SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE

The house renovation is nearing completion and looking great. A few remaining exterior items to complete and minor interior finishing in advance of the Sunday Open House from 12 pm - 3 pm.  We are very pleased with the overall design and finished product.  The first floor open floor plan has a total of 8 "rooms" but will provide many flexible options for the new home owner.  A first floor office / bedroom / study with a private deck is one example.   We met with the photographer on Thursday and he captured some amazing views of the interior.   Those will be included on the next blog post.


dining room and family room

kitchen with eat-in counter clad in re-claimed lumber (roof sheating from old porch)

first floor office / bedroom with exterior door to private deck

living room with gas fireplace and built-ins.

This  completely renovated, corner bungalow with a new second floor addition will be up on the MLS today.  Features include: light-filled open floor plan with 5 bedrooms (3 on 2nd floor), 3 bathrooms,  front sun room, first floor office with side deck, mud room, breakfast room, 2nd floor laundry room, gas fireplace with built-ins, lower level den, basement bonus room, pantry, multiple storage closets, rear deck, new 2 car garage and landscaped yard.  Exterior walls are white stucco and siding with contrasting cedar trim accents. 


COME OUT AND SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT AT THE SUNDAY OPEN HOUSE FROM 12 PM - 3PM. PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ANYONE ELSE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN A MODERN RENOVATION OF A PORTAGE PARK  HOME.  

FINAL FINISHING

FINAL FINISHING......

living room ceiling fixtures.......edison bulbs will be added.

Anticipation is building.....well...at least mine is...as we head into the final stretch of finishing up this renovation project.  Some of the remaining light fixtures which were on back order arrived and were installed.   The bathroom vanity tops, plumbing fixtures  and toilet room accessories have been installed. 

first floor bathroom

The interior stair has been stained and the wall hung handrail installed.  We used a stained oak tread with a painted riser.  At the base of the first floor stair run, a metal and wood capped handrail will be installed to finish this off.  


 

Glass / metal kitchen wall cabinets create a visual contrast and to the wood base cabinets and provide additional storage.  Stainless appliances arrived this week and have been installed. White subway tile is used for the backsplash creating a clean backdrop.   White corian type counters will go in this week.  Painting of the wall mounted open storage shelves will complete the kitchen.  

kitchen backsplash with subway tile

This week the outside projects will be completed -- siding, stucco, trim and concrete pavers.  We will do some interior staging this week and schedule the photographer.


This renovated Portage Park single family home with 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms will be on the mls and  ready for viewing by the end of next week.....I think it might be warm by then.....please spread the word to anyone who might be interested.

COUNTDOWN TO COMPLETION AND SPRING......

COUNTDOWN TO COMPLETION AND SPRING.......

living room fireplace and built-in shelving

The Living room with a linear gas fireplace, mosaic tile surround, built-in bench and recessed shelving trimmed in re-claimed wood siding.    Black tile will be incorporated into the bench seat area.  Completing this feature will be a wood mantle installed at the top of the fireplace. 

carbonized bamboo floor

The carbonized bamboo floors are installed on the first floor and second floor hallway.  Tile work in all three bathrooms and the mudroom floor is complete.   Glass shower doors and bathroom accessories will be installed this week.  The birch doors with dark bronze hardware have been installed.  Window casing and base trim is complete.   Final painting  of the interior walls to be completed this week. 



master bathroom shower tile and bench

The electrician has installed the light fixtures, pulled his wire and installed a new 200 amp electrical service.  The plumber will install the faucets and shower fixtures this week.

kitchen pendants

Next week the exterior stucco, trim and painting will be completed.   A front walk way of large concrete paving stones and river rock will lead from the city sidewalk to the new front porch.  Final project wrap-up should be completed by the end of next week. Interior staging will begin next week which will be followed by the photographer. The house should be listed on the MLS in a couple of weeks.
 
        Check back for the upcoming
                     OPEN HOUSE

PROJECT SITE SIGN - - INTERIOR FINISHING HAS BEGUN.



project site sign -- to be posted in front yard.

 

previous living room area prior to renovation




current living room, dining room and family room primed and ready for trim, flooring and built-in shelving.



The bamboo flooring and bathroom tile is on site and will be installed next week.  Doors and all trim pieces will be installed after that.  Cabinets, hardware, plumbing fixtures, lighting and appliances will all be installed in the coming weeks.  As the weather warms up the exterior siding and trim will be installed.   The stucco contractor will be on site to patch in a few areas where windows were removed as well as repair a few miscellaneous cracks.

As we finish up in this final month of work , the renovation project is coming along very well.  There has been quite a transformation from the original, one-story bungalow.   The interior spaces are coming together very nicely and we should be hitting the spring selling market just as the weather starts to warm up a bit.  

Stay tuned to see the finishing touches to this  Portgage Park 4 bedroom / 3 bathroom home.

 

ROUGH PLUMBING, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ARE DONE....TIME TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER.



exterior with new windows

Good progress has been made on the renovation project....although it never seems to go quick enough or as scheduled.  The plumber, heating contractor and electrician have been busy completing their rough-in work and piping work.  There have been a few challenges with two of the subs fighting for the same space to run their required piping.  The heating contractor seems to enjoy using his sawzall to cut the plumber's pvc drain piping out the way to run his main trunk lines.  The electrician, with the small diameter conduits seems to have it the easiest -- which makes me wonder why is he always the most expensive sub-contractor??  We are now complete with this stage of work and have received the city inspections.  Insulation and dry-wall will be stocked and installed next week.  Once the dry-wall is up the interior space takes on a new dimension.

supply lines, return air, plumbing drains, framing........it always takes up more room than you think it will. .

The new roof had been shingled with the fascia, soffits and gutters installed.  We'll get the stucco contractor out to do some repair and fill-in work on the exterior.  Stained cedar shakes will be installed at the top of each gable end with cedar window and door trim.  A doug-fir door and glass sidelight will be an inviting front entry element.  The exterior white stucco with cedar trim should make for a unique and clean, contemporary look we want to achieve -- "California Modern".   The front porch and rear decks are complete.  New concrete piers were poured for both of these structures.  These will be very usable and inviting outdoor spaces complementing the home's open interior. 




rear deck

front porch

 The interior framing is complete. There was an existing cantilevered section at the Living Room which we re-framed for a new linear fireplace and two sections of built-in shelving. Because of this cantilevered section the width of the first floor is about 28 feet at certain areas and the length including the front sun room and rear breakfast room is 60 feet so this makes for a very spacious layout for a single family home in this area.  

interior -- living room looking south to dining, family room and kitchen.

The next few weekends I'll be making a few interior items for the home.  An entry coat rack, coffee table and front mailbox holder will be a few of the projects. I've also been busy buying electrical fixtures. Picked up some attractive black wire kitchen pendants from West Elm -- Industrial Glam !!    The kitchen cabinets have arrived and will be delivered soon.  We'll be re-purposing some of the old wood joists to create open shelving in the kitchen.   Wood floors, doors and trim will be installed soon.  We will then concentrate on the final finishes. 

coat rack (from previous cullom project)....belle plaine will be similar

The new site sign is ready for installation.  This will be installed in the west portion of the front yard.  Being located on the corner of Belle Plaine and Laramie should give us a huge audience of prospective buyers.   We are winding down  this project and should have it ready for sale in about one month...........Please spread the word. 

THE NEW SECOND FLOOR




new second floor addition with roof dormers - view from backyard

Framing work is nearly complete on the new second floor / bedroom level.  We designed the new second floor with a high roof angle (14/12 slope) to create a large volume and enough height in the new space.  Due to zoning regulations, the exterior walls were required to be set in from the property line.  We constructed two roof dormer sections to create enough headroom and also to break up the large expanse of roof.  The west dormer will incorporate the new master bathroom and another bedroom and the east dormer will have the master bedroom, walk-in closet and a hallway bathroom.  The master bedroom is located in the south half of the new floor and will get a huge amount of sunlight from the double high windows.  The existing one-story rear addition will be re-built to become a mudroom and breakfast area.  The shingle roof will be be installed on Friday.  Windows are ready for pick-up and will be put in next week -- this will create a weather tight enclosure.

east elevation with new roof dormer (master bedroom and walk-in closet)




interior of new second floor - cathedral ceiling in master bedroom

 

The interior walls and structural framing is nearly complete on the first floor.  The open floor plan is very long with considerable width due to the west side cantilever section. The kitchen will be located on the southeast corner of the house (formerly the dining room) and will have multiple windows, a peninsula counter section, open wall shelving and access to the breakfast room.  For the kitchen cabinets, we again used Smart Cabinetry, an Amish line out of Indiana. Bathroom and Kitchen plumbing fixtures were purchased at Studio 41 -- a great local resource for fixtures and cabinets.  Kitchen and laundry room appliances will be bought by the end of the Black Friday weekend.



interior framing of new kitchen space

new 2 car garage

The vinyl siding, shingle roof and overhead door have been installed on the new two-car garage.  This will be a useful storage area and staging space during the construction phase. A stone paver walkway from the garage to the location of the new deck has been installed. The wood privacy fence is stained.  The outside work is done for now. 


 

stone paver pathway from garage to future deck

Plumbing, electrical and mechanical rough piping will be completed in the next few weeks. The city inspections will be scheduled and then the drywall will be hung, taped and primed for paint.  I'll be working on finalizing the floor and wall finishes -- tile, colors, countertops, bath accessories, etc. -- this is what I refer to as the "fun stuff". 




 ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY WEEKEND ! 

FRAMING PROGRESS, NEW FENCING, AND A NEW 2 CAR GARAGE....

Framing continues on the first floor with the l.v.l (laminated veneer lumber) beams being installed in the center of the house and along the west-side cantilever.   These beams allow for support of the new second floor with minimum interior walls and columns.  They help to create an open plan with long clear spans which seems to be what everyone wants today.  The existing roof tear-off is complete and the new second floor framing will start next week.

open floor plan -- living room, dining room and family room.. new 2nd floor will be added

A new 6' high, wood privacy fence has been built to enclose the rear yard and also extends north to the front sidewalk.  Wood 6x6 posts with pressure-treated fence panels inset between posts create a slightly different, custom looking fence.  The vertical posts are stained with a dark brown and the fence panels with have a putty gray color for a visual contrast. 

rear yard with new wood privacy fence



exterior of new fence from driveway looking north

For the front, we built our signature 2x2 cedar fence at 42" high to extend along the north sidewalk and enclose the front yard.  A swing gate will be added at the sidewalk leading to the new house entry.  This low fence provides a more open feeling while still providing some privacy and containment of the pets.  




front 2x2 cedar fence



corner of low fence

A new, frame 2 car garage has been built at the rear of the property with a side-driveway to Laramie Avenue.  We added a few windows on the north side facing the house and rear yard.  I think this new garage will be a great selling feature for all potential buyers. 



new concrete slab for garage



new frame 2 car garage

 

A new stone paver pathway will lead from the garage to the rear wood deck. The second floor framing should be completed by the end of next week. We will get the plumber and hvac contractor in soon to do their rough piping work.  Hopefully the cold weather will hold off for another few weeks so we can get the project fully enclosed and weather-tight.

 

 

This renovation project is moving along quite well and I believe we will meet our early 2014 completion date.