Big Remodel Phase II

Another page in our home's transformation into an English Cottage....


After the Holidays the contractor started the exterior plastering, but first Hubby built and applied the faux door surround to the front porch and the tall attic vents for the gable ends. Then the chimney pots arrived and the masons applied them and the stone to the chimneys. I still love the look of those three characters up there. No, not the masons, the chimney pots! Then Hubby started installing all the rain gutters. We had these custom manufactured at a local sheet metal shop and hubby fit them and soldered all the joints. He is so smart.Then the exciting/messy plastering began. The crew did a good job, but what a digusting mess they left everywhere! Bits of sharp wire, soupy washout, sand, and even their lunch wrappers were piled everywhere. And guess who was the official job site janitor? Me of course. Every afternoon I'd come home from work and start raking up and dumping the mess. But the house was actually starting to look finished on the outside. And while skilled workers were building my home, I was faux painting it. Here I am working on some of it.

Meanwhile the drywall was finished inside, the bathroom was tiled, doors were hung, and carpet was installed. We laid the over 800 sq. ft. of floor tiles, but it went pretty quickly because they are 16" square.

Finally sometime in August, the house was completed enough to get our permit signed off. We were finally "approved for occupancy". Pretty funny considering we'd been living in the house the whole time. But we finally had the inspectors and contractors out of our home. Now we could begin the custom work on the inside; the mouldings, cabinets and architectural details that would make our house into our dream cottage here Amongst The Oaks.