Backsplash Love..

I got an update from friend Nancy today who stopped by the house and sent me a couple photos of the newly installed window/backsplash. I decided to go full on and tile the entire area instead of going to the bottom of the window. I think it came out well!

The amazing part of this is that you can get such a great look for very little money. These tiles cost less than a QUARTER each!

What A Difference A Day Makes - Countertops!

After a delay due to material availability, I got a call early this morning that the countertops had been fabricated and were ready to install.... TODAY!  Amazing.  

Preparing the cabinet surfaces to take the thick quartz countertops.

This material is from Lowes as the house brand, "allen & roth" in the Vashon colorway.  It is 3cm thick so about 1.25" thick = HEAVY

The light hanging over the counter was purchased from Amazon. It is from Kenroy Home and is a shaker style wire frame with woven wood.  

I thought it looked pretty cool as a foil to the stark white and picks up the wood tones of the floors.  All that for just under $100... killer.

The peninsula is a full 30" wide with a 6" overhang on the end and back side; just made for a couple of bar stools.

Countertop material closeup.  Looks great with eased sides and slightly rounded corners.

I bought an under mount sink from Schoen and a Schoen pull down faucet (not yet installed).  The 30" single basin stainless sink is coated on the bottom outside with thick rubber for sound deadening - cool!

Some additional pics - front yard was cleaned of leaves and all trees were trimmed and had the canopy raised - something that had not been done in years.

Hideaway requires house numbers in the yard. I had this made for me form a vendor on Etsy.com.  The brushed aluminum center plate is overlaid with a rusty steel laser cut with the house number on it.

A good contractor does things without being asked and doesn't nickel and dime you to death - to wit, the entire house was pressure washed when they prepared the deck for the stain because as the contractor said, "Why wouldn't you do that?"  Indeed.  Gutters with leaf guards coming soon.

Front yard.  Can't wait until the bulbs sprout in the Spring in the flower bed.

Trees were trimmed and probably three years worth of leaves carted away. Amazing.

Saturday - February 18th Update and New Photos

I went to the house today to meet with the contractor and get a timeline working for the end of the project.  As usual, very happy with the progress.  I'll just share these pics and comment if warranted.   Happy Saturday!

There will be a beadboard panel added to the right hand side of the kitchen on the pantry cabinet facing the living area for some continuity to the look.

Mounted the tankless on the wall which will be under the countertop in the laundry area. The stacking washer/dryer will go on the right.

Yeah, OK I am a little obsessed with the big deck on the back of the house.

Friday Update! New Deck Paint and More

Courtesy of friend Nancy I got photos of the work accomplished this week from the house in Hideaway. Wow. Great progress and validation that I am going in the right direction.

The Deck Makeover

I picked Cape Cod Grey "DeckOver" by Behr. It is the opaque non-textured type and it should look and wear great for several years.

The back deck is pretty large and wraps from the front around the house to the rear where it gets very wide and runs the length of the house.

Looking from the backyard behind the carport to the other side of the house.

Looking from the backdoor across the deck to the large backyard.

Interior Update

Some drywall getting finished. More paint and a cap on the upper apex of the interior roof beam. Looks great so far.

This photo was taken in daylight without a flash! I know I picked the right white now. The beam cap looks great and puts a finish on the whole thing.

The microwave exhaust was vented to the outside.  That's one of my pet peeves - those over the range microwaves that vent back in the room.  Didn't want my tenant to have that and I know I didn't want it when I move in later.

The utility room portion of the bath is now drywalled, painted and has the plumbing ready for the wall mounted on demand tankless water heater. The stacking washer and dryer combo will fit next to it. Sweet!

The bath tile looks awesome. The new vanity going in and when the light gets mounted the new mirror will look fantastic.