Who gets the biggest room in the house?

I do!  The biggest room in this house is actually going to be my new art studio.  And it will have a sink!  Confession time...I don't have a sink now and sometimes I don't wash my brushes - I just leave them in water which is a huge no-no for an artist.  The studio isn't quite done, but here are some progress pictures.

With everything ripped out.

New sheet rock.

Ceiling almost finished.  We opted for spray foam insulation (You'll see it in photos that will be posted later) and canned lights.  We'll put in some full spectrum lights in when I start using the space.  

Almost there.  Ceiling has been painted, we've used a metallic off white paint for all of the downstairs room.  It's now ready for the vinyl flooring we picked to match the hardwoods that run throughout the rest of the downstairs.

Downstairs Bathroom Progress

You have a limited number of days to move into a house you completely gutted.  What is the first room you need to finish?  We're pretty sure its the bathroom.  The downstairs bathroom is not completely finished, but its getting close.  The shower fixtures were ordered this week and we have claw foot tub to move in soon.  This is the second gray paint color we've tried and although it may get covered in another attempt to find the perfect gray for this space, it is starting to grow on us.  Here are some photos from START to "almost" FINISH.

This is the what the bathroom looked like when we bought the house.  The picture is taken from the old entrance that was off the kitchen.   We put two pocket doors on side walls in this picture.  (One where the toilet is sitting and the other directly across from it)

I realize that this picture shows absolutely nothing, but the wall to the left used to be the doorway off of the kitchen.  You can see one of the pocket door openings and through that you can actually see the back door.

We went with a classic subway tile and a light grout.  We purchased the vanity online.  Dark with a white marble top.

Please ignore the refrigerator door and the lamp.  Although the lamp is a hand made piece by local artist Ken Collins and we are super excited to have it.  It won't stay in the bathroom, it will go in the living area.

This picture is taken from the same spot as and is comparable to the second picture in this post.

Meanwhile...Back at the Ranch.

Well we'd messed about a bit at the new house, but nothing so impressive as to make it to the blog.  But then we were contacted by the NC DOT.  It seems they are building a railroad bridge close to the house we live in right now.  After our property was surveyed, sized-up, and staked off, they informed us that they will be purchasing our entire house and property, AND tearing it down!  We certainly don't want to live here, but we hate to see it completely razed.  It was constructed around 1890 as part of a local boarding school and housed a professor Cobb.  It creaks a bit, and if you drop something it may roll to either one side of the house or the other, but it has character and has survived for over 100 years.  Sad to think it won't go to a family who would appreciate all of the hard work put in to remodeling the entire house!  But, on the up-side, since we will have around 75 days to pack up and move out, we have to finish the bungalow ASAP.

Here is a bit of the wrap-around porch on our current house.  Please ignore the cow. (It lives somewhere else now.)

Flush with Excitement!

Hi again!  We are big dual flush toilet supporters and here is a little picture to ponder...

 

 

 

Never heard of a dual flush toilet?  It is exactly what it sounds like.  One flush with minimal water for number one (1 gallon or less), and another flush with more water for number two (around 1 1/2 gallon).  Just push the appropriate button.

 

 

 

 

Environmentally friendlier and economic!  Win Win.

Downstairs Bathroom

Originally, the only access to the downstairs bathroom was through the kitchen.  Ahem.  Not ideal for several obvious reasons.  We sealed up that entrance and Andrew put in two pocket doors.  One in the back hallway and the other off of one of the bedrooms. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These doors are original doors from other parts of the house which we are reusing! 

 

The tile work is also now finished.  Here is a sneak peak inside before it was painted and grouted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went with classic subway tile and a very light shade of grout.  The paint color is a medium to dark grey, but we're not exactly happy with it, so Andrew is going to repaint.  I'll post when we've nailed the color.  Here are some photos we found that helped us opt for gray:

 

 

(oops I didn't get the source for this, but I did find it on www.houzz.com)
 

 

 

 



Traditional Bathroom design by Vancouver Architect Synthesis Design Inc.

 

Traditional Bathroom design by Philadelphia General Contractor Tyler Grace

 

 

Now, I know you are dying to hear about our plans for water conservation and our dual flush toilets, but I am out of time for now, so more on this room later. 

 

 

This is going to be Expensive!

Well, we got the house cheap, but the rest of this is getting expensive!  Most of our current furniture will not be moving with us, there is just not enough room.  We even have to get smaller beds.  So you buy the beds and then you have to buy sheets, you get the picture.  I don't know if any of you like www.houzz.com, but I love it so much that I don't feel the need to pinterest.  I was on there looking for daybeds and Andrew better get his tools out, 'cause I want this one! (or something close)  Making the bed should save us money, right?  He said all he needed was a picture so, Andrew if you are reading this, here it is.  Not sure exactly what color to paint it yet. 

                               Traditional Bedroom design by Other Metro Media And Blogs The Lettered Cottage

 

Here is something else I found on Houzz that I know may drive some of you screaming from the room, but this makes me want to paint a door.  I'll admit I don't have the nerve to do this to the front door, but the back door...  It would be like a tattoo for your house that no one knows about except your family.

  

 

                                    Eclectic Entry design by Orange County Interior Designer Allison Cosmos

 

 

Coral isn't the color I would choose for the bungalow, and not this crazy pattern either, but I'm sure we can come up with something.  Night friends!

French Doors

We are making progress on the house, we just haven't told you about it!  I finally got my cow repaired and am shipping it off to Raleigh today, so I actually have a little time to sit and blog.  Here are some photos...


This is the doorway leading into what will be Andrew's office.  It was a solid door, and we really wanted a more open feel. This picture was taken standing in the main living area.  (For orientation, you can see the open front door in the right of the picture.) 

We opted for small french doors.   Andrew knocked a little of the wall out, and Voila!

 

 

What a big difference it made!  We actually were planning on getting a wider set of doors, but these were returned to the store and were on sale.  Love sales!

 

One last picture.  Here is the view from the other side of the doorway after Andrew's office was painted.