Kitchen designing Charette at Ikea

Carmen and I needed to break out of the bounds of our computer and sketchpads and see some kitchen layouts in person.  So, Friday we packed up and braved a trip up I-95 to Ikea.  The trip up was smooth sailing.  We arrived around 7pm and moved quickly from model kitchen to model kitchen checking out finishes and arrangements.  We had done a little homework ahead of time and came up to Ikea with a design like this in mind:

We figured the extra counter and storage space of the island would be great to have and felt better about how open it was relative to our old kitchen.  Here's a picture of the island above in a kitchen we saw at Ikea:

After a few minutes taking measurements, we started to realize that the island, as we had envisioned it, was not really going to fit.  This opened things up for us as to what the middle of the kitchen might look like. 

About an hour or so into our trip to Ikea we ran into this kitchen:

This is the kitchen Carmen kept mentioning as we recalled the cabinet finish and room colors on the ride up.  What do you know, that they had a picture of the cathedral Sacre Coeur in Paris hanging on the wall of the kitchen.  It just happens that is where we were engaged to be married.  Of course, this sealed the deal on the cabinet finish. It also happened to have the kitchen table in the middle of the room and it got me to thinking about eliminating the island cabinets and bringing the dining table into the kitchen.  Carmen liked the idea and I think that's how we're going to build it.  The plus of this design is that we keep the rooms distinct and we free up space for a computer desk in what was the dining room.  It will be nice to have a place other than the dining table for our laptops!  Here's what we think it may look like:

So, that's where we left it.  Just a couple more weeks and we'll be placing the order!  Hopefully Carmen and I will be able to nail down the gist of the order this week and doa  finer check next week.

Woohoo!



Knocking down old doors and Opening up new doors

Another week of construction has passed at 307A.  We were able to virtually complete demolition of the interior finishes downstairs and started on some alterations to the interior framing.  However, this week was most poignantly marked by the arrival of a new door and twin window to replace the busted up aluminum sliding door we demolished at the back of the house last week. 

The door and windows arrived on Friday afternoon just in time for us to install on Saturday.  They were graciously delivered by Carmen's dad, John,  from Purcell Lumber in Louisa.  Carmen and I were on the road that evening, so we (and John) were thankful that our friend Matt Bernstein was willing to stop by and help unload the windows/door. 

Kyle and I framed the new openings Saturday morning and were installing them by midday.  My parents arrived at the house around 1pm.  My dad helped collect some of the demolition debris and clear a work-space on the patio and my mom went straight to pruning the lavender bushes which were sorely in need ot some TLC.  Not long after, my dad started on priming the front of the house.  Carmen's dad showed up soon after and helped wrap up the priming effort on the hardie panel and battens on the front of the house.  Meanwhile, Kyle and I sealed and leveled the window/door.  We closed out the day by completing demolition of the remaining drywall and insulation.  It was a refreshing feeling to have all of the old drywall removed and clean studs to work with.  I'm sure our MEP contractor will apreciate the open walls as well.

Sunday was a short but productive day.  The day kicked off with a few curious kids from down the street running around the house and asking why we were taking the house apart.  The eventually found the guest bed upstairs and enjoyed a little bouncing on the mattress.  Kyle showed up shortly after and we got to work on the cedar battens.  By the end of the day, we had put up all but 2 ro 3 of the battens along the long wall of the house.

One thing I forgot to mention was that Matt Bernstein came by earlier in the week and help me start some re-framing of the interior walls to fit the new kitchen design.  Hopefully, Kyle and I will wrap that up tomorrow evening  as well as the framing beneath the stair and trim around the back window/door.

The week ahead will hopefully be the start of our MEP work - new electrical panel, new heat pump, new water heater, relocated washer/dryer, new outlets for an oven, microwave and dishwasher.  Once they have completed the exterior panel work, Kyle and I will follow behind with sheathing, tyvek, siding and battens to finish out the corner.  When it's all said and done, we will have a patio without the noise of the heat pump, a kitchen without the noise of the washer/dryer and a dishwasher we didn't have before....very exciting!

You can see more photos of our progress at:  https://picasaweb.google.com/112282802816936221737/307AConstructionPhotos0711071602?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNfk3oOvvrH4kQE&feat=directlink

Thanks for checking in!
Love,
Justin, Carmen and Norah

Construction Photos 07/05 - 07/10

Here is a link to photos from the past week of construction.  Slowly but surely she's coming together.  Can't wait to get the exterior buttoned up so we can slap some paint on the walls!

https://picasaweb.google.com/112282802816936221737/307AConstructionPhotos07050710?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLX_8pKeoLaaAg&feat=directlink

New window installation, Old door demolition and Insect eviction

It was another lively week of construction at the Walton Residence-to-be.  Kyle and I battened up the front and worked our way around the side with more Hardie Panel siding.  We installed the new awning window - which was very exciting!  We've worked our way around the back with demolition, pulling all of the remaining siding and sheathing off up to the last 4 feet at the electrical panel.  Also demolished was the busted up aluminum & glass sliding door at the back which appeared at times as if it might fall apart and shatter all over the patio...Thankfully it did not.

In the midst of our demolition around the back we found a second deposit of ants and eggs, the first being just around the corner behind what was the shed.  I think we've seen the last of the ants - I hope.  Not a day of construction goes by that I'm not  thankful we just gutted it and started over.  We've encountered huge gaps in insulation, dry rotted sheathing and siding, dryer vents to nowhere and studs literally cut in two.  I feel a lot better about finishing the interior now that I know the exterior will actually be weather tight and (hopefully) bug free.

In other news, the Lord was gracious to our family in setting up a day off from construction at the house today.  Kyle had to take off for the day to be with his kids, so we visited with friends at lunch, ran around downtown with Norah and enjoyed a great night with our homegroup.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed time, prayers, and gifts to help us press forward on the renovation.  It's a blessing to see the house being restored and gives us hope for our future there.  Please feel free to drop a line and ask questions if you'd like to know more.  It's a wild ride, but our Father is sovereign - He knew the beginning and knows the end.


In Him,
The Waltons

Construction Photos 06.28 - 07.04

We've tried to keep track of progress over the past 10 days or so.  A lot has happened in a short time!  Here are a few photos to give you an idea of what's been going on.

Starting to take down the drywall on the coat closet (left).  It and the washer-dryer closet (center) will be coming down to open up the kitchen.  We're moving the w/d under the stairs and the coats will just have to hang on the wall.

We're framing in a new window to get some light in the middle of the house!  Crossing our fingers that the stacked w/d (center) will still work.

Siding off, sheathing off, sheathing on, paper on and sealed up.  That's Kyle checking the level on our skirt board before we start to measure cuts for siding.

Another shot of the new window-to-be, yes we're excited about the window.  The range, though still here, did not make it through the flood.  Ah well!

Our new kitchen-to-be.  We've demolished the closet and two walls of the old washer-dryer room.  You can just barely make out traces of the walls on our floor.  I'm working on a detail for the giant holes in our ceiling where the closets used to be. 

Base trim, flashing, smooth Hardie panel and cedar battens are up.  Add some door trim and this side will be ready for a coat of paint!  Very exciting. 

You can see some more photos on our picasa site at: https://picasaweb.google.com/112282802816936221737/307AConstructionPhotos06250704?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIWA9vDfteShQA&feat=directlink

Work is underway!

To all of our friends and family who have so faithfully stood with us since the flooding of our home - thank you so much!  It has been quite a journey, marked time and again with the fingerprints of our Father.  I must admit, the process has been hard, but I believe just enough so.  We've benefited from the compassion and faithfulness of so many friends who walk with us, our families who have taken us in and cared for Norah week after week, and from the Lord who always encourages us precisely when we've had about as much as we can handle.  

After eighteen months, we have pieced together funds to start renovating our house and are hoping the Lord makes our loaves and fish just enough to guide us through to completion.  To be sure, some measures have been taken to prevent the drain from clogging again.  Of course, we can't be 100% sure, but we still own it, so rebuild it is!  We're praying and trusting the Lord will dry up the waters like He did at the Jordan River some years back.

About one week ago we started demolition on the exterior siding and interior walls/floors.  A friend and contractor, Kyle Rannigan, has graciously agreed to work on the side to help us rebuild the exterior and re-frame some interior walls.  Also, after three weeks of evaluating pricing proposals from mechanical contractors, we are on track to get our HVAC up and running, water heater and electrical panel replaced, and washer/dryer relocated under the stairs. 

Kyle and I are working Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, as well as Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. Carmen is keeping a close eye on every penny spent and helping hold the budget tight.  Carmen's father, John, is faithfully ordering and delivering materials to the house.  Neighbors and friends are stopping by to offer words of encouragement as we tear down the old and rebuild the bottom floor.  It sure is wonderful to see our neighbors again!

Seeing all of the broken, stained and tired pieces of our house removed and replaced has brought new life and hope to me as I pull away each evening.  We are excited to show Norah her very own room and look forward to practicing some of the same hospitality and generosity that has been offered to us. We hope the Father will be honored through the rebuilding of our broken walls.  He is the Architect after all - "He is before all things, and by Him all things consist" Colossians 1:17.