Bittersweet Time

The last two weeks have been a very bittersweet time for me.  The cottage is getting closer and closer to being done but all this has been overshadowed by the Marathon bombings.  My next door neighbors' (here on Cedar Lane) son and daughter in law were both seriously injured in the bombing.  Both have had their left legs amputated below the knee and their daughter in law has also lost her right heel.  They are struggling to heal and have had many surgeries so far and many more to come.  Their ordeal has been with me ever since that Monday afternoon and it has taken away some of the joy I have with this project coming to a close.  I know that this has been a life altering ordeal for all, not just the kids, but I look forward to welcoming them to my new cottage for many years to come. 

 

The finishing touches, lighting, fixtures, flower boxes were all ordered online.  The composite Azak-like boxes that I could buy locally were priced at over $200 per box.  I need 5 boxes for the front of the cottage.   I went online and found ones I liked even better for $99 each.  They were here in three days and Russ and Brendan couldn't wait to install them. 

One up, four more to go.  The windows will be completed with black shutters that Brendan built to mimic the original shutters on the cottage.

Boxes up and ready for flowers.  Just have to wait until it warms up enough on the Cape to paint the trim.  Cannot wait!

,Meanwhile, Daniel and his team arrived a week ago to paint the interiors.  After Mary Sliney and I, with additional opinions from many friends, decided on the colors, it was time to see if what we had chosen worked. All the woodwork is in BM Dove White.  I was not sure about this when everyone suggested it, but I love the warm white it provides for the whole house. 

Not a great shot but all the door lined up in the master bedroom getting sprayed.  Gave me an idea...hmmm...could they spray my table and chairs while they had the sprayer going. 

No sooner said than done,  chairs and table legs sprayed in the house, table top sprayed in the shed.  Now to the seat cushions. 

Eight chairs done, cannot set up the table yet as the floors must be sanded,stained, and sealed but you can get the idea.  I am so excited to see the chandelier hanging above the table too.

Guest room painted...

Hard to see the color here but the floors are sanded and stained.  Need to dry for two days and then sealed.  Getting closer by the minute. 

Master bedroom is in a light sea foam color.  The bead board makes the headboard wall appear a bit darker as well as some texture.

Floors stained, am really liking the contrast that this darker stain gives the rooms.  Think the furnishings will pop when added. 

Great Room painted...

Bad picture but you get the idea!

Fireplace and view.

The plumbers and electrician has been busy this week also.  Guest room sink almost open for business.  I love the faucets.  I should, must have looked at thousands of faucets before I decided on these.  I surfed at Build.com, Overstock.com, individual dealers web sites, there must be a hundred bookmarks on my computer right now, but it was worth the time.  Saved money buying on line, got everything in a timely fashion, usually within three days or so, and everything arrived in perfect shape.  I would recommend Build.com and Overstock too. 

After looking at hundreds of kitchen faucets I decided on this very simple Moen.  The pull down and pull out faucets of today are so huge that they overshadowed the sink and the whole kitchen.  KISS it is my motto...keep it simple stupid!

The faucet and the microwave are in.  Apparently the worker bees were wanting to be able to reheat their coffee, hence the installation of the micro.  Wish they were wanting to cook a roast, then maybe I would get the stove in too!

While the work/painting was going on inside, the deck was getting started outside. 

Narrow portion of the deck in front of the master bedroom with the outdoor shower at the end.  Custom height of just 5' so that you even have the view while you shower. 

Cedar walls on the shower with bench seat to follow. 

Deck is waiting for the seat to be build this week.  The bench will go all around the sides of the deck so that there need not be a 36" high railing to block the view.  You do remember it is all about the view!

 

Lesson Learned:

1.  There are many horrible people in this world; their motives cannot be explained, their actions cannot always be deterred.  That being said, the actions of the police, marathone volunteers, hospital staff, and bystanders on Marathon Monday talk to the good in people.  My friends have been comforted by so many, in the hospital, through emails and with offers of help and financial support.  Although none of the people effected by the bombings will ever be the same, I know that the number of good people in this world still do outnumber the bad. 

 



My Work Begins!

As Russ and Brendan pack up and clear out their tools from inside the cottage, I have to start working.  The painters arrive on Monday to sand and prime the walls and woodwork.  Colors are finally decided, I think, and when the week is done, the cottage should be ready for the floors to be sealed.  We will wait to decide whether we are going to stain the pine flooring or leave them natural until we see how the floors look with the paint on the walls and trim.  Think we will probably do a hand rubbed, brown based stain, to give the floors a bit more depth of color so the walls and furnishings pop. 
 

I have struggled with the color scheme for the last few weeks but I never faltered on wanting to use three plaster squares with shells in relief I bought in Florida for the fireplace surround.  I am  sure that I was the only one who could envision this at first but we planned it out and here is the final product.  Could be my favorite design decision yet.  We are going to paint the woodwork and the plaques all the same color and I will decide later if I put a light beige wash over the shells once the painting is done.  Isn't the workmanship just amazing?!
(The 46" HDTV is ordered along with the Blue Ray DVD player and the sound bar to be installed above the fireplace.  The reservations for football Sundays are filling up fast!)

My work involves upgrading a dining room table and chairs that I go at the swap shop several years ago.  The chairs and the table need to be painted and the seat cushions recovered.  First things first...

Take off all the seats...check!

Removed two different seat fabrics attached with about three hundred staples on each seat.  I am using two chairs from the old cottage and in removing the fabric from those seat cushions that I put on in 2005, I realized that I was able to attach the new fabric with just 20 tacks.  SO much easier to remove that staples. 

Chairs ready for sanding and then priming.

Primed and ready for paint color decisions.

This is the fabric I am going to use for the seats.  It is a Ralph Lauren stain resistant table cloth gotten on sale at Marshall's.  It is always a good idea to look for fabric in places other than fabric shops.  I bought several 108" rectangular tablecloths for $8 each which will give me more than enough fabric to cover 8 seats. 

The dining area chandelier is ready for Henry, the electrician.  Painted in gloss white and I hand painted a green glaze on the leaves to give it a bit of character but I didn't want it to be too colorful. 

This is a better shot so you can see the green leaves.  Will decide once it is hanging whether I need to add a bit more color or not.  Am thinking I want to "kiss" it: keep it simple, stupid!

The master bath is waiting for the painters, bead board is up 5' to give the impression of height and the frame is ready for the mirror. 

We had one strip of bubble tiles left from the shower and Brendan is going to make a frame around the bubbles, grout it, and glue it all to a leftover piece of marble from the fireplace surround.  I think it will make an amazing dish for soap and lotion.  Waste not want not!

The additional window has arrived and been installed in the guest room.  We needed to have a bigger window in the room in case of a fire to allow guests to escape.  Although it looks a bit odd, I think it gives the room a better view of the water and adds character at the same time.  I have always found when there is a problem, it is always a good idea to say that the solution adds character!

Anne taking a break from sanding and priming on one of the two nice spring days we have had so far.  The work begins on the deck on Monday.

Lessons Learned:

 

1.  I have done a great deal of shopping online these last two weeks.  I found the pendant lights for the kitchen, the deck lights, the bathroom lights and the rot resistant flower boxes all on the Internet.  I have found that if you Google a concept, such as flower boxes, go to images of flower boxes from bing, you then can scroll through the images until you find something you like.  There is usually a link to a store/website where you can buy what you like.  I have found that Build.com has amazing products as does Overstock.com.  Good places to start if you are thinking of doing some renovating. 

2.  Not only can you find some amazing products online, you can save a lot of money.  Locally I could buy rot free flower boxes for $189.  These boxes were very plain with no molding around the top.  Shopping online, I found simple but detailed boxes for $99 each.  Better boxes at almost half price. 

The only caution I have is to make sure that what you are ordering is in stock.  It is my understanding that if lighting is not "in stock" it probably means that it is still in China and could take months to get to you.  Everything I ordered was available for immediate shipping and all items arrived in two to three days.  Also, most sites provide free shipping with orders over $100.  It takes some time but is worth the effort.  It also gives you time to decide just what look you really do want in your space. 

3.  The biggest disappointment this week came when I went to buy the TV for above the fireplace.  I can get a 46" HDTV in the space and thought all my issues were resolved.  We had wired the space before the walls and insulation were installed and had thought to wire a spot away from the mantel for all the boxes for the cable.  While I was at Best Buy, the salesman said that I should have the Geek Squad come out and evaluate the space to better determine just what I will need.  If you buy your media equipment from Best Buy then will do this consultation at no cost. (I am sure that most retailers would provide this same service.)  The consultant came out on Friday and even though we thought we had planned properly for my media needs, we were not as "wired" as we should have been.  Apparently the Best Buy Squad will, for a cost, come and wire your home before the walls and insulation are in, giving you exactly what you want and need.  They will then come back and set up the system when the time is right.  Although this costs both for the pre-wiring and final install, it is well worth it.  If nothing else, getting a consultation will get you what you want in the end. 

4.  FYI:  As more and more people are mounting their flat screen TVs on the wall, wanting thinner and thinner models with narrower and narrower frames, the speakers are being placed on the back of the TV.  This design makes it necessary to have surround sound, or at the very least adding a sound bar, in order to get the sound you want from your new TV.  If that isn't enough, starting next year, the bigger screens will not come with any speakers in the TV itself, demanding surround sound or sound bars as an add on when you go to buy a new model.  Clever marketing if you ask me!