Rock On!

The rock portion is now complete and it turned out even better than anyone could have imagined. Work has now begun on installing the rough plumbing with the installation of the shower valves and shower bases. I am not going to speak too technical in this department because it would really show my ignorance. I am all about the visual things so that is where having an awesome contractor comes in great. I have the ultimate trust in his skills, knowledge and team. After the necessary inspections, which I just know we will pass, the insulation will be installed getting ready for drywall. That is when all things will certainly begin to show. All of the demo and tear out will be long forgotten and walls will now be up. More pics of the interior will follow very soon.

Big Rock! Big Impact!

The stone is 95% completed. It has made such a huge impact on the facade of Haywood House. The variation in the patterns, colors and texture is exactly what was expected. After speaking with David, we are more than 60% complete with the entire project. The next transformation will be the painting of the red roof to a mocha brown color and the installation of the dry wall. Then, the exterior and the interior will take on a complete new look. After the inspections for the plumbing and electrical, we will be well on our way. Great job guys and you will continue to receive the acclaim.

Some days deserve TWO posts!

This is the second post of the day and I have to say, the old house deserves it. My hats off to the team from "Old Carolina Stone!" To date, they win the award for "Most Changed" with regards to the exterior. We all know that Team David and Travis win for "Most Changed" for the interior, so it is only fair to give recognition where it is due and it is due today! I so enjoyed watching the cars drive by so slowly and in amazement at the "awesomeness" of the new look. I had some very special people stop into the store today to give comments on this as well. Great job!

The start of something great....

Today I saw the start of something great. The stone is now being applied and making a huge transition to the exterior of the house. It is completely changing the look of the house. The estimated time frame, weather permitting, is to have this done by the end of the week. At their current pace, Haywood House will have a total new look very soon. The tones and colors in the rock are so clean and fresh. With the mocha brown roof, the grays, tans and browns of the stone are great compliments. The former wooden railings will be painted gloss white and be reinstalled on the porch. The porch will get a new stain to compliment the plans for the refinished front door. It appears we are more than half way done. Very exciting things at North Russell Street.

Brown and White!

The new roof is now installed on the new addition. It looks great! With the prior additions, the house has various roof lines and angles. We just added some more. Some times an addition can look awkward and not cohesive. I don't think this is the case with Russell Street. The addition in the fifties and the one in the seventies all tie everything in together nicely. The current add-on in the....oh eights, fits the same bill! The old roof will become a nice brown tone to contrast the white framed house. All of this will be brought together with the browns, grays, and tans in the rock to be added soon.

Inside, the electricians and plumbers are feverishly working to get ready for dry wall. It's now or never, I was told. The house is getting wired for surround sound, alarm systems, cable and internet. Better to have wired and lost than to have never wired at all! That makes no sense! But you know what i mean.

The cleanliness of W H I T E !

Today I must have gone by the house a half a dozen times. I am so amazed at how white it is becoming. New windows with clean white trim compliment the newly revealed white exterior from the fresh coat of paint. Each day as the sun shines down on the white on white, it affirms my decision. Stone could be applied this week or next. The metal roof over my bath room will be installed on Wednesday. Electricians and heating/air subs continue to do their thing. Today I received, via email, the selections that David and I chose when we were in Charlotte last Monday. I have to say a big thanks to Robin, Jay and Britani. They were all so helpful and informative. If anyone needs fixtures, plumbing, tile, sinks, really cool tile, and other really great stuff, let me know and I can give you their informaton.

I actually thought it would be cool to post a picture of the white exterior and I took the picture. Guess what, you could not see anything but a big white glob. Still was cool but I will just leave it to your imagination!

Not Since 1974......!

Not since 1974, has the kitchen at 242 N. Russell Street seen the light of day through that back window. Thirty four years later and it is back. To help me get a perspective on what was going on in 1974 when the decision was made to rehab the house and close up the kitchen, I did a little research and found some things to be interesting. In October, the TIME cover issue featured Gerald Ford as our President with the three words, "Inflation, Recession, Oil" Wow! Prophetic or does history repeat itself? Another interesting discovery was that Mia Farrow delivered two babies in 1974, Fletcher on March 14th and Daisy on October 4th. Honestly, I had to do the math to see if that were possible and yes it could happen. Other notables names in the news were Elvis Presley, Linda Evans, Gilda Radner, Martin Short to name a few. If you are like me, those were some names I haven't thought about since 1974!

Back to the house, we now have new, clean, and energy efficient windows throughout 80% of the house. Great work to Travis and the team for working very hard this week amidst all of the electricians, plumbers, and heating and air guys. The house was buzzing with people all week. Thanks to all for their hard work in greater than 90 degree temperatures.