Our Latest Project

Area of the basement garage that has been cleared out. Most recently, this space was completely cluttered and trashed with Olivia's furniture. We moved her to PA week before last (she commences her masters program at Seton Hill, Greensburg, PA next week!!) leaving this space was essentially free and clear. We decided to move Grant's TV/hangout/music space here. This area had the cream-colored carpet that we'd just laid there (not properly installed), and the kids had not taken very good care of it, and Olivia's Atticus (cat) had been using it for his litter box, so we trashed the carpet. Wanting the cement to be attractive, we decided to stain it. We'd had some experience with this since we stained the cement of the front porch a couple of years ago. I think it looks great!! It'll be much easier to keep clean! Ya know how kids are with trash/filth/mess!!

Remodel--Fireplace 2

The mantle was so very heavy! I believe it's slate--but I'll have to ask Jug to be sure. He had to rent the "lifter thingy" to get it up there--it was extremely heavy.

The muscle men pose satisfied with their work!

The result.

Remodel--Fireplace 1

Finally found the fireplace pics. Blogger only allows a maximum of five photos per blog therefore the two fireplace blogs.

Little history: Jug has a lifetime of construction starting when he was seven years old! His father, Ven, and Shumate uncles were brick/block layers. Ven took little Jug with him to work during the summers as their "helper". But it was not a cute little title for a little boy--he actually was worked like a pack mule. He hated summers. All his boyhood friends got to play all summer while Jug worked like a man. He couldn't wait for school to start back every year so he could rest! But he learned a trade and he learned strong work ethics--and he learned to cuss like a sailor!! Funny--my brother Jim tells me (Jim worked with Jug and Ven during the 80's some) that Jug and his daddy would cuss and swear so that his ears would burn but I've never heard Jug talk like that!

Course as Jug grew to a man he learned to lay the brick and block too. Eventually they expanded to laying rock during the recession of the late 70s, early 80s. Jug says that to keep work they knew they needed to find the folks that could afford to build during those hard times and the people that had money enough were wanting rock. They worked a lot in Winston during those years. Jug taught himself how to design and became the rock mason with his daddy helping him.

Another interesting bit of history: Jug and I were talking recently about his building/construction skills and how fortunate he was to have learned such a valuable trade. I asked him how that came about--just when had he learned to build? I knew he'd learned to lay brick/block and then later rock but what about carpentry? His father was not a carpenter. He said he'd just really watched the carpenters on the construction sites and just picked it up--he's a natural engineer--with an aptitude for how things work, taking something apart and putting it back together, that sort of thing. So I then asked him: "So what was the first thing you ever built on your own?" And his reply: "I guess it was our kitchen!" I 'bout fell off the chair! He was referring to our kitchen that we added on to our house on the lake right after we got married. I had no idea! I thought at the time that he already knew everything he needed to know to build our kitchen! And he was just flying by the seat of his pants the whole time! Just learning as he went!! Amazing what a little confidence and a bit of knowledge but a huge amount of desire to learn more can do!!

Jug studies and measures.... That's the hardwood floor lumber piled up behind him.

Grant and Olivia learned a thing or two about rock laying. We actually used man-made rock--it lays just like real rock but is much lighter and costs less too. Kim didn't lay a single rock! Painting was my contribution.

Jug's always said that rock laying was like fitting a puzzle together. See how they've got the rocks laid out like that? That's so they can scan the pile looking for that perfect piece to go in the hole they're filling. Jug's rock laying style has very little mortar showing and I believe he calls it "dry laying"? Or some such.

And on it goes....note Grant's graffiti. Can't remember what it says--I'll have to ask him.

More next post.

Remodel Master Bath

Well.

Rather atrocious, huh? Very 80's! Great tile workmanship, I guess, but OMG, just horrible! So busy, just too much. We completely gutted this bathroom. Except for the inside of the shower--we got a bit lazy and just left the tile in there.

Doesn't even look like the same room. Master Craft did the cabinetry--same as in the kitchen. We (as in Jug and helpers--Kim didn't lay a single piece) laid all the tile.

A LOT of mirrors in this space! It was like the "Funny House" at the carnival. Mirrors reflecting mirrors everywhere you turned.

This is my side of the bathroom. Not crazy about the upholstery on the little seat but haven't gotten around to recovering it. Need to do that.....

The medicine cabinets I found at Metrolina (FABULOUS flea market in Huntersville that Michelle turned me on to) and I striped them. Not sure I really like having two there together like that but it'll do.

Remodel Master Bedroom

Master bedroom before. Notice the sliding glass door on the right. I know this is a bit confusing but that lead into what is now the living room. The living room now was a "aviary/sunroom" for the previous owners and was surrounded by sliding glass doors. So we closed the sliding glass doors up here in the bedroom. Took out the carpet and replaced with hardwood.

I'm most comfortable with rich, warm tones of green, red, brown. Just feels "homey" and relaxing to me. That's the front "Crackle Barrel" porch you see out the windows. Also note the trunk in front of the bed. This is a family treasure. My paternal grandmother, Annie Bess Palmer Hudson made one of these for each of her eight children--my father, Smith Hudson was her youngest child. She was a very artsy-crafty lady! She was constantly making something. I remember well her wall art of colorful cut glass and beads and she made purses of the same materials. Back in the 70's it might have been all the rage--don't know--but I remember thinking as a teenager that they were the tackiest things I'd ever seen! Wouldn't I love to have some of her work now! I do have one of her oil paintings and Mel has a three-piece painting that was intended to be a fireplace screen. Granny Hudson was very talented/gifted artist. Daddy was too--we all have some of his water colors.

The small round table in the left was also made by Granny Hudson. I acquired it when our Aunt Bet died and how I cherish it! It's so in vogue now! It's sea shells or oyster shells that have been immersed/covered with that shellac that does like a thousand coats in one coat?? Something like that--just love it. And the chair is a treasured piece too. My mother had it when she started her adult life--no idea where she acquired it but it was just one of the very few things she kept over the years of her life. She was definitely NOT a pack-rat--hated clutter and old things and was not sentimental about much of anything. So I really treasure having this old chair--with it's original upholstery.

The oil painting above the bed was purchased at an auction--don't know the artist but I just like it. After doing a couple of (very bad) oil paintings myself a couple of years ago now, I appreciate art so much more! It's so very challenging!!

That's the bathroom through the arched doorway. More pics of the bathroom in another post.

Same view after. Master bath pics next.

The smaller pillows on the bed my friend Michelle (please visit her blog: www.thevintagehomeofwilkes.blogspot.com ) made them all for me. Man, is she ever talented!!

Remodel--Kitchen Dining 2

Another shot standing in the living room after the living room floor had been raised. The closed off opening to the right of the glass door was a sliding glass door going into the small dining area off the kitchen. Remember--click on pic to see larger.

The finished kitchen dining area. Aren't the floors beautiful? This table and the wardrobe in the center we got at an auction. I know a dining room probably isn't a proper place for a wardrobe but I like it there. Both these pieces just happened to come from the estate of my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Elizabeth Grinton. Let's just say I had some issues with this very strict teacher!

My great friend Michelle, as stated earlier, helped us with decorating. She was invaluable with color selections. I knew what I liked--warm earth tones--rich, deep colors and she helped us make sure we didn't select colors that wouldn't work together. Here in the kitchen, kitchen dining and the mudroom, she suggested this yellow. I've never been a great fan of yellow but went with it. I must have painted this room five times before I got it acceptable for me! I glazed over the yellow with green from the living room to tone it down a bit. I still like it! Oh, and btw, all the walls of this house had already been done using the technique called "knock down". The builder of this house in the early 80's was from California and he was just ahead of the times for us around here. It's pretty common now to have textured walls but it wasn't back then. We loved the texture and didn't alter it--just used it to create great effects using glazes in some rooms--like the big dining room--which I forgot to mention when I posted that room but I painted (actually Grant painted that room the first color and he will still tell folks "I covered these walls with one coat!") it a deep but kinda bright red, then glazed over it with a chocolate brown that toned down the red and really gave it depth the way the brown stayed in the depressions. It kinda looks like leather--very beautiful!

Just put this here because I had the room. It's Olivia on the tractor with Jug instructing her. The previous owner, Tom Akin "stores" his two huge farming equipment--if I was a bit more manly, I could tell you what they're called but I can't--anyway, he has no where to keep them so just has left them with us! He doesn't mind us using them--keeps them from decaying from disuse and one of our neighbors using them too. We don't mind one bit!

Olivia loves learning from her daddy how to do the manly things. As she commented on a previous entry--she very much appreciate being independent!

Remodel--Kitchen Dining

This is the small dining area off the kitchen before we'd done a thing to it. Look very closely at the window to the left--that's Bella. Adding all these remodel photos reminds me over and over what a presence she was in our lives. I continue to miss her terribly. Remember: click on pic to see larger.

Anyhows....the parquet flooring was a real b--ch!! As stated before, really ALL of us worked on removing it. And ALL of us got sick as hell of it! It was glued securely--wasn't meant to ever come up!

Here's Otis (is that his real name or just what Jug called him?) working on the flooring.

And here's me, Olivia and Aaron posing the night we FINALLY finished removing the flooring!! Man, were we ever tickled!

This was taken standing in the living room. The area to the upper right is the small dining area after the sliding glass door had been removed but before the sheet rock had been installed. The floor of the living room has been raised up to the level of the rest of the house. The sliding glass doors to the left--there are actually three of them, we did not remove.

Taken standing in the kitchen, view of the small dining area after the sheetrock had been installed closing the sliding glass door hole. After pics in another blog. Blogger only allows a maximum of five photos per blog! Scheech!!

Remodel--Kitchen

Here's Grant working in the kitchen. Not sure but I think he's getting some of the parquet flooring loose. I'll need to upload some of that process photos too. It was quite the arduous chore! There was parquet flooring securely glued to the kitchen, small dining, mudroom, utility area and pantry. All of us worked for days getting it removed using saws-alls. My carpel tunnel gave me an absolute fit. We were all sick to death of it by the time we got through!

Kitchen during the remodel. We completely gutted it--removing all the cabinetry, tile counter tops, parquet flooring and the lighting.

Another angle of the kitchen during the remodel of 2005. That's very enthused Grant ready to work!

And the kitchen after we'd moved in September 2005. The lights were yet to be redone but it essentially looks like this today. Master Craft did the cabinetry. I haven't mentioned before but we put in hardwood floors throughout the ground floor except for the bathrooms and kitchen and mudroom. This is stone tile here. And that's Corian counter tops--love them. I'm not crazy about my chairs at the bar and we've been looking for decent replacements for them for three years now! Don't want to spend a fortune on them either--wanting something rustic looking with metal and cloth cushions for seats..... we'll find just the right chairs one day!

Remodel--Dining Room

The dining room bare naked. It was carpeted with a ivory carpet and we'd already removed it here--it's rolled up in the foreground.

This is friend Keith Lenderman--old high school buddy of mine and my gold best friend Pam's husband. He helped a lot with the painting.

The completed dining room make over! Huge transformation! And that's our beloved Bella resting there. It's still so hard to see all the photos of her. We miss you Bella!

Oh--and also--don't forget to click on the photo to see it enlarged. Those lower cabinets--we planned to put doors on them but never have...just one of the many things that just don't ever seem to get done! Jug and I both are kinda bad about that....get it livable, acceptable but never perfect! My brother Jim did most all the built in cabinetry here--he's a very gifted woodworker himself.

Adding this here just because I came across it today. It's Olivia helping with raising the living room floor. It's a great pic of her! I think, no, know the kids benefited SO much from the summer remodel....the time spent with their daddy, such quality time. They learned so much too! How very fortunate we are that Jug has so many, many skills and is a gifted teacher. Sometimes, and we all giggle about this, he goes on and on and the kids are much more respectful and listen better than I do! I'm afraid I'll roll my eyes and tell him I don't need to know how to wire a lamp--that's what I have him for!!!! We love him to death!

Remodel--Living Room Before and After 2

Here they're raising the floor of the living room. That's Jug and Olivia. Poor Livvie looks so tired! We all worked so very hard that whole summer. But the payoff was tremendous!

And Grant practicing his balancing skills on the soon to be raised floor.

This is two of Jug's guys: Rick Shumate and .....man, can't remember the other's name! Jug will have to tell me. They're putting up the sheetrock to close off one of the two sliding glass doors we closed off.

And this is finished room with the view of the fireplace and TV. Turned out so nice! This was the wall that had the sliding glass door going into the bedroom before! Check out the fan. Click on the pic to see much larger.

Remodel--Living Room Before and After

Click on the photos to see enlarged photo.






Little background on our remodeling project. We bought this lovely place out here in the "country" of Moravian Falls early June 2005. We just fell in love with the views and the land--26 acres that includes ample pasture land and wooded areas and even a creek. It still so close to town. We can get to downtown Wilkesboro in less than ten minutes.







Jug, fortunately was able to be home most of that summer so went spent a solid three months doing the remodel. Jug is a master craftsman--that man can do anything! We all worked together--Jug and I put in 10-12 hour days for three whole months. We had help--a few of his employees helped, as did the Lendermans--Pam and Keith painted, Michelle--she helped a lot with picking out colors and going with us to help us select home decor, my brother Jim with the dining room built-ins, and we did hire electricians and plumbers--otherwise we did it all ourselves. Quite an accomplishment!





It's about 2700 square feet. In this first pic--you see what the builder (built in the early 80's) had in mind for this front room--they used it as an aviary/sun room. This room was about two feet lower than the rest of the house and literally surrounded by sliding glass doors--every wall. It was tiled with terra cotta. We thought this a huge waste of space! This room was not heated/cooled either. In this first pic--the sliding glass doors on the left are going into the dining room and the sliding glass doors on the right went into the bedroom! Weird, I know. We completely closed off the set going into the bedroom--and this wall we covered in a beautiful rock fireplace and bookshelves.

This is another view of the same room. That's Grant working on the left. Both the kids helped that whole summer. They were real troopers!! They learned a lot! And got plenty of blisters! Those are sky lights in the ceiling which the seller had already closed off as they leaked, I guess. We debated and debated about what to do about those openings. Finally deciding to use this unique look and wired the openings and hung lights there. Turned out good. I meant to upload a pic of the raising of the floor--maybe tomorrow.

















Here's Jug and Grant taking out the sliding glass doors. This room had five walls--and seven sliding glass doors!! We completely eliminated two of them, left just openings for two and left three functioning.

























So here tis---finished room! Huge difference!! This is the "after" view same as the second (above) before view. Didn't it turn out fabulous!? I meant to upload an after view same as the first before but actually did this view twice! I'll do another "blog" entry with that view. On the far left you can barely see the fireplace. I love my living room. It's so open and bright. Sometimes, though, in the winter, I have to lower the blinds the light gets so very bright it almost hurts my eyes and makes it hard to see TV.

Front House After

The porch is begun.... roofing it here.

Jug and helpers did this entire project. The "Crackle Barrel" porch REALLY added to the house--so charming! It's also like having another room to the house. We use it a LOT. It's just a slice of heaven! I've spent so much time this morning finding photo files, resizing them so they can be uploaded--was hoping to get some of how it looks now. It'll have to wait until tomorrow......

All done here except for pouring the floor....

Floor is poured here

And stained here

All done except for a little grass....

Front House Before

This was taken in like April or May of 2005 before we'd actually even made an offer--I think, anyway. I think I have better outside shots somewhere and if I come across them, I'll post them.








So this was before we added the massive, what Jug calls, the Crackle Barrel porch and re-roofed with red metal.










Wider shot. I see and had forgotten how much work we've done on this mulched area in the foreground. Still doesn't look great, but better than this!! The drought last year really did a number on our plants and the grass. Poor Jug worked so very hard on the lawn last spring just for it ALL to be killed by the drought. We're starting over this year and hoping for more rain than last year.














This was probably taken last spring, 07. I have it dated 06 in the files but that can't be right because I KNOW it was last year that Jug tilled up the yard. More shots of the porch next.