In the beginning

In the beginning, circa 2008, there was an old brown house with an acre of garden.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABuilt in the mid 1970’s the house was pleasant but plain.  The two gentlemen that previously owned the property created the structure of the garden over the previous 17 years.  Almost 8 years hence, many changes have occurred.

Exterior paint

 

 

Lighter and fresher, paint made a big difference.

 

 

 

Tony raised the sunken living room floor and installed bamboo flooring. He changed the tile and cleaned and sanded and painted and polished throughout.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe kitchen was showing its age and demolition began:

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The old kitchen needed renovation more that we realized. It was stripped to the bare walls.

Plumber

 

 

 

 

We found a plumber with untapped skills. No leaks.

There was lots of debate about choosing a cooktop. Eventually, we decided on the Miele induction unit and we have been really pleased with it ever since. It’s hot and fast and settings are repeatable, no excess heat in the kitchen, easy to clean, and it does double duty as extra counter space when not in use.

Even during construction, we cooked everyday. The kitchen sink made numerous moves from garage to kitchen with everything being functional at dinnertime.

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Marble countertopsIt was a big day when the marble countertops were installed!

hardware

Peke makes clever Swiss cabinet hardware for corners and drawers. Our best distributor was in Mexico. Good prices, good availability, fast delivery, no hassles.

Upper cabinets

The upper cabinets slid into position perfectly.

 

 

 

 

 

And then one day it was finished, and they both cooked happily ever after.

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Whew! That was a big project! Now for the bathrooms . . . Let’s be quick.

Work in progress                            Work in progress.

bath left

Guest bath is ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guest bath is ready for guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior has been updated from the 70s. There is an acre of garden outside. Now can we go outside to play?