RENOVATION NO. 5 : THE OFFICE, WINDOWS, & MORE // WEEK 1

 
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Here we are in the first week of our fifth renovation: ram board everywhere, zipper walls, and furniture and plants shoved into corners. I’ve never been able to be home to witness the actual work being done so I was excited but also working from home during this has proven to be very difficult noise-wise and somewhat frustrating, especially during Covid. Remembering to wear a mask everywhere you go in your own space has been a change while also packing meals for the day to stay out of the way while they work in the kitchen. But luckily this will be a short renovation with them wrapping up hopefully a week from now.

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Last weekend Danny and I began to prep for the project by some demo ourselves to save a little time and money. We started by removing the interior trim around the old windows which is usually easy peasy but when we got to the kitchen’s bay window bump out (aka our future breakfast nook) things took a turn. At some point, which we can only assume was the 70s, a previous owner expanded the kitchen by adding in this area. And though we are grateful for this extra space, it also proved to be DIY project with poor measurements and shoty work with tons of shortcuts. So when we finally finished removing the layers-on-layers of wood around the windows we thought we were done and began bringing all the old trim outside. But when we closed the back door… CRASH! One of the old windows completely fell forward and shattered everywhere! Turned out these windows were only being in held in with the trim and the pressure of closing the door pushed it forward! After the shock of the crash and hour long clean up we were able to secure the other two for the meantime. Happy none of us were hurt during or after. What a pain.

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Thankfully work began two days later so we weren’t without a window for long. They got to work on this portion first ,and once again, our new windows made a major impact on the space! We went with Marvin’s Elevate (formally Integrity) collection in a cottage style window to match the others in the living room and they are gorgeous. They really give that classic bungalow feel while being energy efficient. For the kitchen bay we made the two side windows operational casements and the center being stationary. We cannot wait until next week when this space is finished and trimmed and we can start planning out the breakfast nook.

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The other major change took place in the office - the space that set off this entire project. Watching that disgusting, moldy, garden window come out was like ripping off a band-aid. Literally. This window was GLUED onto the side of the house and also not properly installed. No wonder it leaked water and so much cold air. This room is getting the most work done with smoothing the ceilings and changing out the baseboards and adding in the new crown moulding.

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We also changed the height of this window to align with the other and give us more flexibility of that wall. My only regret is making this a picture window rather than operational awning window. The old window was so large that I knew it would be too big to make it open but failed to consider the function of the smaller size. The other window is a casement and opens almost 90° so we are covered on the egress but still. I have heavily considered re-ordering but the cons on that outweigh the pros. So maybe one day if it breaks or something, I will get the awning. I mean, we don’t open the windows THAT much here in Portland. Next week the remainder of the dry wall work completes as well as all the trim. AND my green velvet sofa has officially shipped and should be arriving in a few weeks just on time! Really looking forward to getting my office back together!

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And lastly and really exciting: progress on the hall closet! We have added in another light on the slope and will be installing shelving, cute hooks, and a rail for coats. I am so excited to see this space finally get finished and to actually have a real closet in this 1924 house! It won’t be the cutest space but it will be functional.

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More updates coming soon!

Thanks for being here!

xo

 

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OUR STAIRCASE : THE RENOVATION // WEEK FIVE

 
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Here we are at the end of week five and wow have we made progress!

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Once demo was done, the new stairs were up in just a couple of days! 
We still can't believe the transformation of the space. It doesn't even feel like the same house!
Our contractor did an awesome job at creating the winder that we wanted, too. 

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Of course, it wasn't until the drywall went up that we could really see our vision being pulled together. It looks soooo Scandinavian and modern right now without the newel, railing, trim, stain, paint, yada yada.. I kinda love it!
We are also really excited for our new casement window! Since we eventually want to replace all the windows, we styled this one as a model for the rest and to match the original 1920's style of the house. Can't wait to see it!

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Since our home is almost 100 years old, things aren't exactly straight and a tad slanty, leaving the opening square didn't seem like the best idea. To help with the visuals, we added an arch in place of where the old wall was and it's so beautiful and more than we imagined! I want to arch every opening now!
(Also, our contractor is a saint for being so patient with our house and working extra hard to make things straight.)

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We have a few more weeks ahead of work before the plastic comes down and we can start painting and staining!
I look forward to sharing the finished project and to show you what we have in mind for the space!

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OUR STAIRCASE : THE RENOVATION // WEEK ONE

 
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A little behind our original schedule, but: THE STAIRCASE RENOVATION HAS BEGUN! And, it has been moving quickly! Everyday now, I leave for work and come home to massive changes! It's so exciting!

THE PLAN:

Let's rewind a little.
As mentioned months ago, we thought the kitchen or bathroom would be the first thing to change, but after living in the house for a bit, we decided to do the biggest thing (besides the kitchen) first and not only fix the staircase, but actually re-structure it and change the angle. Crazy, right? In order to do this, we agreed to lose one of our bedrooms and also expand the living room (See more of the plan and inspo here).

Once our contractor approved the renderings from our engineer, we hit the ground running!

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BEFORE:

Here are some before photos. FIrst, from inside the front bedroom... and don't forget that half-assed closet in which the original staircase cut through...

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And from the original living room looking towards the front bedroom where the new arch is going to be between the two spaces.

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BEGIN:

Day One: I left for work and when I got home the wall was gone! I was in complete awe. I know you see this kind of thing all the time on HGTV and how opening walls makes such an impact, but WOW it really does! I can't imagine the wall ever being back there! And the funny thing is, once our contractor started to tear down the wall, he found that there was originally an opening at some point that someone had the bright idea to close! Can you believe it?

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A few days later they removed the old staircase and it got even crazier. We could walk inside the area and see the original lathe and plaster, and really smell the old house. Luckily, we haven't come across anything too weird in the walls, unlike the attic where Danny found a ton of treasures while clearing it out for our new electrical and insulation. 

Once the new stairs get put in, this left-over extra space will be a large closet - something we really lack in this house.

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Looking in from the living room now is such a weird feeling considering we slept in the front room for the last six months! It honestly doesn't even feel like the same house, and in the best way. We have started playing around with different ideas of how we will designate the spaces now (living room, dining room, etc), but we are so early on that it's hard to even envision exactly what it will be like. We are waiting until the new stairs start going in, BUT we are thinking this will be the new dining room!

I am getting really excited to finally pick paint, trim, install new lighting, and - most importantly - to eventually bring home all of our furniture that has been sitting in storage since November! 

There is still a ton of work to be done, but jumping the hurdle to get the project started is done!
Another update in a few weeks!

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