After we buttoned the place up for the winter we stopped working on the room for awhile. Once spring came around again we were back at it – well, mostly M was back at it – installing windows and siding and millions of trim pieces. We debated several different ways to clad the exterior of this bump-out, but finally settled on siding because it was easy to get the pieces that we needed, it was inexpensive and requires little maintenance and most importantly – because no one can see it. Because the rear two-story portion of the house extends out past this area, you can’t see this part of the third floor from the back yard. So it is a little like a tree house, floating up above the neighboring branches.
Wiring was completed and then the miscellaneous drywall was installed in the room – there’s not a lot of it though, a good portion of the room is trim. And speaking of trim – we purchased what we needed for this room along with the trim needed to finish out the stair hall at the baseboard and doors. We installed the remainder of the cherry floor on the third floor and the place really started to take shape. And then the white paint brushes came out. After what seemed like MONTHS of painting trim – a few hours a night at a pass – the trim was nearly complete, and we put some much needed color on the walls. The wardrobes are almost done- we’re painting interior shelves, and we still have to install the quarter-round at the base, but we’re on hold now until after the holidays. The room has been overtaken with the preparations for the holidays, and lots of secret projects are being created in there. Already it’s serving its purpose as a place to unwind and get creative.
We still have lots of projects left to do, and a whole backyard and (maybe?) garage to tackle, but that will take place in the new year. Until then we’ll keep you updated on the little things we do around this place. After eight years of working from the ground up we’ve finally reached the top…and now the rest of the house needs another pass downwards to patch and paint away the scars of the continual rehab. One thing we know for certain…if we ever do this again, we’ll most certainly start from the top down!