New porch steps and pergola

The porch is back up.  Last week new concrete pads were laid for the front steps and pergola area.

The siding has been powerwashed to get the old (lead) paint off.

And in just a few hours, the new front steps were done too.

Still no air conditioning yet, but it won't be long now.

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

Almost air conditioning

The most dramatic development over the last couple weeks is the addition of the HVAC system, made possible in part by the new attic stairs.

 Check it out!!! So it's not operable yet. But the duct work to each room seems done. 

And the wiring to the breaker box seems virtually complete too.

It should be just a little longer until it's operational.  I'm pretty stoked about the operable windows, but having AC will be such a game-changer!

The last few weeks also saw more details on the new kitchen cabinets.

The new cabinets and the old cabinets are going to be so closely matched, it's going to be hard to tell them apart.

Also, the porch is going back on, which is great now that the weather is so hot again.  The porch is almost always comfortable, even in June and July.

More yardwork is in store tomorrow.  I'm going to have fun with a jackhammer.

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

New kitchen cabinets and other messes

The house is an absolute mess right now.  As you might expect, sawdust and dirt are everywhere.  Almost every room has tools, equipment, or wires.  But that's the sign of good progress.  In fact, the new bank of cabinets is shaping up. 

To the left of the new cabinets is the original ironing board cubby, which we're keeping.

The door has been sanded down.

The original cabinets are being sanded too.  The kitchen windows now open, and a new pane replaced a broken one on the right window.

 All of the windows open so well now, most of them with just one finger.

To save money, we did not restore the top panes to functionality, so we have a few weights leftover.

 In the pool room, the built-in bench has been wired for plugs.

And the piano is in the process of its reincarnation.

I've never seen the guts of a piano before.  It's pretty cool, actually. If anyone has any ideas for what we could do with this, please share.

 The ceiling in the hallway has been trimmed out and the door frames are being sanded.

The subfloor for the bathroom is complete and some of the rotten spots on the walls have been replaced with plywood.

  After I took a few pictures, Larry "supervised" while I pulled up some weeds.

The porch isn't back on yet.  But at least all the old, broken-up concrete that surrounded the porch is gone.  With the concrete up, I was able to dig up some aggressive weeds that kept making their way through the cracks.

We are still dealing with water under the porch, but with all this rain, it's not as bad as I expected.

And we were lucky enough to score a major Craigslist find today.  We spent last night in Austin and decided to check the site for the Austin area while we were in town.  Someone posted 4 authentic Louis Ghost Chairs just 5 hours before we checked and (since we were up before six--ugh) we were the first to respond.  Since they're clear acrylic, they take up no visual space and stack up for easy storage.  But if someone wanted to use Stephen as a dining table instead of a work table, you could easily pull up the chairs.  They're the perfect height for Stephen (who is a little dusty right now--apologies).

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

Things are looking up part 2

The ceiling treatment is done!  Over the last week or so the guys finished the kitchen.  And it looks like the electrician finished the rough-in for the ceiling lights in the kitchen too.

The sleeping porch ceiling is complete as well.

On the outside of the house, the broken concrete that was directing water under the house was removed and the driveway was leveled off.

Here's a brief clip of the patio being removed, courtesy of our contractor Terry:

The wood for the front porch was primed.  

The boards are now ready for installation.  

And the electrician started digging to run the wire from the pole to the house underground.

I know the windows and trim are mostly finished too, but I don't have any pictures right now.  We are probably heading out there on Sunday and will have more photos.  Dad says that the windows work so well, you can lift them with one finger. In addition to all of this activity, Mom and Dad were finally able to mow.  With so much rain, it's been difficult to find a day dry enough to get out there.

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy

Things are looking up.

Lots of progress over the last few weeks, despite the insane weather.  On Wendesday, Mom and Dad took several pictures. First, the kitchen has been de-constructed further. But you can see the plumbing and electrical have both been run to this wall.

These are the cypress slabs that were hiding underneath the laminate countertops.  There was one thick slab on each side of the kitchen sink.  Our contractor is going to make the breakfast nook table out of it.  These are the most enormous solid pieces of wood I have ever seen.

 

The drawers were pulled out for sanding and stacked next to our newly-exposed brick chimney.

On the other side of the kitchen, where a new bank of cabinets will go, along with the range and microwave, the guys harvested shiplap that will be used to replace damaged boards in other, more visible parts of the house.

On either side of the sink are not cabinets, but bins that tilt forward, which were probably used for storing potatoes and onions.

Today, when Larry and I got there, we immediately noticed the ceiling treatment was going in. Actually, that was not the first thing we noticed.  The first thing we noticed was the Tejano music blaring from the dining room.  So the ceiling was the second thing we noticed. This place looks better than it sounds!  (Sorry, Tejano fans...I just can't get into it).

By the time we got there, the guys had completely finished the kitchen and living room, and were mid-way through the dining room.  The electrician had also started doing the rough in for the lights in the ceiling.

The guys were working on the second bedroom while we were there.

The rough-in for all the plumbing is finished.  In the bathroom, you can see the pex tubing for the faucet and toilet.

The electrical is still in progress, but, could it be that we used the ENTIRE spool of wire???

And the cabinet doors have been removed for refinishing, which I somehow didn't notice when I was there.

Vintage refrigerator goes here....

Finally, in a stroke of luck, months ago, I fell in love with this fabric at High Fashion Home.  I wanted to use it as window treatments, but it was pretty expensive, so I never pulled the trigger. Yesterday, however, we popped by and it was half off, and marked "no longer available" so I snagged the last of the bolt.

It's a linen covered in sparkly foil with velvet ribbon.  So luxurious! If my math is right (ok, let's be honest, it's not my math but Larry's), we'll have just enough for all of the windows in the living room.

That's all from Wisteria Bend for now.

~Christy