Building the Deck

Construction on the deck has begun! I cannot wait to grill and have a glass of wine out here, once it is complete. We have a fantastic view of the city and West hills, plus plenty of privacy in the summer with the tree cover.  We ended up going with wood vs a composite material. We are still trying to choose a deck rail - thinking metal or cable.  Looking great so far!

DEMO: Siding and Roof

We are excited to see even more progress on the exterior demo!  Mike has taken down the siding and roof. It is so cool to see the house stripped down to the boards. I think it looks pretty neat.  You can see how solidly the house was built... way back in 1952!

Sunlight shines through the roof into the Master Bedroom.  You can see the existing roofline, that will be opened up with the addition of the shed dormer. 

The arbor and grapes were a trademark of Dom's Grandma's house. While we are sad to see them go, I love seeing the empty space where our deck will be built.  We have ordered french doors that will lead from the dining area to the deck. They will be placed in about the same spot as the center window (that is boarded up).  It is going to be beautiful.

Exterior BEFORE Photos

We feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work with this house and make it something beautiful that we cannot wait to live in.  Dom's family has owned the land the house sits on since the 1920's.  Dom's dad remembers coming here with HIS grandparents to have picnics on the grass prior to the house being built in 1952.  To say this place is special is an understatement.  There are so many memories here that it would just break our hearts if this house was sold to strangers.

Every good renovation needs a ton of "before" pictures to remind you how far you have come.  I am fully confident that these photos do the house justice.  There is so much to do, but we are incredibly excited for the process to begin.... and for the "after" shots.

Front of house facing South

We will be turning the single garage into a double, requiring us to move the front door over to the right.  This will give us some space for a mud room and create a way to get from the garage directly into the house.  Even though the garage shares a wall with the house,  there is no door leading in to the house.  You have to walk outside.  Living in rainy Oregon, it was important to us to have an attached garage with access to the house.

Check out thatsunset.

East side of house.

This recessed roof-line will be matched up with the main roof, giving us more space upstairs in what is to become the master bedroom.

Back side / Southeast side of house

We are adding a 17 foot shed dormer to the top floor, raising the roof and allowing for windows along the back wall of the second story.  This will give the master bedroom tons of light and amazing views.  

Currently, the only window in the master  is the teeny tiny one you can barely see, near the antenna in the upper right portion of this picture (East side of the house).  

Back/Southwest side of house

The arbor will be replaced by a deck.  I have a feeling that watching the sun set out here will make us very happy.