Choosing Plumbing Fixtures for the Farmhouse: Porcelain and Unlacquered Brass Faucets

source: MY SOULFUL HOME on Instagram

As I start to share the final selections for the farmhouse, I wanted to take a moment to say,

Thank you!

I truly appreciate all of you hanging in there with me for the last two and a half years while I navigated the difficult parts of getting a project of this size and scope off of the drawing board and into reality.  I know that it hasn't been particularly fun or pretty to look at photos of excavation and framing but now that we're only a few months away from completion, I think that I can safely say that we're finally getting to the good part!

And a special thanks to my sweet friend Kelly from My Soulful Home, who posted the photo above just as I was struggling to finish choosing the plumbing for our master bathroom for finding the perfect faucet...the one with amazing proportion (and enough handle choices to make me happy). It's the one that finally felt right. She's renovating a 100+ year old home. If you don't follow her, you should. We're kindred spirits.

Farmhouse Renovation Update: Interior Demolition and New Framing *Ugly Photos

 This week, as temperatures dropped below zero for several days here in the Chicago 'burbs, we got into the "guts" of the demolition at the farmhouse: the bathrooms and the kitchen were removed.  I never talked much about the bathrooms other than to share the cabinet and lighting makeover that I did in the front bathroom when we moved in.

French Farmhouse Update: Learning to Cha-Cha

Sometimes life requires a little "cha-cha".  It's been awhile since I've updated you on progress here at the farmhouse.  That's mainly because there has been none.  After approximately nine months of working with a builder who we thought was going to do this project for us, he stopped returning calls....he simply disappeared.  Don't get me wrong, this is a big project...a HUGE project and we don't have unlimited funds so I can understand if he changed his mind. I just wish that he would have let us know six months ago.

I have interviewed five other builders and the cost estimates to complete this project have come back over twice our budget.  Not at all like what I saw last weekend when I watched the Property Brothers marathon as I was stenciling Sadie's bedroom.  The Property Brothers rehabbed eight or nine different homes each of which took eight weeks or less to complete and none of which cost more than $175,000.  Clearly, I'm doing something wrong.

The estimates that I've received to rehab our 1800 square foot red brick ranch in the Chicago suburbs (with us doing all of the landscaping, exterior painting, and interior finish work ourselves) have been far more than any rehab that I've seen on television with time estimates of six to eight months  to complete the project. I'm pretty sure that I could build a new house for less money than a couple of the quotes that I've received.

 

So, I'm waiting to hear back from two remaining builders before I take a step back, scrap the plans that I spent a year developing,  and go back to the drawing board to start over to redesign a rehab for the farmhouse that we can afford to build.  

In the mean time, I'm making the best of living in a house with walls torn out, windows painted closed, and no air conditioning.  I'm painting a little furniture, doing a little landscaping and helping  friends with projects that they're working on. We're living in three rooms and have never been closer as a family.  I'm thankful for that...and the fact that everyone is keeping their sense of humor...so far.

I know that there's a reason that this project has been delayed and I also know that we'll move forward with the renovation of the farmhouse when the time is right. In the mean time, I'm learning a lot about patience...and faith...and perspective. After all, in the grand scheme of things, this is nothing more than an inconvenience...just a little plot twist in the story of my life....a story that is far from over. 

Thanks for reading. 

A Quick Hello, More Farmhouse "Parts" and a French "Lady"

I've been a little quiet lately here on the blog.  Part of that is because my full time job has been crazy busy as our company is preparing to migrate to a new computer system and my department is involved.  I'll be spending a week in Atlanta for training in the beginning of May and am hoping to do a little farmhouse shopping while I'm there as well. 

Old House Stories and A Vintage Men's Shaving Stand

Have you ever heard the old saying, "If these walls could talk..."?  Lately, I've been feeling that way about the walls here at the farmhouse. As we've been removing walls, we're discovering some of the stories of the house that we're making our home,  

I suppose that it's my love of old houses and their stories that drew me to this project in the first place because I grew up in an old house. It  had a wide front porch with a porch swing and a back door with a wooden screen door.  It had one bathroom with a cool slot in the back of the medicine cabinet where my dad put the used blades from his single blade razor (and I once did the same thing...with an entire package of brand new blades. Sorry, Dad.)

French Farmhouse Update: Lighting and Door Hardware Selections

I've spent the last few days finalizing light fixtures and bathroom fixtures and door hardware for Phase 2 of the renovation here at the farmhouse. Phase 2 of this renovation is going to be extensive and involved.  Have you ever heard the old adage, "It's going to get worse before it gets better"?

                                                                                                                           Welcome to "worse".

French Replica - Limestone Fireplace Mantel Surround

Once upon a time, what seems like a very long time ago (actually, just about nine months ago), I embarked upon the conversion of the ranch house living room to the farm house dining room.  To say that there have been a few twists and turns along this road would be an understatement. Thankfully, I had planned for most of them.

Choosing Kitchen and Bathroom Tile

Shower display at Floor & Decor

Choosing tile for the kitchen and bathrooms at the farmhouse has proven to be one of the easiest selections that I've made to date.  For me, the wide range of materials that's out there has made the job easier rather than more difficult. Like I did last week, today I'm sharing my choices and showing you what I found at Floor & Decor. 

When I began designing the farmhouse, I chose to make the color palette for the floors, tile, counter tops and cabinets completely neutral. Since I tend to like redecorate about every fifteen minutes often, keeping the more permanent parts of my home neutral allows me to introduce color through paint and fabric.

I know myself well enough to know that this is the best way for me to decorate. I also know that I like to use natural materials whenever possible but if the price is right and the quality is good, porcelain that looks like natural stone is a cost effective alternative for some areas of my home.

Since I'll be using hexagonal terracotta tile in the stable hall and the hall to my studio,  I feel that it's a good idea to use that same hexagonal shape on the floor of the master bath or in the shower,  for continuity. I've found that using larger tiles with just a few accent pieces saves on installation as well as tile cost.

First, let's talk about my new kitchen. It will be a combination of shades of gray and white with dark wood flooring, a natural wood island and open shelves. The the style of my new kitchen is French country farmhouse (with the emphasis on farmhouse, of course!)  I'll be using rustic finishes like painted cabinets and honed counter tops. I'm considering poured concrete or soapstone for part of the counter tops but will have Vermont Imperial marble on the island.  My kitchen cabinets and shelves will be similar in color and feel to the fabulous kitchen above from Our Vintage Home.

Source: Kvanum Kitchens

The only area that will have back splash tile is the space between the cook top and the exhaust hood.  This is because the wall where the sink is located has four windows that extend to just above the counter top and those windows are flanked by cabinets with glass doors that sit on the counter top. Similar in layout to the photo above but, with four windows instead of two:

Photo: Home of Colette of La Brocanteuse

I've chosen over-sized subway tile in white for my kitchen. I think that it will blend well with my gray cabinets and  gray and white counter tops. Installing oversized the tile will provide a updated feel and proper scale while giving me the traditional feel that I'm trying to achieve. 

I think that the tile on the bottom of the display below would work nicely as a kitchen back splash, don't you?   Of course, it would be pretty spectacular in the shower i the upstairs bath, too!

There are two and one half baths in our home. The half bath is tiny and  is located on the main floor near the family room. The floor in this room will probably be a natural stone like travertine because it's rustic enough to blend well with the dark hardwood that will be in the rooms around it and still sturdy enough to hold up to traffic. I'm adding character to my little bathroom by using a vintage chest as a sink base with a vessel sink and wall mounted faucet similar to this one: 

Source: Decorpad.com

There are so many elements of this bathroom that I love; from the wall mounted faucet to the mirror ad the architectural salvage above the shower curtain...but I digress....

                                                                                                 Where was I?  Oh yeah, vessel sinks.

I was really pleased to find that Floor & Decor carries what I consider to be a pretty substantial selection of vessel sinks. I'm sure that I'll be find something that will be perfect.

There are two full bathrooms in our home, one in the hall of the second floor and one is a master ensuite. Both will have gray and white tile, both will likely have gray cabinets, both will have white fixtures. Color wise, that may seem boring, but using an interesting tile layout and things like mosaic accents or carved pieces like this one that I found will help to make them simple but beautiful.

I haven't made final selections yet... but I'm close. I've still got to find a cabinet for the powder room but then, I'm going to sit down with a F&D designer to choose a sink for the powder room and lay out the patterns for the tile in the bathrooms.  I'm still drawn to the mosaic border in this photo...
                                                                               
                                                                                             and that harlequin....maybe just a little?!

However, before I do any of that, either today or tomorrow (September 12th and 13th), I'm going to the Grand opening of the new Floor & Decor at 3300 Oakton in Skokie, IL to check them out! You know that I love to shop and I want to make sure to check out all of the latest options before I purchase.

If you're in the area, here's what's going on at the store this weekend. Maybe I'll see you there.

Friday, Sept 12

9:00 – 11:00    Ribbon cutting

10:00 – 6:00    NASCAR Simulator

11:00 – 2:00    Ice Cream Truck – free to the first 200 customers

  Chicago Mix popcorn available

Saturday, Sept 13

Chicago Mix popcorn available

10:00 – 6:00    NASCAR Simulator

11:00 – 2:00    Hot Dog Cart – free to the first 200 customers

11:00 – 3:00    Face Painter/ Balloon Artist

11:00 – 3:00    Inflatable Sports Challenge

12:00 – 2:00    $250,000 Dice Roll Challenge

Yeah...that $250,000 dice roll got my attention. But to be honest, so did the Chicago Mix Popcorn (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a 50/50 mix of caramel corn and cheese popcorn...I know, it sounds odd but trust me, it's amazing!) 

Disclosure: I was compensated for writing this post. However, my account of my experience with Floor and Decor as well as my opinion of them  is my own.  I only write about products and services that I use personally in my own home and it is my policy and promise to you, the reader, that all reviews are genuine, 100% honest, and reflect my experience with the product or service being reviewed.

Final Drawings French Farmhouse Renovation Phase 2

You may be wondering why I haven't been around much. 

Wait, who am I kidding? Even my family probably wouldn't notice if I was absent for a few days so let me rephrase:

                                                      Here's what I've been up to lately.  

The photos that you see here are the final drawings for what I've been referring to for the last ten months as "Phase 2 of the renovation at the French Farmhouse." In reality, this is the portion of the renovation where the true transformation from "1950's red brick ranch" to "French Farmhouse" will take place.

Over the next several months (probably around ten), 3/4 of the existing foot print of the house will be gutted to the studs and all of the existing rooms (with the exception of the new dining room) will "change places". Through it all, the house will remain a three bedroom, 2.5 bath home and YES, we ARE living here during construction!

Bedrooms will become a kitchen, the kitchen will become a bedroom, current bathrooms make way for a new hearth room. Why? Well, I haven't gone into too much detail until today but this house has a bunch of problems, some of them serious...some, just annoying.  

Things like the fact that the windows have been caulked shut for so many years that the wood frames have rotted to the point that they can't be repaired.  Or the fact that ice forms on the electric outlets in my bathroom in the winter. Or the fact that condensation runs down the walls in the hall in the summer. 

The list goes on...and on...and I've spared you the "really bad" stuff. Trust me, there is NO OTHER choice...well, except tearing it down...which I won't do...because I LOVE this house!

So, I've been working with an incredibly talented architect named Dennis Parsons who has, over the last ten months, "engineered" my vision and found a builder named Dan Roberts who is almost as excited to do this project as I am.

We're currently applying for building permits, and clearing trees...and removing a pond and thirty foot stream that was built against the house and eighteen inches above the top of the foundation...which is a part of the reason why the crawl space filled with water last fall when it rained. Not glamorous stuff...but necessary. 

Today, my back yard looks like this. To most people, this is not a pretty sight. To me, after almost twelve months of waiting, it's beautiful!

I hope that you'll stick around for the next few months while things aren't lovely and there's not really any decorating to share.  I'll be doing a few projects and I'll also be sharing the process of selecting tile and fixtures and designing the new kitchen and bathrooms. I truly appreciate every single one of you and the fact that you're here.

Bring on the construction fence! Let's DO THIS!

French Country Light Fixtures for the Farmhouse Dining Room

In case you missed my little "confession" on the Serendipity Refined Facebook page this week, I hugged my UPS driver. Yes, I did.  I hugged him because he brought my new French country style chandeliers and sconces for the farmhouse dining room.  I admit it. I hugged him...with both arms...right outside of my front door...in broad daylight...over light fixtures.

                                                                                                        I think that I startled the poor guy.

At least I waited for him to put the boxes down before I broke out my very best "I don't really know you but I'm hugging you anyway because a happy dance just isn't enough" bear hug.

After all, I hadn't completely lost my mind. I didn't want my lighting to end up damaged six feet from my front door because I was so darned excited that I couldn't contain myself.

The reason for my temporary loss of composure was that it took me a long time to decide on lighting for the dining room and I was over the moon when I finally ordered them and had them in my hands in less than a week.  Lighting for the dining room was a big decision for me because it involved three chandeliers and two wall sconces all in the same room.

You see, the farmhouse dining room used to be the ranch house living room in a prior life.  I wanted a space large enough to seat twenty to twenty four people for holiday dinner and this room fit the bill (after a few minor renvoations).  My new dining room is 29 feet long and 17 feet wide so space is certainly not an issue.

Heck, there's enough to seat twenty with room left over for a couple of small seating areas and the piano.

                                                                                   

Yes, there will be a piano in my dining room because the farmhouse won't have a formal living room and most of the other spaces that I'm creating aren't meant to hold large groups of people excepting the kitchen (because I love to cook and my friends tend to congregate there) and the dining room.

You probably remember the largest chandelier from last year when we moved to the farmhouse and I decorated it with bittersweet.  It has been relocated to the new dining room and now it hangs directly above the table as it will about 85% of the time when we're not entertaining. 

However, when the table is fully extended,  and occupies 2/3 of the room,  the large chandelier will be over one "end" of the table. This didn't seem right to me so I added two smaller chandeliers hung closer to the ceiling, one at each end of the room for balance and to provide light when we have a large number of guests for dinner.

If you've noticed that there is no crown molding in the room, you're correct...there's also no base board and the windows will be replaced next month.  Those yellow pieces of tape in the photo above are the outside marks for the limestone fireplace surround that hopefully will be delivered today.

There's still a lot of work to be done in this room  but I love my new French country light fixtures. You may also be relieved to know that I was much more reserved yesterday when the UPS driver delivered the package with the last of the drapery hooks.  He was a little hesitant as he handed me the package but I just smiled politely and thanked him.

I sure hope that he recovers by the time my new bed linens arrive in four to six weeks!




Resources:
Large chandelier: Horchow Salento 6 light
Sconces and small chandeliers: Lighting direct Quorum International Salento

Farmhouse Updates: Eleven Months Later

Just about eleven months ago (really? it has been almost a year!?), I lost my mind took a leap of faith.  A giant leap...like stepping off of a cliff. Sometimes, you've just got to have faith that things will work out the way that they're meant to.  So, when  we sold the home that I designed and we new built twelve years ago and downsized to a 65 year old red brick ranch which had been vacant for nearly two years, I just knew that it would be okay...even though about half of our belongings would be in storage for over a year and the crawl space beneath the bedrooms periodically filled with water.

During the past eleven months, we've taken care of the water issues in the crawlspace, I've stripped wallpaper and painted the entire inside of the house. I hung a couple of light fixtures in the kitchen  and painted the cabinet in the bathroom just to make things livable.  I had new hardwood flooring installed in the former "living room" in preparation for storing all of our furniture in this room during construction and the shed in the back yard got new window boxes and some shutters because it looked sad and I look out my window at it every day. It'll get new siding when we re-side the house in the fall but at least it's a little more cheery to look at.

Those are the "upgrades" that have been accomplished to date. They're minimal for a reason:  I don't believe in spending money on things that will be demolished during Phase 2 of the renovation. This means that living here has been a lot like camping...without the sleeping bags or guitar music.

The remainder of my "free time" has been spent doing a little demolition... and planning.  I started working with a wonderful architect named Dennis Parsons last fall on what I've been referring to as "Phase 2" of the renovation. This is the part of the renovation where the house will finally start to look like a farmhouse and I'll have windows that open and a kitchen with an oven that works.  The laundry room will move out of the basement and I'll have a functional studio in which to paint furniture, weave, sew, and do all of the other stuff that I've been doing all over the house for the last year.

Due to the Village Zoning Ordinance that was in place until July 15th, 2014, the garages and stable hall would not have been able to be built where I wanted them located on the property and, rather than abandon my original vision for this project, I decided to wait.

See the little yellow piece of the garage in the photo below? That is the five feet that I chose to wait for.  Without it, the house didn't line up with the garages and my courtyard wasn't a courtyard (at least not to me) because the walls weren't straight..

 
Over the winter and early spring, I've  had many meetings with the village zoning board and planning committee and was told that (luckily for me), they would be amending the setback ordinance for our village in the spring of 2014. I was willful enough willing to take the time to see what happened instead of changing my original design.  As a result of that decision, everything was delayed....for about eight months until the new ordinance took effect in mid-July.

During that time, Dennis (my architect) patiently worked with me while the guest rooms changed locations three times, the master bedroom moved to the other side of the house and I messed with the exterior trim detail on every single elevation of the house to make them NOT match each other. The original four pages of drawings rapidly became a stack of paper and tissue and I'm pretty certain that we were on revision "AA" before it was over. Without boring you with the details, the buildings can now be placed on the property as I had originally hoped,  the five feet is no longer an issue, and my poor architect will probably save a fortune on printer paper now that I'm no longer finessing the design and moving bedrooms. 

Another benefit to the delay was that I got to really  know this house...all of it.  From the drainage issues in the back yard to the ice on the electric outlets in the bathroom this winter. The delay also gave us time to save money by removing the existing landscaping and the retaining wall from around the patio ourselves rather than hiring someone to do it ("remove" is kind of a loose term because one day I pushed on it with my foot because it was leaning and it literally fell apart into the lawn).

During the first few months, the delays and bad workmanship at this house had me more than a little frustrated. However, now that we're only a few weeks away from construction, I'm thankful...

                                                                                               Yes, you read that correctly. I'm thankful. 

Thankful that my son will be safely back at college when the roof comes off and his bedroom becomes a part of the family room.  Thankful that we didn't have our home open to the elements during one of the rainiest spring and early summer's that I can remember. Thankful that I had time to rehab my son's apartment and help my sister with a couple of projects at her house.

I've also learned to be thankful for the less than stellar workmanship which means that the patio blocks that used to form the retaining wall will be able to be re-used as a new patio because they weren't glued together and that the layers of flooring were only nailed and not glued which made them easier to remove. Candidly, I'm hopeful that we'll find more things that will make demolition easier when we begin to tear down interior walls and the builder removes the roof.

So, while things haven't gone as I expected, they're actually turning out pretty well.  I didn't have to hire a lawyer to seek a variance to the code which would have been expensive and  I've had the luxury of several months to find things like my bathtub and sink on Craigslist.

Final revisions to the plans are complete and I'll share the drawings in detail just as soon a I have blueprints.  Here's hoping that the permit process moves quickly and that we have a long, hot, DRY autumn here in Illinois...at least until they get the roof back on.

Thanks for your words of encouragement and for sticking with me,  it's been one heck of a ride so far...and this portion of the journey to turn my 50's ranch into a French farmhouse is only beginning!

Gray and Ivory Dining Room Area Rug

After the new hardwood floors were installed (read about them here) in the farmhouse dining room two weeks ago, the search was on for a new rug. The dining room rug from our last home is my "new" bedroom rug so I was needed to find someting new.

I made the decision not to have carpet in the farmhouse due to the fact that I have allergies and we have a dog. I decided that it's easier to maintain hardwood and area rugs (of course, I may change my mind at some point but for now, that's the decision....hardwood throughout the house with the exception of bathrooms, the laundry room, the mud room and the stable hall.

Where was I? Oh yeah, the dining room rug.  I knew that I wanted grey and ivory. I knew that I needed 8x11 feet. I also knew that I was not going to purchase an "heirloom quality" rug since we'll rarely be in this room and I want to "save" the money for other things....like plumbing.

I made a quick trip to HomeGoods where I found the perfect rug...well, perfect except for the fact that it was 5 x 8 feet. I wrote down the name of the manufacturer and the style name from a label that I found on the back of the rug. Then, I went home and searched for it on the Internet and found the rug that I wanted, in the size that I needed at a place called, "Rugs Direct" for under $400! (This is not a sponsored post, I wasn't compensated in any way for mentioning this supplier. I'm just sharing my resources with you.)

I placed the order on line and the rug was at my home and on the dining room floor with a big yellow lab on it,four days later!

I'm happy to report that I was able to convince the dog to move long enough to put the dining room table and chairs on the rug as well! The dining room project is moving forward. I still have lots to do but I found a rug that I love at a price that I could afford...and it's "Piper approved", too!