Framing - Part 2

We have a floor!  Yesterday the crew began laying the sub-floor. 

Watch your step!

Framing - Part 1

The framing began on Tuesday.

Right now, this means a lot of materials in our yard (I'm sure the neighbors are loving this).

Front yard

Another view of the front yard

How much wood can a woodchuck chuck...

 
The crew has been busy laying the steel beams (thanks, Dad, for the contribution from BMG Metals!)

Beams across the entire addition

Bye bye basement door. We will not miss the leaks and minor floods

Framing begins on the mudroom

Master suite looking masterful

And as if there's any doubt as to whether our house is a construction zone, this is plastered on the front window. Nothing says welcome like "Do Not Enter" signs.

Bye Bye Kitchen

The kitchen was officially disassembled today. We were able to have the cabinets and appliances sold on Craig's List since they were in good condition.

Current state:

Progress

Knock on wood, but I am amazed at how much progress is made each day. The back of the house is looking less scary and more like an addition each day! 

Foundation... done!

Curb Appeal

Ever since we moved in, we've wanted to enhance our house's "curb appeal."  As part of the addition, we're (a) doing a front porch make-over; and (b) having the whole house painted. I think this will be a huge step forward for our curb appeal. Eventually, we'd also like the get a new front door that has sort of a craftsman feel to it, but we're hemorrhaging money now so that may be a ways down the road. 

The front porch had a weird lip mid-way through the top landing which made for a major tripping hazard (which my mother lovingly pointed out every day she came over). So, our first ask was to eliminate the lip. Secondly, there were some ugly terra cotta tiles that had some significant weather damage overtime. Every time I swept the front landing, the tiles would further chip. It was just ugly. So, we opted for a blue stone that would cover the ugly tiles and Steven suggested building up a small platform underneath that would eliminate the weird trip-hazard lip.

The make-over began yesterday. Sneak peak... (ignore all of the scary signage on the door!... lead paint zone, do not enter, etc.).

Appliances... Ugh

I have come to loathe appliances. We're looking for the perfect combination of looks, size, price, functionality and decent reviews. On top of this, ideally our appliances would all "match." I'm positive that someone in the appliance business started this nonsense about all appliances matching. It's ridiculous. Just as you find the perfect refrigerator (great look, right size, good reviews, decent price), you find out that the "matching" dishwasher is terrible or way out of the price range.

We have done copious amounts of research on appliances. Where we've netted out is to go with BOSCH. I didn't know much about this brand before our renovation project, but the look and the price are right on par with what we were going for. Plus, the reviews are decent. So, the current thinking is:

Bosch Duel-Fuel 30 inch Gas Range (from Ferguson)

Bosch 800 series French Door Refrigerator (from Ferguson)

Bosch 300 series Dishwasher (shocker, from Ferguson)

Still TBD on the range hood. Steven has given us some guidance on the BTU/CFM conversion and I'm fairly certain we'll be going with a 350-450 CFM range hood, which is good news since it's less expensive than a higher capacity hood. We're thinking something like this:

Frigidaire 30 inch range hood (400 CFM) Via Ferguson

Broan 30 inch range hood (200-450 CFM) Via Lowe's

Men At Work

It's super exciting to see how much progress has been made in just a few days. Here are some more pics of the foundation in progress.

Friday

Saturday

Monday

Foundation

It's official!  The foundation was poured over the weekend.  The backyard looks pretty scary but it makes the renovation feel very real.  More pics to come...

Before

After

 

Exterior Paint Colors

We are going to have the whole house painted so that the addition (Hardie plank siding) will match the old part of the house (red brick). We decided on painting the whole house gray for a few reason: 1) gray tends to be a bit more on the modern side, and since our house is a 50s ranch, I think this will really spruce it up; 2) all of the houses on our street are ranches, some painted, some not, and none of them are gray so I think it will be unique; and 3) I just really like gray.

My friend Amanda gave me a great suggestion for picking out exterior paint colors -- paint samples on multiple sides of the house (so that you can see how it looks different given the trees, shades, etc); paint multiple coats, as this is what the professionals will do; and look at your painted sample areas at different times of the day as the light changes.

We've driven around some neighborhoods and taken photos of gray painted houses we like. I've also done some research online. So far, I like:

Benjamin Moore Sandy Hook Gray

This looks a little beige in the paint swatch

But looks like a medium gray in this photo

Benjamin Moore Graystone

Nice medium gray, no green tint in my opinion

Looks crisp against the white

Benjamin Moore Cobblestone Path

Blue tint

Benjamin Moore Storm

Cool medium gray

Benjamin Moore Pelican Gray

Light cool gray

Breaking Ground!

We moved out of our house on Sunday and into my parents' house. Things quickly progressed at 7603. Pretty much out of our hands now!

The sign went up in our front yard!

The demo commenced on Monday.... 

The back concrete stairs that led from the kitchen to the back yard were demolished

And the HVAC unit was relocated and all of the plantings were removed

The side deck (which apparently was never built to code) was taken down

I took this pic for my dad. He loves porto-potties. I'm sure my neighbors love this too with the southwesterly breeze.

Kitchen Stuff

The kitchen is easily my favorite part of the renovation.  I've always known I wanted a white kitchen.  I'm still figuring out what my "look" will be, but in the interim, have made some basic decisions about cabinets and countertops.

Cabinet selection was a breeze. I went to Chesapeake Cabinetry off of Midlothian Turnpike. I knew that I want white cabinets. Simple shaker style, flat panel doors on most; and a few glass upper cabinet doors with traditional mullions. So, that was a pretty quick decision.

I have struggled with the counter top decision. I LUST over the look of carerra marble countertops. To me, that's the ultimate white kitchen. Nothing more beautiful. Alas, after the hotly contentious debate uncovered online, I have decided to stay realistic and go with granite. If you get an acid on carerra marble (like red wine, lemon, vinegar, spaghetti sauce), you must clean it up immediately or else it will "etch" or stain the marble. It is a more porous surface than granite and thus has to be cared for more mindfully. We typically clean up dishes from dinner the next morning, so, I know that those marble counters wouldn't stand a chance. Maybe in another life.

Carrera Marble -- oh how I love you so

Based on a bunch of internet research (Houzz, Pinterest and blogs), some white granites that supposedly look like marble that I will seek out during the selection appointment include the following. However, every slab is unique and it's hard to tell from an internet JPG what the stone actually looks like. So, it will obviously be an in-person decision. So, TBD...

Bianco Miramar

Coastal White

Kashmir White

Namibian White

Polar White

River White

Super White

White Fantasy

White Princess

The Great Outdoors

Will really wanted a cool outdoor space. I don't know how "cool" the deck will end up being, but I definitely am excited about its utility. I see so much potential in the deck.

First decision on the deck is the door. We've already changed our mind several times on this (first one door, then two, first no transoms, now two). We're doing a double french door with a transom.

Next decision was outdoor lighting. Trying to keep it simple. Selected one small black wall mounted fixture.

More on decking to come...