Procrastination Pays

I typically avoid putting things off because I hate the stress of looming deadlines after my newspaper days living with them constantly. But I have learned during the renovation that procrastination can really pay off when we have no idea what challenge is around the corner. We first learned that as we delayed what would have been a first step in resurrecting our basement bathroom: ripping out the deteriorating walls and reinstalling them. If we had done that, our work would have been destroyed by the plumbers removing and replacing plumbing, sewage, and water supplies.

We were motivated by the need to get the bathroom functioning as quickly as possible before crews began their work, and it worked out great even though it looks like crap. At the same time, we installed a door that didn’t quite latch and needed to be refinished, just to have some kind of privacy during construction. It was probably the door that had been originally there because it matches other doors in the basement in both design and knobs—which aren’t as decorative as the doors in the rest of the house. I had thought it might be worth it to plane down the door so it would latch securely, but the wall experience told me to hold off. Thank goodness!

Friday morning, J told us that the intended pocket door for the new 3/4 bath on the main level wouldn’t work as planned because it was an inch too narrow. (I love how detail-oriented they are!) The designers had planned to use the door that had been on the original powder room in the now-expanded space and paint it white to fit in with the white trim in the mud room (where the new entrance to the bathroom is). I was a little worried about that because that door is one of the original—and quite lovely—cherry doors with the Studebaker Rockne hood ornament door plate. After J told me about the preferred dimensions for the door, I found one that would work: you guessed it, the door we installed in the basement bathroom that wouldn’t quite latch. In a renovation win-win, I am thrilled to both save the pretty door for another use and happy to have a pocket door that matches the architecture of the doors, but I don’t mind painting white! And because we don’t care about the basement door, stock hardware, it’s easy to remove that and install hardware more befitting a pocket door.

*Here’s the replaced and installed pocket door to the new 3/4 bath. You can see that it needs an overhaul, so we’re now happy for it to be painted!*

J wanted to install the pocket door Friday because he was finishing the walls in the kitchen and bathroom so that the drywall mud expert could begin his work also on Friday. That means that we have all the wall board installed and the first mudding—taping the seams—is complete! Here is how the kitchen is taking shape:

Looking into the new addition with more windows. The addition gives us almost 5’ more depth. I am standing near the edge of what will be a 7-foot island. There will be cabinets alongside the windows. The sink will be below the center window.

This wall, to the left of the window wall, will be cabinets and our new induction range. The circle at the top (above the broom) is where the HVAC guy installed our new external vent for the range hood.

This is the newly expanded entry into the kitchen. The wall on the left side of this photo is to the right of the windows from the first photo above. This wall will not have additional cabinets in part because of the next photo.

Just to the right of the photo above (with the new entrance) is where our new fridge will be, centered between two tall cabinets. This had been where the original kitchen had a door to the laundry chute (it’s preserved behind the wall for future renovators to find). The doorway on the right goes into the dining room.

Finally this is one of the original, plaster walls in the kitchen (the other is where the expanded entry way is two photos above). You can see remnants of the dark plum and blackboard paints. You can also see where we were painting test colors (that we have rejected) and the 1970s-80s era yellow paint that had been covered with white bead board. What is gone here are the old wall-phone jacks that, um, haven’t been used in at least a decade.

So, at the close of the seventh week, we have made tremendous progress despite my early-week angst. I’m not showing the bathroom because it’s dark after the workers leave and we don’t bother them while they’re working. After Memorial Day, mudding will continue in earnest. That may take the whole week (or more), but it also means that we have to figure out what paint colors we want because they will paint before installing the cabinets in a couple of weeks.

Choosing paint colors is usually fun for me, but for this room, it has been a nightmare for several reasons. First, during the design phase, we were entirely focused on choosing the cabinets, counters, backsplash, and fittings. I wanted a diverse pallet that added some depth and richness in a modern Craftsman style befitting the rest of the house interior. Second, this diversity of materials and colors make wall color(s) a bit of a challenge. Do we avoid green to make sure it’s not too overwhelming? What colors will make the cherry stand out and what might diminish their beauty? These suckers are pricey so the latter would be a bummer. Here is an idea of the backsplash (there will be a lot of this green), the color of the cabinets, and the tile that will be in the 3/4 bath shower stall:

Dan’s holding a sample of the wood for the cabinets in front of a paint sample that we have rejected.

Our contractor prefers to use Sherwin Williams paint so on Friday, I took advantage of the company’s free paint consultation sessions and met with a designer for 30 minutes. Here is the color pallet that she suggested:

To see her room recommendations, click on the photo to enlarge it. We both immediately rejected the pink, although I understand she thought it would enhance the grayish tile on the bathroom floor. “Softened Green” is what is currently in our mud room (you can see it next to the newly installed pocket door in the photo above, although it’s lighter than it looks in that photo) and in the hallway that connects the mud room to the kitchen. We’ve primed the hallway that goes from the kitchen to the basement to test Niebla Azulejo, Coastal Plain, Sea Salt, and one other. **Comments and suggestions are very welcome!**

One paint choice we have completely procrastinated on is the exterior, which badly needs to be redone. As the crew finished the exterior of the addition, we just had them paint it to match the current colors and will see what we decide going forward. Here’s the (nearly) finished new exterior:

We are still missing the roof, hence also missing gutters and the ability to finish completing the siding that will rest on the roof. There will be an adjustable flood light installed above the three kitchen windows, and we will install another light above the back door. Cute dog story: because Saoirse can’t be free to wander in the work site, her dog door has it’s temporary seal. She has learned to give us a quick little yip when she wants in or out.

I hope everyone enjoys a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Procrastination Pays

Comments

One response to “Procrastination Pays”

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Procrastination Pays

Share this:

Comments

One response to “Procrastination Pays”

Leave a comment Cancel reply