Laundry Room Renovation...almost

So here we are with the before picture of the laundry room.  As you can see, storage was limited, I really didn't like the floor and well, my washer and dryer doors opened into each other making it very hard to do laundry.  The washer had also started running its own cycles, I'd put it on a 15-minute quick wash and come back to find it said 50 minutes!

So after much back and forth we finally decided on what we were going to do.  New floors, new cabinets, panel over the window and new paint.  On top of all of that, my very wonderful in-laws gave us the gifts of new washer and dryer!  The last time they had visited she had laundry to do and was very frustrated with my existing duo!

Randy wanted to update a few other things as well, so he stripped back the paneling behind the machines to replace the dryer vent and makeover the existing plumbing.

Next up was the floor.  After removing the pergo, we found the old vinyl, which I told him looked better than the pergo had!

Maybe I related to it because it was from the 80's!

In any event, the process moved on and paneling went up, painting happened and flooring went in!

I chose a really nice light shade of green for the room.  We added water to the paint to thin it down so that the wood grain would still show.  It sort of looks weathered and beachy to me, which is a good thing!

Next came my new washer and dryer, I never knew I'd get so happy over appliances!!!

Aren't they lovely?  I love that the doors open away from each other and that both are lighted.  As a bonus, they are high enough that I can see inside but not so high that I can't put the detergent it lol.  I don't think manufacturers think much about those of us that are vertically challenged!

Next came the cabinets.

The first set went over the washer and dryer.  There had been a small one there before that I never used because of how high up it was.  Same deal here too, mostly these will hold light bulbs and stuff that I don't need often on top.  The lower cabinets get paper goods because I can reach that with my small step stool.

The tall cabinets are shelves on top and drawers on the bottom.  All my cleaning supplies are loaded into them and I still have empty spaces!  The lower cabinets under the counter are for pet stuff and car cleaning stuff.  The uppers have gotten a mix of stuff, essential oil supplies, storage containers and some indoor gardening stuff.  Again, I still have empty shelves up top, but I need a taller step stool for these, I asked Randy to build me a two-step, step stool but he hasn't gotten to it yet.

After the cabinets came some Randy magic!

We had gone around about what to do in the corner behind the door.  I told him I wanted a bench, a place for work shoes, hooks and a place for our reusable bags.  Ta-freakingda!  He used leftover counter top and melamine scraps he had from other projects to build our bench and the cubbies above.  Now the only issue I have is the upper shelf is WAY up there and I can't reach it at all.  So I'm not sure what will end up in there, maybe hats or something lol.

Now I say almost because, we haven't picked out trim and the closet in the laundry room needs an overhaul.   It got a new floor, now it needs new shelves, nice white ones that won't give me splinters and that are spaced better so that I can actually store things like a vertically challenged girl needs to!

So there you have it.  My 95% completed laundry room.  Once it's 100% it's on to the kitchen for a minor update, than the great room, than...well who knows!!!

Cha. cha. Changes…

Greetings! After a week in a 4x4 access only rental house in the OBX, I can honestly say I still love the beach! It was beautiful even with hurricane Maria churning up the ocean and making the winds howl. The whole week wasn’t a wash, just part of Tuesday and part of Wednesday and then it was blue skies and gorgeous sunrises. Oh! Horses run wild there too and that was most awesome to see. Even Copper and Tucker adapted to the long walks on the beach, the surf licking their ankles. Well…almost, Cooper did but Tucker, well, he at least got his feet wet before we left!

To say it was a shock to come home and find fall had started with a boatload of leaves would be an understatement.  It’s been so dry that I guess they decided it was just time to fall, we couldn’t see the driveway there are so many down.  Guess I know what we will be doing this weekend.

The other big change wasn’t a pleasant surprise at all.  While we were gone apparently one neighbor took it upon himself to have a portion of the shared gravel lane paved.  Each neighbor owns a portion of the lane, and over the years various people have taken care of the lane smoothing the gravel, tending to the potholes even trimming back the woods along the lane.  The only time money is ever requested is when gravel has been needed and it was split based on how much of the lane you used.  The irony of the situation is the very neighbor that has complained the most about the lane has been the one that has done the most damage to it during snow events.  Neither he or his wife have 4 wheel drive and so he has tried to plow the snow down to the gravel, what he ends up doing is pushing all the gravel off into the woods.  I know he has been asked more than once to raise the blade, but like all things that pertain to him, he has done what he wanted.  (Don’t get me started on the fact that he has NEVER cleaned up after ANY of his dogs…smh)  Several years ago his wife brought up paving the lane because it was ‘damaging her bike tires’. (The lane was gravel when you moved here!) When she brought it up this time, it was ‘making her car dirty’ and ‘causing alignment issues’.  It was our understanding prior to leaving for vacation, that she was going to get estimates. That all the neighbors would discuss the options and make a decision that suited everyone.   It appears that he decided he didn’t need to talk with the other neighbors, so HE signed a contract to have a portion paved.  He sent out an email, unbeknownst to us informing everyone how much they owed him. 
Those of us that have been against having it paved, see bigger issues and seem to have a better understanding of things.  The lane is a shared lane, not a driveway, it sees far more use than a standard driveway.  That means it needs thicker asphalt and would require additional maintenance.  There is the entire grading issue that would need to be addressed to prevent water from standing, potholes from returning, and the flooding of other people’s property.  There are people that drive far too fast on the gravel already, the pavement is only going to speed that up and that scares me.  The cost is a big one.  They believe it doesn’t need to be anything different from a standard driveway and it won’t need to be sealed, patched or replaced. I can’t even comment on the ludicrous nature of that.
It boggles my mind how anyone can behave this way.  The total lack of consideration for all the homeowners leaves me shaking my head in disbelief.  To have the audacity to assume that everyone wants to pave is one thing, to sign a contract speaking for people that you didn’t even talk to, and for ones you know are adamantly against it is something else.  To assume that everyone is even in a financial position to pay the amount of money he is demanding is just insanity.  This to me is what entitlement looks like, ‘I want it, therefore I will have it regardless of what you say’.

I will never understand why people move into a place and then try to change it to be something else.  He has mentioned to other neighbors on more than one occasion he wants the lane paved, turned over to the county and for all of us to agree to subdivide our properties.  “Think of all the money you could make”. 

For us, this home, Logs End was never about making money.  It has always been about having a place of peace and serenity to come home to.  It has always been about being able to basically forget the crazy that is outside of this tree-lined lane.  We like the gravel, the being snowed in, the peace, the quiet and yes even the wildlife that eats our plants.  If we wanted something different, we wouldn’t have moved here. 

One step at a time..

Randy chose his next project and it is one I am very grateful for and one that I am helping on.  New deck steps!

I’m not sure that the last steps were ever intended to be permanent, what I do know, they were steep and narrow and I hated going down them with an arm load of anything!

Saturday was demolition day and the day that we built the new landing.

We worked all day to get the framing done and the new posts in place.

By the end of our work on Sunday we had a landing with decking and a step!

Randy says he’s going to add another piece to the first step since the dogs might skip it if it’s to small. The area between the two post will be where the new steps go.  This week weather permitting we will keep moving forward!

A beautiful gift..

Randy decided after the interior renovations, he wanted to make something that didn’t involve cutting two by fours, he wanted to make a piece of furniture.  He started researching and decided to make a Greene and Greene style blanket chest. He found some articles, a plan and started getting his supplies together.  The wood he used was mahogany with ebony plugs and splines.  The finish is a mix and it was hand applied, so was the top coat.  I think he did 4 coats of stain and 4 coats of the clear finish to protect it.  




The hinges are special in that the lid will never slam shut and will stay open at any position.


This beautiful piece of furniture went to our dear friends Erin and Nick who are expecting their first child.  We took it to them today and they were both so surprised and could hardly believe that Randy had made it for them.  It is one of the most beautiful things he has ever built.
So wonder what he will be getting into next?

Life & Gardening

It would seem that the two go together somehow as they say life began in a garden.  For those that read this blog you may come here for updates on Cooper’s capers or Tuckers travels. Maybe you even want to know what mischief Randy is getting into in his workshop, I mean the blog did start to keep family updated on the new projects taking place here.  So to that end I’m splitting the blog and taking my gardening posts with me!
From now on if you want to find out about my (or our) gardening adventures you can find them here:
Gardening at Logs End
It will be about ponds, plants and pictures of nature and all things outside that occupy my time.  I suspect occasionally Cooper & Tucker will grace the pages as well.
Life at Logs End will be just that, the what’s goings on here and with us.  That way if you aren’t into weeding woes or plant pontifications you won’t have to read about it!
See you around the blogs!

Still here..

Well, howdy, it’s been a while I know.  We took a much needed break from big house projects and just did some quiet living for the last few months.  I’d say that we were hibernating for the winter, but we didn’t really have winter here this year.  Randy is diligently working on a top secret project in his workshop and I have to admit I’m glad his creative side kicked back in. 

I’ve been perusing Pinterest for ideas on everything related to home.  I like things organized and efficient.  I want like things together, all the baking, coffee, tea, storage, etc. should be together it saves time because you aren’t looking all over the kitchen for something.  We did a little mini project that involved some inexpensive hobby wood and some adhesive from Lowes.  Custom drawer dividers and let me tell you, it’s made me all kinds of happy.  No more stuff sliding into the darkness of the back of the drawer and no more cramped little spaces for the forks and knives.  As I took everything out of the drawers I also sorted it out and tossed a ton of stuff into the give away pile.

We’ve done several other drawers in the kitchen but you get the idea!

I’ve been on the ‘urge to purge’ road the last several weeks.  I hate clutter, I mean like seriously, I can’t stand piles around me, I can’t stand knowing that my closet is a disaster hidden behind a door. It stresses me out!!  We’ve got this closet in the laundry room that ends up as a catch all for everything and typically it looks like this and you can’t even see the floor!

I pulled everything out of it and started going through it.  I ended up with some stuff to give away and some stuff that just need to be better organized.

So I already had one of these Iris containers for my wild bird food that can’t go in the garage.  I got two more, one for the dog treats and one for the cat litter.  The little wooden box I had and it holds trash bags perfectly!

I’m still working but it’s getting better!  I’ve labeled the stuff that is in there now so that you can put your hand on what you are looking for without digging.

I’ve got bigger projects on my radar, a redo of the laundry room, an upgrade of the kitchen and a makeover for the closet (shudders!) in the foyer. For now, I’ve got plenty of sorting and boxing up to give away to work on. 

 

Of course I’ve also got my high energy boys to keep me on my toes!

 

Have a great day!

Finished!

The master bath project is now completed!  Actually, it’s been done for a while, I just hadn’t gotten around to posting about it.

Here is the backsplash and niche, complete with grout and fancy edging.

Here is the outside of the bath, all that is really left is to white wash the paneling.  I love everything about it and honestly that shower is so awesome  I could stay in there for hours!

Now maybe we will finally get the rest of the trim and painting done in the powder room…