In Synch Sink

I'm not a professional (by training), but I do love design.  My strategy for designing a bathroom starts with the sink!  Once you narrow down style and placement of the sink, I feel like the rest of the bathroom decisions start flowing.  The bathroom design should be in synch with the design of the sink.  Shall I keep up with the plumbing metaphors ;)?  This strategy assumes that you have also made a decision about the bathing space (whether and what kind of tub/shower the bathroom will feature).

I'm really excited about our 1st floor bathroom.  This bathroom will get a lot of milage from family use, as well as serve as our guest bath.  The 1st floor bathroom is the only bathroom off of the main floor of the house.  Overnight guests will also use this space.  We decided to leave the funky (let's say "original"...it sounds better) corner shower tub.  It would be a great spot to bathe a small dog or a child under 3.  The shower tub is cast iron and my builder says "they don't make them like that anymore".  Here's a picture before we started demolition.

Wow, that is some PINK tile.  The whole bathroom was pink, including the accents on the floor tile.  There was also a funky situation going on with a diagonal vanity and two tiny doors that opened awkwardly into the hallway.  We solved these dilemmas by getting rid of it all.  The new sink (first design decision) will be relocated to another wall and the weird double doors were replaced with a pocket door entry.  (SIDE NOTE: I am obsessed with pocket doors and my builder wants to choke me for putting them in the house every time I get a chance!)

Here is a shot of the bathroom before demolition.  We saved an original brass towel rod and the cool-for-its-time white sconce.  Maybe will use both later?

If you're still reading after all of the gag-worthy pink...let me get back to my excitement about this bathroom!  I have always loved skirted sinks (by this I mean actual fabric).  Here is my chance to incorporate one!  Below are some images that are inspiring this space.  (See my Pinterest page for sources at https://www.pinterest.com/julymarch/).  

For a brief update on construction, we are currently working on hardwood floors, trim, interior doors, the screened porch, and tile.  Whew!  Our builder gave me a "best-case-scenario" finish date of April 8, so I have a lot of design decisions still to go between now and then.  I'm assuming we will move in some time after the school year finishes in May.  

Raising the Roof, Rocks, and Fireplaces

Now that we are actually getting somewhere with the renovation, I haven't posted in a while!  After demo, the first two projects we are tackling are the 3rd floor space and the screened in porch.

At the outset of construction, the rear exterior facade had a Monterrey balcony.  Mrs. Nell (the original owner) purchased cots for her 5 children to sleep on the balcony during nice weather!  This was pre-central AC, and the now-grown children shared fond recollections!  The balcony was interesting and quirky, but it wasn't fitting into our renovation plans practically or aesthetically.  (A Dutch door off the master bath, anyone?!)  It was also presenting some hazards (a Dutch door off of my son's bedroom, complete with 30 foot drop?!)  We had the balcony removed.

Original facade looked like this:

New facade without Monterrey balcony:

And now, the roof is partially removed with the new dormers framed and going up!  The dormer style is called a Nantucket dormer.  (Fitting for my love of all things Nantucket!)  This is a combination between a shed dormer and more traditional Cape Cod pitched, gabled dormers.  Practically speaking, these larger (egress) windows were mandatory for the sleeping space, and the smaller windows in the shed portion let in additional light.  The shed allows for increased head height on the interior.  

There will be a generous screened porch on the right (from the street) side of the house.  After a long wait to have our power meters moved, the footings were dug this month!  The porch will feature an outdoor fireplace that I think we will really enjoy!  

Here is my inspiration photo for the outdoor fireplace.  

As you may have noticed, the existing chimneys are all historic brick.  I am a sucker for a stone fireplace, though, and this is my only chance!  I've been driving around town looking for houses I admire to see if any of them feature both brick and stone chimneys.  As soon as I found a house I love with both chimney materials, I was good with mixing it up!  

During my visit to Big Rock this week, I learned waaaaay too much about stone.  How it's cut (flagstone vs. veneer), how it's sold (by the ton vs. by the square foot), Ashler cut and mosaic cuts...I am gravitating to the grey toned stone.  More about fireplaces and fireplaces in a later post!

I am excited that we are finally building up instead of just tearing the house apart!  

Flowers in the Attic

Since I was a little girl, I have always dreamed of having an attic bedroom.  There's something so "secret" or "romantic" about the idea.  (No matter what Skeeter Phelan might say 😉).  I just love the idea of a tucked away space where one can cozy up under the eaves.

The new house will have a third floor attic bedroom and playroom and eventually a bathroom.  The attic space is being upfitted for our current 9-year-old.  She's a little nervous, but excited about this opportunity.  It will be a boon during the teenage years, I'm sure.  Here are some inspiration photos that have me dreaming about this little space!

We have finished the majority of the demolition on our house, and are awaiting a few logistical details to get started on the bulk of our project.  Until then, I can keep dreaming and scheming...

All Images sourced on my Pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/julymarch/

Dutch Doors and Dreaming

A Dutch door (American English), stable door (British English), or half door (Hiberno English), is a door divided horizontally in such a fashion that the bottom half may remain shut while the top half opens. 

They were known in early New England as a double-hung door.The initial purpose of this door design was to keep animals out of farmhouses or to keep children inside while allowing light and air to filter through the open top; essentially combining a door with a fairly large window. When the top half was open they also allowed a breeze, but stopped the wind from blowing dirt into the house. This type of door was common in the Netherlands in the seventeenth century and appears in Dutch paintings of the period. They were also commonly found in the Dutch cultural areas of New York and New Jersey before the American Revolution. {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_door}

One of the things I love about our new house are the Dutch doors!  Mrs. Nell was obviously a fan!  Although I never met her, I learned that we are both Colonial Williamsburg enthusiasts.  The only caveat is that Mrs. Nell put Dutch doors EVERYWHERE in the house!  I think there are 6.  I've included some images of the current Dutch doors below. 

Hi! Let's renovate!

About 5 years ago, we bought and renovated our current house.  I had so much fun during the process, I had to jump in with another project!  When we realized that our current house was just not our "forever home", I started looking for another place that more suited our family's needs.  Our new home, "the 1036", ticked a lot of our boxes!  I wanted a family home that had been loved (but not renovated) on a larger lot.  We needed something with good bones and room for our 3 kiddos to play and learn.  Having a space that could be beautiful, yet more functional for our family was top priority!  I'm such an old house nerd, so I needed it to be an old house.  We love the convenience of the new place to our UMS school, church, and work!  Here are a few before pictures!

The original blueprint from the 1950's

Following, I'll post some "before" photos" so that you can see what we're working with!