A Spring House Update

It has been a few months since my last update on our house.  I haven't wanted to share because so much of the project has been 'almost done!' for so long.  For instance, my kitchen has been 'almost done!' for over a month, but some of the cupboard fronts are on backorder, so I can't finish it until they come in.  So frustrating!


 

So, here is WHY I haven't update my blog in so long.

1.  We have brutal internet service in the country.  We're still working on getting something better, but until then I have this extremely slow and limited connection, which makes uploaded photos torturous. 

2.  A happy and good reason: we are expecting our third baby girl!  I spent 3 months barfing my brains out.  Now that I'm well into the second trimester the nausea is wearing off, so I have a bit of energy again to do extra things (like tidy my house to photograph it for my blog).

3.  This project has been a TON OF WORK.  There is not one square inch of this house we haven't touched.  There is so much done behind the walls that we forget about (wiring, plumbing, cistern pumps, roof, leveling, insulating, etc. etc.) that had to be done.

But alas, look.  I have a kitchen!  With running water!  And plugs!  And lights!

Here is the view from the other side:

These are the new Ikea Bodbyn cabinets, in off white.  As you can see, there are some cupboards under the island and some drawer fronts that are missing.  They have been on back order for almost 2 months now.

There is still little details to do... painting touch-ups, trim work, range hood, etc., but these things all get done during my kids' blissfull 2 hour afternoon nap. 

This is the living room view from the kitchen.

Ah... Look at that ceiling!

I had to strip, caulk, rustoleum, and then hand paint the whole thing.  It was worth it!

The colour I used throughout the house is Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore.  I was feeling rather un-inspired while choosing paint colours (probably had something to do with just focusing on keeping my food down lately).  So I thought I'd do one light, neutral colour throughout, and as the years go by, I can add accent walls and curtains with lots of colour :)

This is the den, just off the living room.  It is Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore.

The stairs were another big part of this project.  Originally they were one straight run landing up at the front door.  They were steep and not very toddler-friendly.  We built a new set that bends around.  This week I was working on finishing the treads and risers.  This is tricky, as I have to make extra sure the girls are dead asleep before I apply a coat of finish.  There's no going up and down the stairs while they are drying!

Here is the front entryway with the new door.  All the light fixtures Mark found on the side of the road (except the pendants over the island).  In this room, I took old ceiling tiles we found in another part of the house and stripped and refinished them, then installed them on the ceiling.  It took about 3 days to caulk in all the cracks and to paint them all in.  Then Mark added crown.  The result is fabulous.

While I wanted to keep the charm of this house, and keep it simple and farmhouse country style, one thing I did go modern with was adding 'twinkle' lights (pot lights).  I love these little sparkles of happiness peeking through my ceilings.

And my upstairs laundry room, is now simply a laundry room.  No longer a temporary kitchen.

Well, that's all for now.  I'll close with the typical picture of my beautiful girls.

It is their 3rd birthday tomorrow.  I can't believe they have been around for 3 years.  They have been the best 3 years of my life.

We are so excited that our house is coming together and is in the finishing stages.  It was been a long and hard 6 months, full of hard work, but now it's summer.  And with summer comes strawberries, and camping, and lakes, and hammocks, and all wonderful, enjoyable things.  The rest of the house will get done over time.  But I'm in no rush.  We have the rest of our lives :)