The Butler Did It!



A New Crew--Jim and Lynne

We just got back from spending an expanded 4th of July weekend in  Edenton. We were lucky to have Lynne and Jim (my sister and her husband) with us. They are experienced home builders with a lot of talents and ideas to offer, having designed and built their own home in the mid 1970’s.

Once again, we were welcomed by the many changes that had occurred since our last visit. The kitchen cabinets have arrived, and a few were installed. More were being installed by Scott’s crew when we left to go home on Tuesday. I love the simplicity of the Shaker style, and the richness of the medium cherry color. And they look great against the fireplace brick, natural oak floor, and the “Exciting Orange” color we painted on the walls.




The Sink Area

  




The Cooktop and
Counter Area



The other big surprise was the progress in the master bathroom. The tub had been delivered and the former closet where it will be placed had been reframed to make an enticing cave-like alcove. The pocket door was relocated to create some privacy between the bedroom and the bathroom. I am looking forward to the day when I can fill the new tub with water, slide in and enjoy this new area.



The Tub Awaits Installation

While Scott and his crew continue their work on the kitchen and master bath, we focused our attention on a different set of goals. While our to-do lists (we normally work in teams) contained a number of items, we were primarily focused on repurposing the closet under the stairs into a “butler’s pantry”. This was a multi-faceted project that included ripping out the existing drywall and re-studding two of the walls; installing, mudding, and painting new drywall; and refinishing two of the old kitchen cabinets so they could be re-installed in this area. Since we are also going to add a beverage cooler to this area, we need to add some electrical. However, a new circuit needs to be run—and that means crawling around underneath the house—so we decided to outsource that job to John the electrician.



Jim Puts Up Studs



Lynne Refinishes a Cabinet

Pecan Shells Found Behind the Walls

While this may not sound like a big project, it took us the full four days to complete the task. Crooked walls were Jim’s nemesis making what should have been a fairly straight forward project into a more difficult one. Behind the old walls, he found a number of hollow pecan nuts. Ambitious squirrels—anticipating a cold winter—must have collected them from the pecan trees on the property and brought them into this warm, comfy resting place. 

Meanwhile, Lynne and I were out in the carport transforming two of the old kitchen cabinets into “new” ones by applying 5 layers of primer, paint and sealer. While slow, the task was made more challenging by the 100°+ weather we were experiencing.

Our final challenge came when the guys lifted the upper glass cabinet into the new pantry area only to find it was a few inches too long to make the turn so it could be hoisted onto the wall. After a little head banging and a multitude of “what ifs”, Lynne suggested we cut a hole in the drywall to provide the cabinet the additional space needed to make the turn. As Larry shed a tear, he got out his knife and cut a three foot by 9 inch hole into the drywall he just hung, spackled, and painted. On the count of 3 the guys lifted, turned and placed the cabinet against the back wall. Eight screws later it was perched in its new home. Now would have been a good time to celebrate with a cold drink from the beverage cooler, if we had run that electric circuit.

Finding and Extra Inch

It Fits!

Repairing the Laundry Room Walls

When not providing a helping hand to Jim on the butler’s pantry, Larry took on making some much needed repairs to the walls in the laundry room. Right now, this area is empty. The washer and dryer and storage shelves were all removed several weeks ago as was the old linoleum flooring. We plan to remove the water heater as well, but are waiting for John the plumber to do so when he installs the new gas tankless water heater, water softener system and utility sink. Dane from Ellis Flooring will be installing the new slate floor. Larry raised his hand to repair and paint the walls (they were full of holes from the wood and metal shelves that had been installed) and install a new light fixture. Once again, what should have been a relatively simple but time consuming project turned out to be more complex when Larry learned the walls were plaster. Never having done plaster repair, he had to purchase some different products and adjust his technique. He certainly is a fast learner because by the end of the weekend we had a freshly painted laundry room waiting to be filled with new appliances. 

Repairing the Bookcase

In between building out the butler’s pantry, the team tackled a number of smaller  projects. Jim became our resident wood repair man replicating chunks of missing wood from door jam, window frames and the living room book case. Using a product called Bondo (intended for body repair work on cars); he made these areas look new. With a fresh coat of paint you’ll never know where the wood stops and the Bondo starts. He also repaired and reinstalled a finial from the banister of the back stairs that had rotted and broke off, mounted a pair of plantation shutters in the upstairs hallway, and hung a towel bar in the hall bath.

When Lynne and I weren’t outside sweating to death, we were inside painting. By the end of the weekend, the two remaining bedroom closets had been painted marking the completion of one of our “must get done before we move-in goals”. The foyer closet also got a coat of paint, but we realized it needed some wall repair by Larry before we could give it a second coat. Looking for anything that might keep us from working outside in the heat, we also finished removing the red wallpaper from the family room.

Jill Paints the Cabinet for the Butler Pantry

Is Lynne Resting or Painting?



More Wallpaper is Removed from
the Downstairs Bath

  While not included on our list of “must get done before we move-in goals”, Lynne decided she couldn’t stand the wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom and had it stripped from the walls before I could ask, “What are you doing?” The room looks much bigger and brighter…and I’m glad she just did it.