Building a Home Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The Weekend Country Girl

Building a Home, cedar lumber, Coldspring, Country Style, DIY, DIY Furniture, Ranch House Overhaul, reclaimed wood

Making a Coffee Bar

January 6, 2016 Karen

My kids love coffee, hot chocolate, and hot tea. I like it all too, but I really love the idea of having everything that our guests need set up away from the kitchen when breakfast/ evening meal prep is underway.

We have just the spot in our home for a coffee bar and we have just the materials to make a rustic coffee bar based on inspiration from The Summery Umbrella. I purchased windows last winter at an epic garage sale for $2.00 each. I brought our stash of reclaimed cedar planks and the storage buildings contain more random wood.

We used the windows as the basis for the front of the cabinet. When we laid out the windows it was obvious that they would have to go into the cabinet horizontal instead of vertical like My Summery Umbrella was able to do. The vintage windows are large and heavy and with them hung horizontally, the cabinet will still be slightly taller than counter height. The length of the bar is 90 inches. It is 12 inches wide and made from cedar we took off our old lake house, Star Hill that we have stored and moved. We really do like our reclaimed wood.

The next step was building the skeleton. We had enough reclaimed wood but a mistake meant we needed two new 2×4’s.

We got a new toy recently…a planer. Oh my goodness, Mr. Math got a good deal on Craig’s List but I was skeptical. I did not know how much I would love it. It makes all my mismatched thicknesses of reclaimed wood play nice with each other and knocks the sanding down to just finish sanding in minutes. We planed two 12 inch wide planks for the top and sides.

Any time you work with reclaimed wood and supplies it means you have to do a lot of trial and error. It feels sort of like we are playing a game of Tetris.

We used outdoor gate hinges and black iron handles for a couple of reasons; the windows are stinkin’ heavy and I liked how the black looked against the white and reclaimed cedar.

The display area will be filled with my pitchers, milk glass, and vintage cookware. I didn’t have everything up at the house but I put what I had in for you to get an idea.

We already used it as a serving counter on New Year’s Eve.

The coffee bar is going to serve a lot of purposes when we have a crowd. Having 90 inches of serving space away from the kitchen counters will be great.

Let’s face it, most of the time it is going to be a drink station.

Left overs from New Year’s Eve.

An all sorts of drinks station. (You have no idea how hard I had to look to scrounge up the drinks above!)

Mainly it will be a coffee/ tea bar, because that is who we are.

Here it is in our daily life. It will be a cluttered mess so my kitchen doesn’t have to be full of stuff. I am going to love this piece. It is narrow and provides room for the front door to open, it provides me 7 and a half feet of additional counter surface, and it looks like it belongs in our house. Be still my heart.

The house is coming along. I am proud of the progress we are making as we make Providence Acres our forever home.

Mr. Math and I are both thrilled to share our journey with you as we go. Thank you for the kind words you share.

Blessings,

Karen

Building a Home, Coldspring, Country living

What’s In A Name?

August 21, 2015 Karen

Several people have asked what the name of our soon to be second home will be. The answer is…

Providence Acres

Mr. Math and I had discussed possible names but nothing felt right. Creekside? Bar S (the name of a family ranch)? There were several more we thought about but nothing stuck. We decided that whatever the name would be it had to come on its own and it has. The more we talked to folks about how we had this home placed in our path and how the path has been astounding to us the way that things have worked out, we used the word providence. We used it a lot. It just stuck.

It was three years before Star Hill got a name. My youngest, Baby Boy, decreed that our weekend home needed a name. I believe any place loved by the owners or visitors will be named.

My mom and dad are practical folk. They have owned two places over the years that they loved. He first they called The Farm. The second, The Property. They probably think I am silly worrying about the right name for our home, but we are not alone in naming our place and it is not a new idea.

Ever heard of these places?

I m sure you can think of others as well.

Ranches and Farms are almost always given a name as a way of branding their name. Their way of branding themselves comes from having a name to associate with their product be it produce or livestock. If you are a middle ager like me, I will bet you remember Southfork Ranch.

I even grew up with fictional ranches. Do you remember The Ponderosa from Bonaza?

There are websites dedicated to helping you name your farm or ranch.

If you want chance to be how your spot is named, use this generator.

Farm Name Generator

We are also learning that we have to name our outbuildings for practicality. This is how a lot of our conversations go right now.

“Where is the ladder?”

“In the shed.”

“Which shed?”

“The back shed.”

“The back shed? Which shed are you calling the back shed?”

“You know, the one with tractor tire in front.”

“Why is that the back shed?”

“It just is.”

“That makes no sense. There are three back sheds depending which direction you go.”

“It makes sense to me.”

“What were we talking about before we started talking about this?”

“I have no idea.”

The buildings will be named. The ladders will be located.

I hope you enjoy our journey.

Blessings,

Karen

Building a Home, Coldspring, JJ Lane, mudroom, Ranch House Overhaul

The Mudroom

August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 Karen

Lately all I hear on HGTV right now is “open concept”. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love having a large open family room, dining room and kitchen, but there is something to be said for walls, too. I like walls so much that I just convinced Mr. Math to put one up at the end of the great room of our new place.

We are messy. There, I said it. messy, muddy, outdoor people who love children, dogs, tools, and clutter. I do like that mess and clutter to be contained. We are also going to usually enter the home from the side so a place where shoes can come off, jackets, hats, wet towels, and tools can land will contain th clutter. A laundry room, with a utility sink right by the mudroom makes containing dirty clothes, pet toys, and nasty hands even easier.

Our mudroom is 16 feet wide and 8 feet deep with an off center door that lines up with the outside door. A sliding barn door will close the space off when needed (and will look cool from the great room the rest of the time.)

The walls are going to be planked. I love that look and will be planking several walls in the house.

The Wood Grain Cottage

Our plan is to make the west side which has no door or window, our bench side with hooks and storage.

Freckles Chick

I love the mix of rustic wood and hooks. I also like the mailbox and chalkboard.

The east side of the room is going to have a small closet for our jackets, rain coats, and umbrellas. The outlet is going to be moved so that it is outside where we need it.

This wasted space will become…

This! We are planning on using two shutter doors so that they don’t take up as much room when open.

The bonus of having the wide wall on the kitchen side is that there is a great space for our large dining table.

I am looking for a cool flush mount entry light. All the ones I like are more than $150.00 so I may be making a light something like this one if I can find a small basket.

Thank you for the great tutorial, Liz Marie.

We buy barn door hardware at Tractor supply. For about $120.00 we get great looking, real barn door hardware. Here is a hint. Always check Retailmenot when buying stuff for your home. I saved $12.00 using this coupon for something I was buying anyway.

Thanks for joining us on our journey.

We appreciate all the kind words and love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Building a Home, Coldspring, Country living, Country Style, Dining Table, JJ Lane

Moving In

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015 Karen

Well hello there! We did it, folks. We f-i-n-a-l-l-y closed on our new weekend home. We are so proud and humbled that we have the opportunity to own this beautiful property and believe we will get the house where we want it one day. We know that the place was worth the wait.

Moving in this weekend was brutal. I am so very grateful to our friends who showed up, stayed until they were about to drop, and never complained. I also am so happy that two of our nephews were willing to come and lift, haul, tote, carry, and sweat. It was 103 Sunday… in the shade. No lie. I have no idea how hot is was Friday and Saturday because we couldn’t find our outdoor thermometer until Sunday.

We are sore and I have a few bruises but we got a lot moved in over the weekend.

We did not get the carpet out as we hoped but we decided that while we had the help we better get the heavy stuff moved in. We can scoot things around to get the carpet up. We also didn’t paint. The skin colored walls will be in all the pictures but remember that they will be changing when you see the pictures and that there is nothing on the walls until after the painting.

We did get one of the tasks done, the front door was liberated. The previous owner had sheet rocked over the front door so that a china cabinet would fit.

There are no pictures from move in. It was all hands on deck, no playing around with a camera during this time but here is what we got accomplished this weekend.

The master is almost done. We are having a curtain dilemma but more on that another day. The walls are not an attractive color and there is no door to the bathroom…ick.

The front guest room is set up except for the shutter headboard. I am waiting for wall paint to get them up. We also need another lamp.

The craft room only has the Expand-O-Matic in place. I am also having curtain issues. 84 inch curtains seem too short but 95 are too long. I think there will be some alterations with both to make them work.

The main room is sort of set up. We now have a table and chairs but need to work on the bench. I decided to go with the ranch thing. there is faux leather, faux cow hide, and even faux ostrich. Bessie, my Hobby Lobby cow graces the mantle and will look great when I really get to decorate.

The den area needs work but I like the funky dresser.

The table looks great. The bench is not finished.

I like the color combinations. I think I will like this spot to hang out one day.

The kitchen window is a home for my white pitchers.

We have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead but I am proud of how much we got done in three days.

Thanks for cheering us on.

I love hearing from you,

Blessings,

Karen

Building a Home, Coldspring, Country living, kitchen storage, vintage style

Our First Project- The Kitchen

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 Karen

It looks like we will be closing on our home Friday. We now have a closing date and time at the title company. The insurance guy has gone to take pictures, and he survey is completed. Whew. This has been a struggle.

Before Mr. Math has to return to work, we want to get the kitchen up and running.

Here is how the kitchen looks today:

I found this inspiration picture on TomKat Designs

There are a lot of elements in this picture.

Here are the plans to get the kitchen spruced up that should be doable this summer:

1. The carpet must go. Vinyl plank floating floor is going in as soon as it comes in. Currently it is back ordered until August 5th.

2. The fluorescent light is coming down and pot lights are going in around the kitchen.

3. The ceiling fan is coming out.

4. There is a huge pantry on the other side of the refrigerator that is coming out so that a walkway can be put in to open up the space. We are going to put in a pantry in the laundry room.

5. Pendant lights are going over the island. I plan on working on some IKEA pendants to get the look I want.

6. A farmhouse sink is going in. I have decided that I wNt a double farmhouse sink. I love the way it looks in the kitchen of House of Smiths.

7. The cabinet doors are getting a makeover.

8. The laminate will be replaced with Quartz.

9. The cabinets will be painted two toned and hardware added.

We will be keeping white appliances because one day I hope to have a vintage stove…one day.

We will keep you posted on our progress.

I hope your summer is going well.

Blessings,

Karen

Apartment living, Building a Home, Chair, crafting, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, resale finds, The bedroom

Saginaw Furniture Company Expand-O-Matic

April 26, 2015April 26, 2015 Karen

I am always amazed at what I find at garage sales. At the time I was at my latest garage sale, our house was being inspected so I wasn’t sure if the house would pass. I had already told myself we were killing time, not buying. I did pretty well… except for two milk glass mugs and a wooden bowl until I spied something I had never seen before. It looked like a desk, and I could tell it was old, but what clinched it for me was the fact that it expanded to become a six foot long table. What in the world? The leaves were missing but I had to have it for my long hoped for my craft/ Murphy bed room I am planning at our new spot. When the bed is set up the table can collapse to be a bench.

The price on the desk thing was $25.00, and I couldn’t resist.

When I got home I started checking online to see what I had. It took some searching but I finally found it. Saginaw Furniture Company Expand-O-Matic. It was probably from the late 40’s or early 50’s. They changed the name to Expandway later but I love the older name.

They were made for New York apartments and were sold up until the 60’s. The top drawer is lined and divided to hold silverware. Apparently the morning mini home market has made these cool again and these puppies are selling for $600.00 complete.

Mine is going to get stainable leaves. The top and leaves will be dark walnut.. The base is going to be painted teal. I already have the perfect chair for it when it is a desk.

Here are some shots from Etsy. All I could find were sold.

I wish I had those leaves but we should be able to do something that looks nice.

Mine only expands 6 feet.

I also am changing jobs so the suitcase wall will be moving into the craft room along with the sewing cabinet. As soon as the leaves are done and the Murphy bed built, the room will be done. This may be the easiest room to put together at the house.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Karen

Building a Home, cedar lumber, Decorating, Decorating with mirrors, Dining Table, Dresser, home decorating, master bedroom, new home, reclaimed wood, The bedroom, the guest room, the office

Weekend Home Tour Part 2

April 21, 2015 Karen

Here are the rest of the photos from the weekend home tour. The entry way was dramatic.

House 3

I really liked the ceiling in the dining or office area.

A black and white kitchen.

Mirrored side tables.

The house was fun to look at.

House 4

Much more my style.

Cedar timber ceiling.

Copper colored tile entry.

Master bedroom ceiling

I thought this wall/ headboard/ ceiling treatment was interesting. It

I like the rustic touches in this home.

I am such a fan of the herringbone brick ceiling.

I love this wall, clock, and storage.

I hope you enjoyed my visit to the model homes.

I would encourage you to visit homes near you when you get a chance. They really get the creative juices going.

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Karen

Blogging, Building a Home, Decorating, Decorating with mirrors, Dining Table, French Provincial, home decorating, master bedroom, mid-life, Mirror Display, new home, Ornate mirror, The bedroom, The City House, the guest room, the suburban home

Weekend Home Tour

April 20, 2015April 20, 2015 Karen

i love to visit model homes. Near my sister in law’s house they have 7 model homes open for touring. It was a muddy, stormy Sunday afternoon so she and I headed out to walk through the homes. This builder’s homes are well built and are part of a 55+ neighborhood. Today you get to see the first two.

I have never seen this designer/ builder’s work, and I really enjoyed getting to see their ideas. They had the most creative ceilings I have ever seen. My favorite home happened to be the first home we visited.

The very first room was… Navy and coral with a rustic, modern vibe. I can honestly say it was the only room I could see myself in, but I did take away some ideas.

We didn’t plan on going so excuse the iPhone photos.

House One

I loved this house.

The front bedroom was so cool. I really liked the china cabinet and the matching crib springs. The stripes wet navy, burlap, and a cream color. The art was stenciled canvas.

Loved the coral tailored cloth on the night stands.

Here is the rest of the house:

The master was a little too fussy for me. The side tables were way too full and the picture above the bed was too much. The mosaic tile panels are throughout all the homes.

I had to ask myself if that design in the shower would get old?

I loved the zinc topped hammerd table.

I liked the wood squares on the laundry wall.

I loved the wood flooring!

House Two

This house was totally not my style but still fun to look at and even in this house there were elements I really liked. I called this the mirror house.

Imagine dusting all those mirror frames.

A wall of mirrors in a 55+ guest bedroom?

I really liked this piece.

Loved the formal dining table.

I like the light fixture but two breakfast tables?

The backsplash was fun.

Oh my, the master was sensory overload. Tile and beam ceiling, tile insets on the wall, mirror edged headboard…

I did like the slate look ceramic tile.

Building a Home, Coldspring, collecting, Dining Table, shopping

How to Furnish a Second Home on the Cheap

January 13, 2015January 15, 2015 Karen

As we are getting ready to sell our sweet little near the lake house, I think I am getting sentimental.

I dug out our scrap book from the first few years of our journey and was pleasantly surprised at all we have done on the home. I also thought back to all we did not know or have when we bought Star Hill eight years ago.

If you are anything like us, buying a second home is a stretch financially and a little scary. Buying a second home means there is suddenly a new house payment, electrical bill, home owner association dues, water, taxes, upkeep… the list is long.

First of all, buy only what you can afford comfortably, be aware in advance what to expect like how much to plan for utilities. I was such a nervous nelly that I insisted we make “payments” for two months into our savings account before we actually bought the house. That money we deposited was our contingency fund. Hubby was so desperate to convince me that we could afford it he packed his lunch for work.

What we didn’t have a great plan for was furniture. We bought a three bedroom home with very little furniture that would work in the small spaces.

I set a goal of getting the house move in ready for $1000 and we got it done. Move in ready does not mean perfect. It means we could spend the night, have guests, and have the basics.

There were a few things I learned from the experience that I think applies to any time you set up a new home. We followed the same strategy when setting up both of our kids in their first apartment.

1. Walk through your own home to see what can go to the weekend house . We were able to come up with linens, lamps, utensils, a chair, a cedar cabinet, and our first couch. You can see the ugly couch in the trailer packed for our trip to move into the lake house. It looked much better with a slip cover.

2. Let folks know what you need. Tell people what you are looking for. Cast the net and let people know specifically what you have on your list. We ended up getting to borrow a great table and chairs for several years until we built the set we now have. A friend gave me this ginger jar lamp and mom gave us a bedside table. Don’t turn things down because it is the wrong style, shape or color. Paint covers a lot of ugly, changing out parts makes things like lamps look better. Hardware can make something look totally different.

3. Roadside rescue. Look every day you can on Craig’s list free stuff. Ask friends to call with curb alerts. Every home I have furnished has at least a few curbside rescues. Star Hill is chock full of rescues. The biggest- you really won’t believe me, but it is true, is our master bedroom dresser, chest, and a night stand we use in the guest room. We also have this cast iron typewriter table that was left at our city house when the previous owners moved off.

4. Get up early and hit garage sales. Go with a list of items you need. Wooden chairs, storage items, lawn chairs, beach towels, life jackets, and cooking items, and decorative items were picked up at garage sales for pennies on the dollar. Ask when you go to a garage sale if they have specific items. I asked about sewing cabinet at a garage sale a year ago and the man holding the garage sale took me to the back yard to see two old treadle machines. The wooden parts were dry rotted, but the bases are now my master bedroom side tables. I got this chair and bookcase for $2.00 each. Glue, paint and fabric helped them.

5. Go to resale and thrift stores. Yes, they sometimes smell funny. Get past it and check out their furniture. Look for solid wood. Remember paint cures a lot. This coffee table was a Goodwill find. Blue paint updated the look and covered the scratched top.

6. Shop the clearance sections of target, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Kirkland’s, and Marshall’s. We picked red, white, and blue for our home colors. When looking for dishes, pillows, accessories I mixed and matched. A lot of our red stuff came from after Christmas sales. I have mixed and matched dishes that are all solid colors.

7. Shop Craig’s List. Be safe and never go alone but we find a lot there. My most recent CL find was this wood stove. This twin over double

8. Auctions are another source to furnish your home. One cold, wet January we got this brand new leather sleeper sofa ( our second sofa in the home) for $150.00. No one was bidding so we snagged it. It is great.

9. If you just can’t find what you need, make it yourself. Check out Pinterest, Ana White’s blog, or just Google what you need instructions to make. I am lucky enough to be married to a woodworker so I can just draw it and get what I want. This buffet, these benches, and this table are all examples of his hard work.

Over the years we have added, replaced, and upgraded. That is the fun of having a place. Because we don’t have tons invested in the furnishings I have given myself permission to experiment.

Building a Home, Christmas, Coldspring, Country Style, Decorating, Dining Table, family, master bedroom, mudroom, new home, Style

The Aggie House; San Jacinto County Christmas Home Tour Part 2

December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 Karen

The road that runs adjacent to our neighborhood main road is Harrell Cemetery Road. Guess what is at the end of Harrell Cemetery Road? If you guessed the Harrell Plantation Cemetery you are correct. If you guessed a cluster of new homes, built on Stephens Creek and Lake Livingston, you are also correct.

This year it has been driven home to me that we are not the first or second or third or fourth generation to love this particular part of Texas. A little research into the Harrell Plantation drove home this fact. The land where our lake house is along with the cemetery road and oh 3000 or so acres that are now under Lake Livingston, were once owned by A. W. Harrell. The plantation home built between 1840 and 1850 is gone underwater and that makes me sad. The cemetery was where the black farm hands were buried and it now has a historic marker.

Interesting fact: Sam Houston used to visit a Choctaw village that was located at the mouth of Stephens Creek. He would put up a white flag so the steamboat would stop and take him to Galveston. Right where we live.

In the last two years a cluster of new homes have gone up around the cemetery. it sounds creepy, but it is really a pretty spot with a historic cemetery in the center. All the homes are pretty and I am going to show you two of the others quickly tomorrow but today, I have to show you what I call the Aggie compound. I am sure that is not what the owners call it, but you be the judge.

Welcome to the Aggie compound.

See the gate? Proud TAMU folks built this house.

Here is the home as we walked up the drive.

See the peak of the lake on the right?

As you see, my buddy, The Social Planner, could not resist touching the wreath on the front door. We were like kids in a candy factory at this house. ( Oh, yes it is real evergreen.)

I am going to clump the photos of rooms together because your tour should not take longer than mine. You are going to see the main room and kitchen, the bedrooms, the bunk room, the wine cellar, and the outdoors. Ready to speed walk through this home?

The home is a split level home. This is the entry hall. Up to the main room and kitchen, right to a bedroom, down to the bedrooms.

Oh my word. That main room.

Rustic, industrial, eclectic with lots of character. Those beams. Hand hewn. Vintage industrial furnishings.

The kitchen

Did I mention the farmhouse table that seats 16? Or the two-toned cabinet colors? Or the cool pendant lights?

The Bedrooms. There are Five regular bedrooms. I think. I may have missed one. All of them are pretty and are in soft blues/greens. Most of them look out on the lake. Wow. What a view.

The hallway has built in seating and beautiful cushions.

The master has two barn doors. One at the entry and one at the bathroom. Beautiful.

This light fixture was in the master in front of the windows looking out on the lake.

The Back Porch

The owner came out to point out the name of the massive fan. See the picture on the fan? It is called a Big Ass fan. I wonder how it got that name?

The Wine Cellar

Wine barrel oak ceilings, cool wine rack, live edge bar and stucco walls. I couldn’t stop staring.

The Grandkid Room

Ever see this on Pinterest?

I would LOVE to do this for our kiddos! Also we need it. Otherwise they would need to live in the bathroom. :p

Source

I have had this pinned a while. Wouldn’t it be fun in a weekend home?

I got to see it in real life on this tour.

It was so cool. Yes, I climbed the stairs between the bunks to take pictures.

This room also had a mudroom bench right off the porch so that when the kids come in wet and nasty there was a place to drop towels and stuff.

I hope you aren’t exhausted from our whirlwind visit to the Aggie house. It is hard to believe that this house is walking distance to our 950 square foot kit home built in the 1970’s with unlevel floors.

I hope you enjoyed this part of the tour.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

I am at a conference this week so the afternoons are all mine. I am enjoying the quiet time.

Blessings,

Karen