Construction Update: We Have A Window!

Update!  We have more paint and a window in the kitchen!  The contractor installed the window and they have the first paint coating on.  One more coat to go and then the other construction goes ahead!

The blue stuff is a sturdy foam insulation. I was told by the contractor that the original house was covered in this insulation before the vinyl siding was added.  It will be great when I change the vinyl siding for cement composite Hardie siding later on.

This is a view from inside the living room toward the outside wall.  The window will be above the kitchen sink.

I am removing the space heater since the house has central heat and air.  The bathroom door will move to where the utility room door is now.  I am combining them into one larger space.

Roof Update

I realized I didn't post the new roof pic so here it is!  It was courtesy of the former owner and done before closing. I was able to pick the color and got a very light grey.  The deck will be painted a light grey too.

The house in the background is the home of Connie and Russ, the wonderful 90 & 94 year old couple next door. It is currently listed at $349K.

Demolition!!

So. We started the demo this week to tear out the old kitchen and prep the house for painting! The contractor is a great guy and I frankly can't believe it is as affordable as it is. Ah yes, it's NOT DFW!  East TX prices are SO nice.

Yay!  I was surprised to see that the original paneling was DARK. Everything has been painted a few times since new, but the original was WAY DARK.

Here are a few snaps of the demo and prep!

Appliances are being donated to a local group.  Replacing them with all new white appliances. Imagine a window over the sink!

Looking from kitchen toward front bedroom and front door.

I think this will look great in a nice white - very bright.  This view from kitchen to the back door/deck area.

Kitchen Cabinets for the Remodel

In the preceding post you saw the kitchen. Original and untouched except for painting since 1975.  It was small, dark and woefully outdated.  I am changing all that. I am removing the "galley" and turning it into an L-shaped kitchen with a peninsula between the windows.  

I picked Arcadia (the Lowes in-house brand) Shaker style cabinets from Lowes in stark white - decent construction and at a cost I could afford right now out of pocket. All the cabinets came in just under $2000.

The kitchen designer at Lowes was awesome too. Kim had great understanding of size and spacing.  She even talked me into doing a 33" refrigerator instead of the 36" because it will allow better access with minimal loss of space. after all, for a single person 22 cubic feet should do it, right?

Here's the layout in a wire frame sort of representation.  The countertops aren't represented of course and use your imagination - there will be a 36" x 36" window over the sink for light!

BEFORE Photos

Every project starts somewhere.  These are the photos I took during the buying process.  A little rough in spots. A little vision down the road will bring this to a great, small home for me one day!

Day one project: line up painter. EVERYTHING gets painted white. Walls, Trim, Doors. Everything.

Laminate stays until I remodel kitchen to move in and will be replaced by hardwoods.

 Living/Dining area is about 17' x 24'

 From kitchen looking to backyard

 Vaulted ceiling

 Doors on the left are bath and utility

Master Bedoom 

 Kitchen, Bath, Utility

 Yep - this is going... a 24" white vanity and matching cabinet on order already.  Tile floors.

 And this too...

Thinking that the utility and bath will become one room later and reconfigured with a stacking W&D

 Sliders will become french doors

 Decks get power washed and stained with light gray semi-transparent stain.

 Gate and railings get white stain.

 Imagine grey and white.

 Large trees in backyard cut the sun in the afternoon

 Utility building and entrance from carport.

 Front deck - under eaves get painted WHITE.

 New shingles in the lightest grey available.  Thinking silver metal roof later.

Front deck from the driveway. Thinking a roof over the entry will be a "One Day Soon" project.

 Carport can be an easy conversion to a garage.

The Original Kitchen

Spartan and functional, the kitchen will be remodeled before I move in. It has been functional since it was built in 1975, right down to the 27" Coppertone Oven.  A little nostalgia.

The faux finished cabinets are done to resemble burl.  

They are fine for now, for the time it will be a rental, 

but they will be replaced by white shaker cabinets 

in a different configuration when I retire.