You know that moment when you’re officially done with a project in your house?
Not done as in finito, done as in OVER IT. If you’ve taken on any form of house renovation before, then you know exactly what I mean. Because that’s where we are. At least, that’s where I am. I don’t know what it is about the chaos factor of a renovation, but it’s almost like the rest of the house knows that one part of the house is getting a facelift. Or in this case, an add-on.
{You can find our last post here, along with why we’re doing it (with a little bit of our house history + links that will take you to the beginning)}
More for the addition:
• the framing
• windows + door choices
• mantel plans
• insulation and drywall
Ahhh. All caught up now? Yes, I wear myself out.
It’s like the kids closet knows that now is the time to act up, because things are chaotic. “Might as well get a little attention if the back part of the house is,” it says. “Let’s cause an avalanche. It’ll be fun.”
My office is an absolute total mess because I’m storing things there to go in said addition so it also needs some attention. And the kitchen is a little more crowded because of additional projects we’ve taken on this summer… or maybe it’s just that time of year? I always get the itch to get my life back in order before school starts back. TOO SOON, I KNOW. CALM DOWN, ASHLEY. I’m twitching already having written that.
But who cares because WE HAVE TILE AND IT LOOKS AMAZING. {A-la Jeffrey Court}
I’m definitely ready to purge some things, and I think that the general restlessness is coming from living at a certain level of chaos for some time. Am I even making sense, or have I been inhaling paint fumes for too long? Probs some of both.
Side note: I tackled the upstairs shower with a good dose of bleach the other day {sorry not sorry, I usually stay with natural, but sometimes you need a good bleaching every few months.} and I’m pretty sure I took one year off my life expectancy. I need a hazmat suit.
I’d dare to say Jamin is more like a tile savant, after watching what he took on over the last few days. Besides the fact that he isn’t too happy about his back, he’s thoroughly enjoyed himself. This fireplace turned into one gigantic jigsaw puzzle. The kind you watched your grandmother or your intellectual, quiet cousin put together at the beach growing up. Except more rewarding, because as soon as they’re done, it’s not knocked sideways by their ingrate grandchild or sibling… and we get to keep this one.
That’s the idea anyway. –Second side note: I think I was just jealous of anyone who had the patience to do jigsaw puzzles. I had a friend who framed all of hers. She was kind of amazing at it. PS that black on the fireplace will be gone soon, if it’s bothering anyone else. Just me?
Also, if that trim looks odd in the upper right corner, it’s coming down. We’re placing bookshelves and a banquette here, but more on that soon.
Yes, I am over-explaining myself. Clearly, we also lack a little paint and some baseboards. All coming soon.
But back to slow. Because if I were to pick an animal for this project, it would most definitely be a sloth. That’s been given a good dose of tranquilizer, and is now wobbling about drunkenly in my back space. Because summer.
We want to spend time with our children. Hello, 4th of July. Combined with our day jobs, a-la work for clients. Combined with content creation that is our other day job. And more projects we have going on right now. I know. Sounds like a first world personal probs so I can shut up now. So we’re likened to the tortoise and the hare and the little engine that could and the drunken sloth, all rolled into one.
Just trying to finish this puppy, and also maybe enjoying life a little on the side because there’s more to the world than house stuff. Either way, we’ve come so far. This is what this area looked like, once upon a time. It’s a room now, so there’s that.
I’m a wizard.
Oh, and we’ve enlisted child labor to assemble my dining chairs. Winning. Teenagers are the best.
See: more chaos in the basement
The walls are painted, the wallpaper is ready to go up {finally here after being on backorder, which was also delivered by a sloth -cue happy dance, hopefully to be installed on Monday.} Our sconces are on backorder, so because those are what I really wanted, we’ve ordered some things for in-the-meantime so that we can pass code once it’s done.
Then maybe replace them. Maybe not. Fab sconces replacing the other sconces and all from Kichler. The brick guy on the outside will start soon, and with a few more projects we have to take on, we are well on our way to being finished with this space.
So close. SO far away. But this is the fun part.
Hurray for living through the chaos in the meantime while you try to function in life and oh, I don’t know, live a little as a family. Reality.
Thanks for checking in. This is where we are. Three cheers for summer!
Anna says
This is beautiful! I can’t wait to see what you do with the space! You guys have made so much progress. I totally get summer chaos!
Leora says
Did you explain somewhere why you kept the bay window as part of the inner wall rather than say making it a French door? I’m just curious because it seems like an unexpected choice.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! A little, but I can explain it here. ;} It’s a multifaceted reason, really. The layout of the new room and the flow of both spaces together on each side, combined with our desired uses for both, dictated that we keep as much wall as possible, with a walk through in the middle. I also plan to use the window with more seating and storage in a window seat configuration on the other side in our great room. Between all of this and keeping light in the great room, which is the heart of our home, along with minimal cutting into the wall of the existing house, it just made the most sense for the best and most logical design solution. Hope that helps!
Leora says
Thanks for explaining. It’s so much fun to watch the process. I have followed you for a number of years and love the way you combine your artistic and color sense to create original and vibrant spaces. I’m sure this new room will be enjoyed by your family for years to come.
Leora says
Thanks for explaining. It’s so much fun to watch the process, but I don’t always get all the decision making details that I crave ;-). I have followed you for a number of years and love the way you combine your artistic and color sense to create original and vibrant spaces. I’m sure this new room will be enjoyed by your family for years to come.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Thanks so much Leora! I think sometimes its easy for us to get caught up in it all, and forget what we’ve shared/haven’t shared. I also feel like I over share and people get tired of me. ;} So we love it when people ask questions. Thank you for letting us know!