New Home...Part 3...

This is a post in a series, if you'd like to read from the beginning of this series, click here.

After the walls and roof decking were in place, 

we were ready for our house to be completely in the "dry".

Our inspiration house had a metal roof.

Beautiful.

We checked into it, but it was not in our budget.

We considered putting on a partial metal roof but we just couldn't get the right look.

We drove neighborhoods looking at various roofing but didn't find anything that we felt would work.

So, we decided on a composite shingle.

The color is charcoal...this would begin the accents of black throughout the interior and exterior.

The back view...

Siding and windows were next. 

Those front windows are on their way to being "mock" French doors. I originally wanted the doors to be exactly like the inspiration house, but again, for budgetary reasons, we decided to modify the front.

(It will make more sense in a bit.)

Garage doors and trim were complete...

and

windows and doors were installed.

Mechanicals were put in place:

plumbing...

electricals, 

and HVAC.

Did you see the flooring in the photo above?

Yep...that's brick.

We didn't want wood in the laundry room so we opted for brick.

I just love it!

We also added a bit to the master bedroom.

 A few interior rooms were insulated...

while the majority of the insulation was blown in.

Are you still with me? 

I know, that was a long post!

Sheetrock is next!

New Home...Part 2...Walls

This is a post in a series...if you'd like to read from the beginning of this series, click here.

After our slab was poured, we were ready for the next stage...walls.

All the planning was about to become 3D! 

We were ready to "see" if everything would work out as we hoped.

We started out with our first load of lumber...

and very soon, we had our walls!

We walked and walked the house, it was finally happening!

The rooms were working as planned.

Next was the roofing.

And once again, here's our inspiration house...

we're fairly close to the original idea!

Stay tuned for roofing and windows!

Spring!

It's officially SPRING!

Yea!

I love this time of year, well, Fall too...

hm...and the beginning of Winter...

and...

well, beginning of Summer too!

Oh heck,

I just love them all,

except for the extremes.

Ok, Ok, back to this post...Spring is here in Texas.

It's in full bloom,

Our azaleas and lilies are showing their colors

and 

it's just beautiful.

These lilies are one of my favorites.

They are off-shoots from great stock, my grandmother's lilies.

About 25 years ago I took a few bulbs and planted them in my yard. They thrived and multiplied.

So pretty.

Then we moved..

and I took about 10 bulbs with me to this house.

I made this bed for them and they are really happy to have their own special spot!

They just keep producing new crops and each one is just as pretty as the one before.

And guess what...?

I'll be taking them ALL to my new home. 

Yep, I'm going to leave the bed nice and clean,

ready for the new owners to put in their favorites!

Happy Spring to You! 

Plan C and a Part 1

This is a post in a series, if you missed previous posts, click here.

source

Ok, on to Plan C.

After falling head over heels for homes with character and a history, 

we decided to build our own "old" new home.

There were a few things that were "must haves" on our list:

a bit of land

one story

porches

beautiful trim

interior brick

room for all of our "stuff" things

open floor plan

warm, comfy, and an inviting, relaxed feeling.

My mother saw this house in a magazine and casually sent it my way.

I was smitten instantly...love at first sight.

After reading every single word about it and each credit,

we decided this was it.

We loved the exterior...

it would be our beginning.

No big deal, right?

Hm...where to begin?

We were a couple of smart folks,

our son was soon to be an accredited architect,

and

our other son was willing and able to do whatever we needed.

But as we read and read and read, 

we decided that this job was way too big for us, 

being novice home-builders and all.

So we called in the professionals.

We decided to use a custom home builder 

who would work along side us 

providing information at each step with qualified subcontractors.

Here was the plan:

We make all the decisions, 

pay all the bills, 

and call on the builder for advice.

So the process began.

We found a nice lot with a bit of land...

that had great personality...little trails and beautiful trees.

We cleared only what we needed...

and the forms began.

Plumbing and a few electricals were put in place...

and the slab was ready to be poured.

We were on our way!

Stay tuned for walls!

It's the personality and perseverance.

For as long as I remember,

I have always been fascinated with Galveston, Texas.

I remember visiting as a child...

not so much in playing at the beach

 but 

visiting the shops and restaurants

 and just plain sightseeing.

Yes, the beach was also a favorite, 

but since we were usually not staying the night,

there wasn't a place to wash that inevitable sand out of our suits.

So, we just looked from afar.

I must admit, 

there's nothing like the sea breeze.

Galveston has quite a history...the 1900 storm was tragic.

If you're not familiar with the story, click here.

Talk about perseverance...

These images have been ingrained in my brain...

source

But they learned lessons.

Like building a seawall,

source

and raising the grade of the city.

source

Just amazing.

Various other storms blew through the area

such as Katrina, Rita, and Ike.

And during these seasons, we evacuated as instructed by local officials.

It was such a scary time:

boarding up windows, 

putting furniture up in case of flooding, 

having a ration of supplies,

taking valuables and important documents.
Isn't it all important?

ugh.

Thankfully, our current home didn't have much structural damage, but Galveston was once again devastated.

Buildings and houses were flooded, historic sites washed away.

And once again, the citizens rebuilt.

Just amazing.
Perseverance.

Well, it was on the last evacuation, (while sitting in 22+ hours of bumper to bumper evacuees),

 that I decided that we were moving.

Moving far enough away so that I didn't have to worry about flooding and the danger of hurricanes.

However, after a few years and the humongous cleanup, one tends to forget (kinda like childbirth.)

We were tempted to buy a historic home in one of our favorite cities.

Something like this...

source

Beautiful, isn't she?

...the front porch and the baby blue ceiling...

...hexagon tiles in the bathroom...

...the transoms, trim, the pocket doors...

Oh...we were tempted. 

It was in perfect condition, a little drafty, a little pricey, but with a history right?

But then we considered this...

 nope, those stairs were not in our plan.

So we thought about plan B...

and thought about a loft like this: 

source

We'd be up a few floors, high and dry...

but that posed another problem.

You see we have this little one,

...and taking her out at all hours wasn't very appealing either.

However, those interior brick walls were beautiful!

Maybe we could teach her to press the elevator buttons?

Just kidding.

All this to say, we wanted to move, to get out of harms way,
 but obviously Galveston wasn't the best place for us.

So we began planning...

There could be a plan C.
Hm...
Stay tuned!

If only...part 2

In continuing with possible repurposing, 

this home was also listed on our local real estate site.

source

Isn't she a beauty? 

I love all the personality.

Each May, around Mother's Day, the Galveston Historical Society hosts a historical home tour. 

Believe it or not, this one was on the tour...in this condition.

Being historical home junkies,

 the trio {my mother, sister, and I},

we were not deterred by her appearance. 

Just look at this view!

Apparently, there had been a fire...

  

and various uninvited guests that used this as a "simple" shelter.

But, can't you just see the potential?

She's just waiting for someone to restore her to her former glory.

The Galveston Historical Society has done a bit of work

 and has the house on the market for

$399.000

Again, way out of my budget, 

but 

a great project  for restoration.

I love this shot because in some of the restorations,

if you're lucky,

original pieces are found hiding in attics or behind walls.

When these original pieces are replaced,

you can almost feel the old "gal" smiling...

her "jewelry" is back!

Wouldn't this be a great window to read by or to view the Gulf?

Oh...the possibilities...

If only...