Townhouse Update #7

Hello, everyone.  Welcome to a wonderful new week.  We thought it was time to write townhouse update #7 for you.  So much has happened since our last post which you can read here.  We are seeing the finish line which is a good thing since Mike is leaving for Europe and a five week bicycling trip next Wednesday.  Yikes!  The bottom line is that we will not be completely finished by the time he leaves.  Almost but not completely.  We have a plan in place to get our belongings moved in before he leaves, but that is all dependent on subcontractors showing up on time, and tasks being completed on time.  It’s a moving puzzle, and we have to fit all of the pieces together while they are in motion.  We didn’t plan for the move to go this way – for me to move in and for him to take off.  However, he booked this particular bicycling trip from London to Venice and then from Venice to Dubrovnik over a year ago.  I must admit that I have shed some tears.  The thought of unpacking boxes, putting furniture together solo, and moving furniture is a little daunting.  Mike is so big and strong and just gets things done so much more quickly than I can.  He will be missed.  I even thought about inviting friends for an unpacking party, but that is asking a lot.  The bottom line is it will get finished eventually.  We are in and camping on the third floor, and we have a home.  That makes us very grateful, and believe me, we know how blessed we are.

Townhouse Stairway

The railings have been installed and painted.  The carpet has been removed from the steps, and they are waiting to be refinished.

Here’s another view.  The spindles get another coat of white.  At first, I had the caps on the newel posts painted black but after living with that a few day, I asked the painters to make them white.  Sometimes what you think will look right just doesn’t.

Dining Room/Library

Ha – You can really see the construction dust in this one.  So, do you remember in this post how I moaned about a white ceiling versus a colored ceiling?  Since it had already been painted, I decided to leave the ceiling the same color as the walls until the walls and paneled fireplace were painted.  The fireplace has a lot of white on it, and that made the difference.  I will keep the ceilings this color (SW Stucco with 50 percent pigment) because they really show off the crown molding.  If I ever decide it’s not working for me anymore, than we will have it painted white. That brick will be covered with small marble tiles.

Here’s the mantle our carpenters built over the flat panel.  It’s so much better.  These guys are such perfectionists and creative talents.  I trust their judgement so much on sizes, styles, etc. because they do this all of the time.  They just know what works and what doesn’t.  Ditto for our tile guy.  He didn’t like the grout color I picked, and so, he picked another shade.   His choice was so much better.  He offered opinions of the tile I chose, too.

Kitchen and Addition

The hardwoods have been laid in the kitchen and in the addition along with the mudroom, powder room, and pantry.  It will be stained a medium walnut.  They have built that fireplace mantel to match the other one, and it, too, will get a  marble border.

Here’s a closer view.  It’s ready for caulking and paint.

Dutch Door

Our Dutch door finally arrived.  This leads into the enclosed breezeway.  Rather than have three sets of French doors, we opted to have two sets of big windows and a Dutch door.  You all know how much I love anything Dutch, and it won out over the Frenchies.  We have had Dutch doors in two other houses, but our door guy said this is the first one he has ordered in 25 years.  Our kitchen designer said that she has had some houses adding them lately.  They must be buying their doors from someone else and not from our door man.

Powder Room

The bead board has been hung in the powder room.  We also have it in the third floor bathroom and in the stairwell going to the basement.  Since we are in an historic neighborhood, I feel that the house that was originally on this site would have had bead board in certain spots.  It’s a classic that I have always loved and am glad there were some places to use it in this house.  The wallpaper we discussed here and here has been ordered for this space.  I also ordered some for the third floor bath.

All of the doors have been hung, but some still need their hardware.  This one is for the pantry.

Enclosed Breezeway

The carpenters worked this weekend to hang the bead board on the breezeway ceiling.  It will be painted light blue, and the brick will be cleaned.  Remember that we enclosed this area.  That big hole in the middle is for a small HVAC system that will heat and/or cool this space.  It will be even with the ceiling.  We are getting two ceiling fans for in here to circulate the air in the summer.  We will open the sliding doors and treat it like a porch in warm months.

Townhouse Courtyard

The siding on the addition has been added and painted.  We have ordered a slab of granite to go on that flat area that sticks out, and it will be a potting center/bar.  That sounds good on paper, but I’m not sure how practical it will be.  We shall see.

And finally, look at this mess.  They are digging down to remove the foundation for the small wall that was once there.  We have decided on a plan for the courtyard with our landscape architect and have decided to spend the bulk of our landscaping budget back there for the time being.  We will use leftover money for the front and keep those plantings simple at first.  We will add to them yearly.  We feel since we will be spending most of our outdoor time in the courtyard versus the front yard, it’s the priority for now.  First, the brick will get cleaned.  Hallelujah!  They will add a patio from pavers, a water feature, and plantings.

That’s where we are right now with out townhouse.  It looks like a lot, but really…….if everyone would show up, it could be finished this week or next.  Time will tell.

 

Thank you so much for reading our blog and for your enthusiasm about this ongoing townhouse remodeling project.

 

Take care.