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Creating a Ceiling That Makes a Statement
The odd thing about our house is that every room has a different ceiling height. When we bought the house, the majority of the rooms had 7' 4" ceilings, so we have done our best to eke out any...
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Garden Evolution
As it starts to really feel like fall, it seems like a good time to update the garden plan progress. As a reminder, this is a 5 year plan, so don't expect that it get completed all at once!!! I would...
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The Hall Bathroom
Last year we went on a House & Garden tour and I quickly realized I could pinpoint when each bathroom was remodeled, based on the tile they used. Trends in tile design come and go and what looks...
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The Beauty of Old and New Hardwood Floors
Back in the old days – BC (Before Covid) – there was a logical sequence to the different contractors that renovate a house. But with the shortage of labor and skilled trades, I’m constantly pivoting...
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The Never Ending Door Project
This week, one of our painters accused me of being a masochist. And he might not be wrong. Sigh....You see, I love old doors. In Maine they're typically made of Douglas Fir and they're absolutely...
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Traditional Bathroom Style
Ready for a sneak peek??? We made a lot of changes to the first floor bathroom. We eliminated the door from the kitchen, added a laundry center (although we think we might hate a stackable...
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Custom Details for an Old House
A hallmark of old houses is a lot of built ins and custom woodworking. We wanted to include those elements in this house and our amazing carpenters have been hard at work to make that happen!The first...
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Kitchen Progress
In Maine, no one ever uses the front door (except maybe at Halloween), so the first room you’ll see when you enter our house is the kitchen. I’m hoping it will be a ‘wow’! We've done so much in that...
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Antique Lighting
Like most other elements of this house, we want the lighting to be appropriate for an old house. 20+ years ago, we bought this chandelier at a little antique shop near Lake Winnipesaukee for a 1920’s...
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48 Hours Make All the Difference
In 48 hours we've gone from a masked off, painter filled house to something that is starting to look livable. Truly amazing progress! With everything painted, the carpenters moved back into the...
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The Big Move
The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, getting us ready for the big day! It's hard to believe, but after almost 17 months, we have moved in! Is it done? Well.......not everything...
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The East Guest Room
For our first reveal, I'm sharing one of our guest rooms - aka the 'good' guest room (this means our kids will squabble over who gets this room! 😂 Further proof that sibling rivalry never goes away)....
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Keeping Antique (or not so antique) Details
Yes, we have moved in. But we didn't have everything completely finished! So we are trying to prioritize all the details that really make a house a home. First example, the dining room hutch. This...
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New Project - The Charming Cottage
We moved into this house for what we thought would be 9 months, while we renovated a home for ourselves. 18 months later, we've finally moved out and can start renovating this sweet place. We loved...
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To Keep or Not to Keep
We had a 'Before' Open House a few weeks ago, so local folks could come take a peek at the house before we start demo. It's always a lot of fun to chat with folks and get their thoughts on potential...
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The Sun Porch
My husband keeps reminding me that now that we are living in the 1898 House, I have the rest of my life to get everything done. That's a good reminder with my broken wrist, since it's putting a big...
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The House of Built-Ins
If you buy a new house today, chances are it won't have much in the way of built-in cabinetry. But when this house was built, that was a hallmark of a quality home - and this one has more built ins...
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The Deathtrap - Safety First for the Charming Cottage
As much as we loved living in this house, there was one feature that freaked me out - or as I thought of it, the Deathtrap! The entry from the driveway is a tight little 3x3 square foot space with a...
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The Renovation Plan
We received our building permits, so I wanted to share our plans as we get the project started. We aren't making big structural changes to this house. But we are updating it with modern conveniences...
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China Cabinet Update and Kitchen Sink Conundrum - What Do You Think?
I know many of you were wondering if we decided to keep the original china cabinet. We've opened up the wall between the kitchen and dining room and now that I can really see the space, I'd like to...
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The Reveal - Nautical Kids Bunk Room
Last August I shared with you the plans for the Bunk Room. It's taken awhile, but at last it's finished and I can do the reveal!It's a long narrow room, with 2 sets of bunk beds (plus trundle) on one...
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Demo Discoveries
Our last project had nasty surprise after nasty surprise. This one......doesn't!!! It's a well built house, no structural issues, no rot, no nastiness of any kind. In fact, we've had a couple of...
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Gamechanger - the Teensy, Tiny Addition
I know many of you probably thought it was silly to build a 2 1/2 foot wide addition on the house, but as it's started to come together, it really is a game changer!!! As a reminder, this is to create...
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The Challenging Half Bath
This is the half bath. It's in the basement (at the bottom of the stairs). It's certainly not pretty. And it has a big, big problem.See that mirror and what looks like a cabinet? It's the...
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The Guts of the House
Have you ever noticed on HGTV they never spend any time talking about plumbing, electrical and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning). I'm not sure if it's because it doesn't make 'good TV'...
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