Tuesday, December 20, 2011

December Project Progress

We're making slow but steady progress on a couple of projects around the house.  First up is the kitchen countertop.  We recently finished cutting out for the farm sink, and for the faucet.  We ran into a snag when we determined that the counter is thicker than what our 100 yr. old salvaged faucet allows for.  We routed out a section on the underneath side of the countertop to allow for proper fitting.  We hope to get the countertop installed in the next couple of weeks, which will be a major milestone for the kitchen remodel project.



The mantle bookshelf project is moving right along. We dismantled the salvaged bookshelves and leaded glass doors, and are rebuilding the fronts to fit onto the bookshelf built-ins under the mantle.  After removing the fronts, we cut them down to size, and are adding a small quarter-inch furring strip for an exact size match.  This project is coming together nicely, and we hope to have the new fronts installed and the leaded glass doors fitted by January 2012.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Bench Upholstery Project

We have a long list of furniture we've collected over the years that needs to be re-upholsterered or fixed in one way or another.

An antique bench we found on Craigslist a few years back has made it to the top of the list.  The upholstery fabric is ordered, and it will soon be outfitted with a new cushion.  That's at least on step in the right direction.

Bench:


Fabric:



We ordered just enough extra fabric for 2 or 3 throw pillows for the living room settle once we get around to completing that project.  Maybe 2012?

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Seasons Greetings

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Mount Rainier National Forest 2011

Mantle Progress

We finished stripping the paint and sanding the mantle.  Next step is to build the new bookshelf fronts and stain.

Now:

Newly stripped and sanded mantle.

Before:
In the beginning before the paint was stripped.
Stripping paint off the mantle.
Paint stripper used on the mantle.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Living Room Fireplace Mantle

We've made good progress on the living room remodel project.  We completed the paint stripping and have now started sanding the fireplace mantle.  We're two days in, and based on our current progress, we expect to have the sanding finishing next weekend.  To tackle this project, we stapled a plastic curtain to the ceiling to conceal the sanding dust.  Wow, what a mess it makes.

The goal is to finish sanding the mantle and then begin the finish carpentry work to install the glass fronts on the mantle built-in bookshelves.  In addition, we just got a quote in from a tile installer, and the installation of tile on our fireplace is within our budget.  Hopefully we can start this project in the Spring.  In January, we're going to start calling drywall installers to get a quote on covering the popcorn ceiling.  My dream/plan is to have a majority of this project wrapped up by late April.

Mantle being stripped of paint and sanded.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

2011 Project Retrospective

2011 was another productive year.  Fall always seems like the right time to sum it all up and "close the books" for the year.  The garden is largely done producing, and we are slowly transitioning to new or different projects.  The following blog entry is a retrospective of another year of progress.







Kitchen

It was another big year in the kitchen.  We've been working on this project for a number of years in our spare time, and each year it gets closer and closer to being done.  When we started the year, we had just finished the installation of dry-wall.  Since then, we've painted, built and installed cabinets, built and installed countertops, installed ventilation, gone through the arduous process of getting a gas line installed for the cooktop and more.  Here are some more photos of our progress:

Before Pictures:



After Pictures:





Potager

This project has been in the works for years, and this is the first year we've been able to harvest the fruits of our labor, literally.  We spent a lot of time putting together plans for the garden this year, and as the year progressed the plans changed as they normally do.  Next year will be an even more spectacular year for the garden, that is if the weather cooperates.
Before Pictures:



After Pictures:



Landscape

It was another big year for the outdoor landscape.  We had some lofty goals, and we managed to accomplish quite a bit.  We completed our outdoor kitchen and dining area.  We completed the first phase of the landscape on the North side of our house.  We planted approximately 130 new plants include 5 new trees.

Before Pictures: 



After Pictures:





Vacation

Occasionally we treat ourselves to a nice vacation, and that was certainly the case this year.  7 days in Spain and 7 days in Paris.  One of the most amazing vacations I've ever had.  Here are some photo highlights from the trip.

Spain:






Paris:



Misc. Other Home Projects

Here are some misc. other projects we completed this year.



Above: newly remodeled utility room.  New floor, new wall paint, new shelving and new water heater.


Above: Kitchen pantry cabinet we installed in the utility room for extra food storage.



Above: Newly installed EPA certified wood burning stove to help keep the chill off.

Above: We started the process of painting each and every rafter tail to match our house trim color.