Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Before & After: The Journey from Ugly Duckling to Swan - First Floor

It's been a long journey, but we're finally ready to share all the Before & After photos.

This is the first day we bought the house.  The previous owner had gutted it, so there were lots of possibilities.  And a few unknown problems, that we'd yet to discover!

10 months later, it's changed a lot!  We've gone from concept to reality and transformed the Ugly Duckling into a Swan.

The interior was pretty rough.  The original staircase was intact, but was so woefully out of building code compliance, we had to rebuild it.
Richard, examining the staircase
Now - well let's just say it's changed a bit!
Many hours went into cleaning up and installing this antique mantle.  Now the gas fireplace and built-ins make the living room the perfect place to curl up with a book on a cold Maine night.

Photo by Jamie Salomon
House jacking in progress.....
Surprises?  Oh yeah, we had some of those.  Like when we discovered the back of the house didn't have any footings under the foundation.  We had to jack up the house to dig and pour footings, so we could get started.

This was a view from front to back on day 1.  Note the joists running across the ceiling (why were the bottoms painted white?  No clue!) - we kept those in the final design.  But we removed the old flue and added new engineered beams to carry the loads of the second floor.
First floor 'Before'

First floor - 'After' 
We changed the original, tiny kitchen into a space that's truly the heart of the home.  It has a custom curved island and walnut top.  And a layout that works for serious cooks!


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Photo by Jamie Salomon 
Photo by Jamie Salomon
Photo by Jamie Salomon
But to really make this house work for the 21st century, it needed more space.  That was accomplished with a dining room addition across the back.

And the garage and mudroom addition - which includes a much needed powder room.  
Photo by Jamie Salomon
And throughout the house, we paid attention to lots and lots of details.  Like adding the glass top in the powder room above.  And these reproduction doorknobs.  The result?  Well, we're pretty pleased with the outcome!  And of course we did a lot more. Click here to see the 2nd floor.


Want to see our latest project?  Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for updates!  















Sources:  
Paint colors - Walls, Sherwin Williams Snowbound, Island and mudroom Sherwin Williams Tidewater, Front door Sherwin Williams Cloudburst
Stove - Thermador
Microwave - Sharp
Kitchen  & Mantle Backsplash - Oceanside Glass 
Doorknobs - Nostalgic Warehouse
Starfish Doorknocker - Michael Healy
Kitchen Island Pendant - Restoration Hardware Classic Pendant
Dining Table - Crate & Barrel
Living Room Rug & Dining Chairs - Pottery Barn  



25 comments:

  1. I liked your post very much. I enjoyed with your post. Thank you very much for sharing your happy moment here and I also went through that situation through your post. I had same feeling like you.

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  2. Hi! New to your site and I was curious - if these are your projects and not your primary residence, what do you do with all of the furniture that you stage the house with? Do you sell it included with the home?

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    1. I have two storage facilities, with lots of furniture I mix and match. But it's not unusual for folks to want to buy a few pieces.

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  3. Love it! Can I ask where the powder room mirror came from?

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  4. awesome!!!! the dining room table and fish centerpiece!!! where did you get them?

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    1. If you click on the Sources link, it will take you right to the Crate & Barrell dining table. It has a zinc top - I love it! And the fish are from a gallery in Boothbay Harbor Maine, called Gleason Fine Art.

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  5. What a beautiful house and renovation! I was wondering where you got the dining room curtains. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks Ashley. I made all the window treatments. That's a fabric I found from Ballard Designs. I loved the watery blue!

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  6. you are incredible; only some people are lucky enough to have that ability to see potential!

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    1. Oh, thanks so much for the kind words. This was a daunting project - but I love how it came out!!

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  7. What a gorgeous transformation. It looks fantastic. Do you have a floorplan?
    This would be really interesting.
    Thank :)

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    1. Thanks so much! And the answer is yes. If you look on the left side of the posting, you'll see a lot of posts and dates. Simply click to back up from the completion date and you can see all the details! Floor plans, design choices and more!!

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  8. I'm so happy that I stumbled upon your site! You are extremely talented! This is the first transformation that I've looked at and I'm excited to see everything else you've done!
    Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful taste, as well as links of your paint choices and furnishings!
    It's amazing what you do!

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  9. It’s lovely! I see the walls are Snowbound. What color did you use for trim and cabinets? Thanks in advance!

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    1. Hi Kyle - the trim is Sherwin Williams Extra White. The white cabinets are from Thomasville in a color called Cotton. The island was custom painted in Sherwin Williams Tidewater. Hope that helps!!

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  10. I found your blog through a link and have fallen down the rabbit hole of all your beautiful renovations. Your eye for detail is amazing; can't wait to see what you are up to next.

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    1. Oh thanks so much for the kind words!!! I’ve always got a project going - so glad you want to follow along!!! I love renovating these old houses.

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  11. I would love to know the colors of the outside of the house as well as outer trim.

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  12. I would love to know the color on the outside of the house, as well as the trim.

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  13. Hi Anne - the siding is a Hardie Board color called Cobblestone - maybe you could find a paint swatch to match at your local lumber yard? And the trim is Sherwin Williams Extra White.

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  14. What is the brand of white shaker style kitchen cabinets in your homes?

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    1. I always use Thomasville cabinetry. They are great quality for a reasonable price.

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  15. Hello,
    Lovely house! where or how did you make the curtains in the boy room?

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  16. Funding is always a challenge. Thankfully we have a long time line of credit with our bank that we can utilize.
    As far as formal training, I haven’t had any. Just lots of practice 😂😂

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