Cool blue lights

We currently have florescent lights above our cool soffit in the kitchen. I thought it would be rad to have colored lights up there. The lights illuminate the ceiling and beams directly above it...the lights separate the clerestory windows at night, from the lower windows, along the back of the house.

I found some cool light covers that change the light to colored light. I bought 8 of the blue covers. I'll post photos when I install them. I think it will look effin hot!

Birch=final wood selection!

Well....I am a bit indecisive...maybe a bit more than a bit. I wrestled with a wood selection for 1 year! At points I thought we'd do Bunbinga, Zebrawood, Maple...then decided we need to stay true to the roots of the house. We have the most amazing birch doors throughout the house. The color on the doors is a bit off from the color I envisioned for the cabinets and tounge and groove ceiling. So....birch is the final word in wood!

Here is a sample of the stain we are considering. I think it is warm and modern, but still screams retro. I want them lacquer-finished....so I can see my refelction in them. Not sure what finishing product we'll use to get my desired result.

Here's the raw wood veneer showing the stain.

We have like 75 sheet of birch veneer stacked in the kitchen. We are putting a v-groove on the birch and using it to get the tounge and groove effect we are after for the ceilings. we are leaving the beams white and staining the panels the same color as the cabinet stain.

Fireplace in and ready for finishing touches

Our indoor/outdoor fireplace replacement came last week. I think we've been waiting to install the fireplace for probably 2 or more months. Matt built the framing and platform bench for the fireplace before installing it.

We can't finish the fireplace until the electrician comes back to ensure it is hooked up properly. We ran gas to this location and had electric run to the area too. The fireplace has cost tons of $$$$, but it will be so rad when it's finished!

We still live in a construction zone...I imagine for the next 2-3 months the house will look like a bomb hit it. :)

We are trying to decide whether to do concrete panels, plaster, paint, or tile on the fireplace. Any suggestions...I'm all ears!

Fountain Inspiration

Well I got to tour a Haver in Starlite Vista today with some clients. I was able to see up-close the fountain that the owner built in the backyard. Very neat concept and the trickling sound of the water was very nice too.

The metal ribs create a really cool sound as the water bubbles up through the middle. It makes a nice splashing sound when it hits the outer circle too.


Here is a close up of the fountain.


And a photo of the backyard with the fountain area.

Ah....drywalll

We started really tackling the bathroom. We've been living with 1 bathroom for way too long. Way too long. If we didn't have this go wrong or that go wrong, we might have gotten to the bathroom sooner. Good thing we waited though because I have changed my mind on materials time and time again.

Here's a photo of the drywall going up.


Here's what it looks like now. All we need is paint and tile. We already have the toilet, sink, faucets, and vanity. We need a vanity light, vanity top, tile for the floors and shower walls, and various accessories.


And another one.


We finally reinforced the opening from the living room to the dining room. and replaced the drywall.


And we insulated the front entry. It used to be exterior until we finished the conversion the original owner had started.

Wow! Has it already been 2 weeks since my last post?

Matt and I have been so busy lately that we haven't had a chance to document our progress on the house over the last 2 weeks. Here's a quick wrap-up to get us back up to speed!

We finally made room to park our cars on the side of the house. We rented a tamper and tamped down the dirt. We are eventually going to pour a slab or increase the size of the garage, but this will have to work for now!

Here is the photo of the dirt all tamped down

Here is the 1st of the 3 cars successfully parked on the side of the house

Here's the Chevy pulled in tight

And, the last old car has to kinda stick out til we figure out another solution.....here's the Caddy

Now all the cars aren't blocking the walkway to the entry courtyard or the view of the landscaping-yay!
Here's the view to the front patio that visitors will see on their approach


We also insulated over 1000 sq ft of ceiling not previously insulated. The kitchen expansion, laundry room, man room, hallway, and front entry were completed uninsulated....lame. All we could fit up there was R-13, but that is better than nothing at all.
Here is a photo of the hallway.

Here is a photo of the insulation up in the kitchen.

Now the insulation is up in the laundry room too.

And more insulation in the man room.

The kitchen and hall bath are being attacked right now. We are framing in the tub, so we can start drywalling this week. Finally, we'll have 2 bathrooms!!!! Yay!!!

We had our vent pipe for the kitchen sink removed and replaced with a breather valve.

We also had our waterline run to the refrigerator...now we an have ice and water!!!!

Here's another photo of the front entry.

And, a mid-afternoon shady shot.