August 26, 2010 -- Day 357

No photos for you today.  But, it's a good thing.  The reason I can't post photos is because the floors are being finished today and I haven't been able to walk on them for the past week.
The house had hardwood floors throughout, except for the kitchen and bathroom.  They were in pretty good shape-only a few patches here and there.  We decided to keep the floors as they were and extend the hardwood into the kitchen.  The floors are ash, which we couldn't find anywhere in California.  We had the wood shipped from Ohio or Michigan or somewhere else I've never been.  They arrived, rested in the house, and then were installed.  We also had the installer sand and refinish the rest of the floor in the dining room, living room, and hallway.
This weekend, James will install the kitchen appliances and we'll move in!  We have a lot of things to move from our old apartment and my storage unit so we'll be moving things for the next month. 
The end is near!!!

August 10, 2010 -- Day 341 -- Before's and After's

We have had so much work done in the past few weeks I barely know where to start!  I'll start outside and work my way in, like I do when I eat sandwiches.  =)

We had the driveway and the walkways replaced.
Before:

Cracking asphalt.  It was difficult to park on and really difficult to roll the garbage can out.

After:

Smooth concrete.  We integrated the walkway with the driveway, thereby widening the driveway.  The walkways weren't in bad shape but they were a bit boring, so we had them re-done and added some striping to make them more interesting.

Our next step is to figure out what plantings we want to do in the front yard.

In the back, we had our patio made.  It's also concrete, but it's stamped concrete so it has an interesting texture and some more shapes in it than just regular concrete.

James is currently using the patio for a work area, but once we move in, we'll be sure to BBQ all the time.  Maybe I'll invite you over, if you're good.  Maybe.

On to the inside.  The bathroom is basically completed.  Below are a before and after of the sink area.  James did most of the installation in the bathroom and almost all of the design.  He's created a gorgeous bathroom and we both can't wait till we move in.
Before:

Wall hung sink.  The words that come to mind to describe this sink are: sad, hospital, tiny.  I'm sure it worked well for Veronica (the previous owner) but James splashes far too much for this to be useful.

After:

Marble vanity.  James (and I) will be able to splash all we want.  The new sink/vanity is on the opposite wall from the previous sink.  It has more counter space, more storage beneath, and classic sconces on each side.

We also replaced the laundry room.  The house had a large laundry room when all we really need is a laundry in a closet.  Take a look below at before and after.

....and after.  Front loaders are more energy efficient and stack easily.

Now, the kitchen.  When we look at pictures of the previous kitchen, it's so hard to believe the new kitchen is the same space.  Take a look and see for yourself.

Before:

After:

The appliances and the floor are not yet installed, but you get the basic idea.  The countertops are brushed granite, the backsplash is travertine subway tiles, and the island top is alder wood planks.  James did almost all of this work himself (we hired a subcontractor to install the countertops).  He even fabricated the island top out of 5" alder planks.  He stained it to work with the rest of the kitchen and we both love it.  Maybe I'll invite you over to see it sometime.  Maybe.

All in all, it's been a long process and we're so glad it's almost finished!  We have to have the floors installed (the wood is ash and NOWHERE in California sells ash, we had to order it from Ohio or Montana or somewhere that I've never been), and install the appliances and then we move in!  Should only be a few more weeks!

JOY!!!

July 30 -- Day ?!?! -- Concrete work

A few days ago, we had all of the concrete and asphalt removed from the driveway, walkways and patio in the backyard.  I can't believe that 30 years of solid rock was removed in mere hours.  It was so quick there wasn't any time to get pictures!  Tree roots had split the asphalt driveway so we're getting a new concrete driveway.  The walkways were old and sagging so we're getting new concrete walkways.  And, the patio in the backyard was that old style red painted concrete.  So, we're getting a new stamped concrete patio.  We had to move the patio as well, to make it accessible by our new french doors.  See photo  =)

We plan on doing lots of alfresco cooking and dining on our patio.  It's shady in the afternoons and evenings and Santa Clara often has a really nice breeze in the evenings.  Can't wait!!!

July 21, 2010 -- Day 326 -- Kitchen Work

James installed the microwave into the cabinet.  The oven will be below the microwave.  All of the appliances are stainless steel, with black and chrome accents so the will all work nicely together.

Here's an up-close image of the backsplash.  It's hard to see all of the colors in this picture, but the backsplash looks really nice with the black countertops and the white cabinets.

These are the handles that we'll put on all the cabinets.  We really liked the chrome finish and the top molding on the handles imitates the molding on the cabinets.  Also, there were handles just like this at Renovation Hardware for 3 times the price!! James is an excellent shopper.

July 6, 2010 -- Day 306 -- Bathroom!!!

All of the bathroom tiles are in and grouted.  Take a look below for some before and after pictures...

Before

After....well, during really.

During.

This is the floor of the shower.  We chose tiles that are made to look like stone.  We thought they brought an element of nature and whimsy into the bathroom.  

This is the floor tile for the rest of the bathroom.  It's a dark brown with a "wool" pattern.  The very slight pattern gives the bathroom a textural feeling.  LOVE IT!

June 26, 2010 -- Day 296 -- Countertops installed, and we LOVE them

Our countertops are in!!!!!  We chose a granite called Absolute Black.  The finish is a brushed finish.  It's not dull like a chalkboard, but it's not shiny like a 1980s black granite either.  It's got a little bit of texture and feels great under the hand.  The farmhouse sink was a great find and since we bought the floor model, we saved money.  The sink is deep and very big.  It also has a slight curve in the front which looks incredible with the rest of the kitchen.

You can see the texture in the photo above.  The granite is not as gray as it appears in the picture, it's more black with some gray, brown, and blue undertones.

This is the edge of the countertop.  The different colors really show in the edge.

This is where the microwave and oven will go.  We're thrilled with how the countertops turned out, they've become one of our most favorite parts of the house.

June 6, 2010 -- Day 276

It's our one year wedding anniversary!  Happy Anniversary to me and James.

Now, on to the house updates...

We hired a subcontractor to work on the windows and the French doors.  We installed the French doors in the middle bedroom (the room that will be the office).  The house used to have a laundry room with the only door out to the yard.  We got rid of that laundry room and gave half of the space to the bathroom and half to the kitchen.  So, we needed a new way to get out to the yard.  We both love the look of French doors so decided to go with them.  The picture above is from the inside of the house and the picture below is from the back of the house on the outside (where the patio will be.)

We also installed the garden window in the kitchen.  We plan to grow herbs and orchids in the window. It will be such a relief to be able to cut basil right from the plant instead of going to the store to buy way more than we need and throw away half of the container.  See below for the picture of the garden window from the outside of the house.