Happy Holidays from the Ranch!

Wishing you all a bright 2011. I will follow up with photos of the house and tree later this week.

Wallpaper Removal!

The bathroom de-wallpapering has begun.

50 year old glue is a b*tch! We're going black and white for vintage effect :-)

Fleeting Fall

So sad to trade in THIS view for winter windows full of condensation! It is going to be a very long winter, and I am NOT too happy about it :-(

New gutters!

Well everyone, it's been far too long - but I cannot blame that on a lack of activity at the ranch. So much has happened this month! Brick repointing, new appliances, new gutters...

Here's a step-by-step look at the gutter project -

1. Original gutters from 1962 - wooden, rotten, and growing weeds:


2. Gutters and rotten fascia board removed:


3. Former neighbor prepping the new fascia boards:


4. New gutters!



Biggest take-away: One story homes make all gutters accessible by an eight food ladder (thanks Charlie). Amazing!

Ceiling painter: I am not

I've begun painting, and it's going... okay. I have quickly learned I am awful at painting ceilings! How do people paint ceilings and NOT show lines?! Incredible.

On a happier note, the whole family came up this past weekend (because they think I'm incompetent) and helped me paint the living room. Here's a sneak peak at the color, tape removed this morning!

The last of the stump...

The final bits and pieces of the spruce have been ground away. A bittersweet moment, but for the greater good. The amount of compliments I have received this week has been overwhelming, and the space seems so much more open. Looking forward to spring and putting a more appropriately-sized tree in its place!

Thanks to all of the many visitors!

Thank you to all who have made the trip to see the new place, and know that you're always welcome back "to the ranch" to see the progress! I feel so fortunate to have friends and family, near and far, to share the experience with.

And for the benefit of all of you readers, I promise to post more updates (maybe encouraging you to also visit?) ;-)

Goodbye Norway Spruce! You will be missed

It's been too long since my last blog posting - but rest assured it's a direct result of progress at the ranch!

In big, neighborhood-changing news: our norway spruce is no longer taking over our house, our cars, or our lives. It lived a good life, but had unfortunately outgrown its location. And its sap has unfortunately coated our cars this month.

Sap:

Before:


During:


After!:


More to come soon!

I say a little prayer...

...for my kitchen!

This gem has had its final day on the door. Don't be sad, it lived a good life.



"Bless my pretty kitchen lord
And light it with Thy Love.
Help me plan and cook my meals
From Thy heavenly home above.
Bless our meals with Thy Presence
And warm them with Thy grace;
Watch over me as I do my work,
Washing pots and pans and plates.
The service I am trying to do
Is to make my family content,
So bless my eager efforts Lord
And make them heaven sent."

Tales from the underground . . .

Hey everyone - so much to update but so little time today!

That said, I want to offer two recent images from the house. Although it seems silly to share photos from the basement when I haven't shared any real images of the interior living space, here they are!

We ripped up the carpeting that was covering the basement stairs, only to find the stairs painted... well, red. Just like every other original surface of this house! Crazy...



And for those of you who have been eagerly awaiting photos of the mysterious Bobby Kennedy room.... here it is!



We have yet to decide what happened in this room, but here are the facts:

There was once a '60's refrigerator in this room
There is a built-in student desk attached to the wall
There are four wooden chairs arranged along the walls
This is the only "finished" space in the basement
That is, in fact, a picture of Bobby Kennedy on the wall
There was once a pad-lock on the door

Thoughts?!

WELCOMED guests

So not all is awful at the ranch.

The centipedes have certainly put me in a funk, but I had some great visitors this week! Nieces, nephews, brothers, in-laws, mom...

Look away if easily offended . . .

Well it looks as though I have house guests - and unwelcomed ones at that. What you see below is... well, utterly vomit-inducing. The sight of these creepy crawlers scurrying across a floor or wall is enough to give anyone the shivers.

Apparently common during the summer (though I have NEVER lived in a house with them before), these House Centipedes have been presenting themselves at night - maybe one a night, or every other night.

Granted, this may not sound like a full-on infestation, but I'll be damned to not treat it as one.

I have sprayed every entry point with EcoSmart, I have purchased a dehumidifier for the basement, I have sprinkled Borax, and I have contracted an exterminator. I don't scare easily, but these little pre-historic, hard-shelled, multi-legged creatures from hell have me terrified. If I find anymore centipedes post-exterminator, I may just burn the place down.

Distraction #472

I lied, no Photoshop rendering quite yet. I'm easily distracted.

This week's distraction: interior colors. Here's a glimpse at the initial color scheme, I like where it's going!

Manuscript

Exciting news everyone - we may have nailed down a color for the house! I want to paint the front of the house this fall, followed by the back and sides next spring.

Knowing it has to compliment the red brick while not competing with the gray roof... "Manuscript" seems to provide the perfect balance... Soon enough, the paint will be up and will offset fresh white trim and a new black door!



Thoughts, concerns, suggestions?! In the words of my mother "nothing can look worse than what it is now"... fair enough, but I'm aiming for perfection. Photoshop rendering coming next... :-)

Grand plans

Hello all - with the trees gone and the sidewalk edged, I'm starting to see what the house really looks like from the outside!

The obvious benefit: I can start visualizing what the house will look like.

The problem: I don't have the funds, time, or manpower to act on that vision yet!

Luckily for me, I am perfectly content doodling, thinking, and planning until the appropriate time comes. Next step, I'm going to meet with a friend of mine who has his own landscaping business to discuss plant selection, sourcing, etc!

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak at the plans!...



*cough* did I mention demolition volunteers are also welcome at any time?! ;-)

Nice and neat

Avoiding turds like land mines, I managed to edge the entire front yard. The sidewalk is so much wider than I thought!!

Pet Waste Transmits Disease

I like to think I'm a nice person. But every time I have to pick up someone else's dog shit, I want to take that smelly slimy pet waste and smear it in their faces! Is that so wrong?!



I know the house is on a great street, perfect for walking dogs - but my yard is not a private dog park! What happened to common decency and respect?!

One more turd, and I'm placing my order...

Tree-hugger -> Tree-killer

Let me preface this post by explaining that these trees had lived good lives: 50+ years of meticulous pruning and evergreen vibrance. 50+ years of love and tender care. 50+ years of Christmas lights and adoration. 50+ years of air-purifying greatness...



...which is why - in a moment of weakness - I took out the saw and started hacking away at these yew-rrific beauties. It is true, they had lived wonderful lives and provided happiness to thousands of passersby. But good things often go sour, and these trees were starting to outstay their welcome. Their fallen needles were breeding grounds for disgusting little creepy crawlers. Their uppermost branches were just out of reach for pruning. Their scale had started killing the bushes around them and blocking any access to the gutters and walls.



It will be a while until I truly establish my landscape plans, but clearing these trees early has certainly opened up the front of the house and given me a clearer idea of the yard's potential. There are a few other large trees I hope to take out in the coming days, stay tuned for updates...

The Great Ranch Rebirth, on holiday

Hello all - my apologies, it's been much too long since my last posting. I've been traveling on a bit of a work-cation, and have not had the opportunity to do much on the house.

That said, I have been hard at work gathering insights and inspirations for future work, such as...


...dramatic night-time lighting (Milano)...


...vibrant color schemes (Nice)...


...lush annual plantings (Como)...


...understated garage ornamentation (Milano)...


...and water-view pools, of course(Bellagio).


Perfecto!

For your viewing pleasure...

...we look back in time.

While going through my camera today, I came across hundreds of photos from my initial house hunt. Houses ranged from big to small, old to new(er), blue to yellow...

So I put together a collage depicting several of the homes. What I did not expect was what a powerful image it would become - a constant and lasting reminder that I have made the right decision and that I am extremely fortunate to have such a great house in such a great neighborhood.



It's funny how reminding yourself of where you've been can often make you so overwhelmingly appreciative of where you are.

Mad Men

Initial furniture placement - because everything needs a trial run! Oh, and because we have nowhere else to sit yet.

And look at those floors!

Better photos (read: daytime photos) coming soon.

New surroundings

The new house may offer challenges... but it also offers a ridiculous change of scenery. This was taken just two blocks from the house - definitely ready for summer to officially start!

Helpful DIY tips...

...sprinkled throughout the house. I wonder how many more will be uncovered...

Like a glove

The house becomes a little more livable with each passing day.

The floors are finished and drying, the basement is swept and clean, the washer and dryer are no longer covered (or filled) with dirt, and - we now have a working refrigerator! Do you know how hard it was to find a stainless refrigerator that actually FIT?! Luckily, this GE was the perfect match.



More progress updates on their way soon.

1st coat of poly!

The floors are coming along - and look how seamless the transitions are between the new dining room floor and the original oak!

The many floors of a dining room

Finally - the multiple personality disorder the dining room has been dealing with has seemingly ceased!

What started as a carpeted 60's dining room...



...was actually a vinyl 60's dining room!



You can imagine my disappointment as I uncovered beautiful original white oak floors in every room BUT the dining room.

So... while having the floors refinished, I also splurged to get matching white oak for the dining room...



...and now they're installed and look great! Once the original stain has been sanded from all other rooms and the poly goes on, it will be a seamless transition between rooms!

Weekend Warriors

Who knew weekends could go so fast?!

As can be seen, we were presented with a big project on Friday... for a tiny backyard, it has become an overgrown jungle of invasive plants! Without the help of friends and family, I don't think we could have made nearly as much progress as we have.

So this post (I'm sure the first of many...) is dedicated to all of YOU - the friends, family, and new neighbors who have helped so much along the way. I certainly don't have pictures of everyone, but know that your calls, emails, visits, ladders, hedge-clippers, recycling bins, and hours of cheap labor mean a lot.

Operation backyard begins...

...dining room detour...

...visitors!...

...back at it...

...almost there...

...getting closer... (yard bags #24, 25, and 26...)

...ahhh, the earned victory parade through town.


Weekend warriors. Stay tuned over the next 12 months as this backyard morphs into an amazing patio / retreat.