2814 E. Olive St.

Our New Guest Bedroom in the Basement

2006-08-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

After 3 years of living in our house we can't take not having a guest bedroom anymore. For some time now, we have wanted to remodel part of the basement into a bedroom, but for numerous reasons (heating ducts must be moved, plumbing, pouring concrete, etc.) it was just too big of a mission. This is where Jen says I need to explain something about Seattle houses: Most of the older houses have basements that range from 5-8 feet tall, and its the easiest way to convert unfinished space into decent living space. So we decided to do a little make-shift remodel. Eventually we will fully finish the basement, but for now we wanted a little corner to put a bed and for guests to have a place to sleep out of the dog hair and away from the alarm clock, coffee grinder, etc. So, its no 5-star sleeping arrangement but Jen's mom is currently testing it out, and she approves. So no more couch surfing for our guests -- you know have a bed to stay in :) Check out the pictures below.

2006-08-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

This is what the basement looked like when we bought the house. While it doesn't look so bad in the picture, the carpet was nasty and the fake panels were rippled and paper thin.

2006-08-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Jennie's favorite part is always the demolition...she say's, "after all, I'm a demolitioner's daughter."

2006-08-08T20:42:00.001-08:00

Gutted and stripped down to the bare concrete...time to start building now.

2006-08-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

The new studs.

2006-08-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

Jennie painting the Homasote panels. They are an alternative product to drywall for certain situations. Learn more about homasote panels here.

2006-08-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

TaaDaaaaa! Eventually, the upper shelves will be more "built in" with doors. In the more near future, we will cover their contents with curtains or something. But not bad for a one week transformation, eh? The cool paneling we used is called Kirei. It kinda looks like cork, but its a mixture of sorghum and poplar waste among other things. Look here for more.

2006-08-08T19:47:00.000-08:00

Pretty cozy looking, huh? Time to come visit. I'm talking to you Tami Clayton!

2006-04-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

The back gate.

2006-04-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

The back of the house...(the Tyvek house)

2006-04-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Notice how the fence folds in on itself...

2006-04-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

The Front Gate...

The Kitchen Transformation

2006-04-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

The next 5 photos illustrate how the past 3 years have evolved in our kitchen. It is still far from being completely finished but take a look at how far we have come!!

2006-04-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

This is the kitchen the day we bought the house. I can't believe we bought this house with this gross kitchen. The yellow stains on the wall were cigarette smoke!! You would have had to see it to believe it. The dirty wall leading to the original deck was completely dryrot. It was the deck that needed to be fixed and somehow that turned into a kitchen remodel. We knocked down the wasll which extended the kitchen by 6 feet.

2006-04-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

With the help of Kelly Davidson the kitchen is clean. The matching old school stove was found on the side of the road!!

2006-04-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

Under the drywall is insulation made from recycled blue jeans!!

2006-04-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

Our first christmas in our kitchen!! We still need a hood, and the eating bar....as well as many other projects. The filtered water on the island is my favorite!! The counter tops are recycled paper composite and the cabinets are bamboo. The paint is by Yolo a low voc eco friendly paint.

2006-04-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

The hood and eating bar are finally in. We still need the concrete top to the eating bar, all window and door wood trim work and lastly tile floor....we are getting there!!

The Dining Room Transformation

2006-03-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

Ok, so its been quite awhile since the last post and in fact I have never kept up with this blog as well as I originally hoped. But with continued interest from some of our friends and family I am going to try and post more frequently. So check back again soon, and keep an eye for a way to subscribe so you get an email whenever I make an update.

The four picture below illustrate the transformation that has taken place in what is now our dining room. After buying the house we tore out the nasty red carpet, and made this room our master bedroom. About a year later we moved our bedroom and decided to tear into the project. It has come a long way since the red carpet, and while we still don't have a finished floor (tile soon), we are ready to start hosting a few dinner parties. Hope to have you over for dinner soon.

2006-03-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Envision A New Dining Room

2006-03-19T19:30:00.001-08:00

Getting Ready for the Dirty Work

2006-03-19T19:30:00.000-08:00

No Turning Back Now

2006-03-19T19:29:00.000-08:00

Ready for Dinner Parties

2005-08-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

The chaos of a kitchen remodel. Here is the last bit of our old kitchen....now located in the office. Its a bit crowded.

2005-08-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Just another beautiful day in Seattle :) There wasn't one plant when we moved in. Just grass. Needless to say, Jennie has become addicted to gardening.

2005-08-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

Rado and the front yard. Jennie did lots of gardening this spring, and she will come home to much bigger plants (and lots of weeds).

2005-08-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

A wide view of the kitchen. Taken from the dining room. There will be an island with an eating bar just this side of the scaffolding. And cabinets running across the far wall.

2005-08-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

The north end of the kitchen. The stove will be on the left side of the picture and the counter will wrap around the corner under the two windows. The french door leads to a deck and our back yard

2005-08-13T19:45:00.000-08:00

Looking at the South End of our Kitchen. The Sink will go under the window. The Fridge and pantry will go under the soffit. The darkness is the hallway that leads to the rest of the house.

2005-03-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

Jennie's latest landscaping project. In half of our front yard, she tore up the remaining grass, (this space used to be entirely grass) made a mound and brought in some boulders (actually that was me) and then went shopping at her favorite gardening store. This all happened at the same time we got our puppy, Rado, so to keep him from eating the new work, we constructed the bamboo fence (my design), which has actually work very well. All the flowers are sprouting up and starting to bloom, so check back soon for a colorful update.

Recycled Blue Jean Insulation

2004-12-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

The Environmental Home Center (www.environmentalhomecenter.com) is our savior in the remodel. This store, despite catching fire recently, is still in business, and has been an incredible resource every step of the way. We recently just bought some insulation made from post consumer blue jeans (meaning the scraps from making blue jeans and other cotton products) and used to make R-19 cotton insulation. While more expensive, it is much friendlier to use, install, and live around while remodeling one's kitchen. Jen has coined our kitchen the "freezer box" as its been mostly un-insulated, and with temperatures dipping, she has developed quite and aversion to the kitchen. So I am starting to insulate it, and will just work around the batts with wiring, plumbing, etc. Check back to see how this goes??

2004-12-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

Our new Reefer :)

Refrigerator!

2004-11-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

We finally made the move to a full sized fridge. For those of you who don't know, we moved into the house with no appliances. A friend loaned us a very small dorm fridge. We knew we would be remodelling our kitchen right aways so we bought another small and inexpensive dorm fridge. We have since been living out of these two small refrigerators. Our friend needed hers back and growing very sick of these small fridges we hit www.craigslist.com and found a fridge for sale. It is very exciting to actually have more space than we can fill. And to actually have the space to buy good for future meals. Can't believe we made it so long without one. Now we just need to finish the kitchen :)

Slow and Steady....kinda

2004-10-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

Progress on the house has been slow lately, picking away at small projects. However, I did get the three double hung windows in last weekend. This slowness has been due to more work coming up lately, and the daylight hours diminishing up here in the great NW. Also the occasional kayak trip has kept me away from the house. And as you can see in the pictures, Jen's yard looks Fantastic, while the kitchen is still in a state of disarray. Trying to get all the loose ends of the deck finished: the railing, doors to the storage area underneath, staining the wood, finishing the fascia, and probably more.

2004-10-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

French Doors and double hung windows are in! Deck needs a rail. And we are waiting for some triangle windows. Currently working on a door for under the deck to keep any bad people from taking my kayaks.

2004-10-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Some dahlias and a pompous grass, which was the first plant we added to our house. We are proud parents :)

2004-09-28T20:32:00.000-08:00

More Grass Disappears

2004-09-28T20:26:00.000-08:00

Sunflowers in Bloom

French Doors are in!

2004-09-08T19:30:00.000-08:00

Its been super busy, but managed to at least get the second set of french doors in today. They need some fine tuning, but at least we can see outside. More posts to come and hopefully pictures too.

2004-07-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

The Deck

The First Entry

2004-07-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

This is the first entry into this new journal.   I have decided to start this journal for our house.   I hope everyone enjoys the new format.

I have been working on the deck for sometime now.   Working alone is sure a slow process.   We have also decided to use a hidden fastener system, so no screws or nails will be visible.   This has been a time involving process, but looks very nice.   Especially since we chose Ipe (pronounced ee-pay) for our decking.   Ipe is a type of "ironwood" from Brazil.   It is very dense, which means it is heavy and extremely hard.   That also means it is termite and rot resistant.   We also think it looks beautiful.   And for any of you wondering about our choice for Brazilian wood, it is FSC (Forest Stewardship Certified) stamped, meaning selectively cut, without displacing local communities.    We are planning a BBQ party when it's finished.   Can't wait.

While Jen has been getting busier every week with her studies for the Boards Exam in early August she is still playing in the dirt every spare moment.   Several new plants have been added to the landscaping as well as many sunflower sprouts coming up that she planted this spring.