:
Before:
After:

Guest Bathroom: The Design Plan

Here's the design mood board for the guest bath remodel. The goal is clean lines, classic details and a light color scheme to help brighten the small space.
Breakdown
Light Fixture - Northwestern 4 by Schoolhouse Electric
Pedestal Sink - Kohler K-2267-0 Memoirs Pedestal Sink in white
Sink Faucet - Metropolatin Bath Facuet, widespread
Shower/Tub Hardware - Vintage Tub & Shower Chrome Faucet
Toilet - Kohler Devonshire Two-Piece Elongated Toilet
Storage - Classique Wall Cabinet
Paint Colors - (the same fantastic combo used by Jessica Helgerson in this bathroom) Benjamin Moore AF-685 Thunder at 25% (semi-gloss) and Benjamin Moore OC69 Regal Matte white
Floor Tile - 1" hex tiles in Ice White
Shower Tile - 3"x6" Subway tile in white
Shower Curtain - Essence Fabric Shower Curtain, White, Target
Medicine Cabinet - Original 1911 medicine cabinet, stripped and repainted
Bathtub - Used bathtub, resurfaced

For a reminder of what the bathroom looked like before demolition started, click here. We've got a long way to go!

Loving: Restoration Hardware's New Garden Collection

My heart stopped! The only thing more beautiful than this furniture, is the garden behind them. Perfection.

Accidents Happen...

It was just like any other Thursday morning... until the unmistakable timbre of car vs. car jolted us from our peaceful slumber and started our day off with a bang. I drearily lumbered downstairs as the muffled shouts of strangers drifted through our walls. Peeking through the front window, what did I behold? This...
Turns out a three-car accident in font of our house ended with one of the cars jumping the sidewalk and coming to a not-so-gentle stop when it encountered our front retaining wall. Luckily for the drivers, no one was hurt. Unluckily for us, we're left with a retaining wall with a cracked concrete foundation, buckled blocks, cracked capstones and streaks of Hyundai.
The damage spans about 15 feet of the wall, so I'm guessing that a good portion of the wall will have to demolished, excavated, formed, poured, blocked, capped and back-filled. Our biggest concern is how this very old wall will be rebuilt and finished in a way which matches what's existing and doesn't stick out like an obviously-bandaged sore thumb. Let the misadventure of getting our wall fixed or replaced by an insurance company begin...

(P.S. This situation is totally weak, but we still do our best to keep our sense of humor. In that spirit, we had to channel our friends over at FailBlog and snap this picture - PARKING FAIL!)