Entry Door Upgrade

If I've learned anything during this remodel it is that everything is a production.  Replacing my front door was no exception.  There are the hours of research to figure out what I like, the shopping for the best price or in this case trying to find anyone that can even make it, and then the mistakes when it is screwed up.  The devil was in the details of this door.  Fortunately Chris had no problems installing it when they finally got it right.

This is the before picture.

This was the door I wanted.  Being that it would face west I was not able to do a stain finish and it could not be black.  I ordered it primed and pre-hung.

There are millions of handles to choose from.  For a long time I had no idea what I even wanted.  I finally decided to go with the egg shaped interior knob on the Baldwin Cody.

This handle just feels right.

After being told it would be 5-6 weeks, this arrived after 12 weeks.  The dentil shelf was too high.

After a couple more weeks, I got this picture and a message that it was done.  Now it was too low.

After another couple weeks they got it right and I had it.

Next I had to fill nail holes, sand, do a little priming, and paint it.  The old door is in the back.  

Painting this thing was intimidating.  It looked like I was really messing it up.

After a while it started to look better and I was able to reveal the textured glass.

Soon my old door was gone.

For a while my house was open to the world while Chris prepared to install the new door.

I love how the curve of the glass matches the curve of the porch ceiling.

There are still ball hinges to be installed, but the living room is lightened up and has a cozy feeling.  I had no idea what an adventure this would be, but in the end it was definitely worth it. 

November Update

There has been so much going on at the house that I have not had time to keep up the blog.  Since I last posted, the house has been rewired, all the duct work has been replaced, I got a new roof, and everything in the pictures below.  It is not done but it is getting there.

I kind of like not having front stairs but that will not last long.

Living room before picture.  Notice the plywood covering the windows, the louvered doors to the bedroom, and how dark the brick is.  The gas insert didn't work, and when I tried to clean the large windows water came in the house.  You can't see it but the sconces were from the 70s and there was a popcorn ceiling.

Living room after picture.  There is a stray door leaning on the bookshelves, but it is a much nicer room.

Two beams were added in the living room to support the additional weight of the dormer.

Louvered bi-fold doors were replaced with french doors.

Cracked red tile was replace with slate and the gas insert was fixed.

Large windows replaced, small windows are original and painted to match.  Fireplace and book shelves were painted.

This shows where we found a window in the wall.  I replaced it with an awning style window and it is so nice to have one that opens.

I finally got to unpack the chandelier I used to have in my bedroom.  Now I feel like I am home.

View from the dormer to the bedroom with my free Jotul stove.  The guy I hired to repair my chimney was moving and gave it away.  The story is that it came from a mansion on Whidbey Island.

This is the dormer.  It faces due west.

The boards of the dormer ceiling are the fir floors that were in the existing bedrooms.  They were cleaned up, planed, and white washed.

This is the bathroom which was one of the original bedrooms.

These are the doors of the closet at one end of the bathroom.

This is the laundry center that is tucked in its own little closet in the bathroom.

Shower with bench, two niches, and shelf.  Hand held near bench and shower head still to come.

Shelf and pipe for hand held.

Temperature and diverter control.

Shower arm installed, shower head still to come.

South west view from dormer.

West view from dormer.

Basement Treasures

During work in the basement, these objects were discovered under the exterior stairs by my contractor Chris.  That area was only accessible from the basement.

All liquor bottles, I looked up the mark on the bottom of one and it was from the 1960s.  My theory is a drunken husband or wife was hiding the evidence.  Also, the item that looks like a paint brush handle was found.  Not sure what it is.

Embossing of George Washington.  

Trophy and case with sliding glass and screws to mount it on a wall.

There were at least two box factories in Everett.  Goldthwaite-Shaw Lumber and Box, and Everett Box Company.  More research is needed to figure out which one.

This was probably used for matches or toothpicks.

This board appears to say Scotty's Everett Debt Store.  More research is needed at the local library.

This horse shoe has been painted blue.  I should probably hang it up at least until the remodel is complete.

Welcome to the Grow Room Part 2

Full disclosure: No, it's not really a grow room.  But the first time I went in it with my real estate agent, we thought it had been one.  I've since been told by someone who knows about these things that there was not enough electricity or ventilation to be a grow room.  Regardless, it will forever be called "The Grow Room."  For part 1 of Welcome to the Grow Room, click here.

There has been a lot of work in the basement lately and here are the latest pictures combined with some older ones so you can see the progress.  I plan to use this room for storage and my home office during the work upstairs and in the attic.  When the remodel is done I think I will put in a sleeper sofa and decorate it for guests.

Chris, my general contractor, put in supports on the front wall of the house.  This is part of the engineering plan to hold up the additional weight of the dormer.

This is the progression on the north wall.

Paneling

Framing

I hid a letter for the next person who takes apart this room.  Wonder when that will be?

Drywall

Textured and painted.  This is RJ and Sparks of RJ's Custom Remodel.  They did a great job on the drywall, mud, texture, trim, primer, and paint.

This is the progression on the south wall.

Paneling

After RJ replaced the window and I was painting

Framing

Insulation

Drywall

Trim

Window trim

These are some before/after pictures.

This was the plastic door that was there when I bought the house, and next to it a hole in the wall covered with plastic.  I put a Seattle Times and a USA today in the wall where the shelves are.

This is what it looks like now.

 

This was a little closet with the water cut off switch and the electrical grounding.

Now they are behind a small panel and I get back some space.  Also I have plenty of outlets and even a data line for my home office during the work upstairs.

 

That is the original window.  In this picture Jon had put in some lights and a data line. I had sanded the paneling and had tried to seal all the holes.When I sprayed the window and water came inside that is when I started tearing things apart.

Framed, insulated, drywalled, textured, painted and trimmed!

This is RJ (right) and Sparks (left).  They did a fantastic job!