Floors...

My biggest accomplishment today...we purchased our adorable Dutch door with sidelights- yay!  I heart Dutch doors.  I've *always* wanted one.  Sadly, it takes 5-6 weeks to be custom made so I probably won't have it until October.

Second biggest accomplishment...I think we finally decided on hardwood floors!  I think floors are the toughest decision.  The choices are beyond overwhelming, and you constantly second guess yourself.  We knew we didn't want a hint of red in them.  We knew we wanted much lighter than our old house.  We knew we wanted completely smooth or with just a small bevel between the planks.  We knew we wanted a matte finish- not shiny.  We knew we wanted large planks (6 3/8" to 7").  We thought we didn't want distressed, but I think I decided that we need at least slightly distressed (a)  for wear and tear purposes (hello, dog and 2 kids anyone?), (b) because everything I love is at least slightly distressed, and (c) it is more cape cod style.

Soooo, we narrowed it down to 4 choices (I'm not sure why I'm even posting photos because they color is SO off in photos, but at least you get the idea)...

Choice #4

This is the most expensive.  It's completely smooth and matte.  No ridges (bevel) between planks at all.  It's really pretty, but it made me think I don't want completely smooth because you could barely tell where the planks met- it was almost as if I laid down a sheet of plywood and stained it.  So this made me think I need at least a slight bevel between planks.

Choice #3

This is .20 cents less than than #4 but still quite expensive.  It's actually more similar in color to the one above than it looks in the photo.  It has a slight bevel and is distressed. 

Choice #2

This is actually a more ash or gray color than it looks in the photo.  It's almost smooth with a slight bevel.  I'm so into gray right now that I was really leaning towards this one with the gray hint to it, but I'm scared that I might not love it forever.  Gary LOVED the price because it was $3/foot cheaper than the ones above!!!!  I know $3 doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're covering around 2,300 sf, that is a savings of $6,900- yes please!

Choice #1

I'm 99% sure this is the winner.  It's mid-range in price and a beautiful color.  Slight bevel, slightly distressed, and we love the wood grain on this one.  It has a very matte finish, and I think it will sustain wear and tear really well. 

As for progress, we've been focusing on the backyard...

This is what the random enclosed thingy with a shed looks like now...

It was as tall as the brick wall and just a huge brick enclosed area that was totally empty except for that shed in the corner- SO random.  Never seen anything like it.

I don't think we have any before photos of it except kind of this one...

It's behind that first pilaster behind the 2 chairs with the table in the middle.

Less Ceilings, More Appliances

It's making me kind of anxious that more and more of our house is being taken out, but nothing is being put back in!  Here is what will hopefully be a coffered ceiling in somewhat near future...

And this is what was covering it...our "popcorn" ceilings are actually plaster- they are SO thick and heavy!  See how it just cracks?!

Ella's room had wall to wall built-ins...

But this is all that's left!

To feel like something was "done", we purchased our appliances today!  Here are the final picks...

KitchenAid Architect Series II 30-inch Convection Double Wall Ovens

KitchenAid Architect Series II 1200-watt Countertop microwave (and 30-inch trim kit, as it will be installed above our double ovens)

KitchenAid Commercial Style 36-inch 6-burner Gas Rangetop

KitchenAid Architect Series II 24-inch Dishwasher

Great Room

Aaaaaand, we have a great room!  Well, kind of.  We have the skeleton of a great room. :)

Looking from the family room into the kitchen...

From the entry...

From the kitchen towards the family room...

Bricks Anyone?

If anyone needs some truly used brick, head over to our new house!

Fireplace front...

Fireplace back...

The huge hole in my roof where the fireplace used to go through (!!!)...

Our kitchen ceiling is a little too "rustic" for me right now. ;)

Fence Talk

This is the fence I want for our front yard...

Does anyone know where I can get something like that already made?  I can't find it anywhere!  I'd prefer vinyl but wood is fine too.  I'm afraid we're going to have to custom make it, which will be another increased cost.  If anyone knows where to get something like that, please let me know!

Fireplace Demo

The fireplace is finally coming down- yeah!

This is the firebox that I want...

I am OBSESSED with the herringbone pattern.  I also want it on our driveway and pathway, but that's a whole 'nother story. :)

Money Pit

That is my life right now.

The hole in my kitchen ceiling is only getting worse, bigger and necessitating more re-framing...

We knew our living room floor was uneven because it is a sunken living room.  We didn't know that they floated the tile in the entry and hallways which is causing two additional different levels...

They were planning on doing an easy peasy fix of just using wood to make the living room even with the rest of the floors, but now, because of all the different levels, we have to do the extremely more expensive fix of pouring concrete all over the place to level all the floors.

I also just found out that California has the most strict residential fireplace requirements in the entire country so we are very limited on fireplace boxes.  I had picked out exactly what I wanted, but my contractor informed me that I am going to need to spend at least DOUBLE the price for something I don't like as much to pass inspection in CA.  Fabulous.  Oh, and we can't even submit the plans until I have the fireplace because we are required to provide dimensions in the plans.  Why am I tearing down a perfectly good wood-burning fireplace and rebuilding a non-wood-burning (b/c of course, in CA wood-burning is no longer allowed) fireplace in the same room????

The bar, which will be a closet, in the current family room, which will be the 4th bedroom, is almost out!

Bye Bye Built-in

If I don't post for a while, it's probably because I've been checked into a mental institution!  This process is beyond stressful (especially when your husband leaves for a 2 week business trip immediately after demo starts, and you are alone with the kids!).  It's just one thing after the other.  The popcorn ceiling is not in fact popcorn- it's PLASTER, an exterior stucco wall jets into the family room that can't be removed, the entire kitchen ceiling needs to be re-framed to be even, after you start to remove the flooring you find 87 different floor heights that all need to somehow be leveled.

And my favorite today...remember how I said one of the things I adore about owning an older home is all the cute little built-ins everywhere?  I wanted to try and keep all of those.  We have one in hallway between the kitchen and garage...

The reason you see light in between the top and bottom doors is because the other side now looks like this!!

It's on the far left...there used to be cabinets there!  Our demo guy tore them out.  Argh.  Apparently, it had to be done because that wall needed to be cleared (it's the wall that will have our ovens, a counter/cabinet section and the refrigerator). 

I'm sure this will all be worth it in the end? 

Mas Demo & More in the Kids' Bathroom

This is what part of the ceiling in my kitchen looks like now!

And here is all that missing stuff...

Everett's room used to look like this...

But now looks like this...

By the way, I'm not sure if you can tell in the photo, but the kids' closets are huge!  At least double the size of the last house- yippee!

And in case you doubted whether we are literally gutting to the studs, here are some studs for you. ;)

Where the kids' vanity used to be (love that wallpaper!)...

The toilet...

Everett "in the bath"...

I'm slowly but surely making decisions and purchases.  I bought these for the kids' bathroom...

I bought all the tile for shower and floor. Subway tile for the shower and as a wainscoting around the entire room, and 2" carrera hexagonal tiles with a long subway tile border for the floor that will look like this...

 I think their bathroom is going to be beautiful!  Probably far too pretty for two little dirt monsters.