Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Outdoor Living Space - A New Deck!

COVID has made all of us value outdoor living space more than we did in the past.  I know the deck at our house felt like a lifeline to spend time with family and friends when it didn't feel safe to be indoors.  And now that we've all spent more time outdoors, we just seem to want more and more of it! 

So while this house had an okay little deck - the wood was really tired and it could be bigger to provide an extension of the living space.  And since we need to add stairs to the new back door, it suddenly made sense to just extend it to provide a nice big deck.

Deck - Before

A huge plus is that it's right off of the French doors from the dining room, so it's easy access - whether you're grilling something for dinner, having an al fresco meal or just want to hang out. (you do have a view of the ugly garage, but spoiler alert, that should be changing soon 😀)

So here's a sneak peek of the progress.  See how big it is, by extending all the way to the end of the house?  Such a nice feature for the new homeowners!

It will be trimmed out in PVC, so no maintenance!!  And the lattice should help keep any critters from making a home under the deck. 



Railing and stairs will wait a few more weeks - so they won't get damaged


We started using this composite decking at our last project.  It's made right in Biddeford, Maine so it has a low carbon footprint.  And it's super durable.  I've heard from folks in the neighborhood that used it - and they said it really held up well!

The guys did a great job of saving the daylilies that line the front of the deck.  I love that spot of orange color, even if it's only for a few weeks. 

The final stairs and handrail won't go in for awhile - they would just get messed up from all the contractor's equipment.  We want them to look nice and pretty for the new owners.   But it's already looking pretty good!

 



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Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Vintage Style - Lighting Plan

One of the goals of this project was to honor the vintage charm of this house.  Bungalows are such a wonderful part of the American architectural story, it would be a shame to turn it into something sleek and modern looking.  It needs to retain its original style.  

But we didn't have any original lighting in the house.  Much of it looked like 50's or 60's style - with pull chains, since there weren't many wall switches.  So I started looking around for something that would be appropriate to the age of the house.

For the existing bedrooms, I came across these fantastic glass shades on Etsy.  Don't you love the sunflower style?  They're super heavy with both frosted and shiny glass elements.  I don't know how old they are, but they have that vintage charm I was looking for.

They came from different sellers - one with mounting hardware, the other sold just the shade.  But I knew Brian at the Lamp Repair Shop in South Portland could help me.  He crafted another hanger, so both lights will look the same.  

For the little hallway to the bedrooms, there was a sconce with an electrical outlet built in - which is a no-no for modern building codes.  So I did some searching and came across this vintage style light.  Isn't it pretty?

These pendants will be great over the farmhouse sink.


And the piece de resistance?  The dining room chandelier.  I found this at Home Remedies and knew it would be perfect.  It's part of the William Morris collection and features his design cut into the metal shade.  It will also cast such a pretty pattern on the walls!


While I love all these vintage style lights, I also want good lighting for everyday living.  So in most of the house we've included recessed lighting that will be on dimmers to provide whatever light levels the new owners want.

Lighting is one of the very last elements to get installed as we finish the house, so it will be awhile before they all get hung.  But it's fun to start pulling them out of the boxes to visualize them in the space! #easilyentertained


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Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Creating a Bathroom in a Bungalow Dormer

We're making lots of updates to this Basic Bungalow, but the biggest is creating a primary suite in what was originally an unfinished attic.  That involved adding 2 large dormers, to provide more living space, light and ventilation.  The larger dormer will be the new bedroom space.  And the smaller dormer will create a bathroom.  

I really want to make this bath special.  It's got great 'bones'.  The big engineered beam that holds up the gabled ceiling will be clad in reclaimed lumber.  And that angled ceiling gives the room so much character!  There are two awning windows that can remain open to provide air circulation, even on a rainy day (and we've had quite a few of them lately).  
This is entirely new space - created by adding a dormer in the hip roof.

But beyond the bones of the room, it will have lovely finishes.  The inspiration for the room is William Morris (one of my all time favorite designers, he's often called the Father of Arts & Crafts design).  I'm using his thistle pattern fabric for window treatments.  

You can't go wrong with William Morris designs

And that deep blue will be highlighted on the back of the shower with these glass tiles.  They'll provide a pop of color to the room.  The shower will have a custom glass door surrounding it.  And the print from the Victoria & Albert exhibit will go on the wall.

The floor?  Well I am absolutely crazy about this marble floor, with its 3 shades of marble hexagons.  It's a real show stopper!
The floor has started to get installed - swoon swoon!!!


Once the floor is complete, we'll install this vanity.   The natural wood will compliment the reclaimed wood beam on the ceiling with its natural finish.  And don't you love that sink?
Photo:  Wayfair

We've started all the finishing touches in the bathroom.  Hopefully I'll have some more progress shots to share soon.  Stay tuned!

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