Doors - by Holly

I've mentioned the Graves family before; they live in the twin house two houses down. They had original doors sitting outside their house so I stole them. No, not really. They totally offered them up to us and we said, "YES PLEASE!" One really cool thing about having a twin house is that it can help us figure out what is/would have been original. I was planning on getting the 5 panel (horizontal) interior doors but what our neighbors had was slightly different--and therefore almost definitely what would have been used in our house. Since the Graves already have their interior doors, we are happy to take the extras off their hands. Thanks Chris and Tiffany!!

Also, we got wind of a front door that was thought to be perfect for our house. We agreed:

 

All of the doors will be chemically stripped and then restored. One cool thing we'd like to use is salvaged hardware, specifically rim lock hardware. Rather than the lock being in the core of the door, everything sits on the outside--this is what would have been used at the time our house was built. Our contractor introduced us to the idea and we love it! Here's an example image from the glorious web:

COMPLETE FLOORPLANS! - by Holly

Tomorrow I'll meet with Sara and the kitchen designer to determine where we really want windows in the kitchen. Also there are a few doors that will swing differently but for the most part these plans accurate!

Initiation - by Holly

We've had our first break in. Sometime on Saturday night someone(s) literally pulled on one of the doors to the shed until it ripped apart. The lock in the center held... I guess that's a good thing. They made off with my compound miter saw. Smart choice, it was definitely my favorite.

Our neighbor called us Sunday morning as soon as she saw it; I'm so grateful to have neighbors that watch out for us. :) We spent the day filing a police report, repairing/reinforcing the doors--inside and out, and trimming back the tree so that the shed will be even better lit by the city light across the way. And now that the cops know we are working on the house, they're gonna make sure to drive by and check on it at night.

It's certainly frustrating this happened but we are not caught off guard. And we're not angry or bitter, but hopeful that the folks who do this sort of thing will somehow see Jesus as we forgive and move forward loving on the people in the community (and that the doors hold up better).  ;)

Lighting Project - by Holly

I've started working on the 8 lights I purchased from the Habitat store. First I have to clean them (they are filthy) then glue/adjust parts, untangle chain/wiring, and finally spray paint with a can of hammered bronze. Here is one with its new finish (without it's candlestick pieces):

Piers - by Holly

With the house mostly jacked the guys have been able to start building the new piers (and actually, they were working on the last one this morning). Here's a pic:

Plans - by Holly

We've (...I've) been going round and round with the second floor. The fact is, I believe there is a plan that will feel far superior to everything else and wasn't convinced we'd found it yet. As we've considered new ideas, I've felt like we were doing things really different, but not necessarily improving the plan in a phenomenal way. Sara mentioned something last week and I think it is the best solution to make everything fall right into place: absorb the back porch (upstairs). The idea was just a seed and it has grown large in my mind over the weekend. Todd's initial response is that it should be quite feasible for two main reasons: 1) It already has a roof/gable and 2) We needed to rebuild the back porches anyway. So here's my cheesy Illustrator version which could definitely use some attention from Sara (she's out of town this week):

I like this because it keeps the bedrooms big, the master in the back/more private, a feature packed master bath, spacious closets, hall bath, and true laundry room (vs the stacked machines in a closet). Also, it uses A LOT of existing walls!


And in other news, here's a sample of an accent tile that I am in love with. It's a glass white and neutral with a stone looking texture--the perfect jumping off point for a floor tile... :)

Finally, here is a house from a Sherwin Williams brochure that has made it's mark on me. Colors are tough to see accurately but it's basically a peach (never would have chosen that on my own), a light blue, cream for the trim, and deep wine for another accent color.  (It's still gonna be 2-3 years after move in before we address the exterior) Colin's not exactly chomping at the bit over this color scheme...

I continue to try colors (this pic is not even the most recent!):

And just for good measure, because I like to consider all possibilities... please vote on your fav (I've already chosen mine!). PS-these are not finished, just samples:

 (Black)

 (Bronze)

 (Silver)

 (Macro of black)

 (Macro of bronze)

 (Macro of silver)

And here are two vanities I picked up. It's definitely "too early" but the deal was irresistible and they're beautiful. And exactly what I've been looking for!

Here is a house that is a very similar to one color scheme I'm considering (soft teal with red). This particular house was designed by Sara (who we're using):

And I also found this Victorian beauty:

Before(s) - by Holly

 Guess what: the stairs were originally going in the opposite direction, which means that wall with doorway that comes before the arch is not. Therefore, I GET TO MAKE THE SQUARE DOORWAY INTO AN ARCH!!

 (kitchen from back door)

 (kitchen from dining room)

 (kitchen towards hall)

 (dining room)

 (dining room towards hall)

 (living room from dining room)

Lighting - by Holly

Yesterday I left the Habitat store with this:

 In case you were wondering, that's 6 chandeliers and 2 lanterns; all for a grand total of $100.  This morning I stopped by Home Depot and grabbed some"hammered look" spray paint. See rough test below:

Isn't that AWESOME?! Sure can't beat the price...

Goodies - by Holly

Kids are napping and I have a chance to enjoy some goodies!

1) Elmwood - samples of reclaimed hardwood flooring arrived today. Mama like.

2) Horsehead  bookends -  $2.50/ea from the Habitat store. The perspective in this pic makes them look tiny but they are a good 5" tall, heavy, and ugly. I plan on spray painting them, because that's my solution to everything.

3) Outlet covers - $0.25/ea also from the Habitat store. I figure we can definitely use white outlet covers...

4) Paint - yes, I bought an entire fandeck from Sherwin Williams; I did this quite a while ago. :) I'm exploring soft teals (dont' freak out) with a bold red (breathe) for the outside of the house. You're just gonna have to trust me.

More Pics - by Holly

Lots of trim:

The kitchen with another wall from the butler's pantry/side porch down:

Those boards are reeeeeeaaaaaaaallllllllllly long. I'm guessing at least 25 feet:

I guess having a floor in the dining room isn't really necessary:

This "beam" is one of many that will be replaced. Yay for rot and termite damage:

Looking from the dining room towards the back/into kitchen. It will be way cooler when there's an "after" pic to go with it:

More massive piles of lumber:

A bathroom I drew upstairs (gotta love sidewalk chalk):

Looking towards the laundry room. Again, way cooler when there's an "after" pic:

Welcome to my most frustrating space in the house. Adjacent to the master bed/bath is a GIANT space above the family room downstairs. And it's totally not usable because of the roof lines. Sigh. I can make the master bath work remarkably if only we could stick the toilet into a small portion of this space. See that roof life there cutting a diagonal from left to right? It's one of two roof lines I'm not a fan of... but *perhaps* I can find a cost effective way of stealing 2x3 feet of this space (at proper ceiling height) to make a small bath feel big! See that bit of blueish green on the right between the light and dark boards? That's a mattress. Outside. On the roof.

I've drawn the corner of the middle bedroom (faint blue line). It's a shame to drywall over these fireplaces upstairs but there's just no other way to build closets without imposing on the rooms in an ugly way:

 And for the front bedroom: