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Saturday, January 19, 2013

What a difference a few weeks make!

Several weeks ago, I was contacted by Jenai Engelhard from mymove.com, who wanted to interview me and write about my house. She recently let me know that the article was up on their site, and when I checked it out, I had to smile. Naturally, the photos were pre-construction, when things actually looked normal around here. Boy, oh boy, wouldn't her readers be surprised if they saw how my house looks now?

I guess running these photos wouldn't work, huh?





But wait! Concrete for the foundation of the new kitchen and laundry room was poured Thursday and is curing even as you read this post. By Monday, weather allowing, we will be in high gear. Three new joists will be put in place, the electricians and HVAC guys will come in, the plumbers will come back, new siding will start to go up on the exterior, and there will finally be light at the end of the tunnel.




The pictures on My Move were also pre-green paint, and I was surprised at how accustomed I'd already become to the new color on the house. I didn't even recognize the old tan house for a second. I've always known that I'm highly adaptable to change...crave it, even...but that's a little ridiculous!

If you get a chance, stop by mymove.com and take a look. You've no doubt seen all the photos before, but I'm sure they'd appreciate your visiting and leaving a comment.

17 comments:

  1. On my way now! So glad to see that things are coming along nicely and can't wait to see the results. =)

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    1. Of course, if I had it my way, I would have been in the new place 2 weeks ago...but then I'm not known for my patience. The standing joke in the family is that I don't even know there's any setting except High on my stove. :)

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  2. Getting very excited for you! Any chance of a floor plan? :)

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    1. I don't have software for drawing plans, although I designed the apartment room-by-room online. I finally hand-drew the floorplan for the entire structure, and my printer/scanner went caput the other day, so until I figure out what's wrong with it, I may have to show you one room at a time. I'll try to do that soon.

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    1. Yes, I think the real countdown has started. By the end of the week, we should start to have a good idea how the space is going to look.

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  4. Thanks for posting on a Saturday. Need my fix. Any plan changes?

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    1. I've stuck to the original plan pretty faithfully. The only real changes are 1) putting the washer and dryer beside each other instead of facing each other 2) changing the configuration of the kitchen cabinets slightly so that I will have a galley instead of an L-shape 3) opting for a real front door, possibly with sidelights instead of French doors and 4) possibly doing two ceiling-to-floor areas of glass blocks instead of windows in two rooms.

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    2. Ok, you would get the option for ventilation with windows instead of glass block and fire escape from a bedroom window if no door directly to the outside. Typical residential codes will require windows in bedrooms if that is what your talking about.

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    3. My bedroom will open onto a patio, and the part of the apartment where the glass blocks will be backs up to a 7' high stand of nandina. I'll be able to get light (and see the red of the nandina berries in the winter) through the glass blocks, but I will still have privacy without having to have blinds or curtains. The laundry room will have closets on each side, and the kitchen will have cabinets on each side. The glass blocks will be the width of the open space in center of each room and will be ceiling-to-floor.

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    4. Sounds nice, can't wait for the pictures.

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  5. I actually like a galley kitchen a lot. We have one and I find it all extremely convenient. Think hard about the glass block. Not that I don't like it but think HARD. I put some in my house and then of course, pulled it out 5 years later (story of my life). Was busy/fussy and looked dated. But promised won't hate it if you do it. Honestly, I wish I could start from scratch like you so I wouldn't have to redo all my annoying decorating mistakes. Your article mentions previous inspiration of New Orleans. Mine was arts and crafts. I have NEVER revealed much about what our kitchen looks like. You can kind of see it in the recipe post. You would D-I-E die.

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    1. Ideally, I'd like to have really heavy reeded glass, but I have a feeling that would be much more expensive. The previous owner put a large glass block window in the current bathroom, and I like that it always looks cleaner than a regular window and doesn't require any window treatment. I'm having to use a lot of restraint in my spending and keep reminding myself that when it's time to sell, the apartment will only be a "bonus" outbuilding to prospective buyers. If I put more expensive materials in the apartment than in the house, that could turn buyers off, I'm afraid, and it wouldn't increase the value of the property enough to justify the expense. Still, I'm going to price the glass tomorrow, just to see.

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  6. Great article! You are inspiring me to make some changes in my own home!

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    1. I've been in change mode for months now, and this apartment is the ultimate change for me. As usual, change invigorates me and makes me happy, rather than stressing me.

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  7. weve got a galley too...it works...just ask the chef. I checked out the article and your dining suite is killing me!!.....is your new "real" front door going to be orange?
    Allison x

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    1. I have a feeling I'll be selling the dining set, even though I will hate to see it go. I won't have room for it in the apartment, and my daughter really doesn't want it. :(

      I'm pretty sure that the door will be orange, but I'm still toying with the idea of staining the door and painting a narrow strip of trim orange.

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