Spring is Here.....And the Renovation Continues!

When last I shared we were hopeful that the holidays having passed would make way for more rapid progress of the renovation. But alas, a changing of the guard, or a parting of ways with our original crew was the only way to get the job done!  So I took on the role of General Contractor and I can honestly say more has been done in 3 months than occurred in the first 6 months combined. 

The photo above makes the home look so beautiful sitting among the new green foliage of the oak and pecan trees. The beautiful brick paver driveway that was already here and if you look closely the new brick steps to the front porch.  New siding and a little primer later.

Look at Steve Go!

Last post I mentioned the new back porch.  You cannot fully appreciate where we are today without remembering where we started.  So here is the before and after of the rear of the house.  Keep in mind we still have to prime and paint all of the unfinished wood you see in my photos. The white picket fence you see below will need to be relocated to create a more aesthetic look for the posterior yard. This is also your first look at the new rear French doors onto our grand back porch. I'm longing for the day I can sit in a porch swing and drink fresh lemonade!

Before

During

Almost After!!

The groundskeeper (aka: Steve) and my 83 year old Dad have come a long way on the clearing the land.  During this process Steve was also thrilled to get his long awaited "Shop"!  May he one day have time to spend countless hours piddling with his old cars here:

The gooseneck barn-lights were my added touch!



Moving to the inside I must show you the transformation of the open concept kitchen - living space to date.  It is by far one of my favorite rooms but so many changes to share.  As a reminder, we had to remove 2 walls between the kitchen and old dining room to create this space. Along the way we removed a built-in china cabinet with glass paned doors (repurposed), found an old door with transom inside a wall, and discovered a staircase hidden in the dropped ceiling.

Help me!

This cabinet wall had to be removed to open up the kitchen but stay tuned for the re-purpose!



This wall was also had to be removed

 

Full-Blown Demo

Two Walls Down

Open all the way through!

And here is the big reveal......drum roll please

Finishes still to come but you get the picture!

 And here is the old view into the new open concept living room!

Removed the old closet on left to make way for another doorway and easy traffic flow between this room and the adjacent Parlor!

Say hello to Bruce and his woodworking talents!

I may be back tomorrow or it could be another 3 months! These days I never know what tomorrow brings until it arrives.

Thanks for stopping by!









The Demo Begins

It has been months since my last post!  Life has been hectic keeping the renovation moving forward amid the holidays and weather related interferences. But there is much to share to bring you all up to date on the progress. 

For this post we will focus on what has been removed before we start a room by room look at the progress. Hold onto your chairs....it gets worse before it gets better!

Since Family is such an important part of our life I think we'll start with what will soon be the gathering place...the new "open concept" parlor-living-dining and kitchen.

If you recall the floor plan is a typical "dog trot" with rooms flanking both sides of the enormous center hallway.  On the right side of the hallway is the Parlor which was connected to the formal dining room by a single door. All of the main level 7 foot doorways are highlighted by decorative molding and beautiful transoms. We are adding one of these to the opposing side of the chimney to create a traffic flow all the way around the fireplace between these two rooms.

Parlor view into the old dining room that will become our

open concept living-dining-kitchen

In order to make way for the open concept we had to remove several walls that compartmentalized the space. The doorway seen below opened into a very small room that has been referred to as a breakfast room. From here a left jig and a right jog takes you into the kitchen.

Before you all get too upset the beautiful built-in china cabinet pictured below was gently removed and we have plans to repurpose its parts into a "showcase" for historical memorabilia of the home.






The wall above was also hid the old first floor door/entrance to the elevator. Very interesting to find that original transom window and door hidden behind the sheetrock.


So here is your first look at the new layout.......

Look at that wallpaper!!



At the end of the main hallway was a scary closet that was home to the squirrels and their nuts! Our plan to duplicate the front entrance at the rear of the hall requires the removal of this 'Butlers Pantry" and will be replaced with French Doors onto the new back porch complete with matching transom. 

Next was a big reveal in what will soon be the Master Suite! The wall between the old laundry room and the only functional bathroom is being removed to create a new master bath and walk-in closet. A big surprise stood towering right in the middle of our new bathroom! But isn't it lovely!! Doesn't everybody want a brick column as the focal point of their bath. Well perhaps not everyone but I couldn't be more thrilled!  I'm going to whitewash the brick and place a hook there for easy access to a warm spa robe when I step out of the vintage claw foot tub! 

The wall is removed between the laundry room and the old bathroom.

 

A matching large window will replace the small one and will offer
an amazing view from the claw foot tub!



The time is late and I need to wrap this tour up. So here are a few pics of the upstairs bathrooms that will be completely renovated. I love the shiplap that is getting exposed. We are planning to keep that look on the walls but paint them.

More wallpaper revealed. Pink and Green were apparently the colors of the day!

I will try to post again soon as much has changed. We have all of the new electrical wiring and plumbing installed. The sheet-rock is awaiting mud and texture. New siding is going up on the exterior and more shiplap is being installed in some of the newly added spaces.  Oh, and I can't wait to show you the new back porch! It's sure to be a relaxing highlight of our finished project. We've also cleared some more of he grounds which has only revealed more projects!

Come back soon and thanks for visiting our site!