Construction – Week 16

Week 16 brought some exciting exterior changes! It’s starting to feel like we’re inching closer and closer to the finish line. Obviously, I would like things to happen much faster than they are. Our appliances were originally supposed to be delivered this week but we had to call and reschedule for September because we’re not anywhere close to being ready for those. But each week the house looks more and more like the final product we envision, so that’s encouraging.


Home Remodel – Exterior Before and Progress Our new garage door was installed this week! What a difference! The glass is translucent so it lets a lot of light through but you can’t see inside of the garage. Let’s just hope that I don’t back the car into it! The cranky old man who lives next door has already informed me that he has some “concerns” with the style of our garage and front door. He is going to be a real treasure, I can already tell.


Home Remodel – Siding Before and Progress The Hardie siding finally started to go up on Friday. We’re really happy with the color we chose (Timber Bark). Depending on the light, it looks gray, brown or green. The stucco guys are supposed to begin on Monday. Fingers crossed, by the end of next week the exterior of the house will be totally transformed.


Home Remodel – Bathroom Sconce Templates I’ve spent countless hours researching and ordering lighting fixtures. This week I created paper templates of the fixtures and hung them up in each room to get a better idea of the scale and placement. These are the templates for the four long, vertical sconces in the master bathroom. I’ll have to do an entire post on light fixtures soon.


Home Remodel – Bathroom Recessed LightingThe electrical crew has been at the house for six days already and we have at least three more days to go. We’re upgrading most of the wiring throughout the old part of the house to meet code and adding some additional lighting and outlets where they were lacking before. Let’s just say I’ve learned more than I ever wanted to know about electricity through this process. At the end of the day, I couldn’t care less about volts or wattage or circuits. Just let there be light already! God had the whole light thing created by day four, so our little ol’ house shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Right?

Construction – Week 15

Anyone still reading? If you’re beginning to feel like this is the remodeling project that never ends, then welcome to our world!


Home Remodel – Front Door Progress

Good news: Our custom front door finally got installed this week and I’m in love with it! We designed it to complement the new garage door, which is coming soon.


Home Remodel – Front Door Progress

Here’s the view of the front door from the interior. The frosted glass lets lot of natural light inside while maintaining privacy.


Home Remodel – Back Door Progress

The mudroom door isn’t anything super special, but definitely an improvement. We will add a doggie door so the hounds can let themselves in and out of the mudroom to go out into their dog run. Can I get an amen for that?! After more than a year and a half of living in a second story condo, I am so looking forward to not taking the dogs outside 3+ times every day!!!


Home Remodel – Trim Progress

The fascia and soffits are going up. This seemingly simple step is taking a sweet forever! I think we’re on week three of fascia/soffit construction.


Home Remodel – Office Progress

The electrician came at the end of the week and started placing the little blue boxes where our new outlets will go. Jason and I spent hours and hours prior mapping out the electrical plan for our house, including every light switch and outlet. Talk about an exciting way to spend a weekend!


Home Remodel – ViewWe were over at the house checking progress late in the evening and caught this sunset from the master bedroom. I have a feeling we’ll be enjoying lots of spectacular sunsets in our house…..assuming that someday it’s actually finished and we can finally move in!

Construction – Week 14

The house remodel is still keeping us on our toes. I swear, it could be a full time job and we’re not even the ones doing the manual labor! We try to pop by to check on progress once a day, then there are numerous phone calls to answer, decisions to be made, subcontractors to keep up with, bills to be paid, schedules to coordinate, and shopping to be done. I could use a few more hours in the day to check off some of these tasks. Or a personal assistant.


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Just like magic, the old front door disappeared and became the new dining room window. Our beautiful new front door is still waiting in the garage to be installed. And I’m hoping the new garage door will arrive next week.


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All of the new windows except two have been installed. It’s starting to feel like a real house now that we have windows! A rain shower rolled through when I was at the house snapping photos and, for the first time since construction began, the rain wasn’t coming inside. So that’s progress!


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Interior view of the new windows. The majority of the windows in our house are operable, so we’ll be able to get a nice breeze blowing through. Our house, like most of the homes here in the mountains, doesn’t have air conditioning. There are only a couple of weeks during the summer that we really miss it. Everyone around here just sleeps with their windows open. That was a weird thing for this Texas girl to get used to!


cnstrctn_wk14_mstrshwr_07_14Rough-in for the plumbing is almost complete. We’re trying to stay two steps ahead of the plumber, so we had to finalize all of the fixture purchases this week. Here’s what we decided on:


cnstrctn_bthrmfxtrs_07_14Delta Vero Shower Trim, Italia Capri Towel Hook and Paper Holder,
Vessel Sink FaucetEuropean Vessel Sink

I purchased everything online, and so far everything has arrived except for the shower fixtures. After researching hundreds of options for fixtures, I decided to keep it simple and order the same things for both the master and guest bathrooms rather than having to shop for different styles. I love the sleek look of polished chrome, so that’s what we went with in both bathrooms. However, I may be cursing that decision once I’m trying to scrub water deposits off the shiny new chrome.

 

cnstrctn_ktchnfxtrs_07_14Hahn Stainless Steel Farmhouse Sink, Danze Foodie Faucet

I scored pretty good deals on the kitchen fixtures at Costco. I think the stainless steel farmhouse sink is going to look great in our modern kitchen!  I just hope it comes with a little fairy who washes the dishes. The boxes for all of these fixtures are currently piled in the middle of our condo living room, so I hope the plumber is ready for them soon!

Construction – Weeks 12 & 13

I’m behind on my progress posts, so I’m combining the last couple of weeks worth of construction photos. It makes it look like more has happened that way!


Construction Before & Progress – Exterior Entry

Framing is pretty much complete on the new front entry, although we still have to design and build the planter that will be to the left of the porch. Some site work was also done to prepare the driveway, sidewalk and porch for concrete.


Construction Before & Progress – Interior Entry

Here’s a view of the entry from the interior. The new front door that we custom designed was delivered last week and is waiting to be installed. In the meantime, we’re keeping things classy with the plywood barricade.


Construction Before & Progress – Guest Bath

You may remember from previous posts that we combined the existing master bathroom and guest bathroom into one. Here’s the new bath tub in place of where the master shower used to be. It’s still a fairly small bathroom, but will be so much more functional than the old spaces.


Construction Before & Progress – Attic

There was also a weird loft in the existing master bedroom that was wasted space. We recently decided to frame it out to become an enclosed attic where we can store seasonal items. The access ladder will go in the hallway. Hooray for more storage space!


Construction Before & Progress – Patio

Gravel is in place for the new back patio to be poured when the time comes. All of the concrete bids are coming in higher than budget, though. Surprise, surprise.


Construction Before & Progress – Trees

I’m not sure if this can be classified as “progress” or not. We had five mature Cottonwood trees on our fence line, which were actually on property that belongs to the town. According to the arborist, these were the wrong trees in the wrong place. Over the years, they’ve caused damage to the sidewalk and sewer lines so the town decided to take them down and plans to replace them with a few Honey Locusts. Personally, I’m really sad to see them go – they have probably been there for 30 years and provided great shade and privacy.


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Our new windows arrived last week. So far, only two of the thirty-two windows have been installed. We went with black cladding, which I think will look sharp against our siding materials.


Master Bedroom ViewHere’s the view from our master bedroom windows now with the trees gone. We can see the top of Mt. Sopris, which is nice. Still miss the treehouse feeling, though!

 

Construction – Week 11

As I sit down to go through the latest construction photos and write this post, I’m realizing just how little got accomplished at the job site this week. A couple new interior walls were framed and some minor work was done to prepare for the new roof and entry, but that’s about the extent of it. None of these things translate into riveting blog content, unfortunately. Don’t these construction workers know that I have photos to take and posts to write? You’d better believe that this coming week I will demand blog-worthy progress!

Instead of the usual mediocre photos, today I’ll share the finishes that I’ve been pulling together in hopes that we’ll eventually get to the fun part of the construction process. Who cares about joists and insulation and ventilation systems anyway? I want to talk color palettes, cabinetry and flooring!


Home Remodel – Interior Finishes Color Palette

One of the hardest parts of this renovation project has been sourcing the finishes, as we don’t have a plethora of home improvement stores up here in the mountains. I’ve done a lot of online research, but I really have to touch and feel (and over-analyze) all of the materials before I can commit. That being said, I think we’ve finally pulled together a cohesive palette of finishes that Jason and I both agree on. We prefer to keep the palette mostly neutral and bring in bright pops of color with furniture and artwork. Keep in mind we have neither said furniture nor artwork, so this is a long-term vision.


Home Remodel – Exterior Finishes Color Palette

We spent the majority of our weekend agonizing over the merits of color swatches with charming names such as “Parkside Pine”, “Honey Twist” and “Chocolate Fizz”. As much as I wanted to pick “Georgia Peach” and “Sweet Potato Pie” as a nod to our southern roots, we are apparently more “Mountain Fog” and “Timber Bark” kind of people when it comes to jazzing up the exterior of our home.



Home Remodel – Exterior Finishes Rendering
And because I’m nothing if not a wee bit obsessive about these sorts of decorating decisions, I spent a few hours too many mocking up various color combinations in Photoshop. I believe this is the exterior palette we have settled on….for now, anyway.  Jason finally agreed to the red accents when I sold it to him as the “Boomer Sooner” palette. Obviously it could also pass as “Fightin’ Texas Aggie” in the right lighting conditions. And that is what I call a winning color combo.

Construction – Week 10

Week 10 marks the supposed halfway point in our little remodel project. Needless to say, we are far from being halfway done.

Do we even have half of a house at this point? No.

Will I need to check myself into a halfway house before it’s all said and done? Yes!  


Home Remodel – Driveway Progress

One of more exciting things that happened this week was that the existing driveway and sidewalk were demolished to begin prep for the new entrance. It’s fairly safe to say that we will not be winning Yard of the Month anytime soon.


Home Remodel – Stair Progress

The treads on the staircase are now fully in place. Our next big decision is whether to do wood/glass railing or steel railing. At this point, I’m ready to just string some yellow caution tape up and call it good.


Home Remodel – Addition Progress

The connection between the existing house and new addition has been a little tricky from the beginning. If this were completely new construction, we obviously wouldn’t do this funky slope. But since it’s a remodel we are learning to embrace the funk.


Home Remodel – Master Bedroom Progress

Plywood siding and roofing were installed on the majority of the addition. Hopefully the windows and doors will be delivered in the next week or so.


Home Remodel – Patio Progress

Site work has begun on the patio. Gravel is beginning to seem like a viable landscaping option for the entire yard.

Does cactus grow in the mountains? I hope so.

Construction – Week 9

Apparently this has turned into a blog just about construction! You’ll have to bear with me for a couple months longer, unfortunately. This project is consuming the majority of my mental capacity right now so I don’t have room to think about much else.

To put it frankly, this was a really crappy week on the job site. Framing is progressing slowly and taking much longer than what our contractor had estimated. This “little” miscalculation means that the additional labor expenses are waaaay over what was budgeted for framing, even though the scope of the project has not changed. Needless to say, both Jason and I are extremely irritated by the whole construction process right now and wondering why we ever thought remodeling was a good idea in the first place.


Home Remodel – Stair Construction Progress

On the bright side, the staircase is underway and coming along nicely! Both the stringers and the treads are made from parallam beams. I think they’ll look really cool once they are stained and the texture comes through. They will also be sturdy enough to support a herd of elephants….


Home Remodel – Stair Construction Progress

….or at least a couple of crazy hound dogs! On second thought, maybe we shouldn’t add the final few treads because this gaping hole is proving to be a pretty effective dog barricade.


Home Remodel – Living Area Construction Progress

This is the view standing in the living room looking back towards the front entry. The kitchen peninsula will be to the left of the steel column.


Home Remodel – Master Bedroom Construction Progress

The master bedroom roof is beginning to take shape. In the meantime, it feels like a treehouse in there.


Home Remodel – Master Suite Construction Progress

This is the view of the master suite looking towards what will become the shower. Some of the interior walls still aren’t framed out, yet.


Home Remodel – Master Suite Construction Progress

And the view looking into the master bathroom towards the future vanity.


Home Remodel – Study Construction Progress

Here’s my love standing in the study. We’ve been working on designing the workspace and built-ins for this room and are excited about how it’s coming together. That’s a future post, though!

In the meantime, you can find us curled in a fetal position clutching our Excel spreadsheets.

Construction – Week 8

It’s hard to get a sense of the space from photos alone, but in person the house has a good vibe going now. Before construction started, I hated going over there because the interior just felt dismal and depressing. Eight weeks in, it’s already starting to feel like a whole different house.


Home Remodel – Entry Before and ProgressThe structural steel for our new front entry was installed this week. There is still a lot of work to be done on the front facade, but this is a start!


Home Remodel – Addition Before and ProgressThe framing for the second floor is about 70% complete. Construction on the roof is scheduled to begin within the next week.


Home Remodel – Office FramingJason is standing at the top of the stair landing where our office will go. I already love the tall ceilings and big trapezoid window that will let in lots of natural light.


Home Remodel – Master Bathroom FramingThe master bathroom is beginning to take shape. This is the view looking towards the shower. The vanity will be to the right.


Home Remodel – Master Bedroom FramingThe master bedroom windows are all framed out. Can’t wait to lie in bed with my feet propped up and soak in this view on lazy weekend mornings. The further the house progresses, the more anxious we are becoming to get settled in!

Construction – Week 7

Right now construction is about a week behind schedule due to some delays in getting our structural steel. According to the contractor’s schedule, the walls should have been completely framed by now and work should have already started on the roof. Other than that little hiccup, things are going relatively smoothly.


Home Remodel – Steel BeamThe big steel column that we’ve been waiting on was finally delivered and installed this week. We lovingly call this thing “the flagpole”. It’s the primary structural piece that will hold the existing house and new addition together and bear the weight of the roof, so it’s kind of important. And also very expensive. I can think of lots of things I’d rather spend money on than a big hunk of steel that will be hidden in the walls!


Home Remodel – Addition Before & ProgressThe west wall of the second floor went up! This is the exterior wall of the master bathroom.


Home Remodel – Second Floor FramingWe discovered that we’ll be able to see the top of Basalt Mountain from the clerestory windows above the master bathroom vanity! We had hoped that would be the case, but weren’t certain until it was all framed out.


Second Floor ViewWe’ll have a view of this sweet, historic barn from our master bedroom windows. It was originally the horse barn on the homestead of one of the original pioneering families of Basalt. A few years ago it was restored into a living history museum.


Home Remodel – ExcavatorThe excavator came back to do a little more site work around the property. I tried to take it for a spin when no one was watching, but they keys were nowhere to be found.


Home Remodel – Exterior Before & ProgressThe excavator dug a trench from the existing mechanical room to the new addition. I’m told this is where the plumbing for the radiant heat will go, but I was really hoping for a moat.


Home Remodel – Nap TimeWhat can I say? The construction process is exhausting! A girl has gotta catch a nap when and where she can…..

Construction – Week 6

Week 6 was relatively slow compared to previous weeks, but I do have a few progress pictures to share:


Home Remodel – Entry Before & Progress Work started on the new entry where the gabled roof will be extended to the front porch. We also finalized the design of the new custom front door and I think it will add some much-needed contemporary flavor to the facade. It’s being fabricated now and should be delivered along with the windows in a few weeks.

The coat closet and pantry were also framed adjacent to new entry. We decided to slightly increase the size of the pantry because it felt too small once the framing started to take shape.


Home Remodel – Living Area Before & Progress The steel beam that supports the second floor was hoisted into place by a crane (unfortunately we weren’t on site for that photo opp!). The floor joists for the master are beginning to go up. The contractor is still waiting on a steel column to be fabricated and delivered which will support the stairs and the rest of the second floor. It’s scheduled to arrive in the next day or two so that progress on the addition can continue. In the meantime, the dogs are enjoying running laps through the temporary bracing.


Home Remodel – Exterior Before & ProgressHere’s an exterior view of the decking going up on the second floor.


Home Remodel – Exterior Before & Progress And another view of the addition from the east. This part of the backyard will become the dog run, so if you think the landscaping looks rough now, just wait until the dogs get ahold of it…..

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