Kitchen Renovation

This kitchen in the house, that we finally bought, after looking at 25 houses!  I think, I may have been really tired of looking, because I didn't catch a couple of things.  But it would not have mattered really, because the house was in pretty good shape and the area of town that we wanted.

I just walked in and said, oh, I least this one has been updated....... We had looked at some with metal cabinets, or just old cabinets.  Someone had extended that tile backsplash down for the countertop.  But, down there in the corner where that microwave is, it was completely different tile!

And while we were sitting in the floor scrubbing grout, my daughter says, why is that door so dark.  The one under the sink.  I couldn't believe it.  Everything is raised panel doors and that one was a flat panel.

                                                    Who knew, that the grout was white.......

We had decided that we wanted to paint them white.  Off to Lowes to look at cabinets in stock to see if we could find a color that we liked. Then we went and picked out paint chips to find something close.  We used Valspar w/primer.  When you take your doors off, number them, so they can be put back in the right spot.  I did a light sanding before we painted.

 We had painted all the cabinets.  When you looked inside the cabinets, some of the sides seemed to be off.  My husband decided he just couldn't wait to get granite counter tops. When, we got an estimate for the granite, the guy mentioned that he hoped we could get the counter tops off without tearing up the cabinets.  We did, but then I could see why things looked weird.  I told hubs, we are not putting granite on this junk.  So, every bottom cabinet on that side came out.

 And it really was a good thing, because the wall had been patched back there and not very well.  We tore more sheet rock off and put in wall insulation around all those water lines.

             
                            At least we shut the door to the mice that had been coming in through there.

                               Back to Lowes for base cabinets and another gallon of the cabinet paint.

I guess this is the only picture that I took of new cabinets going back in.  This was not an easy task.  Shims, shims and shims to make everything level from the front to back and side to side.

Here is the finished product.  We went with the granite over the washer/dryer adding more countertop space.

There was some little crappy trim across the top of the cabinets that came down.  And I replaced it with chair rail.  I looked all over for something different, but nothing that would work was to be found.

                                                            It Turned out great!

Exterior Makeover

Our Daughter got accepted to Masters Program close to home.  We were so excited! My thought was, money saved, she could live at home and help with the horses. But, when reality sunk in, with morning and evening traffic, it was an hour commute in both directions. That was time that she would need to be studying.  So, we started looking for her a place to live.  After checking out apartment rentals and the HIGH cost, we decided to look for something to buy.  Another shocker!  Location, Location, Location really is a driving point for price.  We looked at 25 houses!  The first couple we looked at, we thought may work and wanted to think about it for a minute.  The next day, there were multiple offers!!  Then this one came on the market, it fit our budget, good location, two full bathrooms, and good floor plan. We wrote an offer on the spot!  But, It still needed some LOVE!

This is how it looked when we bought it.  TV cables running down the brick and all along the house trim. Someone had closed in the carport at some time and it was just straight up ugly!

We closed on the house at the end of May and my daughter and roommates would move in the first of August.  Even thou the house was in pretty good shape, it took me all summer working on the inside and doing some outside.  We had to make the home secure!  This front door was not going to work.

                        
No, NO, my daughter was not staying there with a door jam that looked like that! That door really dated the house.  We wanted to Update.  The market is good in this area, so we are hoping for a good return when we sell in three years.

                                                 We wanted to go with a Craftsman look.

What a difference a new door makes.  I am so thankful that it was not a DIY project that I took on.  It took carpenters banging, prying, cutting and banging some more to get that door casing out.  They also framed out the closed in garage, for a garage door.  When, both of the doors went in, all the neighbors were paying attention.

                                                Tearing out the front wall of the garage.

After a summer of painting and cleaning the inside, I really didn't want to take on the task of the outside. The guys we hired did an excellent job.  I am not sure those wood windows had ever been scraped or reglazed around the glass panels.  Except, the ones someone had replaced with plexiglass....WHAT??  Yes, that is what I said.  I had a glass company come out and replace 10 panels of plexi with real glass!  Back to the painters, they scraped and scraped, new glaze around all window panels and caulked.  They caulked places that I would have missed and power washed the brick.  The prep took several days.  It would have taken me weeks.  Then they painted.

                                              

 We were in love!  It looked like a new house.  Now, was time to make Cedar shutters.  We've made a few sets in the past.  Easy easy.

                                                     From This TO THIS!!!

Here is the final product.  It looks entirely different than when we purchased it.  I hope this inspires you to update your home.  Your home is your castle.  The smallest projects can make a big difference.  We could have stopped at the doors and the house looked great! But the Paint Job, OH MY, It really made it Fresh.  Below, I listed our expenses, to give you an idea what a project like this will run you.  Please don't be a lurker, leave a comment and let me know that you were here! 

Run down on expenses...
New front door $225
New garage door $900
Labor to install front door, and case out opening $500
Paint house (included all labor & supplies) $2700
Husband and friend installed the vinyl siding around the garage door
Cedar shutters - 8 cedar boards, Cedar stain - We made them and installed

Guest House Cont....from 3/2014

I wrote this last year 3/2014......This was my plan.  At the bottom is the reno!  And I think it turned out Fabulous!

 Last week we spent some time at our home in Arkansas.  If you have been following along, then you know that most of this blog is about that place.  Between the house and the barn is another building.  We don't know what it was used for, but I am guessing a work shop.  It has fluorescent bulbs from one end to the other and all the electrical outlets are table high.  It is a wonderful building for a workshop and maybe it will be left that way.  But, right now, I am thinking guest house/game room. Hmmm, I do love to work on some stuff and who knows, by the time we get to move there...I could change my mind. I do know this.  It will have a handicap accessible bathroom in it. But, before anything gets done to the inside, the outside has to be fixed up.

Here is the lovely building.....It has a new roof, but in need of paint and more.  I do have a plan...but it will done in phases, Number One...Money, Number Two....Time.

The Grand Plan is to Extend the roof line out to the end and.... 

I would like to add stone work, several feet up and Replace the single door with one like this.

                                                       

 I would also like to add a portico.  Here are a couple of my inspiration links:

[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/photos/5677405/Old-Aurora--Ontario-craftsman-entry-toronto]

[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/photos/3979530/Exteriors-craftsman-garage-and-shed-los-angeles]

 Someones plan to divert water, Add lots of concrete....UGH! The concrete in front of the door actually slopes toward the building, thus the bottom of the door is rotten.

 Get rid of these doors and frame in a window to match the others. This concrete was actually in a good shape and we reused it at the barn.

 End view.

Replace the iron post with a cedar one.  Cover that pipe with lattice.  That pipe has wiring in it that goes to the barn.  It comes back down inside the building on the other end and then underground.  I guess it was to much trouble to bury all of it.  I would have loved to been on that brain storm.

 Last week, we (Bob and men help) started with getting rid of all that concrete.  And then, I spent the day on the tractor moving dirt.  I graded it so the water would hopefully run away from the building.  If the building site had been properly prepared to begin with......Well it wasn't, then instead of moving dirt, they poured concrete and did a poor job at that.   We got a rain while we were there, and it looks like it is working.

 The building has a concrete floor, except for the add on.  It is on floor joist.  After, we pulled the concrete, we discovered the front joist is termite eaten and rotting.  So, we will have to see about that.  That means call someone with experience with that kind of thing.

Summer 2015.....My husband could not put it off any longer!

First on the list was to start painting....and redo the trim around the windows.

 We made this lattice to cover that awkward electric pipe that ran up the front of the building.

Instead of putting stone across the front, we decided for a cheaper option. Tin! Cedar trim is not on yet

Time to call the professionals!  Luckily we have friends that are great carpenters!  Off with the shed roof to extend the gable roof.

  

They had to build up the wall to make it level...

 

And the porch

Of course a new door....

A new window...

I think it looks GREAT!

 

From this to That!

You have judge the cow thru the mud!

 

 Now, the inside, well that is a blank slate! But, curb appeal is awesome......