Middle of September

To the left of this photo is where our pantry/ovens will be. Steve will be removing the windows and installing drywall. In the middle of the photo we will be attaching a few shelves with antique brackets Steve found at the Flea a few weeks ago. I will get my shelves one way or another even if it is two.

This is the sunroom in the back of the kitchen where Steve has begun insulating and installing the lighting. I was very specific in that I want to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Our current building in the city is pretty much the complete opposite. 

This is me playing around with color. I'm in the Springhouse behind the door. I'm still unsure if we should paint the brick. Next week the painters will be at the house to paint the trim. We will see how things look after that.

 The track lighting is installed by Steve. Learning something new everyday

Here is Steve taking nails out of the reclaimed flooring. 

Apple Picker

Today was my first Saturday off in I can't remember how long. I spent the day at the house coming up with ideas and picking apples while Steve worked on taking nails out of the reclaimed floor.

Inspiration

My friend Cassandra is a great inspiration to me. Her and I are both in the process of renovating our homes except she will be moving an hour away to a tree farm with many many acres of land, barns, animals, etc. Cassandra is an artist who owns a church in the Southside of Pittsburgh. This is where her studio/home is where she designs and sews a line of clothing, shoes, and accessories inspired by the 1800's. She most recently started making baby clothing and botties from her line name Auld Lang Syne and sells them in boutiques in NYC and at bloom skin care.
We've recently been working on small organic skincare line based off of her historical apothecary research and my knowledge in esthetics. It may take years to create, but Cass has already began her recipes with her first body and face cream which can also be found at bloom skin care. We are hoping to incorporate fruit and berry trees since these our abundant on both of our land.

The Lodge and Oak Table

Steve made this table for his families lodge in Donegal a while back. Hoping to spend some time there over Labor Day. We need some rest and relaxation and a distraction from the house renovations

Exterior Paint Color

We've been checking out exterior paint colors and found this one in Shadyside. I really like how clean and crisp it looks, but still nervous about painting our brick. Any ideas?...

Overgrown Grape Orchard

Just a photo of my grape orchard that needs some lovin.

Kitchen is framed!

In the past two weeks Steve has framed in the kitchen. We also have the electrical lines in for our appliances and lighting. Next week the HVAC will be installed and the painter will be painting the trim on the exterior of the house. Steve took all the metal trim down and replaced it with wood. Steve's also been busy repointing the brick. We are trying to decide whether or not to paint the outside of the house.
4 months out..not sure when we will move in..

Craigslist Kitchen

Steve was lucky enough to score an awesome kitchen from a very generous family located in Fox Chapel. They were selling all of their cabinets, countertops, appliances and more. They were renovating their own kitchen which was only 5 years old. Steve was the first to respond to the ad and we were fortunate that the family was someone I knew from my years working in Pittsburgh. They felt comfortable with us coming over and checking everything out first. We agreed it would work after I backed down from having my shabby chic farm kitchen with open shelves. Their contractors would be taking everything apart and Steve would just need to load it into a U-haul. No big deal...12 hrs later and no refrigerator (600 lbs) My poor 67 year old dad and 15 year old nephew were delirious when I got to them at 8:00 pm. Steve was still trying to figure out how to maneuver the limestone countertop into the house. By 9:00 pm everything was loaded into the living room of the house including the new leather couch that we also purchased. The list includes, jenn-air refrigerator, bosch dishwasher, viking stove, double wall ovens, black granite countertop, limestone countertop, sink, wine cooler, leather couch, needle point rug, all cherry wood cabinets custom made. Jenn-air was later picked up by Steve, co-worker from Gaurdian Construction and two 12 year old boys. Steve almost broke his back getting this in the house. We did purchase a stove and dishwasher from another couple (previous post) These will be sold or given to Steve's sister. We figured the complete kitchen was a better fit for us and everything would work together. Steve has started framing in the kitchen and an electrician came to the house and he and Steve wired the kitchen and pantry. Steve has also insulated the ceiling in the sunroom. We will not be exposing the wood ceiling as planned. Steve picked up some wood flooring from Craigslist that was taken out of an old sewing factory in York, PA. I won't go into the specifics, but the man he bought it from had no running water  or electricity and led Steve into the small basement were he was storing the remaining wood. Very scary. He told Steve that the other wood was sold and was going to be used in a new restaurant in Soho. I'm just hoping the reused wood floor will go with the modern cabinets. We will make it work!

Clear Eyes Full Hearts

Steve has started pointing and cleaning the bricks. The house is looking a little better and I am happy with the progress. It's only been 3 months and Steve hasn't had much help (nor can we afford it) Only problem is the summer is flying by and we haven't had the best weather in the Burgh. I am hoping the fall season will provide us with some clear days and we won't have an unexpected snow fall in October. The Spring House is completely repointed. We plan to add a slate roof to the Spring House and we will add a new deck to the addition on the back of the house. The wood was in bad condition and it was never installed properly. I have to say, sorry Dad for destroying the grass again. There's always next summer.

Three Months In

It has been quite a while since I've posted. Steve's at the house most every day while I am working at bloom. Sadly, I don't get to the house all that often. I've added some photos of the work that has been done so far. Steve did more demolition in the kitchen which required us to get a dumpster. We now have an open space from the sun room all the way into the dining area. I can't quite recall where I left off, but all the trees are cleaned up, the back porch is completely ripped out, the out of ground pool is gone. Steve had some help from one of the workers from Guardian Construction and his to 12 year old twin sons who filled all the large holes that where left in the ground with dirt. They also pulled out all of the rhododendron roots in the front yard which is very exciting, so now I can start planning out my flower gardens. They cut down all the trees on the property that were ready to fall (mostly onto the house) I am not sure if we will start landscaping this summer or not. We've contemplated a lot of different ideas in and around the house. Our main concern is getting the first floor finished and then moving onto the second and third floors. We are hoping for a September/October move in date if everything goes as planned. I hope the HVAC is in before then!