Coldspring, DIY, Providence Acres

Summer Pojects

Here it is spring break and already I am thinking about our summer projects.

We have three big projects to get done this summer.

1.  We are going to redo our kitchen.  Not a total gut, but repainting the cabinets, replacing the backsplash, new counter top, new farmhouse sink, new light fixture, and wall paint.


The picture above shows the kitchen the day we decided to buy the house.  No more ceiling fan,  a different peninsula light, recessed lighting installed, and a gas stove installed are the only structural changes that have occurred since we bought it.

  • The cabinets are going to be white and we are going to add a shaker style to them by adding to the cabinet faces.

Source: Home Depot

  • I think that the backsplash is going to large subway tile.  I think.  Not sure yet.
  • The counter tops are for sure going to be quartz that looks like marble.

Source: Home Depot

I think we are looking at something like santa margherita lyskamm

  • Once I decide on the backsplash I can get the wall paint color picked out.
  • The sink is going to be a white farmhouse sink.  I am thinking about this one from Home Depot.

  • I haven’t decided for sure about the kitchen light but it is NOT going to be a huge fluorescent fixture.  I really like this one from Home Depot.


2.  We are going to get the guest shed started.  This summer we are going to get the dropped ceiling in, fix the walls, get the plumbing moved and hopefully get the bathroom concrete poured.  I really want it finished this summer but the reality is that if we get that far, we can work on the interior of the building a project at a time.  We may have to have someone do our bathroom.  I am not sure how time will work for us but I want us to have a space for family and friends to come and stay.  I cannot wait for you to see my vision for the guest shed.

The Guest Shed

3.  This project shouldn’t take long, but we really need an outdoor kitchen.  Not want, we need one.  I am not a germophobe but I cannot stand raw fish in my house.  Ever. Like never.  I really don’t love raw chicken in the house, either.  If it is going to get grilled outside, it may as well get prepped outside, too.  This is frankly the first project that needs to get done, so I have a sink to wash dishes in and food prep area when the inside kitchen is under construction. ( Just say no to washing dishes in the bathtub ever again.)

  • A sink station with a stainless  steel sink and faucet out of our hoard. The top needs to be tile topped to make it more weather resistant.

Source: Studio C

We have electricity and water at the corner of the space so adding the sink right outside the deck and cabinets along the wall makes sense.

  • Counter space with cabinets underneath and around the grill. One set of wall cabinets for things like grill spray, oven mitts, and BBQ tools.  We are going to use treated lumber for a shell, then clad it all in reclaimed cedar and tin.
  • Open the deck rail and extend the deck so that it is more comfortable for guests and has the smoker readily available. Also replace the wood parts on the smoker.


I didn’t make the deck look nice for pictures today.  Mr. Math was on the tractor today but has promised to get it all cleaned up for our next get together so soon enough it will get power washed, scrubbed down and organized.

The projects sound daunting but we can do it.  We also aren’t afraid to get help it it is too much.  We are going to hire out the quartz counter tops and may have to hire help to get the decking done.

cooking, kitchen storage, master bedroom, new home, The bedroom, the guest room, the office

Interior Photos of the Soon to be New Home

I walked through the house this past weekend with a camera and also got a floor plan of the house we are buying.  It helps to have pictures to refer to now so I can come up with a plan for the house.

The house is a traditional ranch.  That is pretty fitting when it is on 15 acres and this is th view over our fence.

horses in pasture

IMG_0947

The Kitchen

Friends, I swore, promised, pledged…you name it, that I would not have another galley kitchen.  I hate that cut off feeling.  This one is particularly odd in that it is right off the front door of the home.  Well, if the front door weren’t walled up it would be where the front door is.  The wall is going to have to move.  I plan on having an L shaped kitchen that opens to the dining space rather than the front entry with an island.

IMG_0951

IMG_0950

IMG_0953

See the right side of the china cabinet? That is roughly where the front door is, except it is walled off.  The kitchen is to the right.

The Bedrooms

The guest rooms are nice sized, and have a decent, but not awesome closets.   I like that they have 36 inch doors.  The folks who built this home planned on aging in the home which is good for us.  We will be turning one room into my office so it will have a Murphy bed.  The other will be a traditional guest room.

IMG_0969 IMG_0970

The master is too small and has a dinky closet.  It will be added on to before we move there permanently.

IMG_0963

IMG_0962

IMG_0968

See those brown bifold doors?  That is the whole master closet.

The Bathrooms are fine for now, except he master doesn’t have a door.  I already have a barn door going in there.

IMG_0964

No door on the master bathroom.  Ick.

IMG_0957 IMG_0956 IMG_0966

Wallpaper border, carpet and frilly curtains will go.  The counters, cabinets and tile are okay.

The Outdoor Kitchen is high on the list.  We will have to have a functioning outdoor kitchen before starting on the indoor kitchen.  It is going to be a rustic corrugated tin and cedar space with a stainless sink, a gas grill, a stainless island, and a free wall shelf.  Edison lights, our deck furniture, a misting system and a big fan will make this space a destination on the property.  Hubby has been given a huge smoker that will be near the decking.

outdoor kitchen

See that deck at the back of the workshop above?  I can’t wait to show you my workspace, but tonight it is about the house.  That covered deck is a short walk across our back yard.  It will make the perfect outdoor kitchen.  There is water near that will be easy to set up in the sink and we will be having propane run to the area, too, for the grill.

IMG_0989

Powerwashing, paint and installing the counters will make this space great for cooking.

The first thing we have to do is work on the foundation of the house.  Another thing I said I would never do again.  We are moving where the dirt is clay based and it just moves.  It is not major, but needs to be addressed before we work on the floors.  The carpet in the kitchen, bathroom, den, dining room must go.  Immediately.