Friday, September 6, 2013

Time For A New Plan!

Things frequently don't always go as planned in remodeling.  Jane Coslick and I had already discussed our furniture layout for this master bedroom.  There really wasn't room for very much furniture--a king size bed, night stands, a chest of drawers, wall-mounted TV and maybe a small chair.  I knew exactly where everything was going to go.

Then one day after being away for a week, I walked into the house to check progress and froze in my tracks.  In the place where I planned to put my chair...

 
...I saw this :(


Let's just say that Mama was not happy and you know what that means.  Phone calls were made to the contractor and the air-conditioning company and they both came to defend their decision.  After a long discussion, they convinced me that it was necessary for the purpose of function to put the HVAC in that very spot.

I still wasn't happy but I had to adjust.  Time for a new plan.  Sooo... I decided to put a 
closet next to the HVAC.


The dresser will be on the wall to the left of the window and behind the bathroom door.  There won't be room for a chair but it can't be helped.  I had to choose between a chair and having my air conditioning cool effectively.  No brainer--I went with the AC.  

Jane gave me some very good advice:  Don't put your energy into fretting over what can't be changed;  save it for what you do have some control over!

We had to move a door also to allow for better traffic flow in the bedroom and the 
adjoining dining room.  There was also the matter of the former fireplace that had to be removed by the house movers.

See the hole in the floor and the wall above where the chimney used to be?  The chimney had to be taken out before the house was moved and we decided not to replace it.

We were out of recycled boards with which to patch the wall, so beadboard was used instead.  We had it applied horizontally so it would mimic the other walls.  Once painted, we thought 
it would blend in just fine.


The bedroom really started to come together when the floor was refinished.


We've come a long way from this.  I have hope. 

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Can You See The Possibilities?

I hope you had a safe, fun holiday.  It's hard to return to the business of life when you've had a few days off, isn't it?  But after taking off completely for Labor Day and working hard yesterday, today I can finally take some time to write a blog post!
 
I'd like to show you what I've done so far in the third bedroom at Doc Holiday.  
It started out as a kitchen...
 
 
It had an adjoining full bath which seemed a little awkward to me so I decided to swap rooms and make this room a bedroom with ensuite bath and what used to be a bedroom (that you had to pass through to get to other rooms) became the kitchen.  We also created a new door to the back deck so that people would not have to come through this room to get outside.


The room was basically gutted.  Out came the old cabinets, appliances, chimney, and closet!
 
 
Happy discoveries were the wood floors and beautiful old boards that made up the 
walls and ceiling!  And I am crazy about the old door that leads into the bathroom!
 
 
It's rough but can you see the possibilities? Can't wait to show you what came next!
 

Friday, August 30, 2013

Are You Ready For Some Football?

The T-man, Tyler Man, Teebs, Teebles...all those endearing little names we've had for Tyler these past ten years are quickly becoming outgrown:(
 
Now it's #33 Patton...
 

 Yes, the times, they are a'changing...Last weekend Henry and I went to see  our 
grandson Tyler's first football game.
 
 It was a fun family day watching Tyler and his team. 
 
 
 
 
 I couldn't help wondering if this was just the beginning of bigger things for Tyler just like it was for my boy, his dad, who grew up and eventually played football for his 
high school and college
 
.
Who knows?  Right now it's enough to enjoy these beautiful Saturdays, look forward to the upcoming season and cheer for #33.  
 
 
Are you ready for some football?
 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Little House Bedroom is a Little Jewel!

A little jewel--that's what this bedroom is going to be.  The floor space is fairly small and with its king size bed, it is almost all bed--but it is still very pleasing to meOur "little house" bedroom is still a work in progress but let me show you what is done so far....




The comforter and two blue euro shams are from Echo's Sardinia collectionI wasn't crazy about the two regular pillow shams that came with the set but I think I will order one more blue euro sham.  I think maybe it would be good to find some decorative pillows that pick up some of the lime green in the spread to make the look more interesting....right now I am pondering.



As you can see I don't have a photo of the window with curtains.  The curtains are there now--Merete curtains in bleached white from Ikea but they needed hemming and were hung after I left Tybee.  I'll have to photograph them later.
 
I'm still looking at a way to improve storage for the room's guests and I'd like to change out a few pillows but it's almost there...a little jewel!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Oooo La La!

True Confessions...I am an eBay-a-holic.  I've found some great things for great prices using eBay and I love being able to shop in the convenience of my own home.

I began looking on eBay for a chandelier to use in the dining room at Doc Holiday.  I really love the vintage tole chandeliers that look like bamboo but are made of metal and there is usually a nice selection to choose from online.  My criteria was it had to be pretty and it had to be in working condition and it had to be inexpensive.

I finally found one I liked, bought it, and had it shipped. But it was damaged in the shipping.


Two of the arms were broken--Booo!  I was so disappointed but I didn't want to send it back because it was so well-priced.  So instead I found a handy friend, Drew McRay, who repaired it.

I was excited to try it out at Doc Holiday but booo again!  It seemed just a tad too small for the dining room but it was just right for the bedroom in the "little house".  So I asked Patricia from Tybee Girl Helpers to spray paint it and voila!

Doesn't this just beckon you to come closer?


It's amazing what a can or two of spray paint can do!  This one is Rustoleum Ultra Cover X 2 Glossy paint in Key Lime.


Ooo La La!  I just love it!


 Spray paint is awesome!  Have you ever spray painted something that transformed it's appearance?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments--share pictures or links if you'd like!
 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Just Like Magic!

Oooh how I love remodeling when we get to this fun stage that I will show you today!  We were planning to cover the walls with drywall and reuse the old door leading out to the porch.  We bought a new five panel door for the hall that matched the old door.


Drywall was put up, taped, and sanded. Our Allure vinyl flooring went in.  Molding was put up and primed.  And then came paint.  I loved the way Sherwin-Williams Buoyant Blue looked at the Coral Cottage--it played well with others--other colors, that is.

Let me just show you...
 
One
 

Two

 
Three



And after some measuring and furniture planning we realized that once we put a bed in the room, the only way to get into the bathroom and be able to close the door would be to have a barn door that could slide open and shut sooo...

One


 Two
 
 
 And Three
 
 
 Just like magic!  It's quite a transformation in about 3 weeks time!  But the magic is just beginning.  Oh yeah!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Demo Done ~ Building Begins!

It was fun last week to share finished projects like Jane Coslick's Cottage on the Green and our HGTV photo shoot at Coral Cottage!  Click the links and have a look if you didn't have a chance yetThis week I want to resume my posts on the "little house" part of Doc Holiday.


Everyone walking past the little house (attached to the main house) loved it and wanted to know what it was going to be.  We saved the little house and and turned it all into a master bedroom and bathroom.  In a previous post I showed just what a big job it turned out to be.  But finally the structure was made secure and it was time for insulation....

 
....Lots of insulation to keep the beach breezes from blowing through.   The walls were insulated from the outside and the floors were insulated as well from under the house.


See the little boxed area above the window and door?  The builder suggested we use the space above the porch for a little storage nook.  There isn't much storage space but it will add some architectural interest to the room.


The next post will be about the walls and trim--and what a difference it makes!  Can't
wait to show you!