Downstairs Bathroom Renovation: Meeting with the Contractor

April 12, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

Charlie demolished most of 2 downstairs bathrooms and I chose the new finishes.

The gutted bathroom — ready to be rebuilt.

After a month of trying to get together I finally met on a Saturday afternoon with the plumber/contractor who will do the work.

We’re using bronze fixture to go along with the house’s nautical theme.

I have already purchased and had delivered floor tile, wall tile, vanity, lighting fixtures, sink faucet, and closet bar.

Natural Tan HGSW7567 Eggshell

I also began painting the walls the new color so there would be no hold ups in installation of fixtures. I figure I will have some touching up to do when everything is finished.

We have determined this well pump is original to the construction of the house — 1991.

Like every project there’s more to it than meets the eye. As we were discussing where everything would go the contractor noticed our well pump would be difficult to remove when it goes bad (which is likely).

The pump is supposed to go next to the water heater.

He suggested putting it in the entrance to the crawl space which is where they usually are found. Then I showed him our water heater in the garage where there is room for the pump — I only need to move the paint supplies.

Left — floor tile, Right — shower wall time, Marble — countertop.

Now I’m waiting for a proposal including the cost and time frame.

Spring Break — Adult Style

April 2, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

Charlie and I headed out for a 5-day spring break in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is a 17.6-mile series of bridges and tunnels.

We drove southwest by car and used the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to take us into Virginia from Maryland.

I bought 4 underbed storage baskets at Ikea.

We stopped at the Ikea in Norfolk to pick up an item our local Ikea was out of.

The house was over 100 years old and furnished with antiques.

Our first accomodation was an AirBnB farm where we stayed one night, had breakfast the next morning, and continued on to our destination in Asheville.

In addition to all kinds of animals the AirBnB farm had a tiny store with fresh duck and chicken eggs among other curiosities.

My eating plan for the holiday was to enjoy good barbecue and southern specialties like chicken and biscuits and grits.

The Biltmore Estate originally encompassed 125,000 acres, but today it covers approximately 8,000 acres, with the remaining land sold to the federal government to create Pisgah National Forest.

We checked into the Biltmore Village Hotel in the afternoon then did a little exploring on foot of the nearby area.

Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina.

The next morning we headed to the Biltmore Estate with our pre-purchased day passes to explore the house and grounds.

I especially enjoyed the spring garden and extensive, fully-planted conservatory.

After 2 days in Asheville we drove north by a different route since this area that had been devastated 6 months ago by Hurricane Helene was now experiencing wildfires.

Before leaving Asheville we stopped for a southern breakfast which included a biscuit and grits.

Finally we headed home stopping for a night at Harrisonburg home of James Madison University.

He was missing us I’m sure.

We met up with son to pick up our homesick pooch.

April, 2025: Aims

March 31, 2025March 31, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

Now that we’re fully into spring I’m interested to see what plants and flowers might be coming up through the ground at the new property.

The olive trees took a bit of a beating in the move.

My olive trees have made it through winter and I’ll give them a little trim to help maintain their topiaried shape.

Our camellias are starting to bloom.

Here’s the hopeful list for April:

Update Dash’s rabies vaccine.
Pick a color for the downstairs bathroom walls.
The wall color should be light and go with the floor tile.
Make a plan for the front entryway outdoor planting.
Neaten and refresh this area.
Empty 3 boxes and organize or get rid of contents.
Hang at least 3 mirrors.
I have a nice collection of both large and small antique mirrors.
Get a library card in the new county.
Celebrate our first Easter at the new house.
I need to find my bunnies.
Work on a paint or stain project. So much from which to choose.
Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: HORIZON.
Write a goal list for May, 2025.

Ikea Underbed Storage

March 29, 2025March 30, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

The space under the bed in the main bedroom is not carpeted.

This is what we discovered when we took down the built-in bed.

That’s not odd until you understand that the rest of the room is wall-to-wall carpeted.

The measurements would allow this item to fit under the bed.

I had seen underbed storage baskets at Ikea but when I went to get them at the store closest to us they were sold out.

Charlie and I put them together which was not too challenging.

While on our road trip to Asheville we passed through Norfolk, Virginia, and stopped at the Ikea which was conveniently off the highway and bought 4 basket kits.

Before

After

Happily they fit under the bed and hid the spot left bare by the lack of carpet.

I would order Swedish meatballs again.

And by the way we had a little Swedish lunch in the cafeteria.

March, 2025: Score

March 28, 2025March 28, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

O March — what a glorious month. The weather was wet but warmer. We finally got around to tasks we had started 6 months ago.

Constantly changing view.

I am loving looking out on our waterview even when the weather is cloudy — it’s always beautiful.

A bird’s eye view of the living room.

Not on the numbered list we accomplished a few fun items:

We closed on the sale of The Glade!
Ready for the new owner.

Charlie worked hard to get all of our stuff out of there and clean up the house, the cottage, the shed, the greenhouse, and the yard since I was about useless after my fall from the ladder in late February.
We had some small and large repairs made.
The whole heat pump contraption looks complicated to me.
We rearranged small furniture to better, more useful positions.
Out of the way but handy.
I hung a bit of oriole art over the piano.
Metal oriole sculpture (left) and vintage sheet music (right)
I started creating my studio in the back bedroom.
Eventually this room will be painted a beautiful color.
Charlie and son hung a large painting over the fireplace.
The strategy was to get it hung on 2 screws that not exactly on center.
I got rid of my handmade baby clothes and children’s costumes to a family with children just the right age.
Hand-smocked clothes for a little boy.

Now for the items I really meant to get done:

Take a road trip. Charlie and I headed south to Asheville, North Carolina for 5 days of touring, just the two of us.
Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina.

We celebrated both of our birthdays with plenty of barbecue and unique accommodations.
Set up the primary bedroom.
Coastal vibe and my favorite color

This room is mostly finished — painted, papered, furnished — I’m sure it will improve as time goes on.
Have contractor begin work on downstairs bathroom.
The vanity has been delivered.

I’ve contacted a local contractor who has put us on his calendar to start the work very soon.
Research local theatre, activities, dance, and tai chi.
Cast of The Wizard of Oz.

The options are not great but I did see a fun musical at the high school especially enjoyed by the youngest audience members.
Start attending Bible study. On Tuesday evenings about a dozen of us get together for a co-ed study of Genesis.
A special coat/robe has significant meaning in the Joseph story.

We are moving slowly to cover every nuance.
Begin Lenten devotions and fasting. Our church gave out a 40-day lenten devotion which I have been studying.
I’m sure to be inspired by the time I finish.

Also I fast from food on Fridays in Lent. It throws Charlie off his game a bit.
Work on fireplace tiles. Finished!
Harder than it looks.

Most of the month was too cold or wet to get started on cutting the tiles but near the end we finally got started.
Put shelves in back bedroom small closet. Charlie accomplished this task in one day with some supervisory comments from me.
Shoe boxes, sewing supplies, and off-season bedding among other things will be stored in this closet.
Choose a word to focus on for the month. My word: BREATHE
Write a goal list for April, 2025.

The Cherry on the Sundae

March 23, 2025 / Jo / 2 Comments

I updated, lightened, and coastalized our living room fireplace and the wall surrounding it.

Note the large empty space above the fireplace.

This is a big wall with a lot of potential.

The seascape is 42 inches by 55 inches plus a 4 inch frame all around , signed “Kolean” in the lower right-hand corner.

As soon as I saw this 2-story wall I had the idea to hang our very large piece of art that had been hanging in the primary bedroom of The Glade on it above the fireplace.

The black lines are the center of the studs on the fireplace wall, give or take.

I located the studs and screwed in 2 screws at 47.5 inches above the mantel which would provide for a 3-inch gap between the mantel and the bottom of the art. (That’s the same size gap as the mantel above the fireplace tiles.)

Charlie and I managed to get it to the fireplace but I’m not strong enough to lift this oil on wood painting.

Charlie and son hoisted the large and heavy painting up to the screws while standing on ladders. It was quite an undertaking.

The strategy was to get it hung on 2 secure screws that were slightly off-center.

They straightened the painting as best they could while trying to center it over the fireplace.

Art over the mantel — not an easy feat.

I’m delighted with the placement and how it ties into the decor of the large open plan ground floor.

Fireplace Makeover: Part Three of Three

March 19, 2025March 19, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

I started freshening up and softening our large living room fireplace at the end of October here and here.

Brass trim painted black and surround painted white.

So far I painted the black and brass fireplace insert all black with high heat paint AND painted the terracotta tiles white using primer and a top coat.

Look closely — I stopped just above the tops of the sliding doors until we bring in some taller ladders.

In the meantime I put a pale color (Alabaster by Sherwin Williams) on the 2-story wall. I have a plan for more color but that will come later.

A modern mantel — 72″ x 5.5″ x 9″

The next step in the fireplace refurbishment was to hang a mantel. I looked online and was overwhelmed with the choices. After reading hundreds of reviews of different mantels on different websites I selected Dogberry 72-in W x 5.5-in H x 9-in D Aged Oak Poplar Hollow Farmhouse Fireplace Mantel from Lowes. The very same mantel was available on Wayfair for $10 less but if it didn’t work out I could have returned it to Lowes more easily than mailing it back to Wayfair.

The mantel is securely installed. (Photo is before our furniture was delivered.)

With Charlie’s help we hung the mantel centering it over the fireplace and about 3″ above the tile. Actually I looked at it at different heights and just eyeballed the installation which turned out to be 5 feet from the top of the hearth platform.

The fireplace has been painted and the mantel has been hung and adorned with some Greek items for Christmas.

After taking the risk of painting this tile fireplace I was in my devil-may-care mode and decided to make a truly avant garde design decision for the vertical space just above the floor which had originally been terracotta tile.

These 8″ tiles come is a mixed variety of shapes which look like sea spray to me.

I ordered 8″ by 8″ Big Sur tile in “Off the Hook” colorway to underscore the entire area.

Before affixing the tile to the hearth I tried out a few different arrangements.

Before sticking the tiles down some of them needed to be trimmed at the top with a wet tile saw to make them fit under the rim of the horizontal painted tiles.

Charlie glued on the tiles in groups of 3.

We used tile adhesive to affix the squares to the wood backing all around the platform. We snugged the tiles together because I did not want to grout them.

The brass screen picks up details in the rest of the decor.

I found a brass screen on Facebook Marketplace for $20 which brightens up the black hole. Ultimately I am very pleased with the outcome of this adventurous project.

Before (the original real estate photo)

After

The only thing that remains is to put the cherry on top.

Tiling the Fireplace Hearth

March 18, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

After painting the terracotta fireplace white and adding a wood mantel I finally was able to tile the bottom of the hearth.

This project has been hanging over my head all winter.

I started the task with tiles that would fit without cutting. I knew then I would love it.

The tile saw was easier to use than I expected.

I had been waiting most of the winter for weather warm enough to cut porcelain tile outside with a wet saw.

Before affixing the tile to the hearth I tried out a few different arrangements.

I decided which tile would go next to another.

Charlie helped adhere the tiles to the base of the hearth in tight places.

I also made a plan as to the order they should be attached to the hearth starting at the outside corners and working toward the inside corners.

Cutting tile requires a little finesse — I wouldn’t want to have to do this everyday.

Once I started cutting the tiles the installation went smoothly. I cut half of the remaining tiles and Charlie installed them.

Charlie glued on the tiles in groups of 3.

The last area to be tiled was across the front which I cleaned up with a chisel before marking the tiles.

The final tile was at the inside corner between the woodstove and the fireplace.

Happily the rest of the tiles now fit without being trimmed (except in the last, most visible corner).

Waiting for the adhesive to fully set up.

Woo hoo!

I have more plans for this area.

I had a few extra tiles which I used to replace some of the terracotta ones on the hearth deck.

Moving Stuff Around

March 10, 2025March 10, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

The area under the stairs gets really dusty since the stairs have no risers.

The Young Chang fits perfectly under the stairs.

Charlie’s piano is under there and so is the internet hookup.

This little table was under the steps but now it’s in the downstairs bedroom.

I was also keeping my guitar and ukulele under there (in cases) and had changed out the blue stool for a small table.

Dash is always nearby to give assistance or advice.

I really wanted a closed cabinet but wasn’t sure the one we had would fit. Happy day, it just fit snugly.

The router is easily accessed in the cabinet.

Charlie drilled a hole in the back so wires could feed through to the internet router.

Out of the way but handy.

I imagine Charlie will use any free space for music, his tuning equipment, and other music related items.

Utility Shelves in a Small Closet

March 9, 2025 / Jo / Leave a comment

We have a small, strange closet in the back bedroom that I thought would be way more useful if it had a few shelves.

Shelves would improve the function of this closet.

This does not have to be a pretty closet as the inside isn’t finished and we’re not sure about the electric switch and capped lines that just end there.