On My Front Porch

"And the view I love the most 
Is my front porch looking in, yeah." 

Lonestar

I took advantage of the great weather this weekend to repaint my front doors. We added a porch to the front of our house in September (which still isn't done, grrrrr) so now that my double doors are receding, I wanted to add a punch of color. Benjamin Moore Wythe Blue HC-143 was the perfect choice.

Here's the progression of transformation so far...

This was the front of the house when we purchased it. I can't wait to have my front yard fully landscaped again!

I custom designed the front doors and painted them a bluish gray.
This was prior to repainting the exterior and adding the front porch.

And, the final product. Well, technically not final FINAL since the porch isn't done
(notice the missing wall lights in addition to many other things).  

More to come as this project continues!

As always, stay tuned...

Pewter Power

"And the race is on."

Sawyer Brown"

There's nothing like giving yourself three weeks to undertake one of those nagging little home renovation projects (you know... the one's you'll start/finish someday) before you host a surprise 40th birthday party for your spouse.

That's exactly what my long-distance client Apryl did. She decided the aforementioned surprise party was the perfect excuse to tackle the powder room remodel that she'd been contemplating for a year.

Since Apryl lives out-of-state, she and I consulted via text and online. We talked about the main issues the powder room has (dated, poor lighting), what gets to stay (toilet and floor), and what she'd like it to feel like (light, sparkly, modern).

She sent me some existing shots of her powder room along with some inspiration images:

The sad, little powder room before. 

Ahhh... Apryl's hopes and dreams for her powder room.

After we developed a clear vision, I gave Apryl a list of shopping resources along with advice and direction while she did the leg work.

Once the powder room is finished, I'll post the and final product and the corresponding Room Recipe.

As always, stay tuned... 

Basement Before and After

"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood.

Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union."
Frank Lloyd Wright

There's not much to say about the basement other than it was a sad, sad place. There were tenants living in the basement when we purchased the house, and bless their heart, they repainted everything white in an attempt to brighten the place up. I didn't have the heart to tell them that we'd be gutting everything down to the framing. Check out the before pictures below:

Basement bathroom before. 
The shower was approximately 24" x 24" and the ceiling height was 6' - 8"!

Kitchenette before. Notice the low, tiled ceilings.

 

Laundry room before. How was the washer accessed?

On paper, I'm very happy with the functional changes I've made to the basement. Most notably, I rearranged the laundry room entrance, added a bathtub to the bathroom, and added a linen closet to the hallway. I also raised the ceiling height throughout the entire basement. The result? The perfect combination of form and function. See below:

What a Pane

"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. 

Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in."
Alan Alda

 

Basement windows to be replaced.

I knew things were going too good. The most trouble I'd had up until this point was a misplaced light fixture (which I take complete accountability for!). Last week we had our first home inspection by the city and it did not pass. Darn. Not that it's that big of a deal, but I feel like it didn't pass because of me.

I gave our contractor the go-ahead to keep the existing basement windows despite him strongly encouraging me to replace them so they'd meet the egress code. Even though I called the city engineer and got a verbal approval over the phone to keep the existing windows, the city has now rescinded.

Typically on remodels, basement windows do not have to be replaced. Only new construction must meet certain specifications. The city claims our renovations are too extensive and since we've upgraded wiring, plumbing, etc., we must also upgrade the windows. I can see their point, but it's still frustrating.

As a result, I had my first passive-aggressive tiff with the City Engineer. It went something like this:

CITY ENGINEER

Sorry, I can't approve your inspection. Your basement windows don't meet code. You will have to dig out the all the window wells, break out the foundation and install bigger windows.

ME

(looking expectantly at Jeff)

JEFF

My wife said you had a phone conversation with her and that you said since it's a just a remodel that the current windows are acceptable and that they would pass inspection.

CITY ENGINEER

I can't give approvals over the phone, and I can't approve basement windows that are too small.

ME

(looking desperately at Jeff)

 

JEFF

Well, the new windows have already been ordered and they cannot be returned. It would be quite an additional expense for us to dig up the current window wells and replace them, not to mention that we will have to order brand new windows. You did give my wife approval over the phone...

CITY ENGINEER

I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. Good luck.

JEFF

(ever the optimist)

Well, OK... we tried! Thanks for your time!

ME

(head hung in defeat)

I'm not sure what happened, but the meeting didn't quite go as planned. That's not exactly true. I do know what happened. If I'd spoken up, I would have done one of two things: yelled or cried. So, I kept my mouth shut.

In hindsight, it's kind of funny. At the time, I was really upset. 

Here's the good news. We get brand new, bigger windows with brand new, bigger window wells. Our house will be safe and up to code. If there's ever a fire (heaven forbid), firefighters will be able to get in through the window with all of their equipment. My kids will be safe.

When one window closes, another one opens.