New Half Bath

This is our little half bath inside the guest room.  The existing closet measured 3' wide by 6' long - just big enough for a small sink and toilet.  The room was gutted down to the studs so we were able to create this built in shelving above the sink.  One of my favorite purchases for this house is the light fixture that we got on Etsy.









As you can see the slope of the roof over this closet was just right for adding a skylight.  It's almost like a window since it comes down fairly low into the room.  I will also be posting all the pics of the process of building the room.

Love this room!!!!

The Back Yard

The back yard has gone through various iterations in three years.   Eventually we replaced the chain link fence with wooden fencing (nothing too fancy in the back).  We planted some grass seed and then my husband built a drainage system - underground pipe out to the street - covered with stones.

We installed cattle gates across the driveway so that the dogs would have an enclosed space and now that the front is fenced they can run all the way around! That is Michael out in front.

Chain link

Putting in the first section

Planting a lilac bush and pear tree

I've included pictures from the very beginning when we had a big pile of wood in the back corner and chain link fence all around.

and then it was completely dug up for the new plumbing we installed. 

It only took one year for the fence to be covered in green!

Later on the telephone pole was completely knocked out in a storm and they put the wires on a neighbors pole.

Painting the telephone pole the color of the fence really helped it blend in!

This is Michael's resting place under the echinacea - Michael the big siamese cat that ruled the house!

New Closet Upstairs

After removing two closets for bathroom space we desperately needed closet space.  My hubby had the brilliant idea of expanding out into the attic area.  There was already a beautiful door in my husband's room that accessed the attic so from there began the plan.  While my closet downstairs is wonderful and equally creative, I did become a bit jealous as he started putting on the finishing touches. Well, let's be honest - what I am jealous of is the size! The closet is definitely very manly - it is raw wood all around.   The window you see was there but had no glass - it was just wooden slats.  We put in a new window and then framed out the space after full insulation.  There is one supporting beam that you still need to be alert of so as not to hit your head.

This view is from that window looking out on the corner of Oak Street and First Street.

There are shoe shelves right in the middle under the window and on both sides are areas for hanging clothes plus more hanging for pants over by the "door" to the other half of the attic.

Because the house is symmetrical it would be possible to create an equivalent sized closet in the other bedroom.  I'm not ready to jump back into the chaos for a big closet but it wouldn't be out of the question.

 

The Studio - Guest Bedroom

The upstairs bedrooms had lots of cracks in the plaster in both the ceilings and walls.  The dilemma was whether to completely re-plaster the walls or to fix the cracks.  We opted to just fix the cracks which is tricky because the walls aren't completely smooth so we used brushes on the wet plaster to simulate a slightly textured look.  We are not going for perfection here unless we get bored and decide to do it over!

This is the unique antique bed we got on Craigslist.  It has a very pretty but subtle red paint.  I did two colors on the walls - a mix of Ginger Lemon and Apricot on two walls and then the Apricot alone on two walls.  It worked really well with the yellowish cast of the pine wood.  I used the curtains as my initial inspiration. I bought this material at a flea market and my mom sewed them for me.  (Originally for my house in Stamford which had a cute dining area with walls painted a Buttercream Yellow).  In our downstairs bedroom we had the electricians install the electric boxes for our sconces but when I found out how common this type of sconces are with the wires we just plugged them in under the bed.

Upstairs Hallway

Dor,  from my house on Sleepy Hollow!

With the downstairs mostly finished we started to work our way upstairs.  For safety reasons the first thing we did was to add a handrail to the staircase and paint a runner with paint that included an additive for creating a rougher tread. (Sad story that the previous owner sold the house because she fell down the stairs and broke her hip.  She is fine but not climbing stairs anymore!)
Our stairwell to the upstairs is of a 1914 size which means that the largest bed we can fit is a full - so we purchased a unique old bed from Craigslist for one bedroom and a full size futon for the other bedroom.

One of the bedrooms we are calling the "yoga studio" - not too much yoga yet but in other words it is "my" room.  The other room is my husband's room.  Since we have limited closet space (one was removed downstairs and one removed upstairs for the bathrooms) my husband built a walk-in closet in his room. I am a little jealous!  More on that later!  The upstairs hallway is actually nice and wide and open - just the stairwell is small.  We had to plaster lots of cracks and paint the ceiling and walls.   I accidentally bought paint with some sheen in it so it's a bit shiny - lesson learned.  The color of the walls looks very white but it is actually a light green.   We also stained the woodwork and floor just to clean it up.

The Basement

Right side is where the washer/dryer are now

Of all the household chores my favorite is doing laundry! And I love the idea of a designated laundry room.   I love to be all spread out in a laundry room folding my clothes, hanging them on drying racks, etc.  The full experience.  Of course, I know that since we are creating our laundry room in a cement cellar it may not be the dreamiest...but one can aspire.

We did have the option of having our laundry on the first floor either in the bathroom or in our pantry (where the previous owner had it) Since I don't want laundry baskets in my kitchen or bathroom we opted for the basement.

Ours is the typical basement: cement walls and floors, cobwebs, small upper windows, slightly damp and cold and dark.  So, we did lots of cementing and painting to make the walls and floors more smooth.  The floors needed two coats of paint but most walls we just did one.  Originally I wasn't too creative with the colors but then I remembered my parents caribbean stairway down to the basement so I copied that on one wall.My husband added 4 lights on each side and built a platform for the washer and dryer.  Behind the paisley curtains is actual dirt so we covered that with plastic and then put a rod up for curtains.  We also added two new windows on each side since they were broken and painted over making it extra dark.  My husband and I have been having a discussion about whether it is a basement or cellar.  I would be willing to call it a cellar if indeed there was some quality about it that made it one.  So, after looking it up I have determined that it's just a matter of preference.  Although we have no wine or coal so maybe it is a basement!

    cel·lar

         noun

1.     a room below ground level in a house, typically one used for storing wine or coal.

   base·ment

   noun

   noun: basement; plural noun: basements

   1. 1.

      the floor of a building partly or entirely below ground level.

   Origin

   

The Master Bedroom Closet

Bryan cutting the opening

Our downstairs bedroom had one long, narrow and difficult to access closet.  We decided on a fairly easy fix of sectioning off a one foot section at the closet entrance for a shoe closet and the opening up the side wall to create a more efficient use of space for the clothing.  Because the doorway for the new clothing closet is not visible when you enter the room we decided to leave it open.

This window looks out on the back yard.

After we framed in the shoe closet I painted the interior and shelves were made at  appropriate shoe levels - taller at the bottom for boots.

The closet is 9 feet tall so there is enough space for 3 bars for clothing on the left and then one additional bar on the top right.  I need to get up on a small ladder to reach the top bar but I store clothing there that is more occasional wear.

The Kitchen

The kitchen has been 95% done for quite a while but there was still the trim around the windows which needed to be completed.  Now it is installed and it is ready for "the reveal".   The kitchen cabinets are really everything we had hoped for (Thank you Maggart & Sons).  They are made of cherry and we opted for a natural matte finish.  The countertop is made of marmoleum (I'll have to put the pictures up of the installation).  We made a very slight backsplash with the cherry trim to match the cherry trim at the edge of the countertop.  

The skylight is quite a feat of carpentry and design by the talented husband.  To create the bend in the sheetrock he had to wet it down and bend into place and then hope that it didn't snap when it was installed.  The countertops next to the stove are travartine since the marmoleum couldn't be used to put something hot on top.


For someone that didn't want the decor too "woody" it is a surprisingly wood filled kitchen.... and I really like it.



We also moved the refrigerator from this little space where it stuck out to the back left corner which is also "the Pantry" - also has our microwave.  The nook is now our kitchen desk area.