Final Post (i.e. Journey is Complete!)

Over the past year... I purchased, demolished, redesigned & rebuilt my dream house. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I knew that everything would work out and I would end up very happy. I think it's time to close out this blog because I no longer have a construction project on my hands. I have my house. I have my home. I am happy.


If you ever stop by to visit, you'll find Wilson welcoming you to purple house on Willow. Thanks for following along on my journey!

Some final pictures

Everything is pretty much done at this point! I can't think of anything else I "need" and honestly I don't have much desire to put anything else into the house. I am so happy with the way everything turned out! I thought I'd post 2 final pictures of the outside deck & inside living/dining/kitchen just to show the completed state.

I really love it here. :)

Fence + Gate... Check!

I'm happy to report that little Sammers is spending a lot of time at my house these days.
For reasons such as this (and more so for general privacy and security) I made the decisions to spend some money on fully fencing in the yard. Now it's sectioned off with some pretty modern looking fencing AND a remote control gate entry for the back. Pretty sweet!


Sam's pretty happy now - she can roam around all she wants outside. (Which means I have chew toys buried all over the yard now - pretty funny.)
Kevin calls my house a little fortress. I tend to agree... And I really am happy I did this. This really increased the security of the house & it looks great.

All that's left is the punchlist, and we are DONE with this project! Wow.

Purple Shed

When I first bought this house, I figured I'd tear down this shed & build something in the corner of the lot. However, common sense (i.e. $$$) got the better of me & I decided to leave it. But really, it was pretty ugly. Faded red paint + dirt + a general "yuck" factor.

Then, one of my friends gave the obvious yet brilliant idea to paint it and decorate it... make it more of a feature than an eyesore.

So, yesterday Joe & I pressure washed it. Then we painted it... purple of course... and now it is beautiful. It's not quite done (in reality, only 2 sides are actually fully painted, and I still need to do the trim & stain the door) but it's so much better. I actually like it now! Oh, I should qualify the painting as well - Joe painted the shed, I painted the metal bars. Totally equal, right? ;)


We commented yesterday that we'd NEVER think "paint it purple so it blends in." However, it totally does! Well, in my head at least. So... some trim, some door stain, some cement stain, a big potted plant & chairs, and a hanging plant... and she's now a feature. Yay. Purple. :)

Woof! Roof!

Meet Woof! (or Roof, if you prefer.) You may recognize him... he used to be my siding and roof!
Terry Powell is a creative genius. And I can't get over that this used to be my house. :)

Happy Walls Continue!

I totally dig Blue at the end of the hall. :)
And I dig my art all hung up. Happy Walls!!!
But the happiest wall of all is in my office. Obviously!

Hehe. I'm such a dork. :)

More Fence!

The fence is moving right along... and I'm so happy with it. It's providing privacy AND it's super cool.

Fencing Begins

Over the past few days, the crew has laid out the fence location, drilled holes, laid posts, and all kinds of other technical terms that I don't know. Nick also painted the column tops so they wouldn't look so ridiculous.
Here's Bam, who's a welcome addition to the crew, working away on my side fence. It's awesome when you like the people working on your house - makes it that much more enjoyable, I tell ya!
It's hard to see, but the side fence posts are in. All that awaits is corrugated metal.
Here's the posts for the other side of the house. This posed some debate for me, trying to determine how much privacy/visibility/security I actually wanted. It would be great to have this be a really low fence, but I think the smarter choice is to go taller & safer. Nick & Bam got to experience "change-my-mind-mid-project" Erin today. (Sorry guys!)
Meanwhile, I'm really excited about the back fence & gate. As much as I LOVE people parking in my yard... it will be nice to have privacy & protection.
AND... once the gates are in, dogs can play! YAY!!! :)

Moved In! (Part Two)

Here's another view of the little guy, along with all of MY robots that are waiting to go on a shelving unit. I can't understand why people think I like robots so much... I just don't get it...
Here's the music room in the daytime... with a little less art on the floors thanks to Terry & Pat.
I'm dorking out about my refrigerator... it's just so cool. And... it now looks like someone lives here! E's fridge = greek yogurt, fruit & kambucha. ;)
More proof that I actually live here. This kitchen is so functional and well designed. I love it!
Lastly, my guest bedroom all made up. I can't wait for my folks to visit already. :)
So... I believe my house = a home as of this weekend. There's still work to do... but it really is ready and done. I just love it and I couldn't be happier.

Moved In!

Over the weekend, I completed my move from my old house to new house... everything is in and nearly everything in unpacked!

Jane B. gave me one of my first housewarming gifts before I even moved in, and I finally got to put him up. LOVE IT! Think you can tell that E lives here?
My office is *nearly* put together too!

Hall bath is still in progress, but my part of the move in is done. It just awaits a light fixture, mirror, countertop, sink, and cabinet. Okay, I guess that's a lot. The best part about this room is the solar tube - there's no need to turn on any lights during the day. I'm so glad I put this in.
My bathroom is coming along. Still needs the extension arm for my shower, and some shelves for my niches, but I already took my first shower!
Here's my bedroom. It's sooooo big & bright & open. I'm going to need some blinds (it's bright at night.)

Making a House a Home

Yesterday I moved my art collection into my new house. My absolutely lovely and wonderful friends Terry & Pat offered to come visit and help me hang some of it... and I didn't waste one second saying "YES PLEASE!" Terry is one of my favorite artists of all time, and Pat is equally skilled and smart and has a great eye.
They got to work right away, and found the perfect spot for a print triptych Barbara Franklet gave me a few years ago. It matches the greens & blues of my kitchen/living/dining room perfectly!
Here is Terry nailing the first hanger in the wall! I wouldn't have picked anyone else to hang up my art!
This piece has always lived over my piano, so I was glad Terry & Pat agreed.
Two of my favorite pieces went up in the bedroom and match perfectly. That room is like a mini museum for me! :)
Here's Pat arranging a bunch of my smaller pieces. I didn't hang them, but have her design ready for when I do. She is so cute!
I still have a lot of stuff to hang... and with an art festival this weekend, I think I should probably wait before I keep going... but we did get 9 pieces hung which is pretty good. And they are coming back soon to fix the wiring on some other pieces and figure out the rest.

Gosh, they rock. :)

And... my house is so much more of a home now. Art does that. :)

Some Before & Afters...

Thought I'd put together a little before & after photo montage... granted the "after" isn't quite ready, but you get the point.

Here's the front/side view:
Here's the front living room. (The front door is on the far right.)

Here's the front bedroom that sat off the living room (above.)
The ever so lovely bathroom. Seriously... ew.
The kitchen! Which turned into my deck... which is quite an improvement, no? :)

Moving + Unpacking

Pretty productive weekend. I think my parents are the only ones who actually care about my "move-in/unpack" progress pictures, but since they are largely responsible for this house, I shall post away! Enjoy Mom & Dad!

Here's the master bedroom ready to be unpacked once my bedroom furniture arrives.
My closet.... is huge... and it has awesome shoe racks. ;)
Office is coming together! Yes, I have a pink chair that goes with my wall. Is this actually surprising?

Blue is checking things out in the blue room! When my windows are open, I like to let him gaze out the window. It's hilarious. To me. :)

Here's the view standing from the kitchen... no couch yet, but it's coming soon! I love my dining table and chairs! They are PERFECT!
I unpacked everything in my kitchen!!!! It's so organized, with such nice stuff. Thanks to all of my dad's companies for such a great kitchen! :)
Again...I'm far better stocked than I deserve!

Here's the kitchen + dining room. I think I might have a thing for green & blue... just maybe...
And here is my favorite room so far... Carol's Room (or Blue's Room.) So beautiful!
I'm thrilled!!!