Three Trips to the Hardware Store and They Were Done!

Mudroom Cabinets and Floor

It was back to Edenton this weekend, with Nancy and Gary in tow. While I’m excited to see the progress made by Scott and his team, the drive back and forth is getting tiresome. Larry announced September 8th will be his last day at work so we’re planning on moving in late-September. That means we only have one or two more trips to make before we move.

Coming through the kitchen door we saw the windows in the mudroom and rear exterior door had been replaced, and the cabinets and slate floor had been installed. Once again there was a miscommunication between us and Scott and the cabinets were not exactly as we expected. Scott offered to make whatever changes we wanted and with some minor modifications we settled on a plan I am happy with.


Thomas Helps Us Paint


With the installation of the new windows and door, we had a lot of priming to do so we hired Thomas to help us. Ironically, Thomas grew up in the "Big Yellow House". He’s part of the Cumby family and is currently living next door while he awaits entrance into the Coast Guard. He was happy to have the work, and we were happy to have his help. While Thomas primed the exterior walls, Nancy and I primed the exterior door.

Knowing we needed to paint the exterior doors with their new color soon, Nancy and I took a walk around the neighborhood to look at the colors others have painted their doors, windows and trim. While we plan to leave the house pale yellow, the metal roof "Edenton Green", and the window sashes white, eventually we’d like to paint the window trim (currently white), doors (white or Edenton Green), and porch railing (white) new colors. I definitely want to add some pops of color, especially since we are also planning eventually to remove the remaining Edenton Green wood shutters from the windows. While I love the shutters and hate to take them down, more than half are missing and many of those remaining need significant repair. Being in the historical district, any replacement would have to be wood and that’s a reoccurring cost I just don’t want to take on.


After much discussion, and looking at lots of color swatches, I’ve decided to use “Classic French Gray” on the window trim and porch railing and “Teal Stencil” on all four exterior doors. Since we also have a screen door on the front porch door, it will be painted Teal Stencil too. Before we make the changes everywhere, I am going to try out the new combination outside of the mudroom where the new windows and exterior door were just installed. Since this area is hidden at the back of the house, if it looks horrible nobody will know but us and our neighbors Kenny and Mistie. I’ll show you what it ends up looking like in a future post.


The floor in the mud and laundry rooms has also been installed. I love how the colors in the slate harmonize with the old brick in the nearby fireplace chimney while toning-down the orange on the walls. We purchased some similar slate that looks like a stacked stone wall and Gary installed it as a backsplash behind the utility sink. I forgot to take pictures before we left so I’ll have to do so the next time we are down.



Our Tiny But Efficient Laundry Room


Speaking of the laundry room, Alan the plumber made a lot of progress in there. All of those canisters on the floor represent the equipment needed for our new water softener and water purifier. Outside, hanging on the exterior wall, is the tankless water heater. This all looks kind of ugly, so I’ll have to come up with a plan to camouflage it. The metal box housing the tankless water heater on the outside wall is particularly ugly. I’ll post a picture soon and you can offer your suggestions for hiding it.



Master Bathroom Floor



Most of the guys work this weekend focused on the master bath. When we arrived, we were happy to see the new porcelain tile floor and the black subway tile around the shower door had been installed. That meant it was time for Larry and Gary to install the vanity. Purchased at Home Goods for $599 this was one great find.

I Think They Got High on that Glue

Not only is the frame made of real wood, it came with two under mount ceramic wash basins and a black granite countertop. These materials, however, make it extremely heavy. Once the guys muscled it into place, they went to work modifying the existing plumbing. After just three trips to hardware store, we had water! Unfortunately, the pipes had to be run from the left wall through the cabinet to both sinks and so we lost some storage space under the counter. While one of the draws still needs to be shortened and the granite backsplash needs to be cut, Gary and Larry did a wonderful job making this great find priceless. I just love it!



A Bargain at $599 from Home Goods

While Gary and Larry worked on the vanity, Nancy and I primed the walls in the new tub area. We also painted the bead board paneling that is going to be applied to the bottom portion of the walls around the tub area. We used a gray color called “Fawn Brindle”, the same gray that is going to go on the accent wall in the master bedroom.


Nancy Paints the Alcove for the New Tub



Over the next two weeks we expect a lot of the final details in the kitchen, mud room and master bath to be finished. Dave Sampson from Mastercraft Floors will also be in to begin refinishing the wood floors and stairs. That work doesn’t include shortening the center island in the kitchen. After talking with Nancy and Gary about my dilemma, I decided not to have the counter height shortened. The height has started growing on me the way it is, and I just don’t want to take the chance of breaking the granite.


Driving home reflecting on the work that’s been done by the professionals, I regret I wasn’t around more when they were actually working. While we’ve done our best to communicate what we envisioned and they’ve done their best to give us what we asked for, there’s nothing like seeing something to know whether what you had in mind is what you really want. Next time (will there be a next time?), I hope not to be renovating from 250 miles away.

A Costly Miscommunication

Admiring an Antique Clock

Larry and I made a quick trip to the house this weekend. Since the water heater had been removed, we stayed at the Pack House Inn. This time, we stayed in the main house—once known as the Proprietor’s Inn. Michael and Giuliano run a great B&B and I was happy each evening to go back to a hot bath and a real bed. Ironically, while I was wondering around the main building I came across an antique clock that could be a cousin to a clock I bought at auction in Colonial Beach about a month ago.  I’d show you a picture of my clock, but it’s at the clock shop in Vienna being cleaned and repaired. When I get it back, I'll post a picture of the two together. I can’t wait to get it back and sit it on our living room mantle.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

When we arrived at the house, I couldn’t help but sing the lyrics of Signs, a well-known song of the 1960s by the Five Man Electrical Band. “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind. Do this, don’t do that. Can’t you read the sign?” It seems like everyone was getting into the act advertising their business by placing a sign on our front lawn.

The Color on the Roof is Called "Edenton Green"

The signs told us R&D Construction had been to the house, giving us a newly repaired and painted roof. With a 5 year warranty, we are hoping this investment will ward off all future ceiling leaks. The second sign, from HomeStyle, announced our appliances had been installed. I couldn’t wait to get out of the car and into the kitchen—but not before thinking maybe we should get our own sign that says, “Almost Out of Money”.

The Counter Tops Look Awesome

As we entered the kitchen we were welcomed by our new granite counter tops. They looked fantastic and really showed off the cherry cabinets. I immediately loved them. As I walked around the room, however, it seemed something wasn’t right. The center island was too high. I pulled up one of the counter stools from our Stone Vale house and it was immediately obvious the center island had been set at bar height vs. just above counter height as I had envisioned. Crap. How did that happen? And what could be done about it? I’m paying five times what my annual salary was in my first job for this kitchen and it’s not what I wanted!!!!

The next day Scott came by the house and told me (after a big sigh) it was possible to take the granite counter top off, cut down the counter and re-install the granite. Taking a big breath and letting out an even bigger sigh, I asked him to make the change. I may be smiling in the picture, but inside I was crying. My dear patient husband didn’t say much, but inside I’m pretty sure he was screaming.