Specification Sheet | Myrtle House

One thing I have learned throughout this whole process is that communication is crucial when renovating a house. There are so many decisions (big and small) to make, there can be big hiccups when the people involved are not on the same page. While getting my degree in Interior Design, we were taught to make a specification sheet to easily communicate with clients and contractors exactly what products will be going into the space. This acts like a little cheat sheet so that contractors can tell plumbers where the drain for the sink should go based on which sink is being purchased. Here is a preview of the one I have created for the Myrtle House.

I have divided it into two sections. One side has the product listed, where it is to be purchased, a link to the product, as well as the dimensions and any pertinent notes that may be needed for installation. This section is great for passing on to the people working on the house. On the other side of the sheet is my little area that I keep to myself where I can track what has been bought, what I expect the final cost of the item to be, as well as reminders as to where I can get discounts. I have a separate tab for each area/room in the house like the kitchen, bathrooms, exterior. At the bottom of each sheet, I have a summary of what has been purchased and what is left to purchase to keep us on track of our total renovation budget. Having all of these items easily accessible also allows me to check often to see if anything has gone on sale. Turns out today was my lucky day since this kitchen faucet I have been coveting for months went on sale. :)

I recently discovered the wonderful world of Ebates, but so often to forget to use it! This spreadsheet helps remind me of this handy website.

How do you all keep track of renovations or home repairs/upgrades?

*Update: as requested, here is a template of the specification sheet for your own project. I hope you find it helpful!

Final Floor Plan (I Promise) | Myrtle House

I am sure you are sick of me talking about the floor plan (I am sick of it myself), but this is the last update, I promise! Framing starts in the next few weeks, so there is no turning back now. I am really excited for how it turned out. We managed to change this originally 2 bed/1 bath house into a 3 bed/3.5 bath, which I am pumped about.

This one is not nearly as neat (my apologies) but here is a rough idea of what the layout used to be.

As you can see, the previous layout was the epitome of compartmentalized. No flow whatsoever, just like an old house. I think it is a huge blessing in disguise that there was so much termite damage. To keep costs low, we had agreed to try and keep the layout as it was and just deal with the awkwardness. I am so glad we were able to move most of the walls in the end. The long wall going down the middle of house is the load-bearing wall, so we will keep most of this in place.

One thing we discussed with our contractor on our last trip is to remove the back door. It was making the layout impossible and we had to create a long hallway to keep access to it (i.e. lots of wasted space). For about $700 dollars, this door and two windows will be removed and replaced with new siding. We already have access to the back through a door in the new kitchen, and the windows that are going away are 1. ugly, and 2. located where closets will be. No harm, no foul. Here is a photo of what we are getting rid of.

The door and the two windows flanking it are going away. We will still have a window in the master bath (the short window on the left) and guest bath (out of sight in this photo). Where the door is now is where the new master closet will be. :) P.S. Do you notice the NEW wood going in? It is odd, but even having the new stuff in is starting to brighten up the space.

Another joy of working with an old house is retrofitting the old doors. Brian, Jake (our contractor), and I spent Sunday measuring the salvageable doors, taking photos, labeling, and then I had to try and match them to appropriate places in the house. Since all of the doors are different sizes (of course), the crew had to know the dimensions of each for framing. D7 stands for Door #7. :) What is behind Door #7 you may wonder? A closet - exciting, I know. :)

Now I get to try and find a few "new" doors for the house from a Habitat Store. Any Raleigh people seen a good/affordable selection of antique doors locally?

Boone, NC | Life

Our life as of late has been spent either working in Raleigh, or traveling three hours away to the Myrtle House. Needless to say, we were in need of a little getaway, so we spent last Saturday in Boone, NC for a little R&R.

First stop was the Moses Cone Manor. Brian planned this side-trip as a surprise, but sadly, the fog was SO intense, we could barely even make out the house. I guess they aren't called the Great Smokey Mountains for nothing! We were able to wander around the house and grounds for a few minutes before the rain got us, but we already have decided to go back when the weather is better. This house is stunning.

Further down the mountains, we found ourselves at the most relaxing vineyard. Grandfather Vineyard Winery is situated at the bottom of a rolling hill right alongside a babbling brook. We went for a tasting, and then purchased a bottle to enjoy by the water in the Adirondack chairs. Hands down, favorite part of the day.

It was nice to take a minute to relax and not think about work, floor plans, or budgets. Have you been able to take a relaxing trip recently?

New Floorplan | Myrtle House

Now that we have free reign with the floorplan, I have to get my butt in gear and figure this puzzle out. I was informed that the plumber is coming on Monday, so I only have this weekend to finalize everything. Yikes! Talk about pressure. Here is what I have, but since we are losing 4" on the perimeter of the house on one side to fix the structural issues, I have to remeasure this weekend to make sure it will all work and that you will be able to brush your teeth without having to stand in the bathtub. :) Wish me luck.

Sorry it is so light - I had to quickly draw this in pencil and haven't had time to put some ink on the plan. As you can see, we are taking down the wall between what used to be the living room and the bedroom and turning it into a combo living/dining room. It will open to the kitchen, which used to be another bedroom. The giant rectangle in the kitchen is the double sided fireplace. The previous dining room will be divided to make an office/bedroom as well as a bathroom, laundry room, and closets. Towards the back of the house will be the other bedrooms. The master will be in what used to be the kitchen. We will also turn the old gigantic pantry into a master bath and take a bit of room for the master closet. On the other side of the house will be the guest room. This will also have an ensuite and closet. I love this new layout so much more because I feel like there is a LOT less wasted space. We have more room to entertain, and I love how the side porch now opens up into the kitchen instead of the guest bedroom. What do you guys think? Anything you would change? I would love to hear your ideas! Speak now or forever hold your peace. ;)

August Goals

July was a fun month. We finally had a second to stop, enjoy a few outings, catch up on business things, and celebrate a handful of birthdays. I turned 27, my "little" brother turned 22, and we had my brother and sister-in-law's baby shower this past weekend (technically August, but all of the planning happened in July). My older sister also flew in from the Caribbean to help, so it has been a fun, family-filled few weeks. Our contractor has been hard at work at the Myrtle House while we are in Raleigh, but due to a few unexpected set backs, we didn't get everything accomplished for July as planned.

• Have foundation work complete and floors leveled - not quite
• Beadboard demo-ed - DONE
• Floors demo-ed - DONE
• Measure broken glass and FIX windows (need to do this!) - N/A
• Find old doors for master closet - N/A

So, as mentioned earlier, there was a lot more termite damage than we initially suspected. This meant that instead of just leveling the joists, we actually have to rebuild them. I think our contractor is finishing that up this week, so it didn't hold us up too much. The subfloor should be almost finished by this weekend. It will be so exciting to walk on even floors. Our contractor and his crew flew through the beadboard and floor demo (a heck of a lot faster than we could have done), but since we are still debating on whether or not to get new windows, we haven't tried to repair the current ones yet. Once the electrical and plumbing quotes come in, we will make the call on new windows. My gut is saying they will have to wait, but I have my fingers crossed. :) Also, since we are changing the layout, we no longer need new closet doors as we can use the existing ones.

I have put a freeze on allowing myself to buy things for the house. The biggest thing I have learned through this process is that your plans WILL change and you have no idea what will happen during this crazy renovation project. So that brings me to my August goals:

• New joists in place
• New subfloor
• New DETAILED floor plan drawn out
• Go to the Zoo with Brian
• Sell remaining unneeded furniture on Craigslist
• Re-pack storage room
• Start planning for our Chicago trip
• Refinish/fix Craigslist dresser

How was your July? Fun plans for August? Here are some of my favorite Instagram moments from this past month!

Fueling my obsession with Tiny Houses by watching Tiny House Nation

Discovering this brick beauty!

Finally seeing my favorite band (The Fray) in concert

Reminding myself on tough days that this renovation will be worth it :)

More Demo | Myrtle House

We finally made our way back to the Myrtle House after a month away. My oh my what a difference four weeks can make! We met with our contractor and he confirmed that demo was officially finished (woohoo!) and now we can start putting this little house back together. When I first walked into the house, I literally laughed out loud.

So, the bad news is, there was so much termite damage, the majority of the floors, joists, and framing has to be replaced. The good news is, this means it won't cost that much more to do WHATEVER I WANT with the floorplan. :) That is music to an interior design major's ears. I think I finally have a new layout in mind which converts this little 2 bed/1 bath house into a 3 bed/3.5 bath abode (hello rental potential!). I am also going to leave that beautiful double-sided fireplace open and create an open dining room/living room/kitchen. I can't wait to share the floor plan with you guys! Oh, and this is currently what the front of our house looks like. Oops. Sorry neighbors! Please don't steal those beautiful old doors!