With final clean-up finished, and building inspections approved, the renovations are complete.  The project wrapped right on schedule, and just in time for the coming holiday season.  Let’s take a look around at the finished product.  Before and afters are provided where available.

  

A reverse persepective before and after.  The living room area has a much more open feel with the partition wall removed and lighting recessed.  The expanded windows in the dining room flood the area with natural light.  

     

Speaking of the Dining Room….Once a dark, drab, cartpeted family room, the space has been completely transformed with the addition of new, larger windows, hardwood flooring, and finishes.  The hanging table lamp adds distinctive character and pulls the room together nicely.  

 

   

 

Before and after shots of the foyer and stairs.  How many differences can you find?  The newel post and handrail were stripped and refinished.  Beyond looking great, the restored woodwork hearken the original elements of the house and stands in tasteful contrast with the new finishes througout.

    

The landing was previously a choke point, as the stairs narrowed to meet the hallway above.  When the upstairs was reimagined, both the stairs and hall were widened.  

 

  

Originally, this narrow hallway was the access to two small bedroom on the left, a third bedroom on the right, and the full bathroom at the end of the hall.   

   

Two smaller bedrooms were combined to create a master suite, complete with a walk through closet opening to the bathroom.  While transforming this space, opportunity was taken to improve attic insulation above.  Proper insulation, especially in the attic, creates a more comfortable living space and pays dividends in the form of energy savings for years to come. 

A final Client meeting will be scheduled in the coming week to exchange project related documents including permits, product information, warranty information, and a copy of the dumpster recycling report.  Sorting and recycling allowed us to recover 14,573 pounds of building materials, or roughly 98% of the total trash created on this job.  

Well, that’s about it.  We at R. Craig Lord Construction would like to thank the Cuthberts for the opportunity to do this project and for allowing us to share their experience via this blog.  

To our readers, have a happy holiday season, and look for our next job blog starting in January!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Light fixtures arrived on site earlier this week and were promptly installed by the electrician.  Other final electrical tasks, such as installing switch and outlet cover plates, were also completed.  With the fixtures in place, the rooms are really starting to feel finished.

   

In the upstairs hallway, the Energy Guardian attic hatch cover is installed.  Though simple in its design, the insulated cover functions wonderfully for stopping air leakage to the attic.  The cover has an R-30 rating, so it has the same insulating properties as the new insulation we installed uniformly in the attic.  It is equipped with handles to easily gain access to the attic.

  The bathroom fan, which was previously “vented” directly into the attic insulation, is now properly vented to the exterior via a dormer wall.  It’s a small task, but it helps avoid some big problems associated with unwanted moisture in the attic.

    

The painter has also been hard at work this past week.  In addition to the door surround, the stair risers and trim are freshly painted.  The contrast of the brazilian cherry treads and white risers is really sharp.  Perhaps inspired by this, the Cuthberts chose to have the stair’s handrail and newel post stripped of paint and refinished.  That project is still ongoing, but the early results look promising.  

Next week will be a short one with the Thanksgiving holiday.  With only final inspections and a thorough clean-up left to complete, there’s a good chance we’ll be wrapped up before the turkey!

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As of yesterday, the floor installation is complete.  The floor still needs to be dusted and cleaned, but it already looks great.  Gary did a really nice job modifying the closet doors to accomodate the finished floor.  By trimming the doors to compensate for the existing slope of the floor, a consistent gap was created.  Not only is this more pleasing to the eye, but it also ensures proper clearance for opening the door.

  

 

New stair treads were installed to match the tone of the brazilian cherry floors.  The natural wood risers will be painted to match the existing trim and will provide an interesting visual contrast to the treads.  The painter is scheduled to return early next week to complete the risers, as well as some minor disturbed areas, including the front door surround.