Back in the Southland Again

Front Entry

I had a dream while in RI. My dream wasn't about freedom, but about being alone. I realized how much I missed my husband, so that day I quit chorus, the gym and my exercise class. I let my friends know I was leaving after my sisters volunteered to clean my house for me so I could leave for three months. And, me and the pups were off! We spent a lovely weekend snowed in with our friend, Nancy, in Annapolis before continuing south. It was so nice having our "pack" back together again once we arrived in SC.

New Sunroom

Living Room

The day after we arrived, we drove to the lakehouse to see renovations in person. The first thing that struck me was how much I do not like the new windows. We opted for single-hung windows, especially in the large holes, to save money. I really wish we could have afforded windows that offered more glass. The frames on the ones we ordered are so chunky, it put me off in a big way. We lost glass in the process, but that is just how it will have to stay. I will get used to them. The problem is going from what we had to the new version, that is not a huge improvement. Maybe I would have felt differently if we had built new, but the ones we have will just have to do. The two windows I absolutely cannot live with, however, are the tiny one in the old bathroom and the one over the kitchen sink. On a positive note, I love the octagonal windows in the living room, and am so happy I opted to have those installed. We can see the tree tops and sky through them and they give the room an expansive feel.

Bathroom Window in Foreground

I woke up this morning realizing I lost sleep over the offensive two windows mentioned above, so I called our contractor, Bill. The window in the old bathroom next to the kitchen was small to begin with. What they installed is so small now, it looks silly. The builders installed a "2x" buck frame in the hole, which made the new window about four inches wide. It just looks stupid. I asked Bill if a smaller "buck" could be installed so we could get more glass. He said he'd ask. "If I have to live with it I will", I offered.

Kitchen Window

The other window I cannot live with is the small one over the kitchen sink. The non-opening window we had before was larger with two big, horizontal panes of glass to look through. What we got were two small, single-hung windows in one chunky frame. It is very distracting and I told Bill we'd pay a little more to get a slider replacement. "There," I told Larry, "I feel better for letting him know how I feel about all the windows in general, and about asking for what I really want." Part of me feels silly, but when my gut tells me it's wrong, I have to change it. I think another woman buying the house will feel the same way. Could it really be just a "chick" thing? I seem to be the only one who noticed, so maybe. At any rate, I believe Bill needed to know my reaction, so he can help future clients with the reality of what one orders from a picture in a catalog versus the reality of what gets installed. The two are very different animals.

All the walls and ceilings now have insulation, and the interior is looking more complete. We had an inspection last Thursday, and the "nit-picky" inspector insisted the rafter on the interior chimney had to be cut away by two inches so they don't touch the brick. Really? Yes, really. So to reinforce the support structure, boards had to be "sistered" onto the rafters being cut back and connected to the plate. Next we had to add hangers in the old bathroom ceiling. Again, all that is being supported in that ceiling is sheet rock, but we had to add hangers anyway. So, this morning the inspector will return, and hopefully not find anything else we have to change. Once he gives us the "thumbs up", the sheet rock guys will descend and should be able to finish that installation in a couple of days. When the sheet rock is in, the house will really feel whole, and I can complete my vision for the interior design. Taping, sanding and spackling should take another couple of days, so by the end of this week, it should all be finished.

Front Porch

View from the dock

We chose a color from a special pallet for the stucco on the exterior that very closely matches the paint color we chose. It is called Mango, and the stucco will come already colored. Shingles will get installed on all the gables and will be painted a dark red. The trim will all be white. We found outside lights for the front and back door at Lowe's with stained glass that pulls all the house colors together, and Larry found a matching, flush-mount version by the same manufacturer for the front-porch ceiling. I think it'll look beautiful. The ceiling of the front porch will be finished in white beadboard.

Master Bath

The master bathroom now has the shower and pocket-door frame installed. It feels smaller because it is now long and rectangular, but I think a mirror on the solid wall across from the smaller window will expand its feel.


I climbed up the pull-down stairs to the new attic, and was very happy to see we have lots of storage space up there. It is a space that one can walk erect in, and that makes me happy. The new heating/air conditioning system looks good up there and all the duct work is in place. The electrical and plumbing rough-ins are all complete as well.

I cannot wait for this house to be finished. We've already scheduled a housewarming/thank-you-to-the-workers party for the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. We'll launch the pontoon boat for the party, and slow-roast a half-pig for the occasion. Are you salivating yet?