Access to the house

Side entry has been partially demolished leaving 3 1/2 steps and a temporary board.

A painters scaffold is providing temporary access to the back porch. We all use the two entrances with care.

Kitchen cabinet lowers are set in place

We set the appliances in to allow for the template for the quartz counters.

Prep sink will be in the center opposite the island.

Stove and farmhouse sink are set in place.

Dishwasher and trash/recycle/composter drawer is in place.

Exterior clean-up

As the inside continues to progress, we get started removing some of the debris and dirt from the yard.

Window color is up, along with the cottage blue on the moldings.

Back slab gets a gray finishing layer along with sealer. We decided a solid background would make the colorful umbrellas and cushions pop.

Porch paint detail is bringing out the design elements.

Lots of progress

Work is going smoothly both inside and out.

We duplicate the original fame pattern for the windows.

Reflections of large rosettes and small rosettes in the master bathroom. The pocket door is the last one to be prepped.

Small rosettes are placed in the laundry area, seems unbalanced, seem will remove and order more large rosettes. Lots of doing and undoing.

106 degrees

Progress on the inside. Air conditioning is still keeping us cool.

Kitchen cabinets are going in.

"Side board" with prep sink is taking shape. On the left will be the wine cooler and microwave. On the right, near the back door, will be the broom closet.

Washer and dryer are put side-by-side so the pocket door will close.

Bathroom framing is taking shape.

Partial patio progress

The stain went into the prepared cement with great vigor.  The intensity of the colors was probably more than I had wanted. Not sure of the next steps, will sleep on it and see what I can to to get the rest of the slab looking tolerable. I amusing several different techniques to try to get clean lines. So far, none have been successful.

Experimental projects in the back yard

I have been researching the idea of staining our blah back slab for many weeks.  Finally, the times is right and I launch into the unknown.

Slab staining is described as a "DIY" project. I am not sure that is entirely accurate. The prepping sequence is intense and requires a power sprayer and lots of patience. After removing all of the stuff we have been storing on the slab, then removing the leaves that blow in all day and night. I did a thorough power spray cleaning, then applied a green gel to etch the concrete.   After the gel coat and another power spray, the cement section is really porous and ready to accept stain.

I wanted to reflect the colors and design of our Victorian doors, so I marked out a pattern that loosely recreates the back door. I put bright blue in the corners hoping to brighten up the area and bring the bright blue color from the interior door to the outside. My spray technique was totally amateur. I got over-spray on the grass, on the unpainted areas and it is pretty much a mess.

I should have used more protective drop clothes and used lighter coats of this dark stain.

The back door pattern with the blue corners.

I decided to put a bright orange down the center and I used gray-green for the side lights. Not at all sure this was a good choice. It got very thick and pooling in places  and very light in other places. My hand pump sprayer is the worst. My professional painter gave me some advice, a bit too late for this part of the project. Our spa should cover most of my first mistakes.