Christmas Tree

Yes, that's a puzzle on the island. Here are the stools I purchased from Ballard Designs.


I swear that there are a ton of ornaments on the tree...Notice the awesome tree skirt my mom made.

Guest Room/Bath

Master Suite

We purchased the Elfa closet system at The Container Store - money well spent
Love how the master bathroom turned out.

Kitchen Unveiled

Stay tuned for master bath and exterior photos.



Stay tuned for master bath and exterior photos.

Sneak Peak Part 2

Powder room
Living room. Hard to believe that this space was once two rooms!
I'm not ready for the final unveiling of the kitchen, but here's a look at the fridge, oven and advantium. The upper cabinet knobs are actually clear glass but they pick up the color of ORB backing and color of the cabinets.

The Finish Line

I was looking through old posts and came across the post where I talk about what I'm looking forward to.

I can't believe it's been over a year since I wrote that post and here we are getting ready to move back in. Amazing how time flies. I'm pleased to report that my hope that all goes well came true. We came in over budget, but except for the deck railings that needed to be replaced because of the material a previous contractor used, our price increases were our choice.

Here is an updated list of what I'm looking forward to.

* Having friends and family over

* Light and lots of it

* A/C

* Double sinks in the master bath

* Second floor laundry. It took some convincing to get me to agree and I'm still paranoid about the vibration but there are solutions out there to address that problem

* A walk in closet - the Elfa system was money well spent

The list could go on and on

Sneak Peak

If it's possible to love a laundry room. I love this laundry room. The machines aren't quite in place yet, but I know that it will be great. What a huge improvement from the basement.


Here is a view of the master bath from the shower. Everything is done in this room except the glass wall.

I was finally able to wax the counters. They look and feel amazing!

We move Labor Day weekend. Can't believe it's finally almost over!

Counter Tops

Counter tops got installed today onsite. It was quite fascinating to see them do that as well as spend the morning at the house while workers scurried around installing various items. The counter tops are still coated with soapstone dust so one I clean and oil them, they'll darker significantly.

The marble will be installed next week since it can't be cut onsite.

Details are all that's left

Tile done. Painting done. Floors done. Now we're onto the finishing working like lighting and plumbing.

Love how the staircase turned out.

We really debated on whether or not to stain the floors. We really like a dark floor, but in the end, we decide to go natural with an oil-based poly on our white oak floors. I'm happy with the results.
The left post is boxing in plumbing or HVAC and to make it symmetrical, the lead carpenter put a post on the other side. It looked kind of funny, so Brian asked that a bar be added in between the two. The lead carpenter happened to have extra bamboo flooring so it ended up a win win. To the left of the bar will be a pool table so this is a great spot to put bar stools and drinks.

Love the basement window. The window seat is a nice touch.

Master Bath Tile

The master bath tile is just about complete. The tile hasn't been grouted yet and will be much lighter than what is looks like in the photo. The shower floor is tumbled marble.
The vanity is hanging out in the master bedroom at the moment. The counter top will be honed carrara marble and will be installed in about 2 weeks.
The tile is a dark gray and rectangle in size. I took the photo early this morning so the photo didn't turn out very good.

Here's the wall color. Benjamin Moore's Quiet Moments. I can't wait to see how it will turn out!

Decisions and Kitchen Faucet

If I have to make one more decision I am going to cry. At this point in the project, the decisions that we need to make are the ones that everyone will notice, our choices will determine the look and feel of our home. For example, we had to decide on the staircase parts. That's the first thing you see when walking into the house.

I ended up choosing something similar to this staircase but the newel (big post at the end) is simpler. This one here was too pricey.

After going back and forth on the kitchen faucet, I finally decided to just get the one I want and be done with it. Here it is. It better wash the dishes for me for the amount it cost.

Progress

I've been testing out paint colors and finally decided on Benjamin Moore's Silver Lake on the left. The wall separating our living room and bedroom was where the vacuum is. Shows you how small our living space really was.

The space is going to be awesome when it's done. I just hope the smell that's down there now will dissipate.



Ahh. The master bathroom. I cannot wait to have two sinks and a large show. I know most people think two sinks is a waste but Brian and I get ready at the at the same time in the morning.

We got windows!

This is the view looking into what will be the kitchen. The side addition should be done today or tomorrow. It's moving along great.

Windows are just about all installed and siding is starting to go up. The color is a nice blue/gray, fits in well with the neighborhood. The roof gets installed on June 1. Overall, June is a big month!

Day 29: Watch the House Grow

This is the view from across the street. The interior framing has started and siding and windows go in next week.

Day 22

This space was once 1/4 bedroom 3/4 living room. It will now be one big living room.
This is the back of the house.

This is the staircase that went up to the attic and will now go to the second floor. There was wall on the right with a fake fireplace that has been taken out.

Day 15

The roof over the main house is up and the foundation has been poured. We've been lucky to have had great weather for the most part. You'll notice that the original roof is still up. This is to keep the house water tight since we're keeping the hardwood floors.

Day 13

I tried to take photos over the weekend of the progress, but photos cannot describe what is going on.

I've decided that remodeling is kind of like giving birth, though I haven't given birth so what do I know. You know giving birth is going to be painful, but you really have no idea what pain is until you've experienced it. That's what remodeling, or should I say gutting, a home is like. I knew it was going to be tough, but I had no idea how tough. It looks and sounds exciting, but we're still in the stressful/terrified stage.

Our contractor seems to have worked out how to deal with the permit issue of not being able to work on the side addition, but we won't know how behind we are until the ZBA decision is published. I'm still blown away that it was never done and when the building department realized their mistake, it should have been written and published immediately. It may get issued by the end of next week. Seriously, where is the accountability?! I guess that's government for you.

Day 9

All large projects run into one problem or another along the way. Turns out, we just ran into a big one. The lovely town of Andover never wrote or published the zoning board of appeal (ZBA) decision we applied for back in February, that means the building permit issued at the end of March never should have been issued. The town "took" back the building permit, and as a compromise, issued a permit for the back addition but we'll have to wait 5 weeks for the permit for the side addition. No work on the side can continue. This is a construction logistical nightmare.

Day 8

The foundation will be poured today for the addition in the back and side where the kitchen will be.
Here is a view of the front and side. This is the side where the mud room use to be and where the bump out for the kitchen will now be.
That's the back portion of the deck in the yard upside down.

Day 6

See those cinder blocks? That's were the mud room use to be. The deck is also all torn up. We found out this morning during our first weekly onsite meeting that all the deck railings are rotten because the company that built the deck didn't use pressurized wood. Duh!

Day 1

Construction begins today. I can't believe this day has finally come. I had no idea the amount of stress and anxiety both Brian and I would experience during these last few weeks. It certainly has been a difficult time.

We're pretty much all moved out, with the big move taking place this weekend. I'm out of town for work so I won't be able to see what's been done until later this week. I'm just praying that the whole house isn't' covered in cement dust.

I hope to have pictures to post soon.

Kitchen Sketch

Here is an updated kitchen sketch. These aren't the finishes that have been chosen, but the layout will be the same. Some highlights include 4 big drawers for pot/pans/mixing bowls, double trash pull out, small appliance storage in the island and a hood. I'm so excited for a hood. No more waking up the next morning and smelling last nights dinner. Gross!

The island will seat four people and the stools will probably be a similar style to what's included in the sketch. I hope they're comfortable because it could be a couple years until we can get a dining room table.

I did lose the battle on the color of the kitchen cabinets. They will be cherry wood with a dark stain. Counters will be soapstone and carrara marble on the island, white subway tile for the backsplash and a herringbone pattern behind the cooktop .

I've noticed that in my extreme dislike for ornate details that I'm choosing modern finishes. I never thought my style was modern but I like clean, simple lines.

The kitchen faucet and dining chandelier are good examples.