Progress at the Barnhouse

We are four months into this renovation and  we are making noticeable progress inside and out. I took this photo with my zoom lens from the street looking up into the hill where the barn house is perched.   So many huge oak trees!!

 

 The kitchen is finally taking shape.  Tom tiled the counter tops and back splash with a light tumbled stone

and barn wood was used to frame the counters

The kitchen cabinets here are inexpensive bases that will be covered in barn wood .  The existing cabinet doors and drawers you see here will be taken off and Tom will make and replace with barn wood fronts.

The barn wood strips we will use are from larger pieces of wood Tom will cut to fit the cabinets.  The piece on the left is in its raw state, the pieces next to it have been sanded to a nice natural finish.  I'm liking the natural wood so much, its making me rethink my choice of stain for the hardwood floor.  I may stay with the natural finish of the white oak instead of the gray stain I have chosen.   I'll need to wait and see how it all looks together. 

The range and hood were installed and we are working to complete the hardwood floor so the built in refrigerator can be installed.  It will replace the tiny little fridge and microwave shown here:)

Our son has been a huge help and has been laying most of the hardwood floor so Tom can focus on other projects.

Like this one.....our barn wood staircase! We didn't want the traditional staircase and came up with this design that suited a more modern country vibe without looking too bulky. Tom did a great job on this.  We also plan to leave the wood in its natural state and will seal it with a matte finish

Most of the barn wood we are using is ash wood and when sanded it leaves such a beautiful natural finish.

All the barn wood used in this house is from American Barn and Wood.  A really lovely couple own and operate this business and it appears their business of reclaiming these old barns is really thriving!



The walls in the kitchen and family room will be covered in plank paneling.
I have a few planks I painted and placed on top of this old redwood mantel so you get the idea.

I found the old mantel at a local antique mall I frequent.  I was told it was over one hundred years old and at the time it was covered in baby blue textured paint Yikes!   A few coats of white chalk paint though and a bit of sanding and it's perfect.

and how cute is this little bird house?  I could not resist this. It looks a bit like the barn house! 

 Harvest time is now upon us and the wineries are all a buzz in grape picking and crushing. I love how the vineyards are changing colors.  Such a beautiful little valley we have found:)!!

 My next post will include photos of some of the beautiful hungarian antique pieces I purchased from a local antique shop. It's a little gem of a place:)! 

Cheers everyone!

Little barnhouse update and some country inspiration

The past six weeks have flown by and while most of the work is currently happening inside this little place the one major thing we're doing to the exterior is giving it a big dose of barn red paint!   We are in the process of painting now and I just love it!  I couldn't wait to share-even though we're not finished yet.

  

The deck on the left will also be rebuilt and modified. It has a cat walk on one side of the house that neither of us like so it will be removed.

I  bought a few lights for the exterior from Barn Light Electric. The galvanized look is perfect against the red.

 

 

 And on the inside....

The interior was gutted several weeks ago and bundles of white oak hardwood for the floors have been acclimating nicely in the living area.    The two large windows were just installed. This room had small windows which didn't take advantage of the beautiful views outside.

The post and beam construction will be interesting to work with in this long narrow space. The post here is off center and most of the beams were painted with several layers of enamel paint :(. 

We hired a contractor to rebuild the stairs- they were quite narrow and a bit steep. We haven't decided on the type of railing just yet.

I am so happy the demo portion  is done in here.  Now on to some interior kitchen inspiration!
 

First, I tested a new grey based stain on some sample pieces of the hardwood floor. I really like the muted tone, it's very grey brown. Love it!

Since we also gutted  the space in the tiny kitchen, I've been gathering photos which really capture the look and feel I would like to achieve.  A simple understated country feel is the goal as in the photos here....

image via pinterest

image via pinterest

image via pinterest

And while the days spent here are always busy busy, the evenings are for enjoying the local wine, the warm summer weather, and more beautiful views!

Cheers and happy summer to you :)!!

A Sneak Peak at our Guest Studio Renovation

We're making great progress inside our cozy little guest studio so I thought I would give you a sneak peak of a few of the highlights

Even Coachie is excited to sneak a peak!

When we visited Vintage Timberworks to buy wood for our garage door makeover, we also

picked out some barnwood for a few other projects. 

Tom loves working with wood, so when I decided to go with a french country design in the guest studio, he wanted to add a few extra special touches. 


This is one....

He made a closet door from the timbers.  The barnwood timbers are oak and after a light sanding with my orbital sander (the only power tool I know how to use!) the beauty of the oak really came through. 

I applied a light coat of wax after sanding to help restore lustre and shine. I love the richness of the oak grain.

Another special touch....

Gray board ceiling timbers and limestone plaster walls

And some beautiful French Brocante!

We are taking a few days off from renovating, but this project is really coming along!