A Few Final Exterior Shots

Done, done done.  Including a Certificate of Occupancy.

Now we are wrecking it with daily living....

The Front Porch is Done-- The Side Porch Tomorrow

 We are now just waiting for the screens. 

Below are some shots of the new landscaping.

 The Side Porch

This is our homage to Nantucket. You see this porch all over when you walk around town.  Ted will finish this tomorrow.  The posts will have little caps like the front.

 Ted says he is a one trick pony. Oh, but what a trick. 

Take that, Forbes Avenue

So, while the porch is STILL not not completely done, here's the landscaping:

Just the Master

My brilliant brother :

The Master

The Master and his Elf

Who built this:

Its so beautiful, I made it my cover photo.

She is even tartier now!

Progress!

Just look at that paint job

Ta Da!

Oops, I forget the Most Important Change

FINALLY!!!

Where was I?

Ted has been back from Nantucket for a week.  Now, I have something to show.  Let's do it in historical order. We have a back deck that is 90% complete.  While Ted was gone, Jeremy installed the trellis.

We now have a wonderful little private space.  It shields us from the neighbors and obscures the view into our dining room through the french doors.  All that is left is the installation of the awning (14' of yellow and white stripe now sitting in the garage) and some railings.  We will paint the deck in September after the wood dries out a bit.

A great deal of work has been going on in front of the house.  While Ted was gone, we installed a stone front walk.

This is Goshen Stone, the local stuff.  These stones lead up to the  (drum roll) almost finished porch:

The guys have just started to paint the porch.  The trim is not yet done, but we all wanted to see how the greens would look. This lady is getting painted up; she's a real tart too. The trim on the porch will match the trim on the rest of the house.  The screen windows (yes, this is a screen porch) have been ordered.  Supposedly we will have them in 2 weeks. We will see.

Oh yes, and just look at those big steps.  Ted will build the bannisters and railing next week.  They will also finish trimming out the interior, and of course apply paint. All by Friday when his masterfulness goes back to Nantucket for a week (this time for a vacation).  We can stoop sit now.

While Ted is gone, Kyle the landscaper is coming back.  I have purchased the remaining foundation plants for the front.  Kyle will dig the beds and then plant.  Pictures to come....

Then, the front will be done!

Interregnum

Today, Ted went to Nantucket for three weeks.  While we are not done with the exterior of the house, it no longer looks like a construction site--just a house getting a new porch and walk way.  The painting is complete, and we have some foundation planting.


When the kitchen was added ( sometime long, long ago) it was build on cement block.  The cement block was never painted, so it was quite the contrast to the old brick foundation.  Last week, I took a piece of brick to the nice paint store man, and we matched it with a self priming paint. Seth then brushed that sucker on.

Wow. It changed everything.

That's the funny thing about finishing touches.  Each one seems to add a dimension to the project.  When Seth finished painting the body of the house,  it just shone.

See, nice and shiney!

The porch is coming along.  I bugged Ted to get some help to finish it before he had to go to the island.  He snorted, and said, '" I am making it up as I go along.  No one else can do it."  I think he may be right.

We decided ( actually I decided) that the steps should be wide.  I want to be able to put flower pots on them.  More importantly, I want to be able to stoop sit in the early evening.   The walkway, which will go in this week, will be Goshen Stone--our local stuff.  The stones will be 4' wide, just slightly narrower than the steps, which need to line  up with the posts.  The unfinished posts that you see in this picture, will be wrapped.  They will be about 1" more all around, giving the porch the proportion it needs.  As soon as Ted has done that, he will order the screens and winter panels.  The interior walls will be clapboard, like the house.  ( We have a bunch of clapboard left--think of it as free.) Each of the panels you see in this picture will be painted dark green.  Then each will get a rectangle of light green (the color of the door) inset.  I haven't quite decided what color the wainscoting base will be.  Maybe yellow since I am a little worried that dark green will be too heavy.  I'll decide once we have painted the rest of the porch.

The backyard is shaping up also.

I ordered up the deck trellis last week.  It will be English lattice and will run all around the deck at 6'. We'll put it up unpainted and then in the fall, after it has dried out, we will paint it green I think.  I also ordered an awning for the deck.  It will span the entire deck and will be yellow and white striped.  How very tasteful.

Peace and quiet reigns.  No banging boys and dirt and dust.  I am going to Nantucket on Friday for the weekend because I can't stand it.....

So, You Thought We Were Done?

The second floor is together now.

Master Bedroom

Landing Looking into the Guest Bedroom

A mysterious visitor enjoys the stairway.

Guest Room

We had a little tiny problem with the HVAC.  The equipment in the third floor leaked into the second floor bathroom.  Oh dear, we need a repair to the ceiling....  Ted doesn't like me to talk about it.

So calm reigns, not. We are now launched on the outside of the house.  Last week Ted decided to build a deck--in 4 days.

And, he did.  That's the stairs on the ground.  The deck will  have an English trellis surrounding it. The trellis will provide us with privacy while outdoors but also when we eat at the dining room table.  Fitzgerald Fences, which made the border fence (see next pictures) will build and install the trellis (soon, I hope.)

But, you can't just have a deck and trellis and fence.  You need greenery.

Kyle and his rototiller

The Stewartia and Serviceberry ready to be planted

Rhodies and Hydrangeas

Planted

And, in case that wasn't enough, Kyle dug up the front walk.

 

And, Ted framed the front porch.  He says he will finish building it this week.  Seth will finish painting ( don't hold your breath) the house,  and we will have mulched beds and maybe a few flowers (that's me by the way.)

On May 30th, Ted will head off to Nantucket for about 3 weeks.  He has another house there, you know.  He has to get it ready for rental season.  When we comes back, the garage uplift starts.  Oh, a little peace and quiet--such a pleasant thought.

While he is gone, I will need to figure out how we manage our dirt pile of a lawn for the summer. Ideally, I'd like to wait until September and then grow grass.  It may not be possible to wait given the dust bowl out there.   A little sod, maybe?

We Live Here

Some early morning shots of our almost complete first floor:

Living Room

View of Dining Room from Front Hall

Fireplace in Dining Room

Living Room

Kitchen Range Hood is being re-done!