So, many parts of my house were actually tidy this morning and I thought that this would be a good opportunity to record the status of our renovations. I also realize that I never got around to posting any photos of the house after we moved in, so here it is - this is an official Blog post to show everyone how much work we have done (so far)!
Since we returned from our Ontario trip, Jeff has been focused on our landscaping. He was determined to get our front yard looking less like a construction site, so he started with getting rid of the huge Hemlock that covered our entire house from view, and the Cedar that was crowding out my Arbutus tree. I was uncertain, at first, whether I wanted the Hemlock to come down, but now that it is gone, I agree.
Jeff is in the tree there, somewhere, trimming branches closest to the power lines. We didn't bother applying for a permit to cut the trees down, so who knows if/when we will be getting fined.
I think my Dad is one of the most useful people on earth. Even with a bruised rib from a backpacking trip the week before, he still came over to lend his chainsaw services.
The following weekend, Jeff hired an excavator to get rid of the stump, level out the yard, dump a whole lot of really smelly dirt and scatter some big boulders. Callum and Max were entertained all day just watching the machine at work.
So, in order for you to fully appreciate the magnitude of change that occured on this house, I decided to throw in some "Before" photos to accompany the "After shots.
Before: Here is the front entry.
After: We have plans for concrete steps up to the door, a boxwood hedge around new shrubs and groundcover, etc...
Before: I guess I didn't take a shot of the whole front of the house before, since it was hidden by that Hemlock, but here is the driveway.
After: The Arbutus really stands out now, and you can sort of see the new roof over the deck above the garage too. We often see people drive by the house very slowly, looking at the new entry addition - it really makes a big difference.
Before: The Living Room, Dining Room and Kitchen used to be separate rooms, with a wall enclosing the kitchen.
After: We took down walls and added quite a bit of glass. All the custom cabinets are done by my Dad, and you can see the fireplace wall is still awaiting the day that he has time to build more.
Before: Callum quite liked the wall paper that we found under the fake wood paneling in his and Max's bedroom, but we told him he could pick his own paint colour instead.
After: He wanted green paint. I just put that wall sticker up yesterday.
Before: There was one bathroom on the main floor, but a strange layout that allowed access from the hall and the Master bedroom through pocket doors.
After: We moved a wall over 4 feet so that the one bathroom became 2. Here is the kids/Main bathroom.
Before: Main bathroom shower.
After: Our Master bedroom ensuite. I love my bathroom! (We hired a guy to do all the wall tile, since I wasn't willing to spend as much on the tile as we did and then screw up the installation!)
Before: Looking down the stairs to the front entry.
After: We have plans for a window bench with drawers and cabinets above the windows, but again, we will be patient while my Dad builds his own house. For now, my boots make a useful door stop.
After: Looking up the stairs from the new entry addition. The addition just makes a world of difference!
Before: Downstairs, there was a basement suite. The bedroom was accessed through this dining room.
After: We took the wall between the dining room and bedroom down to make a large Playroom. (I didn't bother tidying it up before taking the picture.)
Before: The Laundry Room.
After: The Laundry Room. (Note the hole in the ceiling - that's my laundry chute from the kids bathroom above- I LOVE it!!)
Before: There was a lovely kitchen.
After: We turned the kitchen into a Guest bedroom.
After: Here's the guest bathroom.
I didn't take photos of the Media room or Office, since they are still less presentable. I have yet to put up any artwork and when I look around the house, I mostly just see all the work that has yet to be done (i.e. finish flooring in office, baseboard trim in basement, painting in basement, closet doors to be installed, shelves to be mounted, vent grilles to be bought, whole office to be organized, bed frames to be bought, front entry bench, upstairs and downstairs fireplace walls to be built, etc...). Anyway. I do love my house and I am so spoiled. Jeff has said a couple times that maybe we should just stay here forever...
