RenovationsRenovation & Addition Progress August 25, 2015The countdown is on my friends! We move in less than three weeks. I really am so excited to get in there and really start creating this new haven for our family. But it is surreal! With little Rosie, no AC in the new house, and this hot Southern summer, I’m not spending nearly the time over there that Chris is. It still hasn’t totally hit me that’s our house that we’ll be living in going forward. And packing and purging has not begun. I’ve been so busy with work and Rosie that I’ve totally put off packing up this place and cleaning out. I’m determined to start today! With this coming deadline comes a TON of new house progress! It’s been flying and crazy these last few weeks, but we’re coming down to the wire. The whole addition is finally sheetrocked, trimmed out, and new floors have been laid. I’m so excited to take you on a tour of where we’re at today! You can see the first tour of our renovation and addition here when it was framed out. {We should play “Where’s Rosie?” with the photos below…she snuck into most of them!} This above is our current view from the front of the house. We’re looking straight into the kitchen (that door on the left is the pantry) and the living is to the left. Here’s another view from the front: The kitchen and dining sort of run into each other. The one thing that was on my list that this house doesn’t have is a separate dining room, but I do love the flow and ease that this layout creates. In this picture below, I’m standing at the edge of the kitchen and looking into the living room. I love the vault! Beams are going in this week and that’s really going to make this room AMAZING to me. I’ve always loved vaults (you can read about my vaulted ceiling plans and post here). But seeing them finished really is crazy. This house is only 300 square feet bigger than our current home, but it feels twice the size. People come into this area and are like, “Wow, it’s so big!” It really is just the ceilings, I promise! They’re making this 1750 square foot house feel much more spacious. Straight on view of the living room from the kitchen. I apologize for the scaffolding….it’s still a construction zone for sure. This is a shot of the pantry and how it ties into the ceiling. The design side of me really hates we have this jut-out. It doesn’t ruin the ceiling lines, but it does interrupt them. But the functional-mama-cook in me is having a fit over this walk-in pantry! It’s much-needed storage space for this kitchen. I know these photos make it look like the living room is narrow with this jut out, but the room is 14′ deep to the pantry addition, and the majority of the living room is actually behind it where it’s 18′ deep. The living room is 17′ from kitchen to fireplace and 12 of those feet are behind the pantry addition and are 18′ deep. I know once furniture and built-ins are in place, it won’t bother me as much….and once I see how much functional food storage I now have! Everything’s a trade off. Here’s a better view of the fireplace wall. The fireplace is getting some pretty trim and treatments, but it’s fun to see the shape carved out. It will really be a focal point in this area. And I’m in love with the two narrow windows flanking either side. I’m already picturing our Christmas tree in the corner by the fireplace. What a pretty view we’ll have! If you remember from all of our plans, this is not a functional fireplace with a chimney. While that would’ve been awesome, it was way, way above the budget. We’re using ventless gas logs, which only need a firebox! I love a real wood-burning fire, but I’ve got to admit, the idea of cozying up on the couch this fall and turning on a blazing fire with the touch of a button sure does sound nice. Let’s check out the kitchen side of this main room. I wanted you to see how this addition and vault connects back to the existing house. When we’re finished, I’ve got to re-visit the original photos and layout to remind us all where this thing started. I’ve already forgotten! This dining area and main passage through the house was a back bedroom. Here’s a better view of the main kitchen wall. And of course that doorway leads to my new office and Rosie’s playroom!!! I’m so excited about this room. I’m still deciding exactly how we’re going to divide and use the space. It isn’t that big, but I know we can make it work and having this designated space to work is my dream. It has so much natural light! And the wall of double closets…oh the storage possibilities! This big huge window looks out at the backyard and one day, it’ll have a pretty view of our outdoor living area. The last stop on today’s tour is the master bedroom. Just like the main living area, I am so thankful for these vaulted ceilings. This master bedroom isn’t huge at all…it’s 12 x 14 and sadly that was the biggest it could be with our other renovation goals. But the ceiling does help a ton. We’ll center the bed on this back wall and the windows will run down the side. I usually follow the rule that the bed needs to be opposite the door wall, but based on property lines, this side addition couldn’t be more than 12 feet wide. Putting the bed on this wall works much better with the space. You’ll notice I didn’t include the master bath on today’s tour. We’ve realized that in meeting this move-in deadline, some things had to be prioritized and some had to be pushed. Even though we aren’t doing all of the work, there’s just no way it can all be finished. What made the most sense was to push the master bath to be finished later. The living, kitchen, office, and master bedroom are easier to do at once. When the sheetrock guy comes out, he does it all. The bathroom obviously has a lot more moving parts and there was just no way we could make it. It won’t be pushed out for a year or anything…I’m DYING to have this bath to spend time in. But it’ll be a project for after we move in. Let’s take a look at the checklist before move-in day: PAINT: The easy part is that all of the addition is going to be painted white. I may add in some color here or there as I design individual rooms, but I’m not there yet. So, painters are coming Monday to spray everything white! In the past, we’ve pretty much done our own painting, but this is something we are more than happy to sub-out now. It would take us forever to paint all of this space and they’ll have it done in less than a week! FLOORS: The floors will be sanded and stained after paint is done, so before move-in day! KITCHEN: The cabinets will be finished and installed in two weeks (after Labor Day and right before the weekend we move in!). After they’re installed, we’ll get countertops and appliances. So, we may not have a functional kitchen for a very short period of time, but after living without one in our current home for five months, I think we can handle it! A couple days of eating out never hurt anybody. EXTERIOR: Our exterior siding is starting this week! I haven’t shared any exterior plans yet. There’s been too much else to focus on, I guess! But I’ll be sharing all of that later this week: the plans and the progress. The siding will be on and painted by the time we move in! FENCE: We HAVE to have a fence before move-in day. With a Great Dane and a baby, it’s a must. I can’t walk Gracie out on a leash with Rosie left in the house or on my hip. The fence posts have already been placed and it’ll be finished this week. SOD: I didn’t even think about grass before moving in, but since we graded the entire lot and made it more flat, the entire lot (front yard and back) is red mud. It’s currently tracked throughout the house and we want it gone before move-in day to protect our newly finished and clean house! We really hate spending the money on it up front, but it’s a must. You’ll see pretty much everything on that list are functional items. There’ll still be plenty to do once we move in, but it’ll be the fun stuff! For example, actually having a finished kitchen to reveal won’t happen right away, but it’s high on our list. W’ell be adding built-ins, pantry shelves, mudroom hooks, etc. after moving in as well. We’re so excited to move in and enjoy it and then finish things along. My plan is to pretty much take it room by room and try to “finish” a room or so a month. That may be ambitious, but I do already have a lot planned and rounded up. The first room you’ll see revealed will be the living room! I have a lot of it figured out already and some things already ordered and on the way. The kitchen and dining will follow soon after. My goal is to focus on these main spaces where we’ll spend all of our time and entertain guests first. I want them done, beautiful, and ready to enjoy this fall and Christmas! Ahh, I am about to burst with excitement thinking of all that is to come! A new house to finish rooms right in time for my favorite time of year! I know I say this around this time every year, but I seriously could live August through New Year’s over and over. But I know it wouldn’t be as special. There is so much excitement happening around these blog parts in the next few months, y’all, and I’m humbled and thrilled you’re here to see it! Alright, now I’ve really got to go make a dent in this packing fiasco. Talk soon, friends! *** If you’re new here, there are a lot of exciting things happening! You can check out our full home tour here. To follow our renovation journey every step of the way, make sure you subscribe to posts! They come straight to your inbox when posted. And you can catch up on any renovation updates you missed by clicking below. While we love our little cottage, this family is moving on! We’re renovating a sweet little bungalow just down the street called The Buffalo Bungalow.
amber says August 25, 2015 at 11:57 am Of all the blogs I follow, yours has become, by far, my favorite. Loving this renovation journey. Thanks for taking us along! It’s really fun to see the step by step details, and not just the finished product. Reply
Lindsay says August 25, 2015 at 3:36 pm Amber, you sure know how to make a gal’s day! I’m so glad that you’re loving following the process! I’ve loved sharing it! It’s going to be fun to go back and see the before, during, and after for all of these finished rooms 🙂 Reply
Laura says August 25, 2015 at 2:28 pm So exciting, and unbelievable how quickly you have made all those changes! What color white did you choose for the walls? Do they spray the trim and walls at the same time with the same sheen? What kind of wood is the floor? Can’t wait to see the finished version!!! Reply
Lindsay says August 25, 2015 at 3:35 pm Hi Laura! All great questions and I’ll address those at some point in a post, but in the meantime, here’s answers 🙂 We’re using Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace as our white of choice. They’re spraying the walls and then painting the trim with a different trim paint that’s more durable, so it will be a different finish. And the floors are oak. I’m still deciding on the color stain, though! I’ve got to get busy…decision needed next week! Reply
Shannon @ Fabulously Vintage says August 25, 2015 at 5:15 pm Everything looks great! I can’t wait to see it all painted! 🙂 So excited for you guys. Reply
Elisha says August 25, 2015 at 7:34 pm I have been enjoying your blog for while now. It’s so fun to watch your renovation take place. Makes me long to move back to the states and finally work on our house. Can’t wait to see how the house changes into a home as you move in. I too, would live August to New Years over and over again. Best time of the year! Reply
martha bryan says August 26, 2015 at 8:56 am ……and the best part was– we felt like we were in your brain thinking this thing through-with all the possibilities in front of us, it was amazing! thanks for taking us on this adventure. Martha Bryan Reply
Sherri says August 26, 2015 at 9:38 am So exciting to see how far you’ve come. I like the little port hole window. Charm galore. I like the natural color of the floors as they are now. Just to be in to your sanctuary of a home is going to be blissful. Enjoy doing one thing at a time. Once you are in and live in the space for a while, it might take on a different feel. So just RELAX in its simplicity. And be sure to pray blessing over each and every room. Make God a part of this move-in journey, and He will bless you abundantly. Amen. Reply
shar y says August 26, 2015 at 9:50 am Oh, it is truly beautiful already. I would love to be doing something like this. I can’t wait to watch as you move in and decorate, etc. And, personally, I support your gas logs. As much as I love a roaring natural fire, I do not like the smell a wood burning fire leaves in the house. So, you have the best of both worlds!! Reply
Tania // Run to Radiance says August 26, 2015 at 12:51 pm Girl. It’s looking so good! I love the vaulted ceilings. I can’t wait to see how you put your fabulous stamp on everything!!! Reply
Megan says August 28, 2015 at 6:22 pm I just found you today! ! I’m going to stalk all your old posts! Looks amazing! We are in the middle of a big house renovation too! It’s so much work! I’m sure you can relate! Reply
Lindsay says September 3, 2015 at 3:12 pm Megan, I am so glad that you’re here! Enjoy going back through all of those old posts and they’ll be a lot to come! And yes, it is so much work and makes for a crazy crazy life for a season! We’re so ready to come out on the other side 🙂 Reply
Corinna - A Designer At Home says September 1, 2015 at 9:39 pm My bedroom is smaller than yours but still small. So I’m pretty darn excited to see how you work it so I can get some ideas! Lovely progress & SUCH a beautiful home you’ve created! Reply
Deb says September 2, 2015 at 5:21 pm Look at all those blank slates! I can’t wait to see what you do with them. 🙂 Reply
Elizabeth says October 1, 2015 at 1:44 pm OMG I can’t wait to see the finished product!! I have visions on how I’d decorate that amazing living room so I can’t WAIT to see what you do with it 🙂 Wishing you a smooth move and happy unpacking! Liz http://www.4evermysweetpea.com Reply