The New House

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The renovation is complete...from the ashes the Phoenix arises!

The new stairs are awesome!

The JOURNEY: 8 weeks in the making. A lot of planning , a lot of bruises and cuts and splinters, a lot of trash, a lot of stress and construction, a whole lot of paint, a lot of money and a whole lot of sweat!!! But it was worth it.

Our first visit to the house with our wrecking bars uncovered a treasure from the 1940's. The original wood walls in near perfect condition in the two main rooms. That was the good part! Then came the surprises!

Surprises behind every wall we tore down. Termites, dry rot, black mold, marsh rats, leaking roof, ants, termite damage, water damage! Bad plumbing, old wiring, no insulation, no heat, no air. So much work to do!

The boss, Deb, in her office on her iPhone. She's a real slave-driver! Getting the job completed in just under 8 weeks!!! And they all said it couldn't be done. WOMEN POWER!

I could be seen daily carrying my wrecking bar and hammer! We completely gutted the house, removed all the walls to bare studs except the two main rooms, we saved the original wood beadboard. It left 1000's of nails to be pulled. Great workout!!!

The two most important tools on the job, our iPhones! What would we have done without them!
And we had a lot of help. I think they call it "Child Labor"! Girlie carried wood, pounded whatever she could find and did a lot of sweeping.

Nick hauled wood and bricks from the old chimney to the huge dumpster in the back yard. We actually filled 5 of them during the demolition!

Another dumpster load leaving and a new one coming in!

All new electrical and plumbing had to be installed.

Is it pretty yet? That question was asked a lot during construction by our little supervisor!

Hidden beneath the old drywall, uncovered with our trusty wrecking bars, the old 1946 bead board was in great shape and ready to be restored to a nice shiny lustre.

Black mold was found in a couple of the rooms and had to be treated before new insulation and drywall for all three bedrooms could be put in.

The old windows are ready to come out! They're scraping and cleaning the exterior in prep for paint.

The new windows have arrived. Note: You can still see the old porch railing which has not yet been demolished.

Dining room and living room walls and ceilings, painted and ready for new fans and light fixtures. The transom window is a signed original, etched glass pane of the Morris Island lighthouse from 1946.

The old kitchen had one cabinet with a sink and another small one at the other end of the kitchen. The middle door lead to the master bdrm. That door was removed and a solid wall was created. Everything in the kitchen was in poor shape and it was gutted.

The new kitchen cabinets and appliances. This view of of one end, the other end of the kitchen is the breakfast bar, refrigerator and other cabinets. We're still unpacking and the place is cluttered but still pretty. Yes, Girlie, the new house is pretty now!!!

Rebuilding the old porch with new beams and columns. Trying a new color of paint on the old yellow siding.

Girlie, watching construction, and not very happy with all the noise the electric saws are making!
Old steps are being replaced by White Oak, 3 inch thick boards. They haven't arrived yet.

The old porch railing. We actually saved some of the spindles and had them cut to make candle sticks to be used for our Christmas table decor in a couple of months.

The new porch and railing is awesome...they are working on the eyebrows at the top of the square columns.
The new beach house....Folly Beach, SC....minus new landscaping! That's next! Still unpacking and we need a vacation!!!

......INTERMISSION.....a trip back to San Diego for 12 days to repack for winter!!!
And now, a little time off to play! I'm on my way back to SC for the holidays.

We're going to spend Thanksgiving at DisneyWorld to celebrate my birthday. We didn't have time to do it until now...my birthday was in May! Some of the best gifts are belated. We're so excited and Girlie & Nick can't wait to see Minnie & Mickey. I'll be posting pictures soon...stay tuned!

And A HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all!