My Adventures Where in the world is ….

After being in a mess for so long it is great to see some real progress happening.  It has been moving all along but didn’t always feel that way.  Monday, Dad finished in the attic and even vacuumed it – it is cleaner than it has ever been but we were so tired we just went to bed and yesterday between visiting teaching and other things we didn’t move anything back up but hopefully we will do that tonight since I am staying home.

Yesterday we had rain all day but our contractor put in our new bay window anyway and today our tile was put in.  So here are some updated pictures to see.  The grout will be put in tomorrow (it is a sand color).

So now we actually have siding around our whole house and shutters on our bay window so here is how it looks right now!

We are definitely seeing progress now – but oh so many details to finish.

As you can see all the front windows are in except the living room.  The octagon over our door has been replaced with an energy efficient window and the siding is done on all sides and the back.  As soon as the living room window is replaced the siding will be completed also.  Then there is all the trim to put on inside.  We really like the look of this new siding.  Then they will also be adding the dark red shutters we have ordered.

It is hard to believe how much trash this has resulted in.  The contractor and Dad have been busy compacting wherever possible.  Also, we have stuffed corners with stuff from the attic.  Mostly I have been freecycling as much as I can (it is truly amazing how many people this our junk is a treasure).

Our new sun room is amazing.  On Friday the electrician came to do most of the installation.  The fan is beautiful but he has to return as he didn’t take notes and he didn’t do exactly what we wanted – we have rocker switches throughout our house (many of which he installed when he did the electric four years ago) but he didn’t put them on the porch even though we specifically requested them.  Also, we now have a light in our attic (on a switch – very cool) but he was supposed to put in two so both sides were lit.  Anyway, here is our new fan and you can see the bright color we chose for our sun room.  Also, we laid out some of the tile (to be installed this next week) so you can see how it looks – it will be much better when it is actually installed, and yes, we are putting it at an angle.

As with all our projects there is also a side project for Dad.  There has been a bump in the wall next to our front door since we moved it.  It was hidden for many years by the paneling but when the paneling came off it glared at us for years.  The man who is putting in our new wooden raining said it needed to be flat for his installation – so Dad is removing the wallboard and reinstalling it with flat wallboard.  So far we have no idea why it had the bump.

Other than the small details that need finishing and a lot of painting (the whole living room, dining room, hall and stairs), after the railing and all the painting is done we will be ready for new carpet.  We need to move all the attic stuff back up (and Dad is almost done up there so we can), and then we will move all our furniture out into our new sun room while the carpet is installed.  The new deck doesn’t have a railing or stairs yet but I know it will.  I think our contractor may be done in two weeks time (even with Memorial Day weekend in the middle of that time.  Then we need to finish painting (and that includes all eight of the new doors we finally have added).  We also need to paint around our front door (outside) and paint the front door and the garage doors (house and car).  Hopefully we will be done long before we head to Houston for the reunion in July.  When we come home I hope to just enjoy some summer vacation.

Well our renovations are going well.

The siding is mostly on all three sides.  The front will be done next week after the front bay window is put in.

Here are some pictures for you to see how it is coming.  We will also be adding dark red shutters on all the windows except the back and the new sun room.

Despite the fact that Dad has suggested that the he is liking the blue on the front, the gray looks so good.

Here is also a picture of the new windows in the dining room and in the computer room downstairs.

The day I came home and walked in the dining room with the new window it was amazing how light and airy it felt.

I love all the light we now have between the window and the sun room.

We put the first coat of paint on the sun room tonight (we primed last night).

Dad will put on the second coat tomorrow morning before starting work.

Our contractor will be working on the trim on the windows tomorrow.

The electrician will be coming on Friday to install our lighting, our electric outlets and our ceiling fan.

Next week the tile guy will hopefully be coming and our sun room will mostly be done.  We will still have to paint all the trim (but we might get that all done on Friday) and the doors, but mostly it will be done.

Next step will be to move all our living room into the sun room so we can rip out the rest of the carpet and paint there.  Our new railing will go in on the 28th (assuming we get the piano out before that).

I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel here – but there is still more to do, if only putting our house back to right.

You can all then come and visit.

Well, our new renovations are moving along and I am finally putting in a post about it.  I hope to do this more often now and to use this venue for further photos and updates.

In early April we decided to  finish the renovations we actually started back in 2003 with our bathroom redo.  Then in 2008 we did part of the basement and our kitchen.  We really wanted to replace the rest of the windows, siding and the deck at the least but decided to go all the way.  So to start here is our house BEFORE:

Then you may remember how we tried to help you visualize and to help us visualize what it might look like after:

Meanwhile we added a new furnace and a new oil tank:

Next the old siding was torn down and a blue foam coating was put on so for a while our house has been very blue.  There was a pile of discarded siding and the old deck on the side of our house until the dumpster arrived.

In the picture of the back of our house (deck less) you can see our contractor working in the yard.  Below the dangerous door to nowhere.

Soon we had a floor to walk out onto with a small deck attached.

Then our new french doors and a cut out for a new window.

Finally a new room – yeah!!!

It has been such fun to see it all take shape.  Here are today’s pictures. (May 4 2012)

And finally some siding to show you the real stuff on our house.  The rest will go on after the other windows which should be in the end of next week or the beginning of the week after.  Yeah.

So you can see our project is moving along but there is still so much to do and then our work starts as we will be repainting our living room and dining room and hall and down the stairs before we have all new carpeting installed.  We are also redoing our front porch with new railings and inside new wooden railing instead of the rod iron we have.  Yeah!

You are all welcome to come for a look see anytime after the end of May when we might be done.