August 18, 2013

Rain + Rain + Rain = A Start on the Bedroom

14+ inches of rain in July and 7.8 inches so far this month have certainly put a damper on a lot of things; our summer list of outdoor projects has very few things crossed off. Plus, with so little sun things have been slow to ripen, such as the blueberries, tomatoes, and figs. Nor are things able to dry out, so it's hard to work much in the garden.

On the bright side, it's meant our summer highs have averaged about 10° cooler than normal. It's also meant we've gotten a lot done on inside projects such as the hall bathroom (which is no longer in the hall), and Dan's study. With more rain every time Dan has a day off, there was nothing for it but to start on what will eventually become our bedroom.

Closet door in the spare bedroom.

Above, is a photo of what we've been calling the spare room (photos of the entire room including the goofy closet, here). Initially, we used the room for storage while we worked on other rooms with the idea that it would eventually become a guest bedroom. Then we got another idea.

In my Dan's study post, I told you about our proposed master bedroom suite and showed you changes in the floor plan. Now that his study and the bathroom are done, the bedroom is the last room to finish the project. With all the rain, we figured we might as well give it a start.

Most of the walls (and ceilings) in our old house are oak tongue &
groove. The boards have to be individually removed to tear down a wall. 

We don't want to make this a complicated project (yeah, right), but we do want to revamp the closet. There's something like 188 cubic feet behind that wall, largely untapped because the old closet doors are an inadequate 24 by 72 inches. The first step was to tear down that wall.

Our ceilings are 8' 9"

There were actually two closets behind the wall, the one for the spare room on the right, and one for the bedroom we use now, my closet actually, on the left. The wall is not load bearing, so the studs can be removed to rebuild the space to make his and hers closets. Our ceilings are tall, 8' 9", so above the closets we plan to build storage cupboards for seasonal items, such as extra blankets and linens.

The next step will be to take down those studs, but before we begin to rebuild we need to gut the wall with the windows on it.

A view out the windows
The windows are original to the house.

The drafty, loose fitting windows need to be replaced and insulation must be added in the wall.

We'll just take it a step at a time depending on the weather and Dan's work schedule. And as much as we'd both love to be outdoors, we'll also both admit we can't wait to have our new bedroom done. At least we have a place to sleep in the meantime.

Next post: New Bedroom Windows

21 comments:

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

Wow, you've already pulled the wall apart on your new master bedroom. I can't wait to see pictures as you go. I know your bedroom suite will be amazing when it's all finished.

daisy g said...

Ooooooh, how exciting! Can't wait to see the progress!

DFW said...

I bet it's going to be wonderful when this is finished. Looking forward to watching the progress.

Amy Dingmann said...

Love watching this all come together! It's going to be so amazing when its all done. What an undertaking!

Renee Nefe said...

Great! Blogger ate my comment. :(

I cried a bit when I saw that you gutted the closet wall. :( Interesting that they spliced the stud between the closets. Funny all the things you find.

So now that the entire closet will serve the Master Bedroom, what kind of door(s) are you considering?

Thistle Cove Farm said...

changes are amazing and don't you love making that house your home? just as so many before you have done.

DebbieB said...

This will be a great master bedroom suite. Nice view out of those windows. It's really helpful that you link back to old posts with details about each room or section of the house!

Leigh said...

Sandy, Dan sits for days on end with his job, so when he's home he's ready do do something! And rain will not deter him. :)

Daisy, me too, LOL

DFW, I think so. And if it keeps on raining, we may be done faster than we thought.

Amy, thanks! Although between you and me, I'd rather be building a barn. :)

Renee, I was so frustrated with my closet. I could never find or get to anything in it. Right now we're thinking about bypass doors. I think that would give the best access.

Sandra, the changes are amazing. Who would have thought. And it's interesting, as we tear things down, what we find underneath. We see where previous changes have been made, so interesting.

Debbie, thanks. The links help me keep track of things too. :)

Bridget said...

Always good to have indoor projects on the go for when it's raining. Looking great! Exciting!

Anonymous said...

Renovations of any kind, are always a hassle, but when it is done, you can breathe a sigh of relief and say...OK, on to the next one :) m.

Dave Gibson said...

LOL! Funny, to me anyway. You're working on a bedroom, while I'm trying to get a foundation installed to live in over this coming winter. I don't know if I'm going to make it, but it looks like you're on track.

Leigh said...

Bridget, I agree. The hard thing is learning how to switch mental gears!

Maria, that is so true. And looking back, I can say it was all worth it. :)

Pam and Dave, Dan would say you are so much smarter to build your own than to try and repair and update an old home like we are! BTW, I tried to make a return blog visit, but your profile isn't available. :(

Benita said...

This is going to be a fun project to watch. This room has the potential of being such a haven of rest for you guys. I agree that having a larger closet will be very nice.

badgerpendous said...

Sweet! I love these kinds of projects, and I can't wait to read about your adventures. You two have a great way of approaching these things and I'm sure the end result will be fantastic!

Anonymous said...

While you can't be outside much, I bet you are excited to be getting all these indoor projects completed. That means more time outside when the weather is nice :)

Mama Pea said...

So true that we have to be flexible enough to take advantage of the weather . . . good or bad! It's now 7 a.m. and we're going out to do what we can before the temp reaches the predicted 90° today! (We're finally getting our summer now in the last of August!)

We've found that, like you, one can never predict what one will find when tearing into remodeling. It's always a surprise . . . and most of the time not a good one! Of course, our aim is to make it all better, right??

Leigh said...

Benita, I hope so. The room we have now is drafty and those tongue and groove walls and ceilings aren't in the best repair. I think Dan will press on because he's anxious to get out of that old bedroom!

Badgerpendous, somehow we manage to work together and work it all out. Having a restricted budget helps, LOL. It limits our choices to the realm of most practical. :)

Stephanie, it is exciting. The best part has been learning to "go with the flow," or rather the weather. :)

Mama Pea, agreed! The main objective is to make it better! I hope you're surviving your heat. We only made it up to 90 a few times this year. Can't say I missed it. :)

Shawn said...

Nooo don't replace those windows! They may certainly be drafty and in need of restoration, but if re-installed properly or even restored with doublepaned glass, you will see no noticeable difference in energy loss old to new....I know, because I restore old windows! Countless studies have shown that investing in a bottle of caulk and sealing openings and proper flashing are far better investments that even touching windows! The catch is that for Pella/contractors it's easier and more profitable to pop in new ones and haul away the old!

We love your blog, and are jealous of the T&G board throughout...wish our old farmhouse had all of these details! Good Luck!

Leigh said...

Shawn, aw, you're too late! Never heard of window restoration. We are, however, planning to put the old windows to future use in another project. I'm just finishing a post about those bedroom windows plus the wall, to be published probably on Saturday.

Cat Eye Cottage said...

We have received an excessive amount of rain this summer as well, and our temps are also at or more than 10 degrees cooler than normal. We usually get over 100 easily but this summer we've barely topped 90. A nice break for the rabbits but not so nice for my garden. Tomatoes rotting, not enough sun, the list goes on. Love to see your fruit harvest and variety! Good job.

Leigh said...

Candace, thanks! Now we can't help but wonder what winter will be like. If the same amounts of precipitation continue but in snow, our house will be buried!