My Bruce Lee Moment

Yesterday I kicked down a wall. In flip flops. And I got my foot stuck.

However, that was AWESOME! And... I got my first glimpse at how very cool my living room/dining room/kitchen is going to be. This picture is standing in the front room (where my couch will go) looking back 2 rooms to where the kitchen will be (green wall.) I felt like I was in a home improvement show, at the moment where the homeowner goes "Wow! This is real!"
I'm meeting Kevin today to sign the paperwork, and demo starts this week! Official demo, that is... not the kind done by people in their flip flops.

In other news, I think I've picked out all my plumbing fixtures. This might not sound like a big monumental task, but let me tell you. It is a HUGE task. Luckily, I have the world's most awesome & patient parents. They took me to the Great Indoors in Dallas and we spent over two hours looking at things such as: kitchen sinks, kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, bathroom sinks, bathtubs, toilets, shower systems, lighting, appliances, etc... After taking lots of notes, I came home and plugged everything into an online store I've been using. Assuming I can actually order from this site, I will save about 30-50% on everything - wahoo! I feel much calmer now that I know what I'll be getting and don't have to worry about that stuff anymore.

As for the rest of "picking things out," I still have decide things like: flooring, cabinets, countertops, interior wall colors, exterior wall colors, siding, roofing, windows, doors, etc... Luckily I've hired a designer to help me with all of this. She is a color expert and I feel so much calmer knowing she will help me make these decisions. By the way, my mom was the one who encouraged me to contact her - plus one in the mom column!

Fingers crossed that I'll get to post some more extensive demo pictures later this week. And perhaps I'll wear shoes when I take pictures. :)

Elevations + Floorplan

It's hard to tell what things are going to look like from drawings, but these give a pretty good idea. I'm thinking avocado green with a deep purple door. :) And yes, the right side is crooked. That is actually on purpose.

Here's what the house will look like from the front...
Here's what the house will look like from the back...
And here is what the house will look like from the inside!

The things that excite me more than ever about this house, in no particular order:
1) The window seat in the front. I'm thinking deep purple cushions.
2) Having an actual shower. (No more bathing sitting down!)
3) Having a dishwasher.
4) One room entirely devoted to my bike and one room devoted entirely to my piano.
5) A big room for my parents so they can finally stay with me! I call it "Carol's room."

I. Am. So. Excited. (Does that come across yet? Haha...)

The Past Four Months...

I actually can't believe I've owned this house nearly four months already... I've been working at it, but the process takes quite a while. Here is a quick recap to bring us up to speed.

1) I toyed with the idea of having a house mover come take the house away and clear the lot, and then start over from scratch. However, the house mover I contacted wanted nothing to do with the house. Something like "beautiful on the outside, horrible on the inside." Lovely. Meanwhile I had applied for a historical demo permit, which would have gone to review before the neighborhood. After everyone in my neighborhood getting a notice in the mail, people were contacting me, hinting how difficult they would make my life if I wanted to knock it down or move it. Not really caring, and actually liking the idea of saving the house, I withdrew. And... Back to square one.

2) Ben (my awesome friend/realtor) suggested I utilize Richard Weiss to do the plans on a new house. Richard had done Ben's houses as well as others in the neighborhood. I met Richard, liked him and signed him. Then we got started...

3) Plans take a long time! Permits also take a long time! Add: needing to get a geotech study, dealing with tree ordinances, revising plans, etc... However, after all of that - the permits are officially ready!

4) Ben assured me I could GC the job myself. I love Ben for that, however I quickly realized that I would be much better suited utilizing a professional GC. Richard suggested I use Kevin, and after meeting him - I thought he was a great choice. I know, you're supposed to go out and get bids and blah, blah, blah. But my gut said "go with him."

5) My parents came to town, and we went on the AIA Homes Tour. Got some good ideas... but best of all was when my mom and I went to Home Depot for a few hours. This very sweet older man working in the appliance section taught us everything we ever wanted to know about appliances. Microwaves, dishwashers, ovens, refrigerators, washers, dryers.... We learned it! The conversation went like this:
Home Depot Guy: Well, if only you had an hour - I'd get on my soapbox and tell you everything you wanted to know.
Us: An hour? Sure, go ahead.
Home Depot Guy, with a wildly giddy look on his face: Really?
Us: Bring it!
Very informative!

So.... that's pretty much how I ended up where I am now... which is the exciting part. I love the floorplan! I'm starting to pick out the details. Who knew I needed to choose baseboard styles? Or the exact texture for the ceiling? It's fascinating stuff.... and I am so excited.

Which reminds me.... after spending 1.5 hours discussing details after work yesterday, both Richard & Kevin remarked that it was nice to work with a client who was actually excited about the project. Um.... who wouldn't be excited?

So... what's up next? Picking out appliances, tiles, windows, roofing, flooring, fixtures, lighting, paint colors... and probably a LOT more.

Blue & I have got some work to do. :)

Blue!

I would like to officially introduce the ambassador of this blog...

BLUE!

Blue will be the honorary foreman for the Willow Street project... he's pretty excited, can't you tell?