FOOD, TRAVEL, RENOVATION & HOME LIFE
We are finally moving along with the home renovation and planning for the new office and bathroom in the old brick side of our Brick Beauty. Follow John’s progress below.
If you haven’t followed this reno from the start, check out our initial post about our Brick Beauty!
So we have been sidetracked with work to be done at our cabin in the lakes region of NH. We are back now, and the home renovation is ON at this brick pain in the ass of a home! Pics and video of the amazing work John has been doing at the cabin is to come at a later date. But let’s focus here on the Brick Beauty and the exciting news that DEMO has commenced! If you have not followed, check out the start of our renovation journey here
I am totally embarrassed to show this part of our house, but will say that we bought the house with these crazy elements and still loved this bitch with all her detractors! The “toilet office”…dear Lord, what does that mean..? Let me show you…
So, there you have it. An office with a weirdo toilet, a very, very basic sink that looks to have been a construction site stand in, as well as a shower that defies all logic in terms of the size, the dueling shower heads and shower control that is at the far end of the shower, so you have to reach all the way in to turn on the water. This means that you get sprayed directly in the face with the cold water in order to get the shower on. Brilliant! I am putting us out there for ridicule on this one, but pics of the actual shower…this is where I draw the line. Insert laugh track here! The great news is that anything we do will be an improvement!
So, we are off to the races with the toilet office renovation. This is the part of the process that I love most. What to do for lighting? Themes and color selection and all of that fun stuff! Is this a masculine office and bath, or something softer? Over to https://www.houzz.com/ I go to begin searching through office and bath ideas. I am excited to be making progress. And I am open to ideas, if anyone cares to weigh in on design etc.!
Bath demo is up next, as well as design of the clearly defined and very separate office and bathroom space! Stay tuned for progress and John’s video recording of his thought process and steps for making this all happen!
The first step in any renovation is to clear the area and prepare for demolition (the fun part!). This is the step in the process that I formerly would have called something like “the spring cleaning”, or “the donation prep”. Because we have moved a few times in the past 15 years and I have, much to my husband’s dismay, left the true, down to brass tacks, sorting and clearing of junk until the “next” move, this time I am calling the clear out, “THE PURGE”
Bins and boxes that have gone unopened and unaccounted for for the last 10+ years, are being opened and assessed. We aim to truly purge the garage of everything unneeded, broken, dated, or unwanted to make room for kitchenware and other items that need to be moved for demo and re-build. I am taking a multi-pronged approach, because I am one that hates anything being wasted. A true believer in reusing, sharing, donating and keeping as much out of the landfills as possible, I am sorting what I can recycle, reuse, sell or share. Not a quick or easy process, but we are committed.
In this effort, my husband and I have found frustration and about 1000 belly laughs. Why I have some of this $hit in my house is mindboggling!! Most has traveled with me since before even getting together with my husband back in 2005. It is like a dizzy trip down memory lane and a reminder of the strange phases I have been through. John, my husband, is a firm believer in tossing anything unnecessary. Clearly, I have not followed his advice. He has been scratching his head about the Tarot Cards, boxes of notes and cards, maps, airline ticket stubs, bones for fortune telling, hundreds of books, CDs, DVDs and a lot of other weird stuff. He literally found a pay stub from my first job out of college while sorting about 10 boxes of paperwork. Jeez!
Just a little taste of the madness we are living: ME: “Babes, do we still have the batgirl costume that goes with that batgirl mask?”. JOHN: “I assumed that mask went with the leather whip and the feather boa I found in that box over there…and I didn’t want to ask…!”. HAHAHA. Too many joke gifts over the years, it seems!
Anyhow, weeks later, the garage is officially ready to receive the contents of the toilet office (again, that will be explained and pics provided at a later date), so John can get to putting in new windows and demo for a new bath and proper office. Some pics of the initial madness and slow progress below (boa not pictured!). (And, yes, that is a huge strategy whiteboard that is hanging in my kitchen!). Totally recommend if you are going through a life change or a large project.
Let the renovation begin!
My husband and I bought an old brick home back in 2018. She was built in 1810 and she is a beauty. Not many houses can claim the curb appeal that this one can. Stately colonial brick home, set back off the main road, with a long, tree lined drive. In the spring, when the flowering pear trees are blooming, it is nothing but a joy to turn into our drive, knowing that this is my home.
With all of that said, we bought knowing there were some areas of the home that needed renovation. Some areas did not stand out until we were owners and looked much more closely. I could name them all, but who has the time for that…the list is long. I will mention those that I fully intend to fix, if only to ensure the next owner will not see these travesties and associate them with my husband and me. Such as the 1980s Jenn Air stove and cooktop. Truth be told, once I figured out that the oven was running 50 degrees hotter than it is set at it works a dream. And the range top is brilliant with its’ swapparoo electric burners, griddle pan etc., but it is time for an update! There are the windows that do not open, a monstrosity of a kitchen island, rotting inner cabinets…and the room that we call “the toilet office”. More on that gem later.
We have a bit of work ahead of us. This is not our first rodeo. We have done 2 complete home renovations, and a number of bath and room renovations in the past. Pics of those to be gathered and shared at some point. This will be the first that I document intentionally. Come along with us. There is sure to be some laughs and definitely some drama!
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