End-of-Summer Update

Well it's been a very nice and relaxing summer, and while we've gotten back to somewhat of a normal life around here, there was still some work to be done on the last few projects.  With the garden well on it's way, it was time to focus on converting the second bedroom from little more than a tool room to an actual usable guest room/ office.  To do this we needed a home for the tools, and that turned out to be a 5'x'6' shed...now sure we could have just bought one, but where's the fun in that?  Nope, we had to build one from scratch, one that would be the best size, and one that would fit in with the character of the area.

 Digging holes is tough.....digging holes in the middle of July, well I guess is better than January, but that's about it.  Maybe I need a better shovel, or an auger.

FYI if you ever build adjacent to a retaining wall like we did here, always dig the footings that are closest to the wall down to the same level as the bottom of the wall.  Otherwise you will put added pressure against the wall and risk overturning it.

Normally building a shed on anything but 4' dimensions is considered a mistake, but in our case we had some very exact dimensions we needed to meet, in order to store what we wanted and without making it too large for our small yard.  So we ended up with a 5'x6' size.

Sarah inspecting the work after a long day.

The siding is Hardi cement board so it should last a good long time.  One of the features we wanted was deep overhangs on all sides, which will protect the shed from sun and rain, and give it a little more character.

 And here it is completed and painted.  The deep red is the same as our front and back doors and matches the windows on the building beyond.  The roof is galvanized metal, which was a first for us but actually fairly easy to install....only I wouldn't recommend doing it on a hot July day.  You might see the scrap wood laying flat on the ground....one day we plan on putting some deck boards down in this spot for a planting area.

So after several weekends of hard (and hot) work we finally have a home for the tools, and most importantly, another room in our house!  The next project in the fall will be the back fence, and as always we'll be sure to post pictures.

Spring is here and so is our garden!!

Hello everyone! We are back. There has been a number of changes since we last posted. One of the biggest and best milestones however was that the State approved our house as a certified historic rehabilitation!! We met our biggest goal!! It was certainly no easy task and it was filled with little speed bumps every step of the way. Thanks again to all of those who supported us along the way. Now all that is left is to get the upstairs apartment rented!

So enough said.. here are the latest pictures.


The final shots of the FINISHED Bathroom...
We love our curb-less shower!!

Progress shots of the railing install  & paint job on the deck.. Oh my this took a while. The redneck down spout has actually already been replaced too. Just not in these shots. We are already using our new deck at least once a week for BBQs. We are looking for a small bistro set for out here now. 

And with the spring weather we couldn't resist starting our backyard... so we put our upstairs apartment on hold for a couple weeks. We started the backyard by clearing the left side. building a small retaining wall, raising the flower bed, adding in rocks for drainage, and topped it off with an assortment of flowers. 

Before...

 During...

 We've since added a 2nd rain barrel to support the water flow from the roof...

Ben's already enjoying the garden view... Study time :)

Then we tore out all the grass on the right side, enlarged the garden with the tree, planted more veggies and flowers from seed, put down a few levels of gravel & sand, then layed 1 ton of blue ridge flag stone leaving room for ground cover to fill in the cracks.

Now that its getting warm, I can tell we will be spending a lot more time out in our backyard. Next up we will finish our upstairs apartment, build a shed, and finally a privacy fence. We're getting down to the super small stuff and we are starting to get out and enjoy our lives more with camping, kayaking, cycling, swimming, and of course family and friends. Stay tuned we are getting there!

Just a reminder to VOTE for our kitchen in the Cliq studios remodel contest.

Please vote for us every day until the 15th of March. We could win the money back to pay for our wonderful kitchen cabinets!! 

VOTE ON FACEBOOK AT CLIQ STUDIOS

https://www.facebook.com/CliqStudios/app_174489652597378

Our Kitchen is on the fourth page, second one from the bottom entered from Sarah C. You must like Cliq Studios to vote for us!! Please share to all your friends! We could use everyone's help.  Thanks so much for your support!

If you have trouble finding it. Go to Cliqstudios.com for more info or email sarah at sarahvhunt@yahoo.com.

Thanks!!

We moved into the downstairs this month!

So its been a little while since our last post.  Our biggest news is that we have finally moved into our downstairs apartment!! We are so happy to be able to finally enjoy our hard work for the last couple of years. Our downstairs just needs a little interior decoration now and the upstairs is in the process of getting ready for renters. Here are a few pictures of our progress from the last few weeks....

Ben and Sarah having fun at the park in Dallas! 

These are the new 100 year old doors salvaged from another old house. Thanks Steve and Laura!!
We installed doors like this in our master and guest bedrooms. They are even complete with vintage hardware. The doors are primed, but still need a fresh coat of white paint and they are done.

Our living room from the kitchen. Remember we found that chimney behind drywall, added the framed opening with stained glass, replaced the window on the right,  added the double window on the left, raised the ceiling 18", added the niche, leveled the floor joists, new subfloor / hardwood, and more... wow! 

This is a TV niche we formed out of the an old cavity that backs up to the shower. The TV is mounted on a bracket that can swivel and tilt so we can see it from anywhere in the room. We even took time to hide the wires from the TV cabinet to the TV. Don't look too hard here... those are bunny ears! Still saving for cable one day. We are just happy our TV and new vintage media cabinet fits just right.

Our new sofa and living room...

 

My favorite spot to hang out now..

Our new master bedroom.. We have some interior decoration to do in here for sure.

That's it for now in pictures. We do have the bathroom DONE as well, but are waiting on pictures. The back porch is currently getting painted and the railings are being installed, the upstairs is now also in final renovation mode so we can get it rented soon. Stay tuned for more updates as we complete the last of the major renovations... 

Thanks again to all of our family and friends for your help and support over the past couple of years.

We entered our kitchen into a remodel contest!!

 We are FINISHED with the kitchen!! 

This was the BEFORE shot, Yuck Yuck. If only we had known what was under that drywall (or lack of for that matter). After tearing of the drywall, remember we found rotten floor joists, portions of 2 corners of the house completely gone from termite and fire damage, flood damage, mold covered the back kitchen wall, the ceilings were not framed properly, the floor above was sagging, and beyond... Ahh its so much better now!!

So this week we entered our kitchen into a remodel contest with Cliq Studios Cabinetry. Please vote for us every day until the 15th of March. We could win the money back to pay for our wonderful kitchen cabinets!! 

VOTE ON FACEBOOK at Cliq Studios

https://www.facebook.com/CliqStudios/app_174489652597378

Our Kitchen is on the fourth page, second one from the bottom entered from Sarah C. You must like Cliq Studios to vote for us!! Please share to all your friends! We could use everyone's help.  Thanks so much for your support!

If you have trouble finding it. Go to Cliqstudios.com for more info or email sarah at sarahvhunt@yahoo.com.

Thanks!!