Phase 1 - Demolition

Master bedroom... I took out that closet on my own with a sledge. It took 2 hours while Kate removed on the plastic covers for electrical outlets and did some of her own handy work in the guest bath. We had Boston with us. He wanted to chomp on the discarded 2x4's so badly... he was denied though... too many nails.

This photo represents the biggest change so far. Remember the wall that divided the dining room and kitchen? Gone. We've decided to open the kitchen up. The refrigerator will go on the left behind the brick structure you see. The stove/oven will be placed along the back wall. New cabinets and granite counter tops to be installed. The giant doorway with the existing refrigerator stashed away will become the laundry room with utility sink. Kate is VERY excited about that sink. You can barely see the opening into the attic with wires coming out. That is for the new HVAC.

Another view... this time from the kitchen to the dining room. The "chimney" structure to the right is the old heat stack and has not been used for 50 years. It's in rough shape and will be dry-walled over. You may recall the 1965 yellow oven/stove that once sat in the right side of the photo. Its now gone and unfortunately sitting in the driveway. The neighbors LOVE us.

Remember the old water heater? Gone. This is becoming the master bath. The door and window will be stucco'd shortly.

Here is a photo taken the other day. You'll notice the front bushes have been removed so that the bay window is more visible. We took the photo as the sun was setting and it makes the home look like its been painted. The home is still greenish... painting will come in a couple weeks. Colors are being debated but will most likely be off-white with black trim around the windows.

The New Home

After nearly 6 months of searching, Kate and I found a home in Sacramento's Curtis Park area. On the day we closed escrow, the home was 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. It was built in 1926 and needless to say, it needs a lot of TLC.

For those of you that have been to our leased home in the Land Park area, you'll be happy to know that Curtis Park is within the same zip code and has all the amenities and architectural charm as Land Park (the new home is located about 2 miles from our leased home). Kate and I found the neighborhood feel of Curtis Park to be even more welcoming and had more of the style of homes we enjoyed.

We expect to move in during late May and have many remodeling projects to tend to prior to the big move. We thought it would be fun to share the experience with all of you. Before we get into the details of the remodel, we wanted to provide a short article on Curtis Park, we found online...

http://sacramentorealestatevoice.com/2007/05/04/curtis-park-homes-in-sacramento/

We hope you enjoy reading our posts and can celebrate the new home with us very soon.

Interior Views

Back of the house... the current doorway to the house will be blocked off and replaced under the window currently covered by a bush on the left.

Away in the manger, no crib for a bed... I think this may have been the inspiration for all the Nativity scenes you see around church... Jesus was born here. There is a nasty tree stump on the left side of photo that will be removed, along with the manger.

Detached garage in the back. It's in good shape but needs to be repainted. Maybe we'll replace the garage door with glass windows to display my kayaks and cool outdoor stuff. You can tell its late and Kate has gone to bed. She would have never let me write that.

Former Breakfast Nook.... will be the laundry room. You may recall that the original laundry room will become the master bath. The window you see will become a door to access the back yard.

Guest Room 2. We think this may have been used as the original master bedroom. It has a larger than normal closet currently (not pictured).

Guest room 1... will be repainted... but you can see the hardwood floors that will run throughout the house.

Current Laundry room with access to the backyard. This will become the master bath and the door you see will be closed off and stucco'd from the outside. New tankless water heater will be added later.

Master bedroom... there will be a doorway into the new master bath. The door will be located on the blank wall pictured. The doorway you see leads into the Kitchen. It will be walled off shortly. We've added HVAC and removed the floor furnaces and nasty window fans you see hanging from the middle window.

Inside the Kitchen. Hello 1965????? check out the yellow stove on the bottom right.

Taken from the dining room into the kitchen doorway. Wall is actually removed now. Those photos to come tomorrow.

View in the Living room taken from the fireplace. The large bay window overlooks the front yard and the park in the distance, 3 blocks away.

Photo above is the Living Room. All carpet to be removed to reveal the hardwood floors underneath.

Looking into the dining room with the Kitchen doorway in the distance.