What About the House?

A few people have asked how the renovation project is coming along on my house. Very well! The outside looks stark right now because we removed most of the old decrepit plantings and had the trees professionally pruned:

We don't want to put in any plantings until after all of the interior construction has been completed, otherwise it will get trampled. The front yard is on a busy street, so we won't be using it for lounging or entertaining, but we do intend to have a very nice walled garden to provide something pretty to look at from inside and out.

Inside, the front half of the house, the old carpet has been removed, several layers of ill-advised window treatments have been taken down, and new electrical wiring is being installed in every room. That's the dining room:

The extensive woodwork throughout the house is marvelous, though a bit dull. After the cosntruction is over, the floors will be refinished in every room, and the walls and paneling cleaned. The wood is the color of dark honey, a rich amber with delicate graining. The floors are 3/4" oak hardwood.

At the back of the house, the kitchen and two bedrooms have been gutted and are being redone from the wall studs in and the floorboards up. New plumbing, new electrical, repaired original windows, a second bathroom and a kitchen to die for:

We very deliberately are staying away from current trends like granite counters, cherry wood cabinets, and travertine marble all over the place. Instead, the cabinets are painted, the counters are ceramic with Arts & Crafts accent pieces, and the bathroom is being done in an old retro-California Bungalow style. We've even got Marboleum for the kitchen floor!

It's daunting, but we have a great contractor and the work is moving along without a hitch. If everything continues to go this well, we may be moving in over the Christmas holidays.