Friday, May 31, 2013

Doc Holiday Update: Fingers Crossed and Prayers Lifted!

I'm down at Tybee this week checking on progress at Doc Holiday--and there's lots of progress to report on!
 
We now have what the locals call "Tybee lattice" around the bottom of the house giving a 
finished look to the ground level.

 
And we have a nice roomy owner's closet that was built under the house to hold personal items we want to put away when renting the house plus extras (think fresh replacement linens, extra silverware and dishes, etc.)  that need to be stored for quick access when prepping
the house for guests.


The Allure flooring that I blogged about in this link has been installed and it looks great--it's covered up to protect it from harm right now but you can see just a bit of it under the cabinets...which bring us to cabinets.  The kitchen cabinets are being set in place and very soon the countertops will be ordered.
 
 
 Just the other day before my trip to see the house Jordan, one of the workers, kindly sent me a text with this photo of the tiling that was being done in the tub area.


So as you can see things are changing fast!  That's a good thing 'cause we're racing the clock to get finished by July 4th week when I promised our family they could come for a visit.  Fingers crossed and prayers being lifted!

 


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wonder Women!

It took about eight months to re-wire, re-plumb, re-everything at our Coast Awhile Cottage renovation and while all that work was happening I was dreaming along with Jane Coslick about how to furnish the house.
We knew we would use neutral colored furniture (mostly white) with pops of color to bring the rooms to life.  Lots of window shopping for bargains happened and then lots of purchases.

So glad Henry helped me this day--we had 8 (!) carts of stuff from IKEA.  One of their warehouse associates helped us wheel everything up to the register and then we were on our own--good thing Henry is strong!
Once again--just like with The Coral Cottage adventure in this post--I drove a big U-Haul truck to Tybee with everything from IKEA plus all the other goodies that had been accumulated.  Once I got there Patricia McCoury from Tybee Girl Helpers and two of her helpers...
 
 jumped on the truck and unloaded everything in short order...
 How these ladies got the sofa up the stairs I do not know--they are super strong!  Then before I knew it they had put the sofa and the chairs together!  It was impressive!


Tybee Girls?  More like Wonder Women!
Heather Burdine, Patricia McCoury, and Rene Entrekin
Thanks ladies!  You'll be hearing from me when it's time to move into Doc Holiday!



 



Monday, May 27, 2013

It's That Time of Year!

Graduation season is upon us!  It never ceases to amaze how quickly the years fly by and the babies of yesterday become the young adults of today.
 
 
My daughter-in-law Lisa's niece graduated this year and we were pleased to be invited to a party in her honor.  
 
Proud Mom Amy, younger sister Natalie, and the graduate Ashley
 Now let me tell you--Lisa and her Mom Sandy, sisters Tina and Amy, and all the aunts are entertainers par excellence!  Creative Tina was the party planner for this occasion.  Just look at her fabulous ideas!
 
 
The drink station featured lemonade and bottled water with ice nearby to fill glasses.  It was such a great idea to place the drink dispenser on an upside-down mini aluminum tub--it looked good and it raised things up so it was easier to serve yourself.
 
Notice how the bottles of water are stacked on their sides inside the white tub?  It looked so nice and made it easy to put lots of bottles on the table without it looking crowded.  I'm tucking that idea away to use for myself one day.
 

The candy station was a big hit with everyone, especially the young ones.  The treats were all in purple and gold, a nod to Ashley's school colors.
 
 (Top left) All the tables were laden with goodies lovingly made by family and friends.  (Top right) One of the cookie stations was backlit with white Christmas lights and photos of Ashley when she was a baby and now.  
 
(Bottom left) There was a bucket of branches on one table that were designed to be a blessing tree--everyone was encouraged to write a note to Ashley and hang it on the tree.  (Bottom right) Bookmarks were made and given as gifts to the guests with the request that they serve as a reminder to pray for Ashley as she moves along in her life. 

It truly was a wonderful party...Here's the party planner Tina with one of the youngest guests, her grandson Elan.

 
Happy Graduation Ashley!  And congratulations to you (and your family!)


 
 

Friday, May 24, 2013

Doc Holiday Update: Against The Grain!

From the time that we rolled back the old carpet at Doc Holiday and discovered a painted wood floor I've been curious to see what would happen when we had it sanded!

 The living-dining room area, the bunk room and the back bedroom and bathroom all have wood floors.  But the rest of the house does not and it is not in our budget to add them.

We've faced this dilemma before  and had success using Trafficmaster Allure vinyl plank flooringSince I'd like the wood floor and the vinyl floor to match as well as possible, our contractor Anthony sanded a space in the floor and we did our best to match up the 
floor with a sample of vinyl. 
 "Antique Elm" seemed like the closest match.


 I left a piece of it for our floor refinishers so they could tweak the stain to come as close as possible in matching the two materials.

Let me introduce you to Frank, owner of Against the Grain, and Gene who is getting some tools handed up through the window.  They came to sand and refinish the floors.


It will be no easy task because some of the flooring has been replaced with new wood and it doesn't match the old wood.  But these guys are good!

Before picture showing the painted wood with the stained layer below--to the right is a patch with new wood.

Here's how the living-dining room looks after sanding.


Let's just say I'm really happy so far!  Can't wait to see what happens next!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Have A Nice Glass Of Milk!

Coast Awhile Cottage was eye-catching from day one but the dark wood walls felt like they belonged in a mountain lake cabin instead of a sun-shiney beach cottage.


It was hard for my hubby to agree to allow the walls to be painted but he finally agreed to trust that it was for the best...so we called in the painters.  
First they had to sand all the walls, a huge undertaking in a house full of wood.


It was a messy, tedious job but necessary.
Finally it was time to prime and then paint the walls with a color called "Glass of milk".
And voila!

Even with the low lighting in the room when this photo was snapped, you can already tell that we now have a canvas on which to put some beachy colors!

 
 The painters were loathe to paint the fireplace but we had them come back and 
paint it white as well.  We took out the wood-burning stove and repaired some of the bricks that were damaged when the previous owner installed the stove.  


Much better!



Yes, now we're ready to furnish the living room!

Monday, May 20, 2013

BEFORE: Beautiful But Not Beach-y!

In our last post about Coast Awhile Cottage, I shared photos of the front porch--a wonderful outdoor space!  Now let's step inside the front door to the living room BEFORE.
So much potential!  Love those lapped boards on the walls!  Henry wanted to leave them "as is" because they are so pretty.
But look at these pictures--do they say beach house to you?  No?  Me neither.  If this were a mountain home these walls would be perfect but I think that for a beach house we need some coats of white paint!
   
So that is the living room Before tour--I can't wait to show you what we did!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Let The Painting Begin!

It has been a busy week at Doc Holiday!  Lots of decisions need to be made as we finish up and none more important than choosing paint!  I  went shopping with my color guru, Jane Coslick, to look at paint chips and this is what we decided to try:
It's called "Hummingbird Blue" and it is MSL135.  It looks really good with the lime green which is the color we plan to use for the shutters.

I also saw a house at Tybee that had a really beautiful blue paint and the homeowner was kind enough to make me a little paint chip that I could get matched so we put both colors up on the side and front of the house to compare them and choose.


I like both choices but the Hummingbird Blue (top) looks best with the lime green.  
You've done it again, Jane!

Javier tinted the primer and sprayed it on the house so I could be sure I liked it.  Here it is!



I think it's gonna be great!  Let the painting begin!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Relax And Watch The World Go By!

Coast Awhile Cottage is one gorgeous cottage now--can't wait to show you what we did!  Let's start with the entry...
This is one of Tybee's original raised cottages so the front porch is on the upper level.
Before
 We changed out the exterior light fixtures and painted the front door a beautiful aqua blue.  The flimsy lattice was removed from the front and "Tybee-style" boards were put in it's place.   New white ceiling fans were also installed.

After

The porch is deep and goes all the way across the front of the house and from front to back on one side!  It's a fabulous spot  where you can relax and watch the world go by!


 When I saw this turquoise rattan furniture on sale at Kirkland's website last fall I knew it would be perfect for the front porch!  It's quite comfortable.  And the outdoor pillows that Jane Coslick and I found at Home Goods are just right!


We had a severe storm with high winds a few weeks ago and it blew my little lamp over and broke it--I need to see if I can repair it or get a new lamp for this spot.  I just love the feeling of being in an outdoor room that you get when there's a lamp!

There's something so restful, comforting, and homey about rocking and visiting on the front porch, isn't there?  We lined up three white rockers and our guests love to sit here! 
There's also a table and chairs for those who'd like to enjoy a meal or snack on the veranda :)

 
 These pictures make me want to sign off with the sign off used each week by The Beverly Hillbillies TV show of years past (reruns are still being shown aren't they?)...They would always say "Come on in, have a seat, take your shoes off, y'all come back now, y'hear?"

Sounds good to me!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Coast Awhile Cottage

Way back in January I posted about a cottage I had been working on at Tybee with Jane Coslick. It didn't have a name yet but we eventually named it "Coast Awhile Cottage".  
It was expected to be a big project because the house had five bedrooms and an additional 
one bedroom apartment under roof!


 Little did we know what an even bigger project it was going to become...we thought it mostly needed cosmetic changes but as we began to work on the punch list from our home inspection we found dangerous wiring behind the walls and serious issues with the plumbing:(

Suffice it to say, it took much more time and cash to do this house justice than we had anticipated--Talk about your learning experiences--whew!  But we did what we needed to and then some and now it is safe, sound, and absolutely gorgeous!  

I love the way the house turned out and want to take you through the process of fixing it up.  So we will bounce around a bit as I show you Coast Awhile Cottage and have periodic updates on how Doc Holiday is coming along.



Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and all those who have moms!  (I guess that cover us all.)
I'd like to say a special thank you to two moms I know...the one who gave me birth and the one who welcomed me into her family when I married her son.
Dorothy Griffin, me, and Hilda Patton in June 2000
This is Hilda Patton, Henry's mom, and she has been my role model for "how to be a mother-in-law"...always accepting, loving and encouraging me.  She married her childhood sweetheart, Henry Sr., and raised five fine kids--I married her oldest and benefit daily from her rearing him to value his wife, work hard, and take good care of his family.  I love you Mema and I'm glad you're my mother-in-love!
And this is my mama, Dorothy Griffin.  As a little girl, I used to think I had the prettiest mama in the world!  She always had such fine hats and favored the big, chunky jewelry!  
I was so proud of her!

Her nickname was "Gypsy" because she followed her dream to learn to fly an airplane when she was a young twenty-something and then bought a plane (named Gypsy) and flew it all over the country with her friend--they would stop and work for a few months whenever the money ran low and then take off again for places unknown!  She was fearless! 
As a young mother she did all the normal "Mama things"  like leading my brownie troop but she made everything seem like an event--so special and exciting.  Mom was always up for an adventure--it was part of her DNA and even in her later years she thrived on new experiences.
 Mom met my daddy, a young Army Air Corps officer named Bill Griffin, out in Texas while working in a restaurant to replenish the travel fund.  I think my daddy felt that being married to Mom was quite an adventure!  They made a wonderful couple and together had four kids.  Later 6 grandchildren and and 7 great-grandchildren came along...all of the grands loved Nana and she loved them!
  In 2010 Mom flew off to heaven and I miss her so much but I have no doubt that she is happily on the all-expenses-paid, never-ending, best adventure of all!  So Happy Mother's Day Mom!  I love you!
Here are links to my last four posts if you are here to read about the beach cottages--Have a happy day!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Doc Holiday Gets Its "Skin"!

Doc Holiday is quickly getting ready for a holiday to happen!  Recently I showed you how Doc Holiday's "insides" were put in from the outside.  In order to avoid ruining the beautiful interior wood walls most of the house was wired and plumbed from the exterior walls.  It is time for Doc Holiday to get his "skin"!

When the vinyl siding was stripped off the walls looked sort of like boxcar walls.  



As the walls were being dismantled these fasteners were discovered.  Our builder said he has never seen anything like these--how cool is that?


The "boxcar" layer was stripped off and the walls reinforced according to building codes...you can see some wiring if you look closely.


The inspector checked everything over--wiring, plumbing, HVAC--and then gave approval for the walls to be closed in.  So next insulation was blown onto all the walls, under the house, and into the ceiling.



Plywood (and windows--yaay) went up next...

The lines drawn on the plywood are called the nail pattern, a guide for the carpenters used to insure the siding is securely attached to the house.



...followed by a moisture barrier.


Now this week the siding is going on!!!


We're getting there!