If you’ve been following along, then you know that we’ve been a long time coming with our addition.
We shared the framing, and the butlers pantry walkthrough + laundry design plans + the bedroom design, with sources, here + our bathroom design. – this was our last update!
But first, Hogwarts: A history. {If you’re familiar, you can skip this part}
• We were thrilled to announce our primary owner’s suite addition this past summer + a history of our house. It’s been a really long process for us, one we weren’t sure would happen. So we’re adding on and expanding in an awesome way for our family.
• Here, we shared our plans, and little of what we’ll be taking on in our front yard, to solve our mullet prob, as well – coming this spring. And the beginning of it all, here.
This is the part where I want to kick and scream like a toddler. Yes, everyone. On a scale from cool as a cucumber to the fall tour of 2016, the one where I decorated with pumpkins in our drywall just for funsies, we’re officially to that stage.
The other day, I couldn’t find a pair of pants in our {tiny} closet which I haven’t moved out of in five years, because this. And I literally wanted to scream. So I did. I screamed right into our clothes after throwing a few sweaters and watching them fall {softly and oh so anti-climactically} to the ground. And I felt better. So if anyone is ever wondering if I get what they’re going through, I DO. Let it be known. Right here.
Because not only is everything making our addition feel kind of impossible, it’s also making our jobs a real nightmare, too.
Delays. Inflation.
NO FUN.
If you haven’t seen any reveals from us in a while, I feel like this is my public service announcement. Because complaining is obnoxious, I won’t. There are real problems out there. But I’m also just sharing, because life. We have a lot of projects in a real holding pattern right now, including our own home.
So enough of that, and on to what we’ve been working on. I’m moving forward on this little update in list form, because it’s a lot to cover…
1. The brick is finished!
And it can be painted soon.
Well, as soon as we have a dry spell. And we have time in between real life job stuff. Are you sensing a theme here? Then the shakes and more will be added, too. The neighbors who don’t know us or haven’t asked are definitely still side-eying us. That’s fine. Let them think we’re trash. We’re a hot mess, anyway.
2. The. Weather.
A dry spell arrived for a bit of a breather, so we’re really grateful. Have we mentioned that it rains a TON in Nashville? Unfortunately, around this time last year, our basement flooded.
It wasn’t horrible, but it still caused some real damage. It was really upsetting after working so hard, and it was a lot of work to save it. Water is so destructive and can ruin things in an instant. No one warned us about the weather here.
Portions of the city of Franklin were under water, so these are champagne probs compared to what other poor souls went through. Afterwards, we installed {read: spent lots} on a whole new system in the existing crawlspace. {AGAIN.} Then we did it as well, in the new crawlspace.
Because of that, this system saved us last week when our crawlspaces and basement tried to flood again. Let us know if you need an amazing company. We’ve got an incredible guy. I want to bake him cookies and send him flowers and thank him over and over. Every penny well spent.
In the meantime, we’re still having some issues with our yard. But it’s affecting the addition. It’s causing us a lot of headache because of the elevation, and because rainy season has just begun. The photo above is inches from our window, which needs to be more than a few inches above the ground, but it’s currently not. I’ll just leave it at that.
So needless to say, Jamin spent the entire weekend digging more trenches, and some landscaping is coming sooner than later next week.
See the above mentioned scenario in which I screamed into my clothes.
3. Drywall
But on to more positive things because the drywall is mudded, and done! It was finished up a week or so ago, and things are ready to move forward on the inside. Because soon it will be on to planking. PLANKS PLANKS PLANKS! {Sing it like Shots Shots Shots Shots!} Because that too. The current cost of planks is so unreal, and we’re taking it on ourselves. Again. Because you have to save somewhere.
Hold me.
That time I posed with an ironically matching shirt trying to be cool and then injured my hand immediately afterwards because I pretty much deserved it for posing this way. Fun times.
4. There’s {almost} a Hole in Our Wall
And I think that will make it feel more real. Because we’re busting out of here. No more redneck Narnia! Until now we were having to leave the house and walk around, or crawl through a window. {Those will be removed soon, in the pool room as well.}
This will be the official entry into our new primary suite! It’s soothing right now to know that slowly, but surely, it’s still happening. Even if it’s not on our own timeframe. And even if I’m slowly panicking over the fact that this may be the new Winchester mystery house. Deep breaths.
5. Design Pivot
We’ve decided to pivot a little on some materials, for multiple reasons.
One of them, is that we wanted the space to feel as large as possible, so we’ve decided to go with tile throughout, on the floor. I know. How dare we. No hardwoods for us.
Short story long: The pups have destroyed these existing hardwood floors over time in our house. I don’t want that stress anymore. I will always have a rescue dog and they will always be inside. It’s a non-negotiable. We’ll be refinishing the existing ones on the main and upper levels in the future but I’m just kind of done, in the meantime. The space can feel larger, and I can have heated floors and I won’t have to babysit the washer and dryer and… do I need to keep going?
Because that tile is large format, it means that the flooring in the shower is changing, because it works better for various reasons in a zero entry. And I found some I’m kind of smitten with, DO YOU SEE THIS COLOR in that beautiful hexagon?! So stay tuned.
6. Stained Glass
Speaking of pivots, I took a stained glass class with a fabulous friend over the last few weeks and I’m now obsessed with a new medium. Sometimes, you just need to dabble in something fun when your basement is repeatedly flooding and all your jobs are on hold and you’re sad because its forever winter. Therapy.
I’d originally planned to do some steel doors here, but because I love stained glass {see our kitchen and other spaces on our home – this is what I ultimately wanted} and really wanted to incorporate that somehow. I’m now making it a part of our bathroom entry. I love that even when they’re open, it will include shots of beautiful color on those walls. Here for the drama.
I’ve been at work sourcing doors and glass and supplies and all the things so I can move forward, so stay tuned for this design, because I’ll definitely be sharing more as we move along.
I can’t wait. Hurray for COLOR!
I have cuts all over my fingers and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m thrilled and scared all at the same time because honestly who has time for this but I’m a weekend warrior who digs trenches and planks ceilings and makes stained glass in between designing rooms for clients and videos and content development. I’ll be sharing more as we go along!
And JK because we all know I don’t dig trenches. That’s Jamin. Seriously the man deserves a medal for working so hard on all of this. It hasn’t been easy.
So that’s where we are. One step forward, three steps back. Just a little reminder that life isn’t perfect and instagram is the highlight reel. We’d rather take our time and do it right, since we’re paying out of pocket as we go, and well… we’ve been through tougher, to be honest. Even if the two kiddos sharing a space are getting kinda restless. Their new bedroom designs will be coming up soon, too. They sure do make for some persnickety clients. ;}
As always, let us know if we can answer any questions and in the meantime feel free to share your horrible inflation / flooding / renovation stories to make us feel better. That would be greeeaaattttt…
Have an inspired day!
Cindy says
We’re on our second builder and may need to find another one. Trying to build our dream home has been an absolute nightmare. The builder didn’t pay subcontractors like he should have, the garage roof is wrong and our site is a mudpit. Good times, haha.
ashley @ the handmade home says
I’m so sorry! These things always seem to have a way of working themselves out. Hang in there + sending you all the good builder juju!
Jeanine says
Well, on the plus side, all the extra diying that you’re doing is good exercise, and you’re looking great! I’m sure Jamin is looking good also, so there’s that:). Hang in there, and I’m sure that the finished bedroom area will be a wonderful retreat for years to come, can’t wait to see the reveal!