Demolition Days {The Old House}

 We spent days in July and August doing demolition work in the front rooms.

It's messy work but any progress is good. Thin plywood was pulled from the walls and sheet rock pulled from the ceiling. Under the sheet rock ceilings we found old wall paper and cheese cloth. That had to come down as well. You can imagine the dirt and dust that fell. Even the fireplace brick was taken down. The next step is to remove all of the staples and nails left the in ceiling and walls.

A One Armed Paper Hanger {Our Wooden Fence}

 It's obvious that Steven came from a line of hard working men, but the story of a relative who was a one armed wall paper hanger, well, that just amazes me. That's about what this project was for Steven. He had much needed assistance from his father in setting the posts, but after that, he was a one man fence builder. Not only does the finished fence give the girls so much more room to play and freedom to roam, but it's super pretty to look at too.

February 2, 2015. Steven and his dad set the posts.

 We took a snow vacation and then on March 6, 2015 Steven set the top and bottom rails. 

 We took another trip out of town for a funeral and then on April 3, 2015 He hung the pickets. 

April 11, 2015 he added the last of the trim. 

Now we're working to strip and paint an old door to act as a gate. This beautiful fence was finished just in time for us to enjoy the lovely spring weather. It's so nice being married to a capable, "one man fence builder."

Curiosity Renewed

Sometimes it feels as if we've lived here so long that all of the mystery surrounding the old house has been discovered. But, then, one day when you're digging around in the old garage and cleaning an old louver door you find a little gem like this. A metal plate, engraved with the name of the family who built the home. A new discovery that gives you a glimpse into the history of the house and renews your curiosity about what else is waiting to be discovered at the (previous) Home of Mrs. J.A. Muller.

Family Room {Last Wall}

 This is what remodeling with kids looks like.

Working while they play and working late into the evening.

But the last wall is finished and it's BEAUTIFUL!

Family Room {Progress!}

Wall number two is up!

Below is a little glimpse into what all has to happen to the boards before they go up. 

 

Family Room {The Walls}

We finished the ceiling in the family room in January, but since then, life has taken over and we recently decided it was time to make the final push! So we've removed all of the old trim and painted the last coat of paint on the ceiling the week of October 5. We've decided to keep one wall the original wooden plank walls, so we covered that wall in plastic to keep from getting paint on it.

Once the ceiling was painted I cleaned the wall using hot water and vinegar. Six buckets of water and four kitchen sponges later, the wall is clean, and has a coat of clear satin urethane.

While brainstorming ideas for wall coverings for the other three walls, I came across this home featured in Southern Living. I immediately fell in love with the shiplap, pine-plank walls in the entryway of the home. I knew it was what we needed for the family room.

We chose to start with the french door wall. Here is the progress we've made! 

 Boards before they are hung.

Thrilled About A Fence

 We had a new wooden fence put up all along the back line of our property. The girls are more than thrilled about the new found freedom and we're excited about the privacy it provides. Circle A Fence Company did a wonderful job.

Porch Lights Restored

 I purchased a set of vintage Phil Hinkley & Co. light fixtures from Midland Theory on Etsy for our back porch, in June, of last year. I had been searching for just the right fixtures, looking for period accuracy and something that mimicked what we already have on the house AND was a set. These were just the ticket. However, one of the lights was damaged during shipping and I had to contact the seller. We corresponded a bit and I promised to send her pictures of the lights when they were restored and hung. That's when I realized that it took me a YEAR to finish this project! Have I mentioned how slow we are?

First we had to repair the broken light (gratefully the glass was intact) I stripped the lights down to the original brass using steel wool, dismantled them, cleaned them, primed them, put two coats of black paint, rewired them with new sockets and bought new screw covers for the tops that were missing. Steven used his mad wiring skills and ran the electricity and hung them outside.

I love old light fixtures. Have I mentioned that before? Now searching for a vintage light for the back door.

Back Patio

Here is what this area looked like in 2009.

Since then we've had the house painted and a tank less water heater installed, but otherwise it's been pretty ugly. It's also problem area for water running under the house. Steven and his dad have worked to change the fall of the yard, and these concrete pieces were the last of the projects necessary to keep the house dry underneath.

Here are shots of the dirt work and form setting that was done in April.

Steven and his dad poured the concrete on April 23, 2014. The girls had front row seats for the show.

In May we built a flower bed and planted hydrangeas and hostas.

I'm hoping this can be an nice area to set up a gardening table and an outdoor sink.

Family Room {Beadboard Ceiling}

Half the ceiling is hung! This might not look like much work, but...it is.

Each sheet of beadboard has to be primed and painted before we hang it. Steven built this super big easels for us to prop the boards onto. We put the girls to bed and paint most every evening.

Fun times...

Marvelous Master Bath {Before & After}

Posting these before and after pictures makes this project seem so condensed and easy. Ha! Before you start getting any crazy ideas about how FAST we are, let me just tell you that this was YEARS of work and patience. It's the in between photos that really show the work and money and time. Sadly I didn't do as well as I thought documenting the between stages. And well, frankly that's just not as exciting as simply comparing before and after photos

To get an idea of how much work went into this little corner click here.

See post about the custom medicine cabinets here.

And a post about the faucets we cleaned and had re chromed here.

Here is the first post about the tub and sinks being redone. 

A post about painting the floor (the first time).

This post about the shower install.

I'm tired just looking at all the work that went into this bathroom. But goodness it's lovely and I seriously feel like I LIVE in a bed and breakfast!