turf

Long overdue - after way too many years of poor results growing grass but excellent weed growth in that same grass - this - we are quite happy with it.

after almost six years (remodel, phase two)

PJ and I thought about it a bit, then decided (back in 2006 or 2007) that we would stay in our current five-bedroom home for the long haul notwithstanding that all the kids had moved on permanently (or so we thought at the time); but that we would do a bunch of updating as long as we were sticking around in the place for good.  The plan was to work on the first floor in 2008, then move immediately to remodeling the upstairs floor in 2009.

Dining room qua multi-year storage facility.

Master bedroom, demo phase.

The 2008 phase went swimmingly; for example, here, here, here, and here; then we encountered a few diversions (generally in the form of unanticipated roommates).  All quite pleasant; but nonetheless a few years seem to have slipped away.  Which is fine - I'd happily trade a bit of a remodeling delay for the fun memories of having bonus time with those guys.  In the meantime the vanity cabinets for the upstairs bathrooms, along with a bunch of other construction goods (yes, including two toilets in boxes) have occupied our dining room since mid-2008.  And the living room (adjoining the dining room) has been used for nothing but storage during those years.  But:  whatever.

Slab selection Saturday.  Eagle-eye in action.

Anyway:  long-delayed phase two launched on March 3.

Quite a bit less complicated than the 2008 phase.  We are removing 20-year-old (and occasionally marked by Kelly-the-Welshie over the years) carpet; swapping out the 30-year-old builder's cabinets; new tile in the bathrooms; getting rid of both bathtubs (who uses these things anyway?)  Various other tinkerings included.  And we also came up with a wrinkle we wouldn't have thought up in 2008/9 - enlarging the master suite via the simple expedient of knocking out a wall between the "old" master bedroom and an adjoining smaller bedroom (and relocating the closet) - easy, effective.

Taken from same spot.  Bottom photo shows kid-bedroom as it existed since we moved into the
house.  Top photo:  door to hallway closed off, closet relocated, space is connected to master suite.

The other new concept will be that we have permanently given up on the idea of maintaining a furnished living room and dining room.  We haven't once missed having access to these rooms in the last near-six years.  Meaning that - once the upstairs stuff is done - those areas will be cleared out (other than pianos) and deployed as an oversized game room.  Details to come.

In the meantime, PJ and I have taken up residence in a couple rooms on the first floor - it's like living in a hotel, fun!  Much easier than this, as kitchen access is uninterrupted this time around.

Desk, bed, TV, closet = hotel life.  Grandpa+Grandma Bormann's chair comes in handy, again.

Now we just need to keep after things such that guest quarters are ready for incoming hikers for Phantom Ranch 2014.

site of future pool table

Nearly finished

Remaining tasks = installing slate on patio, doing something about 23 year old patio furniture, finishing off a few punch list items, and watching all of the new plants grow.

Taking shape . . .

More back yard progress.

Top picture was July 28 - starting to put out the concrete forms. If you click to enlarge, you'll see two concrete squares - samples intended to help us decide on the look of the concrete patio area.

Middle picture was August 11 - same viewpoint as the top picture - but now with concrete poured, metal planters in place, some of the plants installed.

Bottom picture also August 11. Taken from opposite (NE) corner of yard.

Quite a bit of progress from this stage, let alone this stage.

Initial plantings, etc.

Blank slate

Our backyard is undergoing change we can believe in.

Plus we are using our own $$ to pay for it.

Pool removal (Day 1)

At long last, my nemesis is literally being broken and buried.

This was interesting to watch (but not so fun to listen to) - starting with early morning fence busting, followed by punching out huge holes in the bottom of the pool, breaking up the cool decking, then working along the top of the pool.

More fun coming tomorrow.

Time for action

We emptied the pool over a year ago. Finally are getting to the point where it will be blasted out of existence and replaced with a eventually-to-be-shady sitting area.

In the meantime, the water level has fluctuated. It's at an all-time low now. Super concentrated guk, probably weapons grade. Resident frog hasn't been seen in a couple months. I think all the mosquitoes have moved on. Ugh.

We had our house painted

It has always been white. Now it is more of a brownish color. We like the change.

Here are a few photos. (The new palo verde trees out front seem to like their spots.) (Note my new office window on bottom photo, upstairs on left side.) (You can also see the new living room window (squared off (and double-pane).)

Orchid tree: good bye

Finally got around to removing what had been a large and beautiful tree in the front of the house. The frost during January 2007 did enough damage that the tree didn't survive.

Removal courtesy of DaVinci Landscaping.

Next question: replace with a Chilean mesquite, or a museum palo verde?

Painting

Here are a few views from painting days (Saturday-Sunday). We think the color turned out great.

"Finegrain" is hard for me to describe, it's kind of gray and kind of taupe. It's probably a bit lighter than any of the other colors we are considering, but I think that bodes well for the long haul. We did a "200% " mix for the baseboards, trim and interior doors - looks good. White ceilings (But of course it isn't really "white," it is "Cool December.")

Top photo shows a portion of the incredible amount of taping, drop-clothing and similar that was required before the spraying and rollering began. Middle photo shows inspectors in action. Bottom photo shows a comparison of the new and old paint colors.

Not easy to select a paint color

Partly because the colors have such intriguing names. Almond Latte. Sandpit. Desert Suede. Rustic Taupe. Porous Stone. Flintstone. Desert Grey. Restrained Gold. Bungalow Taupe. High Noon. Birchwood. Crushed Stone. Drifting.

And those are just the interior paint choices that were up on our walls.

The winner: Finegrain.

Installing countertops

Here are a couple photos from the installation of the granite countertops. This happened about three weeks ago. We've made some progress since but have a ways to go.

Kitchenette

We've actually had fun through the entire remodel process. This kind of project is pretty much a once in a lifetime deal for folks like us, and we appreciate being able to make these changes.

The kitchen has been out of commission since April 12. Until the last week, we functioned out of the downstairs bedroom. With a microwave, toaster and coffee maker, it qualified as a kitchenette. And talk about handy - coffee refills simply by turning around. Never more than about three steps to achieve anything.

Anyway, here are a couple looks plus a short video clip.



To make way for the floor install, Patricia and I cleaned out the room in one big effort last week (per photo below). Since then: kitchenette is primarily set up in the upstairs bathroom (per bottom photo).

Within the next couple days: we should have countertops and sinks again in the kitchen.

Tile . . .

A few looks at the slate floor going pretty much all through the lower level . . .