Renovation, part...zillion

We're almost done!

Here are a few pix of the house (the back deck and driveway are pretty much all that's missing)...Stone work on the house is done--go, Mike!

Kitchen and breakfast nook--check!

Upstairs King Bedroom

Upstairs Queen Bedroom

Upstairs Bathroom #1

Upstairs Bathroom #2 (off laundry room)

Downstairs Family Room

Downstairs Queen Room

Downstairs Bunk Room aka The Bear Cubs' Den

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There are a few more rooms we need to take pictures of , and of course the finished deck and its amazing view, so stay tuned! First guests are enjoying the house this week--YAY!

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PS: If you''d like an amenities checklist, including what exactly is stocked in the kitchen or what outdoor gear we have, please email me and I'll email the lists to you. Also, we took the floor plans off the vrbo site, so here they are:

OUTSIDE!

We are still doing tiny details and solving decorating dilemmas inside the ranch house, but most of the work has moved outside to the exterior. We have had way more than our share of rain (in fact, it's raining again right now), but when it's not pouring, the guys are working on the new rock and siding on the house. The "up-side" to all the rain is that it's a very green spring!Entrance
Here's the house (right) and the boat house (left) from across US Highway 89...the river is high!


And here's the house again from across the highway, looking southeast.

The boathouse and the pavilion

The house as of the first of June

(you can see the new rock work on the right, and the old yellow brick on the left; the greenish stuff is backer board for the new siding).

James & Uncle Mike planting the garden last weekend

(we finally had some sunny days and the garden stopped being a mudhole)

It's going to be a great apple harvest next September...look at those blossoms!

Here's the picnic pavilion on the river, with the fire ring and brick bench to the left

Another view of the boathouse/pavilion/tree house

Renovation, part IV

These images are from the beginning of May--I've been slacking on my blogging!--and there will be many more to add this week as the exterior rock work begins and the interior finish work gets done and carpet is installed.

First of all, Rich took these pix of a trail ride poster because we have had guests ask us for referrals. Truth be told, we don't have any personal experience upon which to base a referral, but we've heard good things about Flynn Creek (below) and the Wineglass Trail Rides (click).

Now, here are some shots around the house...

This is the place for the downstairs fireplace/woodstove

These are the downstairs bathroom sinks.

(Nothing in this bathroom looks like what we chose, so these pix really took me by surprise. That's part of why it took me so long to post them)

The upstairs living room fireplace,once was brick, now it's rock--great work by Mike!

(I'm having issues with the assymetry here, but hopefully it won't be so obvious once the room is decorated)

New flooring in the upstairs breakfast area (ktichen is off to the right)

Kitchen (sans dushwasher) looking toward dining room from breakfast area

The other side of the kitchen (waiting for the cook top)

Kitchen from dining area, looking back toward breakfast area

Dining Room

My mom's hutch in fits perfectly in the dining room!

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Lastly, I was reminded today of what a GREAT show Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations is, so here's a link to his episode about Livingston. It's a great portrait of our life here--ENJOY!

No Reservations- Livingston- Part 1

No Reservations- Livingston- Part 2

No Reservations- Livingston- Part 3

PS: Russ Chatham lives about 6 house down from us on our street and he wears those overalls everyday:)

--JM

Renovation, Part 3

The basement walls got taped and smoothed this week, so Saturday, April 9th was mostly a paint-the-basement day. I snapped a few pix of the kitchen cabinets, which are now awaiting countertops, backsplash, and appliances... from teh breakfast nook looking forward to the dining room...

(the lovely tile work is under all that cardboard) beautiful!

Here is a sample of the backsplash tile, as well as the final two samples for countertops.

Heidi helped Uncle Mike paint the downstairs bathroom for a while.

Go, Heidi!

Daddy/Rich cut in the brick-red accent wall in the downstairs living room

Addie got to paint the nook in the Bear Cubs' Den where the bunk beds are built-in.

It's slow and steady, but it's coming along. We purchased lots of housewares and linens and mom found a nice rug for the upstairs living room last weekend in Salt Lake City (mostly at IKEA). We are excited for the next few weeks as all the finished details begin to come together!

Renovation, Part 2

Last time we checked in with the renovation, we were just getting ready to tape and texture the upstairs dry wall. That project got done, and then on March 5th, all the dry wall was painted with primer. I stopped by with the kids to take pictures.Here are James and Uncle Mike in the dining area.
Check out the pretty arches the guys built into the kitchen! This is taken looking from the dining room toward the back of the house.

On Saturday, 3/12 we headed out to check out more progress. It was pretty dang spring-like outside--60 degrees! I took this thru my windshield at the mouth of the valley at the edge of town, heading south.

Here is the kitchen looking back from the dining room. Notice Mike's awesome tile design and how well the linen-y paint color blends with the tile (actually, scroll down--the lower pic is better)

Most of the upstairs is that nice, neutral taupe color, but we added two sage accent walls to go with some of the furnishings we've already chosen. This area will be the upstairs living room, with couches, reading chair, and a TV/DVD & built-in bookcase (the bookcase is being built as I type, in that space to the right of the fireplace).

Here's another kitchen shot, looking form teh back of the house toward the dining room in front. I think it's lovely and I am excited to see the cabinetry installed this week!

Just for fun, here's a shot off the back deck...it's thawing out there!

Gratuitous upstairs bathroom shot--Mike's tile work is so pretty!

Grandma Rosalie painting the dining room accent wall.

Addie painting with Mike in the dining room.

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Later that night on our gun shopping date, Rich and I found some good deals on bathroom stuff--nice shower curtain liners, rings, and even a curtain and some rugs we hope will be nice in the other upstairs bathroom. So fun...things are coming together.

Renovation Part 1

On Saturday I went to check progress at the house. It doesn't look much different, but it's all ready for dry wall tape and texture upstairs TODAY (2/22), so there will be a huge, noticeable change in the next batch of pix. Great work, Mike, Dad & Rich!!! (and mom--she got the popcorn and glitter off the ceilings, bless her heart!) New doors downstairs

New soaking tub in new downstairs bathroom
(which used to be the stairwell)

The downstairs bathroom looking in from the family room doorway.

It will be good to say goodbye to this weathered old deck!

You can see the pavillion peeking out from behind the trees there, and a little bit of icy river still flowing.

I must admit, even WITH the old deck and railings, you just can't beat that view!

(and I love that one lonely tree in the south field there)

Heidi in the upstairs living room by the new sliding glass door.

Little helper James

Mike's beautiful tile work in the main bathroom upstairs...

...and the brand new throne!

The tile for the expanded bathroom off the laundry room.

The new tub in the laundry room bathroom (it's where the closet used to be).

Probably the most drastic change of all--the old stairwell entry is now our housekeeping closet. YAY!