It is a rainy day in November and I feel like we are far enough along that i can post this picture comparing the before and after. Obviously there is still a ways to go for us (we haven't even begun thinking about landscaping, the railing folks are doing the best they can, but little cardboard tents over the fresh welds don't really allow painting) but most of the work is done.
We think our house looks great, has a ton of important new maintenance stuff done and lots of fun new space for us outside.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Current Before/After
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Railings
It has been slow going with the railings, but the big one is up, welded, the welds have been finish ground and primed. The stair railings are fabricated, they are doing final fitting then they will go to powdercoat (am I starting to sound like an American Chopper episode??). We had hoped that they would be up for Halloween to keep the trick or treaters safe, but alas the won't.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Railings
The aforementioned sneek peek of the railings. Here you can see the look of the railings. they will be black powder coat, which will match the facia and gutters providing a nice contrasting color to the body and trim color and the wood and stone.
Paint
Painting has been happening for a while now and our house is really starting to show what the final outcome will be. Less and less imagination is required. The big missing piece that will tie it all together are the railings and we continue to get sneak peeks as they finish up the fabrication and check for final fit.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
I was sitting on the floor bonding with my studio after laying the flooring . . .
and took this photo without a flash. The other photo exaggerated the red from the floor. The walls are somewhere between this one and that one. I expect to be fully operational in the studio sometime next week. I get a new door, and the trim around the windows and the baseboard, plus something is funky with the heater wiring. It won't be long now!!!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The fireplace is supposed to go in today (Saturday)
And the stone & tile guys will be back on Monday to wrap up the stone work.
They are still working on the kitchen area . . .
but the doors are in, the sink is in and the spaces are there for the grill and side burners. From right to left:
Space for refrigerator, Grill, Side burner, and on the left end the sink.
Stone and tile guys have been working for a week . . .
and things are looking good. Here you can see the front of the fireplace, and some of the tongue and grrove ceiling that is making progress.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Front Porch posts
The upper part of the posts will be covered with painted wood, but the stone looks great.
The New Chimney!
The guys started on the roof wrapping the chimney in stone. It looks awesome. We will probably have to wrap our old brick fireplace in stone too.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
An updated front view.
With the gutters, and siding on the step landing, and boxes around the posts it is becoming easier to see the what the finished product will be.
Now that we are on the home stretch . . .
it is time to bear down on details, here you see a sample of the paint we like, with our stone and a random black thing representing the gutters and railings.
More waterproof flooring.
You can see how much care was taken when installing this around where our counters will go, there are even runoff channels in case we have some sort of flooding on our patio.
The surface . . .
So this whole project started because the patio leaked into the garage below, and had been leaking for a long long time. If you go back to the beginning portion of this blog there are photos of the rotten wood underneath.
The surface that we chose for our surface is a 60mm vinyl that is applied in a bombproof and leakproof way. It isn't as attractive as tile, but it won't leak and isn't unattractive. It is good to have it installed.
Fireplace stone
Andrea and VK visited another house that our contractor is remodeling, this fireplace uses the same stone material as ours will. I think it looks pretty cool. Apparently the whole house is amazing, which reminds me that I should throw out a shot for our contractor here pretty soon.
Monday, September 1, 2008
While the updates have slowed . . .
The work has gone on, but from a blogging perspective it hasn't felt like the sort of thing that was post worthy. All the windows are in, and that is awesome for us, but not really much to see. Lots of details were taken care of, electrical (the hot tub has been operating for a few weeks now, lights on the front porch and patio are working, as well as the back porch), the fireplace is framed and ready for rock, the Air Conditioner has been moved to a more sensible and efficient location, all the gas, ac, and power lines are up in the studio framing now, our music system for playing music on the patio and in the kitchen is installed and rocking.
In the next 2 weeks we will see many big and visible improvements happen. We are looking forward to:
1) Surfacing the patio.
2) Gutters (we need these badly. If you have gutters and don't appreciate them . . . go ahead and take them off. When it rains water runs off your house . . . everywhere. It is loud and wet. Gutters are great, we can't wait to get our new ones.
3) Stone on the fireplace.
4) Build out of the kitchen counters
5) Tile on the counters
6) installation of the appliances
7) Custom made railings
8) Trim all around
9) Tongue and groove ceiling on the patio
10) Sheetrock in the studio
There is more . . . but that is a pretty exciting list. Stay tuned.
In the next 2 weeks we will see many big and visible improvements happen. We are looking forward to:
1) Surfacing the patio.
2) Gutters (we need these badly. If you have gutters and don't appreciate them . . . go ahead and take them off. When it rains water runs off your house . . . everywhere. It is loud and wet. Gutters are great, we can't wait to get our new ones.
3) Stone on the fireplace.
4) Build out of the kitchen counters
5) Tile on the counters
6) installation of the appliances
7) Custom made railings
8) Trim all around
9) Tongue and groove ceiling on the patio
10) Sheetrock in the studio
There is more . . . but that is a pretty exciting list. Stay tuned.
All cleaned up
The guys did a thorough cleaning before leaving for the long weekend. Here looking east you can get a feel for how it will be when it is done.
It doesn't look like much, but . . .
That is our outdoor kitchen. From the fireplace going left there will be a Refrigerator, a gas grill (that is the gas line sticking up), 2 gas side burners, and a sink.
On the wall you can see 2 light switches (fireplace lights and work lights for the kitchen, and a volume control for the outdoor speakers that will rock the patio! :)
We have insulation in the studio
Specifically Rock Wool insulation . . . noted for it's density and sound blocking properties. Should help isolate the studio from the rest of the house and the neighborhood.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Standing near the front door . . .
You will be able to look out onto the fireplace.
The door still has sheets of protective plastic over the glass.
New big ass double slider.
Our new 10 foot sliding door (the portal to our outside living space) has been installed.
Stairs from above.
The dog likes them, they allow her to just walk away whenever she wants. Hopefully she will stay.
New stairs
We can now enter and exit our house through the normal front door. It is shaping up, but you have to imagine cool railings (other than willy nilly 2 x 4 wood) and probably siding on the landing.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Looking up at the skylights . . .
you can see how they are aligned to the fireplace. One on either side. Not a great photo, but what are you gonna do?
Skylights, as promised
Here you can see the skylights, opened because it will be 105 degrees in Portland today.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Fireplace framing
We have lighting set up, and the fireplace is taking shape. Also the skylights are in, but I forgot to take a picture. On days like these when so many new things happen it is hard to remember to shoot everything. Look for skylight pictures soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)