Moving right along...

We are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel! Some hardware has gone in this week and the interior trim is finished. The painters are starting on the interior this week. We are also meeting with a landscaper on Wednesday. Here are some updated photos from this week:

Grant's vanity with knobs

Wainscoting in boys' room

Dining Room china cabinet

Family Room awaiting new mantle and hearth...

View to Kitchen from Family (wood wall behind range)

Another view of Kitchen from Family (new bookcases)

2 Kitchen Islands...1 silly boy!

New chimney pot on Loggia fireplace

Guest bath vanity with Dark Emperador marble

3rd Floor bath with moss penny round

Girl's dressing table

Master shower is now grouted!

Carrara herringbone shower floor

Master bedroom

China Cabinet (needs doors!)

Family Room bookcases (need doors!)

Kids' lockers in Mudroom with hardware

Desk area

Claire and Grant's lockers

Back view of house with additions complete! Awaiting paint!

Steps from Loggia to backyard

Flared siding at roof line...one day of blue sky all month!

Same flare on the bottom of the addition

Rear Mudroom/Desk area

Cabinets!

Our cabinets are being installed and we absolutely love them! All of the cabinets were designed by our architect, Garrett Nelson (704.975.8003 in Charlotte, NC) and custom built by a local craftsman, Greg Brown of B&E Cabinets (704.857.1938). Keep in mind, these do not have any trim or toe kicks, so this isn't the finished look!

In the kitchen, we decided to go with a monochromatic color palette. The walls, cabinets, wood ceiling and trim will all be painted Farrow & Ball Cornforth White. It is a pale gray color.  We will continue the same through the mudroom and homework area.

"Kids" island

3rd floor bath vanity (moss penny round on floor) (Farrow & Ball Pavillion Gray)

Girl's bath vanity with carrara marble (Farrow & Ball All White)

Master vanity with carrara marble top (Farrow and Ball All White)

Moving right along...

Progress continues on our home, although not as quickly as we would like! It has been a while since I last posted, so a recap is in order.

Once everything was framed in, the electrical and plumbing rough-in was complete. Next came the drywall and exterior boxing (siding). We are really pleased with how things are coming together. The archways in the kitchen/family room area are beautiful.

Arch between kitchen and family room

Resized dormers and new windows

Precious workers

Rear additions and loggia

New grass and the beginning of the front porch cover

Inspiration paint colors

We wrote our favorite scriptures all over the door frames of the house

...and some love notes, too!

Exterior Update

Things are moving right along. They have finished framing the interior, installed the new rear windows and are starting the HVAC installation today. It is so fun to see the progress each day. We have an unbelievable group of people working on our home. Heard Ratzlaff has been wonderful to work with and Garrett Nelson, our architect/designer is fabulous.

Some big changes have happened in the yard and with the additions on the back of the house. We have added a small mudroom (one-story on rear right-side of house) and redone the breakfast room with a bath addition for the girls above it (center rear of house).  We finally removed the old deck and screened porch and replaced it with a brick foundation, bluestone patio and fireplace. It will be screened.

Here are some updated photos:

Driveway view (BEFORE):

Driveway view (NOW):

A giant crater occupied the majority of the front yard.

Front view (Now):

We removed the tress in the crater and filled the hole.

Old screened porch and breakfast room

Rear addition (and rear yard graded with trees removed)

Backyard (before):

New isokern fireplace installed

DEMO BEGINS...

We are excited to finally be under way on construction. We are amazed at how quickly it is changing.  We were thrilled to find out that my aunt and uncle could reuse our kitchen cabinets and many lights in the house.  I'll have to post their "new" kitchen when they get finished!  Some Young Life friends were able to use some newer plumbing fixtures.  We were able to donate all of the rest of the interior finishes including all of the doors, bath vanities, tubs, toilets and fixtures to Habitat for Humanity.  A neighbor is going to use the new replacement windows the previous owner had just installed before putting the house on the market.

Rear porch and breakfast (before)

Rear of house (after demo)

We have had a few dumpster loads of trash...musty old insulation, yucky pet stained subfloor, and old carpet.  All in all, we are thankful that most of the things will be used and loved by other folks that need it!

The interior walls, sheetrock, floors and tile came out in the first two weeks.  It was exciting to stop in each night to see the progress.  Our builder, Vernon Knight & team, with Heard-Ratzlaff Contruction, are doing an amazing job.  By week three the screened porch and breakfast room had come down off the back of the house.

Family Room to Kitchen (after demo)

By week four, footings were poured for the new addition and the foundation is being laid.

BEFORE!

So this is what we're starting with. Our new (old) home sits on almost an acre lot on a hill, next door to the neighborhood swim and tennis club. We knew this would be a great location for raising our four children. There are wooded walking trails, lots of tress, and we are meeting wonderful neighbors!  Best of all, our new neighborhood is across the street from our old neighborhood and just five minutes from school.

Front view (before)

Although we knew at first glance this home had great bones (9 foot ceilings, classic architecture, and an open floor plan...all features we really desired), it was lacking some modern amenities we want with a large family. Namely, we want a computer/homework/mudroom that will be efficient for four children. We want a large kitchen for entertaining lots of friends and family, and an extra bedroom for visitors.  We have spent the last four months working with our fabulous architect/designer, Garrett Nelson, to design a plan that would meet our needs.

Foyer (before)

The starting house is just under 4,000 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths and 2 half baths. The finished house will be just over 5,000 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 5.5 full baths and 1 half bath.  The girls will each have their own room with a jack & jill bath, the boys will start off sharing a room and a bath, and we are converting the "formal" living room into a first floor guest suite with full bath. We are also finishing the third floor with a guest room and bath that we will use for ministry, and eventually for one of our boys to move into when they are older.

Dining Room (before)

Garrett created a fantastic floor plan to accommodate our desire for a homework room off of the kitchen.  We knew he was the man for the job when he figured out what to do with the atrocity of a wet-bar and step-down between the family room and kitchen!

Family Room looking through to Kitchen (before)

 

There are lots of wonderful details that we will post as the construction progresses. We will sorely miss the disco parquet floors in the family room and the "sharpie-marker" glazed kitchen cabinets.  The kids are disappointed the giant tile deck will no longer be around the master bath for performances!

Master Bath (before)