Let's See Your House Projects!

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by unluky

As a guy who was born in a small town, and spent most of my time in the country and now lives on a small 3 acres at the very end of a dead end road surrounded by 2 cattle farms where the nearest neighbor is hundreds of yards away - pictures like this CRACK ME UP!

At Chez Vreihen, our neighbor on two sides is 450 acres of undeveloped wooded parkland, and the third side is 7,500+ acres of state forest. The previous owner of our house added a deck to the back, which we have never used once because the bugs will swarm and eat you alive before you even make it to a chair to sit down. I see no benefit to an outdoor kitchen, unless you like firing up a gas grill to roast nesting rodents who think it's their home.....

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

I'm curious how grass will grow in those spaces without sunlight? Is there a desert-specific type of grass that thrives in the shade because of the strong sun and lack of water?????

There is plenty of sun in Nevada. You are not escaping that here. lol! Nobody really has grass here though. It is typically desert-scape, turf and plants that can handle extreme heat and extreme cold. One side of my house gets blasted by the sun earlier in the day and the other side gets blasted by the sun later in the day.

[Sedan_Clan]

The contractors finished most of the secondary patio side today. All of the pavers and turf are in. Still lots to do on that side of the house though. There is still more vines, another Greenspire (..to total six by that side patio) and two Texas Privets to plant (..to block the view of the A/C units), and I am having a decorative gate made to obscure the pool equipment.

[Watching The World Burn]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

At Chez Vreihen, our neighbor on two sides is 450 acres of undeveloped wooded parkland, and the third side is 7,500+ acres of state forest. The previous owner of our house added a deck to the back, which we have never used once because the bugs will swarm and eat you alive before you even make it to a chair to sit down. I see no benefit to an outdoor kitchen, unless you like firing up a gas grill to roast nesting rodents who think it's their home.....

Can you screen it in - or a portion of it (like create a gazebo)?

[spazzyfry123]

This thing is really coming together Sedan_Clan !!

Originally Posted by unluky

As a guy who was born in a small town, and spent most of my time in the country and now lives on a small 3 acres at the very end of a dead end road surrounded by 2 cattle farms where the nearest neighbor is hundreds of yards away - pictures like this CRACK ME UP!

I can't imagine 1/2 of my window being 100% my neighbors brick wall. I know it is normal in the metros, but it boggles my mind. I have not closed my blinds in years...................

When I look out my windows - I see deer, not people. LOL

I can relate. We don’t even have blinds!

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

This thing is really coming together Sedan_Clan !!



I can relate. We don’t even have blinds!

I lit a fire under the head contractor Monday afternoon. 😂 It is remarkable the amount of work that can be completed over two days when there is motivation.

[unluky]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I lit a fire under the head contractor Monday afternoon. 😂 It is remarkable the amount of work that can be completed over two days when there is motivation.

Mortality is a GREAT motivator!!!!!

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by unluky

Mortality is a GREAT motivator!!!!!

My head contractor always claims I am scary despite the fact he towers over my 5 foot, 10 inch frame at 6 feet, 3 inches and outweighs me by at least 70 lbs. (..I am 210 lbs.). It is probably just my aesthetic (..olympic lifter/sprinter build), but I will take it.

[unluky]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

My head contractor always claims I am scary despite the fact he towers over my 5 foot, 10 inch frame at 6 feet, 3 inches and outweighs me by at least 70 lbs. (..I am 210 lbs.). It is probably just my aesthetic (..olympic lifter/sprinter build), but I will take it.

I have a dead pan face that I have perfected over the years that makes me completely unapproachable when I don't want to be approached .

I have a feeling being a cop you have the same one only 500 times worse when you want. Lol!

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by unluky

I have a dead pan face that I have perfected over the years that makes me completely unapproachable when I don't want to be approached .

I have a feeling being a cop you have the same one only 500 times worse when you want. Lol!

That is probably it. I often come across as pissed off when I am really in a great mood. Lol!

I gave my head contractor a huge bear hug (..more like a cub hugging the papa bear, lol 🐻) on Monday after our chat. I did not want him to take my directness the wrong way. Since then I have sent him two text messages expressing how pleased I am with the work that has been performed over the past few days.

..then I told him I did not like the style of the lights nor the color temperature and wanted them all replaced with pathway lighting.

[Llarry]

I don't know how LEOs do it. I don't think I could put up a deadpan face when faced with much of the idiocy that y'all see on a daily basis.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Llarry

I don't know how LEOs do it. I don't think I could put up a deadpan face when faced with much of the idiocy that y'all see on a daily basis.

Sometimes I cannot deal with it, then I go off BWC and tell them what I really think. 😂

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn

Can you screen it in - or a portion of it (like create a gazebo)?

Then the previous owner built the deck, they made it level with the back door instead of down two steps. There's no way to put a roof over it with the proper/legal slope without the far end ceiling height being under 5 feet, and going with a level or reverse pitch would flood the basement every time it rains. Then, there's the matter of bees/wasps building nests on any roof overhang as soon as a new one is exposed.

In all seriousness, we called an exterminator once to spray around the yard. The dude started spraying their environmentally-friendly rainbows and unicorns pesticide, and was immediately attacked by a bug so large that he went screaming back to his van and called for backup from the supervisor carrying the *real* bug killer! He told the supervisor that the bug was sooooooo big that he could saddle it.

I've always had an idea in the back of my mind to remove the deck and pour a concrete slab patio on the ground in its place, capped with a glass roof to make a three season sunroom. Just never got a round tuit, since I can count on two fingers the number of times that we've had guests over to entertain that would utilize such a space in two decades of ownership.

Chez Vreihen will likely be going on the market next month, so that we can move south and focus on building our Garage Mahal down yonder at our tree farm where it snows maybe once per decade. I've already made the executive decision that we're taking the snow blower anyway...so that I can stick a wooden 4" x 4" into the output chute and use it as a mailbox post.....

[wrickem]

We’re renovating one of our bathrooms and down to the last bits. I’ve called 4 wallpaper hangers and they are all booked until late April!

Wallpaper has always been out of my wheelhouse but I thought I’d tackle it myself, I just want to be finished with this dark moody bathroom.

Although I had a lot more waste than someone experienced, it came out straight and with perfectly matching seams and no bubbles at all.

Shower glass and mirrors come on Tuesday and don’t have to wait for April to be 100%finished

[jaffles]

Good on you, I quite like a bit of wall paper. Looks good in my book.

[jaffles]

Well a bit of movement at the station.

Small army of concertos show up and did this. Slabs for storage locker, house extension, and shed for the hoist.

[jaffles]

I on the other hand lifted 50sqm of tiles.

[jaffles]

Continuing on its time to start dismantling the kitchen and build the butlers pantry. Took the opportunity to widen up the hallway so its feels spacious.


Rather than buy new windows we decided to reuse existing. And where else do you get your windows from than a wall that's going. So out with old and in with the new for good light in the pantry. Had a rush of blood as things were moving along and ditched the sliding door in the main bedroom that is never used and put another window from the back wall.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by jaffles

Continuing on its time to start dismantling the kitchen and build the butlers pantry. Took the opportunity to widen up the hallway so its feels spacious.
Attachment 3921256Attachment 3921257

Rather than buy new windows we decided to reuse existing. And where else do you get your windows from than a wall that's going. So out with old and in with the new for good light in the pantry. Had a rush of blood as things were moving along and ditched the sliding door in the main bedroom that is never used and put another window from the back wall.
Attachment 3921259Attachment 3921260Attachment 3921261

I like when I see butler’s pantries/kitchens in homes……and waterfall islands.

[jaffles]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I like when I see butler’s pantries/kitchens in homes……and waterfall islands.

Its a strange experience, the frame work is made and you think gee its big hole, how we will fill that? Maybe we should up size the fridge, oven or stove? We are not foodies, generally a family of 4, and have noted on cooking shows no one uses an 8 burner stove top or fills a 1200mm wide oven. However we have about a dozen or more (family) over about 6-8 times a year.

Outside in the covered pool/bbq area where we all congregate can get cool outside of summer or if it rains. So the new kitchen space being more open, and yes a 2400 x 1200 island bench that spaciously patricians the new dining and parents lounge will provide so much area we won't know ourself. So far the standard fridge, oven, and stove top has done nicely. But its a funny line from going big because ones renovating and modern trends, or half big, or whatever. We are more go than show but it sure challenges existing thinking, habits, and the budget.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by jaffles

Its a strange experience, the frame work is made and you think gee its big hole, how we will fill that? Maybe we should up size the fridge, oven or stove? We are not foodies, generally a family of 4, and have noted on cooking shows no one uses an 8 burner stove top or fills a 1200mm wide oven. However we have about a dozen or more (family) over about 6-8 times a year.

Outside in the covered pool/bbq area where we all congregate can get cool outside of summer or if it rains. So the new kitchen space being more open, and yes a 2400 x 1200 island bench that spaciously patricians the new dining and parents lounge will provide so much area we won't know ourself. So far the standard fridge, oven, and stove top has done nicely. But its a funny line from going big because ones renovating and modern trends, or half big, or whatever. We are more go than show but it sure challenges existing thinking, habits, and the budget.

Go contract grade refrigeration. What appliances are you planning to use?

[Mech Spec]

The contractor portion of our reno wrapped today. A few of these pics are before the backsplash was grouted

Still some finishing touches to do on my end, door hardware, furniture, odds and ends.