And Speaking of Walls, What to do with a Stone Wall

Hello Everyone!  My last post boasted about my 2 out of 4 lovely walls that are now gracing our new shed, but if I back up the photo from the shed a bit, you'll see the old stone foundation of the original barn that was lost in the storm.  I absolutely LOVE this stone wall, but I'm not so sure it should remain in the same place. Should we leave the wall where it's lies and fix it up as an homage to the original?, or should we try and move it and give it a new purpose in life?  I will never get rid of the stones because I see them as a permanent fixture to the property no matter where they are located, but they do look a bit messy in this state.  Just not sure which steps to take.

I've been searching pics of really great things to do with dry stacked stone walls and it's inspiring to think of the possibilities for these stones. I don't know if I like that question mark end to this wall. I think the stone mason may be trapped inside the circle, eeek!

landscape design by portland landscape architect Samuel H. Williamson Associates

Maybe an aged look?  This reminds me of a wall on the grounds of an English Castle!

Source: buzzfeed.com via Michael on Pinterest

Or we could fill the foundation in with dirt and plant beautiful ornamental grasses and other "maintenance free" plants? I love ornamental grass.

Source: houzz.com via JennyandTony on Pinterest

I also thought we could put a little picket fence on top of the wall and a gate like this maybe?
It could be a good garden area.

Source: thisoldhouse.com via Sheila on Pinterest

Here's a couple of pics showing how we could move and re-purpose the stone.
Maybe to surround a pergola like this closer to the house?
Or use the stones for a bench or barbeque or something? I don't know what do you think?!

Source: dswa.ca via Ed on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Kelli on Pinterest

I think I am kind of liking the idea of filling in the space with dirt and use the stray stones to make a lovely set of steps like this. If you have any other ideas, please tell me!

Source: Uploaded by user via Dawn on Pinterest

Have a great week!!
-Jess xo

Yes...We Have Walls!

Hello Everyone!  Let me refresh your memory a bit.  We had lost a good portion of our old barn in a major storm a few years ago.  Such a shame, but it was deteriorating and the storm just pushed it over the edge.  We tore the rest down and saved every piece we could find until we could eventually built a shed, a BIG shed, out of the salvage.  Flash forward to today and we finally have a roof and 2 walls!  Why all of the excitement over something that's not even finished you ask? 
It's called progress.  And that goes a long way at our house because time is short and so is patience sometimes, but there is definitely light at the end of this tunnel.  Let's check out this progress then.  Remember this picture from a previous post?

Cut to, right this second...

We had to lay out all of the barn board to see what was usable and what goes in the burn pile.  Some were split beyond repair.  Unfortunately there was not enough old wood to re-use that would have made suitable roof rafters, but everything that could be salvaged, will definitely be used.

Pretty maids all in a row.

If you have a keen eye, you will notice that the tractor never moves...Ever!  I'm not complaining though because all of this work has amounted to this... Yes, my fine peeps, we have walls!

2 walls out of 4!  Done.  Now that's progress.  Since the hubby is out there working on wall 3, maybe I should help the cause and get out there and pitch in huh?!
Happy Easter!

-Jess xo

A New Ceiling...What To Do?

Hello Everyone!
I've been crazy busy, then sick, then tired, and now I think I'm back on track here.  Finally!  I hate been sick it's such a drag, but laying around certainly gave me enough time to dwell on our soon-to-be gutted upstairs remodel project. Contractor comes in a couple weeks. Remember the mess I have to clean out before we gut it?... 

Well, I was thinking...when we finally finish the space, what can I do to make this space unique and have that bungalow charm that I love so much?  In a space like this that has practically zero vertical wall space, the focus will be on ceilings and floors.  I love the character of the old hardwood floors so those will stay and get refinished.  But the ceiling...what to do, what to do?

Maybe something like this?  On a smaller scale of course

bedroom design by new york architect Workshop/apd

 Or something like this?  No beams.

http://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic/bedroom

Or maybe something using our old barn beams still stacked outside?


http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/FE.FI.FAUX.FUM--Painting.And.Faux.Finishing.205-915-2629/picture/view/1653314

Maybe that's a little much:/  Or maybe just stick with plain old drywall. 
Keep it clean and simple and focus on really cool decor like this photo below...

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

What do you guys think? Beam it, wood slat it, or drywall it?? Let me know if you have any other ideas. Have a great weekend! What's left of it.


-Jess xo

Square Footage...How Small Can You Go?

Hello Everyone!
Another busy week and I'm lagging on the blog-front, but I'm back!  Does anyone watch "House Hunters" on HGTV?? 



http://hermanchan.net/blog/2010/03/19/herman-on-hgtvs-house-hunters/

I do love that show!  I find it funny and slightly disturbing any time a couple goes through a

Gi-Normous house and they are sooooooo disappointed because, how on Earth will their kids ever be able to share one bathroom sink?!  Or, "We have 2 children, 5 bedrooms will not be enough!".  Is it just me that finds this strange?  Maybe because I have never lived in a gi-normous house and do not know what it's like to be able to spread those wings!  When you look around at what other people live in, especially on these shows like...Selling LA and House Hunters it's hard not to compare your own home, look around your living room while you watch, and think...how'd I end up in this dump!.Ha.  Then you watch Selling New York and see bidding wars over million dollar apartments the size of a tissue box and think...Girl I got it gooooood:)  Don't get me wrong there are times when I think we should find a bigger house, maybe we will some day, but I keep looking and coming up empty on style and character when it comes to getting more square footage.  So, here we stay!  It takes real saavy and organization to live well and raise a family in a small home and I'm proud to say I am one of those people.  Cheers to the little houses of the world! 

Here are a few of my favorite petite styles.  Timeless, Classic, Beautiful....

http://www.essential-architecture.com/IMAGES2/BUNGALOW(4).JPG

The Craftsman Bungalow.  My very favorite!  The dark/white contrast lets the details shine.

http://www.sbconservancy.org/reminiscing.htm

The Spanish style Bungalow.  If I ever moved to Cali, I would be crazy to not live in one...so many are serious architectural gems!  By the way, I had a thought, if you did live in a California style climate (which unfortunately I do NOT), if you need more square footage, take it outside!  Outdoor rooms could be a whole other post that I'll touch on at some point, but this one is Spanish style so I'll just pop it in:)

mediterranean landscape design by san luis obispo landscape architect Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture

This Victorian Bungalow is fabulous!  Even more fabulous because it's from my beautiful home state of Iowa.  Let me just say, I would not have energy to own this house.  Can you see yourself out there on a ladder year after year working on that paint job?

Let's face it, owning a small home may be less maintenance, but when you have an old architecturally detailed house like the ones above, it's not going to be a walk in the park. The exterior maintenance can be all consuming sometimes. They are not for everyone, I just wanted to remind myself that it's not always about square footage.  I know the tniy house revolution is here, however, square footage CAN make some difference...
I mean, could you live in this???



http://livingroomrealtors.com/tiny-house-revolution/

NEVER!  So cute though:)
Have a great weekend!!

-Jess xo

A New Roof and Dormers Coming Soon...See What You Think!

Hey everyone!  I wanted to share what I have been up to this week.  You've heard me yapping about this " Major Project II" that is supposedly coming soon.  Well...it's happening so let me tell you more about it.  We live in a 1 1/2 story bungalow.  Small, yes, so we want to maximize space for our growing family rather than leave the house/location we love.  So, like I always say, when you can't go out, Go Up!  So we are gutting and finishing the upstairs.  Yay!  I can't wait.  I love a finished project, even though while construction is happening I moan about how it's the bain of my existence, but I'm hoping the end result is worth it.  Hope hope.  Let me show you what it looks like right now, mess and all, check it out!  Everything is being moved to the basement.  It's half empty...

The half wall surrounds the steps going down to the main level.  Also, behind that beautiful yellow smoke alarm in the upper left corner...is a beautiful brick chimney that will soon be exposed;)
The previous owner's had split this space in two for a bedroom for each of their boys, but it has seen better days.  The particle board panel ceiling is falling in, and when that is re-done with drywall, I envision doing away with the flat part of the ceiling and giving a hair more headroom with a peak instead.  Here's a view looking back towards the steps.....Don't judge me it's a mess!

Beautiful floors huh?!  I want to refinish those hopefully.  The biggest part of the project is the new dormers that will be added to each side of the roof.  I hope it will help enlarge the look of the space by adding a little more square footage and A LOT more light!!  Here's our house sans dormers as it is right now...

In this pic below I did a little cut and pastey job on a photo to get the idea of what dormers could look like.  My main concern is that the new dormers do NOT take away from the original Arts and Crafts bungalow style.  If it doesn't look somewhat original to the house, it's going to feel off.  Boy I hope this works!  What do you think of adding dormers???  These are definitely NOT to scale, but this pic is just to give you an idea...

In looking at pics of other half story re-designs, I found this kids area that is really cool below!!  I really dream of an all white master suite, kissed by the warmth of finished wood floors.  Ha ha.  But we are seriously tossing around the idea of a great big space for Evan too.  He'd love it!!

 

eclectic kids design

Maybe with some great storage solutions for toys??

traditional bedroom design by seattle kitchen and bath Kitchen & Bath Design Center

Maybe my living room won't look like this quite as often?? :)  Probably wishful thinking huh?!

Well, that's what is happening around here! Just a lot of box moving, toy shifting, soon-to-be wall gutting weekends until the contractor starts in April. Let me know what you think... and I'll keep you posted! I'm going outside to sort barnboard for the "still-going" Major Project I - The new shed.  Ugh!
Have a great weekend!
-Jess xo

What I love about my home

Last weekend we were blanketed with a lovely coat of fresh snow.  Though I hate winter most of the time, when a nice heavy snow (I'm not talking a blizzard here) covers my world with a new freshness, I think it makes everything look clean and beautiful.  Kind of like when you step back and look at your new freshly painted white wall.  You rediscover it's potential; like looking at a clean slate.  After a chilly, sloppy winter, I was happy for this fresh clean look.  Two days later it's 60 something degrees and we are left with yet another sloppy mess.  Don't get me wrong, I love the warmer temps.  When the mercury rises, my mood goes up right along with.  However, last weekend gave me a chance to fall in love with the look of my house again and look forward to a spring and summer full of project potential.  That fresh coat of white reminded me all of the things I love about this little bungalow and I thought I'd share those things with you...
I love our creek, so still and peaceful.

I love the trails.  Noah has spent so much time blazing these beautiful trails through the woods.  I look forward to our summer walks.

I love the house!  Our little country bungalow in the woods.  So safe and hidden away.  Though let me just say that when it becomes a muddy mess and I move closer to the house and see all of the work that needs done, I cringe, but at a distance...all covered in white...how charming!:)

With that muddy mess comes the promise of spring and summer.  I'm ready!!
I love that we live one mile from the boat ramp.  Can't wait to go rollin' on the river!

Hidden away, but with wide open spaces to play...

And relax... that's me fishing of the old pier 1 mile away.

Think spring everyone!  It's right around the corner, new house projects await!
Have a great weekend:)

-Jess xo

Dutch Doors

Hello everyone! I have always loved the idea of a Dutch door.  So, about a year ago (quite possibly longer), I ran across one at one of my hotspots The Habitat for Humanity's Re-Store.  I got it for the door to our basement steps. Initially, it seemed like the perfect size for the stairway.  The idea was so great for a Dutch door right there because I could leave the top half open so it would still "visually" open up the lower level, but still keep the bottom closed for a wandering toddler.  Well guess what...it didn't fit.  I mean, I knew it wasn't going to fit exactly and may need modified, but it REALLY didn't fit.  We only have a 27" wide opening to our basement and this thing was like 34".  You know, like a normal door should be.  Since we were finishing the basement bathroom and hadn't even framed in a door yet...we went Dutch:)  It really needed some fill work and nice clean sanded finish.  After a year...we just finished this thing!  Now it's officially installed and we can actually have a little privacy.

It used to be this lovely shade of yellow...

You may be wondering what this aqua blue colored stuff is that is filling several nooks and crannies?  Well...it's fiberglass filler.  Like what you'd use on a car body.  Weird huh? My hubby's in the auto biz and we always have an ample supply, so years ago we started patching walls and other minor things with it and it just seems to work really well!  Pretty awesome actually!  The problem with using it is, the door will always have to be painted and can never be refinished.  I was ok with that.

With a fresh coat of white, the final result is...(drum roll)........
Tah-dah!



















The windows originally were clear, but for a bathroom application I frosted them with spray frost. I was skeptical about it, but it actually worked really well and doesn't feel gritty like it would be hard to clean.  The paint is Dutch Boy cabinet and trim paint in white.  I love the character of a Dutch door, and even though I didn't get to use it how I really wanted, the idea of still being able to have one (even if it is the bathroom), is good enough for me:)
Oh yes, you may have seen there is no door knob.  The rest of our house has old glass knobs, and I have an extra, but it has yet to make it on the door.  But it looks like this...

Here are a few pics of some great uses of Dutch doors I've been browsing lately. 
So much classier than a baby gate!  Brilliant.

Source: kellyraeroberts.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: blueprintbliss.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Back to it's roots...this is a 17th century painting by a Dutch artist.  See the Dutch door in the background??  I'm kinda loving this interior by the way.  Good colors and windows for the 17th century!

http://rezwanabashirstudio32010.blogspot.com/2010/04/project-2-17th-century-dutch-painting_14.html

Well everyone, hope you have a great weekend!!  Thanks for reading all of our latest crazy endeavors.  See ya next week!

-Jess xo