Our Renovation - Granite Grey Exterior Siding

 

Certainteed Granite Grey

 

When I last posted about Our Renovation I left off with our siding options.

You can read more about our choices here.

Well, we chose Granite Grey.

 

When we decided that our budget determined we would be going with

Mainstreet Siding from Certainteed, I knew right away I wanted a shade of grey.

 

 

Travis started working on the siding in November.

Then....moved in inside to work on the mechanicals.

Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air.

So, it was a bit of a long winter.

As the mechanicals go in there is constant progress,

but it's not quit as exciting for me as the details of finishing.

 

 

So, when all the mechanicals were finally finished at the end of December, I was thrilled!

To say the least.

Then it was back to finishing siding & the FUN stuff.

Finishing the interiors are coming up next!

Now, we are getting to good stuff!

 

 

A quick peak of the front of the house before siding is complete.

I will share the finished photos soon.

It's a bit of a sloppy mess right now, in Iowa it's been snowing all week.

Can't wait for the weather to break to get my hands dirty in that front yard!

 

 

Carrie

 



Our Renovation - Accent Window Dilemma

The architectural detail of windows.

 

I love the architectural character added by the detailed design of the accent windows on this home.

I believe that windows can make our break any great home design plan.

 

Love the 3 windows in the peak.

 

Windows are the added character of the home's exterior.

They also add natural visual balance and warmth to a home both inside and out.

Windows are the main source for an abundance of natural light.

Every one of my ideas of the picture perfect dream cottage has an abundance of great windows.

 

The round windows in the peak.

 

I love the nod to a port hole with a round window in a peak.

 

Simple Single Square window in the peak.

 





That being said....

 

We have a window design dilemma!

 

 

 

Okay, so please try to work with me here.

Forget that the bushes are absolutely out of control and that that horrendous porch has got to go!

In due time my friends....in due time.

 

Please concentrate on the windows:)

 

Originally I shared that the reclaimed obsessed restoration admirer inside me

 wanted to save the architectural windows on the front of our home.

Well...um...now I think they look like crap!

(Please excuse me, there really was no easy way of saying that.)

 

So, now I have to decide the best way to handle this dilemma.

I need your help!

 

Here is what I am thinking...

 

1.)  The Gable on the Left could be without a window.

We are thinking of using an accent siding on that gable.

We are also planning some extra details on the trim to add character, more on that later.

 

2.)  The gable on the right could be a single small square window.

The problem with this option is that the peak is slightly off center from the

 windows below and things like that drive Travis absolutely insane.

It really doesn't bother me.  You???

 

3.)  Use another window layout with small squares on the right gable.

 

Oh yeah...& that budget issue.

We have pretty much used up our window allowance.

So, whatever option we go with has to be affordable.

The accent windows do not necessarily need to open.

They are in the attic.

 

What are your thoughts???

 

Please share I really could use some good old

 fashioned blogger to blogger DIY advice!

 

 

 

all images from Houzz.com

the old shabby house that's ours:)

participating
Home Stories A to Z
The Shabby Creek Cottage

 French Country Cottage
The Shabby Nest
Funky Junk Interiors
DIY Project Parade

Our Renovation ~New Windows

 

We have been busy at work on our renovation the last two weeks.

Starting with prepping for the new windows to go in.

Removing the remaining old siding on the house.

Wrapping the entire house in house wrap before the siding goes on.

(You can also see part of the new roof in this photo.)

And...

 

 

And last, but certainly not least, installing new windows.

 

Yesterday Travis installed our new windows!

We chose to go with the Thermastar Vinyl Windows from Pella.

As you know, Travis is a contractor.

He works with all different brands of windows and different quality levels and price ranges.

From a contractor's point of view, the Thermastar from Pella

were a good quality & affordable option for us.

 

 

 

As you can see, we have a few remaining older windows still.

The house has an upper level.

The upstairs is somewhat strange & the ceiling heights are very low.

We chose not finish the upstairs for now.

So, the remaining older windows....well...I suppose you could say are still up for debate.

We plan to change out the older windows on the side of the house eventually.

But, trying to stretch our budget as far as we can we are leaving them for now.

 

 

 

 

French doors that will entually lead to our deck & patio area.

I have always wanted to have french doors in my kitchen.

I'm so excited!!!

 

 

These windows are actually my favorite windows from the inside.

They are part of the kitchen.

They also have some of the best views in the house.

They sit up just high enough that, through our neighbor's trees

you can catch glimpses of the Mississippi River.

 



 

It's very exciting to finally begin to see some major progress around here!

We may actually get to move in one day!

Ok, maybe I'm getting just a bit ahead of myself...

So, maybe there is still a LOT of work to do, but we are gaining on it.

 

 

Thanks for being patient with my blog posting that as been sparadic at best lately!

I'll try my best to keep updating you!

 

Interested in seeing how far we have come on click here. 

 

linking up to

Funky Junk Interiors 

 The Shabby Creek Cottage

 Between Naps on the Porch

 

Our Renovation ~ Walls are Going Up

The walls are going up on our renovation!

It's amazing what just a day can do in framing.

The addition is going to be our master bedroom, master bath,

a laundry room & a second bath & will give us the ability to make our kitchen much larger.

This is so exciting to see for the first time.

It really is an amazing feeling the first time you walk in & start to see how things will take shape.

I'm so forntunate my husband is a great carpenter & has great friends to help out too.

While he is a great carpenter, he is an even better framer that is his specialty.

Our master bedroom, master bath, & a walk in closet in the back left corner.



Our Renovation ~ Addition Sub Floor Complete

Shortly after we received our first lumber delivery Travis got to work on the addition.

The floor joists & sub floor were complete the very next day.

We could actually walk inside part of our new house... very exciting.

I can't wait to see how fast the walls go up!

If you are wondering why we have left some of the rickety walls in the existing house,

they will eventually be removed. They are providing some structural support (believe it or not).

When our addition is complete Travis will eventually tie the new roof into the old roof and remove that small hip you see on the left.

He will remove the load bering wall, or what's left of it, & tie the two old & new together.



Our Renovation ~ Lumber Delivery

It's Construction Time!

It's Finall...yy time for the fun to begin.

The lumber has arrived.

Now we can begin building our new home.

We have taken our 1880's bungalow home completely down to the studs.
Now it is time to turn this drab & delapitated structure into a home.
Follow our journey here.

Yeah!



Our Renovation - The Foundation

We are adding a large 800 sq. ft. addition to the back of our new house.

The addition will allow this house to become a 3 bedroom 2 bath house.

In order to do that we need to put in a new foundation first.

If you haven't seen the before photos you can see more of our renovation here.

Normally my husband would have subcontracted this part out.

But, since it's a complete DIY project we are doing it ourselves.

And by "we" I mean my husband & some of his friends who are also in the trades.

Thank goodness for all of their help.

The foundation was one of the most difficult parts.

We rented pans that had to be put together as forms for the concrete to be poured.

The pans are extremely heavy. 

But, doing it ourselves saved a ton of money.

Next the concrete truck delivered several tons of concrete and poured the foundation walls.

You actually have to spray the pans before the pour so the concrete doesn't stick to the pans.

I wish I would have been there to see the pour.

Sorry, I missed the photo op. 

I was working.

But, I came home that night to this.

We let the pans set for about two days.

Then they had to remove the pans quickly so that they were not set with the concrete.

Our pans did not have the brick stamp, some pans have.

We didn't really mind because this part of the foundation will never be exposed.

Even though we will not be having a basement in this part of the house.

We had to pour our footings nearly five foot deep for a crawl space under the new addition.

We also finished the floor with a very rough thin layer of concrete for code compliance.

Thank goodness this part is done!

Next comes the fun stuff.

My husband is a builder by trade.

When the framing begins we will begin to see serious progress very quickly.

So exciting!

See the rest of our renovation here.

Our Renovation ~ Excavating

The renovation pushes on...

Back in May the Excavation Crew took over.

Luckily for us, we happen to know them pretty well.

Travis' Uncle owns an excavation company & they were our obvious choice.

Travis' Uncle, his Dad & his cousin were at our house bright & early on a Friday in May.

I even took off work a bit early that day just to watch.

It was really pretty exiciting.

I have NEVER seen so much dirt.

For those of you who may not know, we are renovating a home originally built in the 1880's.

In our hometown of historic LeClaire, Iowa we are building our dream.

Don't worry....

We have a vision.

We removed the old additions that were structurally not sound & now we are on to the dirt work.

This is on the back of the house.

We have to remove the ground in order to pour the foundation footings

for the new addition that is going on the back of the hosue and crawl space below.

As you can see we have some foundation issues that need to be addressed to.

A view from the back yard.

We have a little shady nook behind our garage that is the perfect perch to watch the progress.

Travis & his Dad

I just love this photo:)

It's really very special watching a father & son get to work side by side on a project like this.

They are good ol farm boys who are made for this kind of thing.

It's extra special because my father in-law is part of the excavating crew & Travis is our builder.

There are days in renovation that remind you exactly why you choose to do this in the first place.

This was definitely one of those days.

End of Excavating Day 1

Remember my favorite little perch.... it's slowly disappearing.

Day 2

Okay, so I have to admit I was in pure shock!

What had happened to my quiant & charming yard that drew me to this house originally???

It's gone!

Excavating turned out to be a little more than I bargained for.

I guess I just wasn't exactly prepared for how different the yard would be.

But, I can not help but be overwhelmed by the progress that has been made here in two days.

We will put our yard back together....eventually....

End of Excavating Day 2

Well, my shady nook has become a dirt pile.
Stay tuned...for the Foundation.

participating

Funky Junk Interiors

Savvy Southern Style

Our Renovation ~ Removing Addition Part 3

The story of the removal of the addition would not be complete if I didn't share this next part.

Remember this huge pile that once was part of our home?

If you haven't read Part 1 & Part 2 check them out.

We spent the next couple weeks removing debris.

Filling dumpster...after dumpster....after dumpster.

Until one day when I came home & surprise!

We had new "siding"

I think grey is a nice choice;)

And the debris pile was nearly gone.

And oh yeah!

Another Surprise!

Remember how we had left part of the home on the right side.

That is what will be part of our kitchen.

Well, Surprise!  It's gone!

Travis just decided one day that he didn't like it.

I think maybe somebody just got a little destruction happy:)

Actually, once the main addition was removed he realized that part of the home

would end up being the only part remaining, that did not have 10 foot ceilings.

Since we plan for that space to be our kitchen  he really didn't think

it was a good idea to leave it & decided to remove it.

Our cabinets would have been on a shorter wall.

It would have been very awkward in the open layout space.

I would have hated it!  He knows me well.

Good thinking honey!

What a great surprise!

Some things do actually turn out to be good surprises!

Now the entire existing home & the addition will all be aligned with 10 foot ceilings.

I can't wait!

I love high ceilings in any space.

I think it makes a small space seem so much bigger.

Our cottage home is going to be around 1500 square feet in the end.

Not huge, by any means, but the ceiling heights should help the space feel larger.

participating

Funky Junk Interiors

Savvy Southern Style

The Shabby Creek Cottage