Demolition on the Kitchen and Sun Room

These are some photos of the demolition that was done on the kitchen. The last photo may look pretty good, but it is actually the before picture. The appliances are pretty old and the cabinetry is not our style. It is really not a good use of the space and especially for how large the house is. We've decided to raise the ceiling and take out the window that you see in the last photo and replace it with a pantry. Old houses lack storage space and closets. We will probably be adding antique french doors in between the brick structures that are separating the kitchen from the sun room. We are not sure whether or not we will be exposing the wood beam ceiling in the kitchen. It might not be right for this type of house, but we are playing around with a few ideas. The floor will be replaced with whatever wood Steve can find.  Most likely the wood will be taking out of a project on the Southside that Guardian Construction will soon be working on. The floor will be continuous throughout the kitchen, sun room, and my studio space. All the floors need refinished in the entire house, so this should be quite a project. The sun room was also demoed. The carpet has been ripped out and the drop ceiling was removed (exposing the wood beams) Material to be later determined. Most likely Oak. The sun room will hopefully open up into a newly structured porch (minus the hot tube with goldfish) 

Installing new windows

Steve has finished taking out these old original wood windows and replaced them with new wood windows that he purchased at a steal on Craigslist. The new wood windows will start a little higher to account for the small window at the top of this picture. He will then be adding oak shelving underneath. We've decided that my studio will need new flooring. We were playing around with the idea of painting the floors white, but they may be in too bad of shape. Ultimately, these windows are as well and if my studio will be here it has to be warm enough in the winter months to accommodate my clients. Moving right along

My Spring House

Had to include a picture of my little Spring House. I am excited to add flower boxes and maybe some dried flower wreaths on the outside. This will be a great place to dry my flowers and herbs and maybe make some grape alcohol from my orchards to use for perfume making (Like I have so much time on my hands) www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/garden/10perfume.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

My Studio Space~Before

This is the enclosed porch with separate entrance, which will be my bloom skincare studio space. This space will have a different esthetic to my current look, but will still be cozy and warm. I am going for a Scandinavian apothecary look. I am hoping to take the windows out on both sides of the door and replace them with glass to give a storefront type of look. Steve is working on a small wooden sign and a new ballister. Hopefully his Techshop membership will come in handy  www.techshop.ws

Here is some inspiration for my studio space http://www.mbds.com/interiors/retail/cowshed-spa

Lots of Work~Demolition

Just a little preview of the work that is being done. Steve picked up new siding to put up on the outside of the house which will eventually be painted a different color. The windows for my studio will be purchased on Saturday in Baltimore. Thankful for Craigslist. 

April 19th Closing and First Look

We closed on our new house in Gibsonia. The house was purchased through a short sale, and we are so thankful that out of 14 offers in 4 days our offer was accepted. We had been looking for a house for over 2 years. We had been all the way to Ligonier and back with no luck. We felt like we were running out of time and prices were getting higher. Of course, we were also a little picky. We wanted some land, a barn, wood shop for Steve, studio space for me, a good location, good school district, a place closer to our family, something historic, and a reasonable price. Finally, in March the house was presented to us. We walked through and that same day we made an offer. These are some of the first pictures that were taken. Some of the work has been started on the outside since we are coming into the summer months. Steve has started work on the top of the house repairing the wood corbels. I am in the midst of picking out new paint colors for the outside of the house and coming up with ideas. This may be a challenge. The long, dandelion filled grass has been cut three times and demolition has started on the kitchen and enclosed porch (before pics to come) Steve will be driving to pick up new windows he has found on Craigslist to put in my studio space in the enclosed porch (which you can see on the right with the separate entrance) We found some eco-friendly siding we will be adding to the back of the house as well. Our next project will be loading up all the debris (including an out of ground swimming pool!!) from the house into trucks thanks to our friends from Jurassic Junk. We are very excited about this new project we have started together. We are thankful for our friends and family for encouraging and supporting us in our new adventure. Let's see how long it will take us.