the river house #15: it's moving time...

SO much has changed on the River House since I last updated!  And I really shouldn't be laying here blogging to you about it, but I've come down with a sinus infection from all of the dust this work has been kicking up, so I'm giving myself a few hours to slow down...

Where to begin.... well, we have walls now!  Drywall was a HUGE game changer.  I can't believe we sold our current house before we even had WALLS up in this home.  (Did I even mention we sold our house in 2 days with multiple offers?  Which is great and all, except when you are still renovating another house you're not ready to live in...) 

The timing has been nothing short of stressful, y'all.  Or maybe it's just EXCITING.  Adventurous, even!  Yes, adventurous.  We wouldn't life to be dull.

Somewhere in all of the chaos and stress, though, has been the rewarding feeling of seeing this project begin to take shape.  

Perhaps the MOST exciting day was the one when my kitchen cabinetry was delivered!  Months of planning, months of waiting, and they were finally here!!!

EXCEPT.

They were THE.WRONG.COLOR.

All of them.  Creamy, buttery yellow.  I ordered crisp white.

You know what that means.

Another MONTH of waiting.

And our move-in date was a month and a few days away.

Expectations had to be adjusted.  And re-adjusted.  Always re-adjusting.

Dirty job

The bright side of this project has been our students and friends who have helped us along the way.  We couldn't have gotten this far without 'em.

There is just something to someone literally entering into your MESS to help.

We'll be forever grateful.

Floor delivery!

The kids have done pretty well through the craziness of this summer.  I took it upon myself to sign them up for various camps and VBS weeks, so they're having a blast while we're able to get some work done.  They've got sweet friends next door at the River House, so they haven't missed a beat getting to play with them outside.  

The goal by our closing date (next week!) was to have the 1st floor finished and then be able to work on the top floor.  

Well, that's not going to happen. (readjusting those expectations)

So NOW the goal has been revised to get what needs doing in order to to hopefully earn a CO (Certificate of Occupancy), and then work as we can when we can.  A CO would give us permission to live on the 1st floor, not just store our stuff there.

So we need running water.  And before you can get running water, you've got to tile your bathroom floor... 

bathroom vanity I found on craigslist

I had our carpenters put up the original 1901 trim around the bathroom window.  And when there's a coat of white paint on there, it's really gonna shine.

Remember that sinus infection I told you about?  Hmm, could it be from being in this house?  We literally had to change the air filter every couple of DAYS at one point.

I really think hell is going to be filled with lots and lots of SANDING.  Sanding little crevices like stair rails for hours and hours on end, covering yourself in black dust.  (It'll all be worth it, right?  Can't wait to see this finished in all its glory.)

I found a "new" old front door at an architectural salvage shop in Richmond that was similar enough to the original door of the house.  I had a contractor put some additional trim on it in order to match it even closer.

Then I painted it a slate blue color for now.  It'll change once we paint the rest of the exterior... maybe next summer?

 But for now, I'm liking my blue door.

 And no post about the River House is complete without a picture of my 2nd home for the summer: Lowe's.

Or as we call it, Slowe's.

So one month later, we had the flooring AND the cabinets stacked to the ceiling of the Great Room.  

And last week was when it became an HGTV show-- contractors swarming the house.... the trim guys, the cabinet hanging guy, the floor guy, the electrician, and the plumber (Marc), all working like crazy. 

And I'm running to Slowe's constantly for all of them.  Ugh.  I guess this adds "general contractor" to my resume?

Here's a quick glimpse of the front room of the house, which will be Marc's office and the most historical of the renovation.  We restored the original brick fireplace, used the original trim, we'll be refinishing the floors, etc.

So when I found this super huge and fun historic chandelier on craigslist, I thought it would make a statement and still stay in the right period.

Here's another glimpse at a beauty I found for the front entryway...  oh how I love light fixtures...

The floor guys, the trim guys, and the cabinet-hanging guys were literally dancing around one another last week.  And since the first cabinet catastrophe put me so far behind, my installer was kind enough to set my base cabinets FIRST in order for the countertop folks to come and get their templates made as quickly as possible.  

So that brings us to this past week!  A CO (Certificate of Occupancy) requires handrails around stairways: 

new handrails

industrial pipe handrail

One of my Pinterest-inspired projects was an iron pipe handrail going down to the basement.  On the river out my back window is a historic factory that makes industrial black pipe, so I thought it would be a fun and fitting tribute to make a pipe handrail.    (Not as easy as it looks... first I stumped my husband, myself, then I stumped the contractors, and after 4 trips to Slowe's, we finally got it and all my contractors were so impressed with it.)

So here's where things stand now with the floors in!   I only had to return 4. MORE. CABINETS.

Because the designer didn't account for my window trim (grrrrrr... these people... ).

At this point, though, my expectations are so readjusted that almost nothing will bother me.

I'm reeeaally excited about the special custom kitchen hood I'm designing.... can't wait to show you what I'm doing!

We've got weeks and weeks of caulking and painting ahead of us.  But I'm not going to think about it.

This project is making me go gray!!!  Haha, that's just paint.  But seriously, though.  It's been entirely too stressful.  I wasn't sleeping more than 5 hours a night, so I found myself crying in my doctor's office last week.  Sometimes meds are a wonderful gift from Jesus.

So what's crazy is that as of 3 days ago, we're now LIVING in the basement!!!  Closing on our other house isn't until next week (the 28th), but Marc will be out of town that week, so we wanted to get settled and into a routine before he left.  

So it's this week that we need to pack our ENTIRE HOUSE because we're moving all of our stuff next Saturday!  (Is this as stressful to read as I'm feeling typing it?)

Our little abode in the basement

So this was our first night camping set up!  We brought over the essentials.  The kids are sleeping on beds and Marc and I tried the pull out couch one night.....

....theeeeen we moved our bed over the next day... ha ha  

There are advantages of moving one block away... easy to run back for things you forgot to bring over.

This is my kitchen for the next length of time, you guys.  I am missing that dishwasher... 

But believe it or not, I think we're doing better being over here.  We're all sleeping well, and though it's small, at least it's organized.  I have to tell myself it's not for forever.  I can do this.  

The semester is quickly approaching and Marc will be getting back to RUF full time.  We had hoped we'd be much farther along, and we really could use an army right about now.  We'd covet your prayers (and help) this week as we try to wrap things up at the other house and get everything moved over here. 

To be continued....

river house #11... port-a-potties and transracial parenting...

to the River House!

Hello, old friends.  It's been too long, my apologies.

Care to come see the River House?  Hop on your new scooter because it's only a block away from our house.

You remember we've done the basement,
and then we added on...

...well, now we've got a new permit to begin work on the main house!  Woohoo!  Let's rock and roll.

You know it is serious business when the port-a-potty arrives for the contractors.  Let's get this thing rolling!  (haha, which is really a joke, because this stuff goes soooooooo sloooooooooww)

 First up, FRAMING and WINDOWS...

New kitchen window on the left.  That's the stairway addition on the right.

Current view of the kitchen.  Isn't it dreamy?  :)

 I'd say we've gotten ourselves into quite a project...

 But at least we can now safely get up into the attic.  I mean, first things first.

It's crazy to see your design come into real life.  Like, it's one thing to enter it in on my computer software and configure where walls will go on a screen, but it's a whole different ballgame to see the actual WALLS!

Adding in closets... it's crazy to think old homes didn't have them...

Jameson watching Mr. Larry cut out a window in his future room.

One of the most nerve-wracking things for me has been windows.  Half of the house (3 stories) was an addition from the original house, but they quit construction before adding windows.

Adding windows has been both a blessing and a curse...

A) I get to choose where I want windows and what size they should be.
B)  I have to figure out where I want windows and what size they should be.

This is where I'm really afraid I'm gonna screw it up, y'all.  The Great Room WITH THE VIEW OF THE JAMES RIVER.  This is the selling point of the house.  See how there's no windows yet?  Yikes!

I've gone back and forth in my mind with a few different designs... do I put the fireplace centered on the wall with huge windows on either side?  Or put the fireplace on the side wall with built-ins and just go for it with a wall of windows?

computer sketch of Great Room design

And at least for now, I'm thinking we'll go with the latter option.  HELLO VIEW.  I cannot WAIT to see it for the first time in that room.   Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!

return air unit going in under the staircase

In addition to framing, we're almost complete with HVAC (heating and air conditioning)!  Which is super expensive and putting us ever more into debt, but once the electrician comes and hooks it all up, working on the house in the winter won't be quite so frigid.

Sweet and sassy girl.  As smart and independent as you'll ever find.

My cute boy.  He's 4 now.  (Can time just slow down, please.)

On the way home the other day, I heard Jameson mumbling something to himself in the backseat.  "I like me just the way I am," he said, causing my ears to perk up.

"What's that, baby?" I asked, and then he explained.

A little girl had teased him about the color on his hand and feet being much lighter on one side than the other.   He had been consoling himself in the backseat as he studied his hands.

I know the girl didn't mean harm.  

I know she was only pointing out something she saw as different.  Kids do that.

She didn't know a thing about racism or racial microaggressions and stereotypes, or how her innocent little comments could plant seeds of racial inferiority into my son's heart this young.  

She didn't know.   

(Though perhaps if this little girl had more diverse friendships and relationships in her life, my son and his skin coloring wouldn't likely seem so "other" to her.)  

It's one thing for Jameson to hear his lily white mama tell him "you're perfect just the way you are."  "Mama, do your hands have a light side and a dark side?" he asked.  

It kinda broke my heart to show him my hand, evenly peachy pale on both sides.  

This is where transracial adoption is hard.  Because my son doesn't share my culture, or my color, I can be empathetic all day long about his experiences as a minority, but ultimately, I can't understand fully because I've never had to do it. 

That's when I desperately need the help of my brown-skinned brothers and sisters.  I can't do this transracial parenting thing without them.  So I called "Aunt Tiffany," my long-time childhood friend and Jameson's godmother and asked her if she'd be willing to talk to him on the phone.  

I teared up listening to Aunt Tiffany asking my son to repeat back the word "melanin" to her, teaching him why we need it.  

We.

That's what my son needs to feel and know.  It's not just him.  He has a community of WE.

We made it back to the River House and told Mr. Larry, our contractor, about the little girl's comments.  Instantly, he pulled his sock off in solidarity to show Jameson that he, too, had a lighter colored foot on one side.

As a mom, it's humbling to know that I can't meet all of my kids' needs.  

But it's hands down amazing to watch my dear brothers and sisters step in to meet some of them for me.

the river house #10: tour of the new addition...

River House before the addition

Phase 2 of the River House project is going strong!  

(Phase 1 was completing the basement over the summer, and now our female intern is comfortably living there... woohoo!)

Phase 2 is the addition on the side of the house.  There was no stairway connecting the main house to the basement, and the previous owners had poured a concrete foundation to build an elevator shaft (!!!).  So in order to be smart with our design (and our wallet), we decided to use that space meant for an elevator to be our stairwell addition. 

From the back of the house (remember that windows aren't cut out yet-- that'll come in Phase 3), you can see the addition begins on the ground floor with a door that will lead into a "mud room" area. 

Here's the mudroom area from inside.  There's a door on the right (you can't see in this pic) that leads into the basement area where Audrey is currently living.  We love that by keeping the basement area separate, we have the option to use it in the future as an Air BnB or private guest space.  And the rest of the time, it can be the kids' playroom.

The staircase will connect the main floor of the house with the basement, and we'll have a storage rom underneath the staircase.

the addition before windows and doors

When you walk up the stairs, the addition opens up into what will be the open Great Room, dining, and kitchen.  

view of addition from the kitchen

With the large window and french door installed, all the natural light flooding in makes me happy.  Nevermind that little temporary railing in the picture- that's to keep the inspector happy until we get real railings one day.

So where does that french door off the Great Room lead, you ask?  We designed it to open up onto a small deck.  (which will also one day have railings too, ha ha...)  Here's what we're thinking... see the large deck up top off of the master bedroom?  That's where you've got the beautiful river view.  But as it stood before this addition, there was no way for guests to get to the top deck without traipsing through my BEDROOM!  

So envision this.... you come out that french door onto the small deck, there's our grill right off the kitchen.  And ALSO on that deck is a SPIRAL STAIRCASE leading you up to the top deck for lounging!!!  Yes!  I just gave away our big secret for the addition!!  It's going to be incredible.  

You may notice that the addition has another floor above the main floor.  We decided to keep going up  another floor with it because on the top floor, there will be a new walk-in master closet with a washer & dryer in the closet!  (we installed a little window so I can look at the river while I do laundry in there...)  Y'all.  It's so exciting.  I can't wait to see what's only been in my head thus far become a reality.

Speaking of exciting, THIS is where it's at for a little boy.  The construction crew suddenly came to patch the road where the gas company installed our new gas line.  "Mom, I could watch this all day," Jameson said keeping his eyes fixed on that digger.

Also exciting was when Mr. Larry, our great contractor, stopped for a few minutes to throw big rocks with him.  

Back to the basement for a few more updates...

 I finished putting the stain and poly on the cabinetry Larry custom built for our kitchenette and I love how it looks against the old exposed brick.

Last time I told you the crazy story of building the deck off the basement, and here's how it turned out.

And instead of framing in a closet in the bedroom, I scored this beauty off our local craigslist and it's the perfect rustic "loft"-style closet with lots of open storage.  

So there you have it!  This week we're hoping to complete the framing of the addition so we can move on to the exterior siding, roof, gutters, etc. to get the exterior all ready and protected for the winter.  Then we can head indoors for Phase 3... the longest and costliest phase of them all... working on the main house!  But at the end of that phase, our family gets a beautiful new space to live, so that gives us the motivation to keep going.  

To be continued!...