We spent the winter planning and then executing the interior of the Veneer Retreat and I'm happy to report its complete. Inside. For all of you wondering where we stand. The 3.5 month pace was respectful considering I was managing the project from 2.5 hours away and our builder had 15 other projects cooking, along with a baby on the way. He finished the interior a day before the baby was born (phew). We were able to stay there last weekend and put together a short list of the items still needing attention. I will walk you through what was accomplished. Where we started, where we are at, and what's left to do.
I didn't stray too far from my initial vision but I did change some lighting and the bathroom layout at the end to make it more universally accessible as a walk in shower.
I loved the fireplace from the start, but couldn't stand the laminate floors and corrugated metal ceiling the flipper had installed.
Wes Rush got to demolishing the awful finishes in early November. And correctly finishing the walls and ceiling, sanding and polishing the concrete floors, and rebuilding the bathroom from scratch.
It was an ugly mess for a solid stretch there.
I was over prepared, having tile and plumbing fixtures at the site way ahead of it being needing to be there. I like to plan ahead but some would say I was overeager.
The exterior paneling on the inside of a bedroom had to be upgraded to actual drywall. What were they thinking?
The other bedroom wasn't bad but I wanted to clean up the crooked quarter round trim all over the place and update the electrical.
The bathroom went from pitiful to a pit of despair.
We had so many plumbing issues with this wammer jammer. From garbage pipes, which I predicted, to a surprise septic tank that needed to be replumbed to. Anyway....
But then the walls get smoothed, the floors get buffed, and everything gets painted. It feels like a very big change has happened.
The main room painted white.
The bedroom walls were straightened out, smoothed, and painted. Along with new floor base and door hardware.
The kitchen was prepped for tile and a new counter top, sink, and faucet.
The kitchen got the incredible Concrete Collaborative terrazzo slab counters and patterned Aimee LaCalle Paseo tile backsplash.
The bathroom was tiled with beautiful Ann Sacks Mason field tile and Ann Sacks Savoy Arrowhead mosaic tile on the shower floor. It all feels appropriate and right for the house.
By the time we came to visit last weekend the inside was broom clean and we could start to enjoy the pretty spaces.
Can you believe they never had a vent hood over the stove? Luckily after my Zephyr Designer Retreat, I realized the grave importance of having one and was able to install a powerful and stylish black Zephyr Anzio hood over the existing white stove. So much better.
The bathroom will get a mirror, the missing glass shower guard, and more styling but don't the Delta Trinsic matte back plumbing fixtures from Build.com look amazing with the Ann Sacks tile and remnant terrazzo slab vanity?
The bedrooms are ready for furnishings. We even have new Roman shades up.
We have come along way I would say and did a lot in a pretty short span of time now that I'm looking back. I will save the furniture plan for its own post but here is what's left to do:
- Patch the roof leak
- Additional work on the septic tank. You don't want to know.
- Level an area outside to get it ready for a future hot tub. We can' afford that just yet.
- Upgrade a 110v electrical outlet to 220v in the car port so it can support the washer and dryer we bought
- Build a new wood deck with a fire pit in the back for outdoor living.
- Some landscaping but nothing crazy
- We may have to upgrade the 100 amp electrical panel and we may need a new water heater. All to TBD.
So it goes. Once you upgrade one thing, you can't leave the other things janky. It feels so foolish to do otherwise, even if its not really in the budget.
Then the funniest thing happened. A couple of days after we departed, it snowed in Yucca Valley. This is what the house looked like yesterday. Can you imagine?! Needless to say, the exterior work we need to get done can't happen just yet. And that's where we are. There is more to do before I can say the house is "done" but we have come a long way from November.