Renovations over the last few years

Since the last post we've accomplished a lot! I'm ashamed I haven't kept up with the blog better. To the best of my recollection, the first thing we did since the gas fireplace additions was to begin remodeling the upstairs bathroom and main level powder room. These were begun in July of 2012 and several other projects began and ended before we wrapped them up. The following is a sort of timeline of events...

Zack was a big help!
Here's a shot of the space after the bathroom had been completely demolished.

Just a picture of Lynn and Zack from around this time period that I love!

Chalkboard paint in the kids' play room.

Removing the carpet in the main hallway

Even though we hated to replace the old shutters, we felt that the home needed it. It also helped relieve a major bat situation! The new shutters are built out of composite material so they won't rot and are resistant to insects. I had them built in a panel style instead of louvers so they didn't act as bat houses. All of the faux and window shutters were replaced with these in January 2014. The works was done by Rex Bell.

In the upstairs bath, a new 2x6 wall was added to continue plumbing to the the third level within the cavity. This picture shows the new tile shower walls and the exposed brick wall (always a messy job but we love the results. This was a slow project. I bit the bullet and hired a pro, Chris Mull Homes to complete the job. April 2014

 This is the vanity wall. It's tough to photograph the small/tall room. We had the door built to mimic the original tall doors with transoms. We were able to us an old door which helped tie it in very well. We went with slate floors.

Loading up all the old shutters (June 2014)

Also in June of 2014, I got a wild hair to convert the spring house into something we'd get more use/enjoyment out of. I gutted it, demolished the back side wall, removed the doors and windows, put a new deck inside and converted it into a sort of outdoor living space. Can't believe I didn't think to do it sooner. We love having this area to sit, watch the creek and kids play in the back yard. It's an excellent space and wonderful addition to the property!

In July of 2014 we had the box gutters in the back part of the home framed over and replaced with standard hang-on gutters. I hated to do this but after battling a lot of water damage and continued leaking, I felt we had little choice. The box gutters still remain and work beautifully on the main section of the home. At the same time we had the soffits rebuilt with composite material and all of the decorative cornice work cleaned and repainted. All of the other painted sections of the exterior were also painted. This work was done by Rex Bell.

 Ella and I built a model for a school project of hers.February 2016

Treehouse modifications. 2016

Full moon