Landscaping the Back Yard

We have decided it's time to revamp the back yard.  Considering all the social gatherings we like to host, it's time we have some great outdoor space!  Our landscaping-guru friend Friedel has helped us come up with a very cool plan for the space, and after a few tweeks, we've begun the process!

Here's a little reminder of the yard's condition when we moved into the house:

Naturally, the chain link fence had to go!  We also decided to build a new, larger, deck.  But to save a little money, we pulled up all the boards of the existing deck which would be repurposed as supports for the new expanded deck.

(new fence)

(new extended deck starts to take form)

(making sure everything is level)

(hammering all the joist supports)

(starting to lay the top deck boards)

Besides the deck project, we needed to transform the side of the back yard which will become a stone patio.  This meant we had to pry up all of the square pavers in the current "fire pit" area.  Each weighs around 80 pounds!  Then we had to shovel-and-wheelbarrow loads of dirt that we dug out for the deck to now fill in this sunken part of the yard. 

(before picture: notice the sunken pavers)

(after picture: nice and level)

Next week we will add the pavers BACK into the side of the yard, then fill in with crushed granite to create the stone patio...  More to come!

The Final Reveal!!

We are all moved in and the house is SPECTACULAR!!  It is seriously more amazing than I imagined and I love it!  I am forever indebted to everyone who helped make this dream a reality.  A special big thank you to my Mom and Dan who put their blood, sweat and tears into this place, literally!! :)

Here's the final product, sprinkled in with some before pictures so you can really appreciate the transformation...

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Hall Before

Hall After

Office Before

Office After

Guestroom Before

Guestroom After

Hall Bath Before

Hall Bath After

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

Master Bathroom Before

Master Bathroom After

Moving Day & Housewarming Party!

This past week included the final days of renovations before we moved into the house and we really kicked it into high gear!  We FINALLY moved out of our condo and into the new house (with the help of some 'strong college students' movers). 

We cleared out our garbage pile in the back yard and David drove it to the dump so we would have a clean porch and yard for our housewarming BBQ party on Saturday.

Speaking of BBQ, we purchase a fabulous new BBQ grill (to be revealed for the houswarming party).  A big shout out and thank you to Uncle Wayne for gifting us this BBQ grill!!

For our housewarming party we set out some tiki torches and tables in the back yard.  We grilled out hotdogs and sliders for our guests and enjoyed glasses of sangria and raspberry beer cocktail (a BIG hit with everyone - let me know if you want the recipe!)

Thank you to all of our friends who came out to celebrate with us and break in our new home!!

The Final Days!

Now we're down to the final days and the little details.  Here's what we did the last couple days.

We painted an accent wall in the living room.  This color is called Ottertail (available at WalMart).

The hardwood floor went down in the master bedroom.

The doors were hung on the master closet and master bathroom.

The closet was painted, shelves were hung, carpet installed, lighting installed, and suddenly *voila!* we have a walk-in closet!

We painted the master bathroom (this color is Saffolk Tan, available at WalMart), tiled the floor, and began installing the sinks.

Next it's moving day!  It's all coming together...

The Master Bedroom and more...

Here's the latest from this week:

We have a beautiful new wine cooler!  :)

The master bathroom and closet walls have been drywalled.  Now you can really get an idea of the layout.

Here's a view from the bedroom.  That's the door to the bathroom on the left, and the door to the walk-in closet on the right. 

And here's a view into the new bathroom...

And a view into the new bedroom...

The new washer and dryer are almost ready to be hooked up in the hall closet.

Mom planted some beautiful tropical foliage in the front yard beds.  It really transformed the curb appeal of the house.

And we prepared the master bedroom for the new wood floors.

Renovations Continue...

Things have been busy here as we approach the final weeks of the house renovation.  Here's the latest:

David and Dan installed the new header in the extended master suite.  The temporary walls came down and now you can get a sense of what the new room will be like.

The new extended master bathroom and walk-in master closet were framed.  That's my new linen closet to the left of the toilet.

We had the hall closet outfitted with electrical and plumbing to house the new stackable washer/dryer.

The new windows were installed.  YAY!  Now we have double-hung, low-e, energy efficient windows!  I've included a before and after pic of the front of the house so you can appreciate the changes.

We installed the microwave.

And our beautiful granite arrived!  This stone is called Giallo Ornamental and I got an amazing deal through AGS Stone and Stone Warehouse.  This slab was on sale at Stone Warehouse for only $6.95/ft2 and then the wonderful people at AGS Stone cut and installed everything for $30/ft2.  Basically we got this beautiful granite countertop for less than the cheapest granite at Home Depot or Lowes!