The First Walkabout

     The guys from Redmill Drywall showed up Tuesday morning and hit the job like a whirlwind. In an hour they had the two upstairs bedroom ceilings done. I tried to stay out from underfoot, but it was unbelievable to watch.
   I have received several questions about the barrel ceiling, so I wanted to be sure and post a picture of that being done. The crew chief, Valentin did our apartment ceiling, so he knew what he was in for. They used 1/2" drywall on that portion so it would bend. It looked so easy. Once it is taped and textured, it'll be smooth as a peach.
   With a six man crew, they finished in three days. I'm so glad Ed decided to sub this out because it would have taken us forever....if we'd lived.
   Friday the clean up crew showed up and hauled several truckloads of scrap away and put down paper. We're ready for mud!

    So let's take a tour....

   As you enter the foyer, there will be craftsman style display cases on either side of the entry into the living room, with columns going up to the soffit. In the picture here it looks like the ceiling in the living room is dropped, but it's not.







  To your left is the hallway to the kitchen. Feel free to hang up your coat in the closet on the right. The powder room is on the left. You can see the pantry door further down the hall.

As we step into the living room and turn around, you see the foyer from the other side. The stairs to the basement (Ed's Man Cave) is on the left. My piano will be on the wall on the right.

 Midnight is taking the tour with us. We are standing in the dining room looking at the living room and  fireplace. There will be mantle height  bookcases on either side.

The living room is open to the dining room and kitchen.

   And the kitchen ... In the forefront is the sink and breakfast bar. The stove, cabinets and fridge on the right, and cabinets on the left. Under the window is a desk and place for all..or rather, some of my cookbooks. The island with it's prep sink is in the center.

  Moving into the kitchen you have a view of the dining room. The dining table will be centered on those windows. We'll have a lovely vista regardless
of the weather.

   Just down the hall is the laundry and craft room. This was originally a bedroom on the stock plans, but we added an exit door and put the laundry here, giving us a much bigger hall pantry. We have a great place to rinse muddy dogs and hang dripping coats. The washer and dryer will stack just to the right of the dog wash. There is plenty of room for stained glass, painting, and oh yes, folding laundry (if I must).

 There is a nicely sized bathroom off the craft room, mostly because the craft room was originally planned as a bedroom. The spa tub is here. I'll most likely make stained glass panels for these windows.

On the other side of the first floor is a large bedroom, with access to the back porch. This will be a guest room until Ed and I are too old to make the stairs, say.... 103.
    The bathroom here has a good sized shower with a  low step, keeping in mind that the future may someday include limited mobility. We plan on staying in this house until they drag us out.

Let's take those stairs now to the second floor. An oak newel post will be at the base, with fluted 1x4 stiles up the stairs, in the craftsman style, of course.

 The family room has that great barrel ceiling that the eyebrow dormers create. The stock plans called for a vaulted ceiling over the living room and a loft between the two upstairs bedrooms, but we wanted the extra space. We also wanted to limit lost heated space.

    We put a second fireplace upstairs. We have found that the new woodburning stoves and fireplaces are so efficient, the trick is to not roast yourself out of your house. We plan on heating primarily with wood, although we have a big furnace in the event we need it.
   This is also where we will watch TV most of the time, since there isn't one in the downstairs living room. It will go on the left, with a wood box on the right.

   What would have been the loft is now my library. I am very excited about this room. I have boxes and boxes of books in the barn just waiting for their new home. I only hope the mice haven't read too many of the books! Bookcases will be window height along the stairwell and under the windows, then taller on the wall on the right. A few overstuffed chairs and a table....ahhh..heaven!

On either side of this area are similar bedrooms. The west bedroom will be a guest room. The plans called for the dormer to be much larger and a storage area, but Ed changed it and I like it much better.

From the french doors looking in the other direction, each bedroom has a large closet and a bathroom. These bedrooms are plenty big for a king sized bed, dresser, seating area with a table and chair, and perhaps a small writing desk. The vaulted ceiling makes it seem it even larger than it is.

We will be in the east bedroom, which is a mirror image of the west bedroom. The bathroom is a little different because of HVAC ducting. The double sink vanity will be as you enter the bathroom.

Then left to the 6' shower tub and toilet.

 Shall we head down to the basement? Ed is pretty excited about his home theater. We hope to occasionally have "Soup And Movie Night" with friends and neighbors. A big screen and surround sound will insure we feel the movie as well as see it.

A little refreshment? Let's go next door for some popcorn and a cold beverage.  The saloon will have swinging doors, a wagon wheel chandelier and a cowboy bar....just like Bonanza!

Now that we've sat around watching movies and had a beverage or two, we really need to get rid of those calories. Step on into the gym. No pain, no gain.


   That concludes the tour. Next week it all gets taped and textured. I'll make a quick trip out of town for a few days, and when I get back I have buckets and buckets of paint to look forward to.