end of the week odds & ends

Exterior painting (staining) continues. The addition is looking more and more like the original house. A cover will be built to house the electrical boxes so they won't stand out so much.

 I'm showing this view of the sunroom because all the filmy protectors have been removed from the windows and the windows have been cleaned. It won't look the same once the screens are installed, which will be very soon. During the winter, I think we will take down the screens and enjoy the clear unobstructed view without them. Isn't this beautiful?

 It's interesting to compare the floors past and present. Here's a shot of the second flight of stairs. Below you'll see two shots of how they looked before the floors were sanded and refinished. There's such a difference. I hope folks don't mind the radically different look.

quick report

This shows the piece that was installed to hold the stemmed wine glasses.

And these next two shots show half of the facade with the new stain versus the old appearance. By contrast the old has a faded, slightly shabby appearance. We had not realized that the building had begun to look a bit rundown. Nannie agrees, saying it's been at least 25 years since the exterior was painted/stained. Double click to enlarge for a better view. 

(Our painter Charles is being very careful --- he does not like painting up high.)

cabinets part 2

Thought folks would like to see the bar area with the fronts placed on the cabinets. Also the trim work around the top of the cabinets is very nice, both the cherry, and the batten work. In these shots the wine glass stem rack has not yet been installed. It goes in the center section. Also, several battens will be put back on the wall. Of course, the granite countertop is not present. That comes in about two weeks. Measurements were taken today.

 I can't resist another photo of the wine rack, with the coffee making station to its left, and the hallway to the pantry and half bath to the right. Refrigerator to be installed under the wine rack. Flat screen TV above the coffee making station --- it will be a small one for now --- maybe a larger one in a couple of years.

We are waiting for Nina's flight to arrive --- she has encountered several delays, and a very long "day" of travel. I use quotes because it's been more than 24 hours. She's been stuck in Charlotte for about 6 hours. Can't wait to see her!

Cabinets and wine rack

Today was a big day. The kitchen cabinets went in. The job was still in progress when I left about 3:00. But I have lots of pictures to show! Very exciting!  Before I get to the really important new things I have a few updates of stuff you've been seeing lately. Here's the floor of the master bedroom closet --- the floor photographed well.

The locksmith came today and installed locks on all the exterior doors. I love the color. 

 The addition was stained on the front yard side over the weekend.

 And now, Ta Dah!  The cabinets are going in!  They are gorgeous cherry.

 Below is the coffee making station, closed. It looks like a piece of furniture!!

Next you see the knobs, a darkened pewter color. 

  

 Knobs on the tall cabinets.

 They were putting in the bar area cabinets when I had to leave.

 And finally, here's the item that makes our kitchen totally unique ---- the custom-made wine rack, that is built into the space above the refrigerator.  The horizontal lines mimic the stairs that are behind the wall. I totally love this feature. Blow it up and get a good look!  I'll have more pics tomorrow.

small updates

Concerning the small table that I have been working on, I realized that most of the table top will be covered by the footprint of the flat screen TV, so that will obliterate the interesting antiqued look of the table top. I'm going with painting it black.

Today's view of the driveway facade. The window light-dividers have not been done, but this side is nearly finished.

 Looking good on this end!

 It's hard to get an accurate view of the floors. The photo above is in the living room under the window to the drinking porch.

 The photo here is of the original bathroom floor, with the old vanity cabinet sitting there. The vanity will be moved flush with the right hand wall, with a soapstone top.

 The flooring in the sunroom and in the kitchen, made with new wood, is much lighter, as shown above.

 The flooring color in the foreground near the camera  is fairly accurate; the dark in the background is definitely NOT accurate.

The blinds in the master bedroom have been re-hung, after being stained. Know that every time I use the word paint I mean stain (except on walls that are fabricated from drywall material).

The kitchen cabinets were not put in yet --- Monday is the big day. Tuesday the granite people come to draw a template for the granite. So the only photographs are of the floor, which does not photograph well, and the exterior paint. Since the temp has reached 100 degrees the last several days, exterior painting has not been happening. The painting contractor worked at another job on some inside painting. That is totally understandable!

Only a month or so to go!

undecided

So I'm painting this table to freshen it. I sanded layers of dirt and old paint but was not able to get it back to bare wood. The plan was to paint it one color all over. Now that I am nearly done, I was wondering how it might look to paint the top black instead. Or, to leave the top as is and apply a coat of polyurethane.

Opinions are welcome --- let me know if you have one.
The top looks rough but it is sanded smooth.

Here's a picture of the table as it has looked for the last 20-30 years. It was greener than the walls, but taken alone, it looked fairly gray.

OMG

Oh    em   gee   (OMG!) !!!!!

There are going to be so many pictures in the next few days. The exterior staining is getting finished.

The floors have two coats of stain/polyurethane.

The kitchen cabinets will be put in either Thursday or Friday.

I think the bathroom vanities will also be installed.

All the work in the next few days is going to be SO SO visual.

I AM SO PSYCHED!

In the middle of it all, Eddie (and Kelly) are moving to Herndon (Virginia) on Friday. He starts his job in Reston on Monday. Brad and I are helping them move, and we have been able to give Eddie the furniture from his bedroom, some kitchen items,  and other pieces ---- he should have a decent apartment right off the bat!

One of the items we are giving away is the piece which holds the flat screen TV in our living room in town. At Hanshill for that purpose we plan to use the table that has held the living room TV there the last several years. However, it needed painting. So I have been the person designated to sand it down and re-paint it. We had thought about sanding it down to the raw wood level, but that proved to be totally impossible. We chose a green paint color for the table. It is obvious that this table was built at the time the house was built --- with the tongue and groove construction and the heavy pine wood used.

I should have the painting project (two coats) finished some time tomorrow ---- just in time to put the table in the living room here when the current TV-supporting  "piece" gets loaded into the U-Haul trailer.

Nina will be here next week, and oh, by the way, our house has not sold. Being constantly at the ready for a showing is, thus, a requirement. It's a very busy time for us.  Stay tuned!!!

more sanding and staining

Today the painter finished the eating and drinking porches and was working on the driveway facade when we visited. You can see the new stain on the first floor level. The shutters are closed, and have not yet received the new stain. Also the entire end of the house is still "the way it was." We can't wait to see the new addition when it has been stained.

 The rest of the photos are of the newly sanded floors. Can you believe how light they are? This is the master bedroom.

 This is in the living room, next to the fireplace.

 This shows the old wood floors in the living room, and the new wood that has been installed in the kitchen. A light color stain will be applied in the kitchen to try to bring it closer to the original floors. The original floors will not be stained; they will just be treated with 3 layers of polyurethane. The sanding is to be finished Saturday (we hope) and the new treating of the floors to begin Sunday afternoon.

exterior paint starting, chimney cap

The door has been added to the master shower.

Brad installed a chimney cap --- hope that will eliminate chimney swifts and bats!

New stain color on this corner of the house is on the right-most board, the light color about two feet up, above the real dark piece.

Again the new stain color, on the right-most board.

Here's the new stain on the door, against the very dark old stain that is on the eating porch. Amazing how the porches are so dark, but the wood that has been in sunlight is so much lighter.

Sanding the living room floor.

I think we are going to keep the flor color very light, to show off the wood grain.

Plus it will make the interior of the house seem lighter.

Brad and Eddie worked on laying stone to catch rain that drips off the roof. They will be doing more of that after the yard is re-graded and seeded (which should be soon).

Better lighting pics

I was so not pleased with yesterday's photos, I decided to try again. So I'm going to edit yesterday's post and take out some of the bad shots.

I stood up on a large paint bucket and got close-up photos of the pendant lights. These pics give a much better idea of how they look.

Brad rehabilitated this wonderful fixture in the entrance hall.

 

Here's an accurate depiction of the small light in the desk area of the sunroom. I stood on a ladder to take the shot.

Nice shot of the sunroom fan-light.

I love this fan on the drinking porch. It is so rustic looking and just seems to match the style of the house. There's a matching one on the eating porch. Brad is rehabbing the old light fixture to attach to the new fan on the eating porch. When that is completed, I'll document that!