Brown...

Each day the roof is more brown. What can I say? It looks awesome. Can't wait for all of the red to be brown. I hardly recognize this as 242 N. Russell Street. Far, Far cry from one year ago! David and I reviewed the plans for the next few days and weeks. The guys are working on repairing and patching the existing hard wood floor in a few places. They have begun to prime the over 10,000 linear feet of crown molding, baseboard and trim. 10,000 feet! Okay, the house isn't that big! That is alot of trim. Jeff called today from Creative Kitchens to tell me he has the rendering completed and will be sending that over to me. I am anxious to see how this will look. Last week-end was tax-free for "Energy Star" appliances so we now have a new LG Steam washer and dryer on the way. I just can't wait to do the first load! Yeah right! More later.

"Morning Glory..."

This morning I could hardly wait to run over to Russell Street to see the roof paint. The painters have been there late in the evenings working and finally began the transformation of the red roof to brown. These are the upstairs dormers where they have started. It is a perfect match with the new tin roof over the addition. Good jobs guys for the color match! As I was walking around the back yard, I had to walk around a pile of leftover brush, limbs, stumps, and what I thought was all weeds. I could not help but take time to notice the 20-30 blooms of Morning Glory in the middle of all of the brush and limbs. It made me stop to thank God for every new morning and every new day. You just never know what you might find in the middle of a pile of brush! It might be something good!

New Paint! Even Some Blue...

This week the painters are working hard to complete the exterior so it will be crisp and white. They also have begun to transform the red roof to a lighter pale brown that will match the new tin roof added in the late summer. As an extra bonus, they painted the porch ceiling the first rendition of "blue!" The look is coming together but, even the painter agreed, the first color applied came out a little purple! I love "The Color Purple" as a movie but not as my porch ceiling. I was able to pick out a lighter, bluer shade of blue which will look great. I am attaching some more current pictures of the exterior with the new addition and new paint.

Work Continues...

As those heated days of almost 100 degrees have now blended into frosty mornings, the work continues. The dry wall crews have worked everyday patching, mudding, sanding, repairing and making "this old house" new again. The rest of the team have been hard at work installing new beadboard ceilings in the foyer, hallway upstairs and downstairs, and the guest room upstairs. I also picked out the crown molding that will go throughout the house. Big beefy six inch molding will finish and trim out the ten foot ceilings areas while just as impressive four inch molding will be installed in the lower ceiling parts. Also, I want to thank Jeff from Creative Kitchens for coming over to measure and offer a rendition of what hopefully will be the new kitchen. I brought Mom in for the appointment along with the valued and needed input from Ben. Thanks to all for the ideas and suggestions. Jeff also measured and is proposing cabinets for the bathrooms. Everything white is proposed for the lower Master Bath and Guest Bath. Clean lines and darker cherry woods in the upstairs Master Bath. If all of this wasn't enough, the painters are outside priming and prepping for the crisp white coat of paint to complete the exterior. Once that is completed, the work will begin on the tin roof. That will be a huge transformation from red to brown. One interesting note on the painter; he mentioned to me he was actually the one that painted the house the last time from green to its yellow/red combination. I also this week, stopped into the Dal-Tile dealer in Greensboro to select and review tile for the house. Mickey is anxious to get going on the job and really bring the interior to a new level. Soon I say, soon! More later...

And then there were walls...

At long last, you are now looking at the new walls at Russell Street. These are the beginning of what will be the hub of the home. The kitchen/family room is now taking shape. It has been a vision in my head for the past several months and now I can see it. The first pic is standing in the kitchen looking into the family room where the televsion will be over the fireplace the pantry on the right hand side. The second shot is the same view just straight on. The last shot is from the fireplace looking into the kitchen. It is very light and airy with lots of great natural light, especially since there are no electrical options at this time. This is a far cry from the dark panelled walls, orange counters, faux brick floors, dark brown fireplace and low ceilings. More to follow as the walls appear.

A pic is worth 1000 words....Haint Blue

"Haint Blue..."

Today, no pic as I just didn't feel that excited about blown insulation. Not that it is not important, because it is, it just isn't very photogenic. We are into the second week of installing insulation and I am ready for it to be complete. When that is done, the drywall, stacked throughout the house will get installed and give the interior its long awaited new look.

The newest discovery when referring to "Old houses" is the technique of blue porch ceilings. I have just learned and studied this phenomenon and I am completely submersed in its history and theories. Apparently, this has southern roots but there are just as many New England, across the water England, and even out west stories about blue porch ceilings.

I am most intrigued by the southern stories of "haint blue" as the color of choice for the porch ceilings. A haint is an evil spirit so when the ceilings are painted a particular shade of blue, this stands to ward off evil spirits from the occupants of the house. A lesser severe benefit is that it acts as a deterrent f0r wasps, bees, spiders, flies and basic bugs in general. It seems bugs don't care to nest in the open sky so they are fooled by blue ceilings and flea, (no pun) to other abodes.

So while there is no picture to post at this time, you have to know that 242 N. Russell Street will, absolutely have blue, maybe even "haint blue" porch ceilings. You just need all the protection and help you can get especially if it comes at the cost of a couple of gallons of blue paint!