The tragic BEFORE photos

This is our kitchen. These photos were taken by the previous owner before we bought the house and for the most part still looks pretty much the same today. The view from the loggia looks through the kitchen, out the glass wall/slider and into the green space on the side of the house... too bad the huge breakfast bar peninsula add-on blocks it! (Note: see previous post on lattice removal!)


This pic was taken from the opening of the office nook. You'll notice that there is something of a pass-thru over the cooktop into the dining room. That opening will be enlarged and those over-cooktop-cabinets will be removed. The microwave lives in a hole above the oven.
To the left (where the plant shelf is) was originally a doorway from the family room into the dining room. It was closed off for some reason. Since this photo we have opened it up again and plan on keeping it that way. The Italian tile will be replaced with VCT as in the loggia (maybe with a color added... maybe not).


This picture of the family was taken from the same spot as the above pic. (Note the hanging plant shelf that is now the location of a re-opened doorway into the dining room.) No that's NOT our big-honking TV. We'll be hanging a flat screen on the wall above where that couch is. Since most of the other living areas are predominantly Danish or at least warmer, I think we'll try to make this space have a more modern look with with some steel, some brighter colors, a FLOR floor covering... y'know, sleeker. The beams will be re-painted Oxford Brown (of course) and I think something needs to happen with that unsupported beam intersection, it just looks weird to me. Those two elCheapo light fixtures will be replaced with ball lights similar to what's in the hallway. The breakfast bar/peninsula will go away as well, restoring the feel of the original galley style kitchen and making room for our Burke breakfast table & chairs.


Here's a better view of the peninsula and the sink area. See how the sink and shelf above it are not centered in relationship to each other and in relationship to the overhead beam? This drives Haley bonkers. Those funky fluorescent lights will be replaced with more ball lights. This is the wall that we are hoping will be most inspired by the kitchen in Case Study House #23... but as you'll note, we don't exactly have a breathtaking view of the LA Basin. Hmmmm.... (in fact, the garage is on the other side of that wall... there will be no window there, only backsplash).


Here's a close up of the existing cooktop and the pass-thru into the dining room. This will be enlarged... a lot. Also the Thermador cooktop we picked up on Craigslist will replace the Jen-Air. It's actually a good cooktop and we've enjoyed the BBQ grill feature but it's white, and it's gotta go.

Let the great kitchen re-do begin!

Yup, it's true. After living here for 2 1/2 years and collecting ideas for the kitchen, we are ready to dive in and rip out the non-original, 80's- oak kitchen in our Rummer. Luckily, we have found loads of inspiration from blogs and books about Rummer and Eichler kitchen restorations. (Note: I've been collecting photos for nearly 3 years and can't remember where we've snagged these from, so if any of these beautiful kitchens belong to you please write in and tell us your story and we'll give you photo credit! Thanks.)

This is the ultimate inspiration kitchen... Case Study House #22! If I could pick this up and plop it right down in our space, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But since that is not a possibility nor legal (I'm sure someone would miss it!), we'll have to recreate the elements we like and try to keep the feel of the original Rummer home while adding some modern functionality. It's a fine line we walk here...

Here are a few examples of things we love and want to incorporate into our kitchen. I'm hoping that our final kitchen will be a mixture of all of these with a few added surprises of our own.

Here is a view of a typical, fairly stock Eichler/Rummer kitchen with the section of wall between the stove and the dining room removed.
On this one we like the traditional ball lights and the use of frosted glass on the upper cabinets.
Really like how the cabinets are lifted off the floor with simple metal legs. Don't know how practical this is, but it reminds me of the kitchen in Case Study #22.
We're not crazy about everything in this one, but do check out the tapered supports for the counter bar. Do you think we could incorporate this on the bar between the kitchen and dining room? Hmmmm.
OK, this is a strange one, but we need to add extra lighting above the cooktop... what do you think of a track lighting options? I could live with it as long as it was really subtle and hidden behind a beam.
Like this, period. White floors, green counter top, vintage oven and cooktop, glass upper cabinets, built-in fridge look, but lose the flower-power throw rug. Nuff said!
This is nearly the exact layout of our new kitchen design (sans the open shelves and window above the sink.) Interesting lighting effect waaaay down there over the fridge. Not sure if I love the whole bump-out lighting effect, but we desperately need more light at that end of the kitchen.
NOTE: These are FADO 14" ball lights from IKEA. We started with these in the loggia & hallway, but Steve shortened ours for better head clearance, painted 'em black and replaced the teacup bases with flatter ones.

Night Life...

Shots of the backyard lit up at night:








We have taken down all the white Christmas lights we used for the party, but will be wiring the backyard for accent and pathway lighting soon. We will keep all the tiki torches (of course!) and probably add some more over time.

More Deck... Much More!

Pressure washing the deck gave us hope that it was not a complete loss! (See previous post.) Due to many years of neglect, some of surface area was chewed up and had a felted texture after pressure washing. This is not good for bare feet... splintery!

The 3 step plan: counter sink all the nails; completely sand the top surface and edges; and seal with a good oil based sealer.

We called our good friend Justin for help... his knees are 10 years younger and he had some extra time between his own projects to take on this one! (Thanks Justin!) He quickly counter sunk all the nails. So quick I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of this process.

To sand this monster we rented a 12" x 18" random orbit floor sander. We struggled at first, but then Justin found the magic trick and the correct grit sand paper (60 grit) and after a good 5 hours in 95° weather the first round of sanding was complete.



Finding a bit of relief from the heat was tricky, but Justin tried to find shade whenever possible. Note from Justin: sunscreen lotion and sawdust are not a good combination for your skin... he looked like a powdered donut!


Surface sanding complete! The finish sanding of the edges, rises, and trim had to be done by hand. It looks really good.



The newly sanded wood needed to rest a bit before sealing. According to the experts we consulted at Ricks Custom Deck & Fence here in Gresham, sanding causes the pores of the wood to close up for a bit. After resting a couple of days the pores opened and were ready to accept the sealer. (A good way to test the pores is to pour a tablespoon of water on the wood... if it soaks in, the pores are open and ready for sealer... if it beads up, the pores are still closed.)

We used an oil-based wood sealer recommended by and purchased at Ricks. They originally built the deck 12 years ago, so I trust their advice. The sealer has an mold/mildew inhibitor and is also supposed to keep the wood from turning grey. The sealer penetrates the wood surface and dries to a beautiful warm cedar color.


Arrr ye scurvy dog! Swab the deck or walk the plank... Justin swabs the deck!



The finished deck looks amazing. Better than I ever imagined. We will seal it again in 90 days and then clean and seal it annually. Hopefully, this will keep the deck in good shape for several more year. (fingers crossed)


Footnote: we've had several pool parties since restoring the deck and the sealer seems to be doing its thing quite well. Water just beads up. Looks just as good as the first day. I'm very, very happy. :)

Cleaning the Pond (and Waterfall)

Something stinks in the backyard! Oh, that? It's just our salamander swamp.

How often are you supposed to clean a pond? We have lived here for 2 years and never have cleaned out the pond by the pump house. After emptying the water we discovered that is was probably last cleaned during the Clinton administration... possibly first term. Yikes. The pea gravel bottom was mixed with ankle deep sludge. Max rescued the baby salamanders and put them in a bucket... good thought until we found the raccoons dining on them in the middle of the night. :(

Steve braves the sludgey muck and removes the mess one wheel barrow at a time. He dumped most of it in the parking strip next to the driveway. 10 loads later and the pond was empty. After checking for leaks and arranging some loose rock it was ready for new river rock.




I first bought 5- 50 lb. bags of river rock... not even close to enough. So back to the store. 10 bags total to cover the bottom. It's a bigger area than I expected. Rocks in, moss scrubbed off the waterfall, accent lights positioned... we were ready for water. (We turned on the hose and watch 3 episodes of 30 Rock on DVD while the pond filled.)
(I thought it would be funny to pose like the guy in American Gothic, but it doesn't work so well without the girl and Haley wouldn't climb down there. I look pretty mean, anyways, huh? haha)

Night time photo with the flash.


Without the flash! Awwww. The red flood light the looks really red in the photo, but I like how it shines up through the decking.


The waterfall has yellow, red and blue accent spotlights. I love it at night and the sweet sound of the waterfall outside our bedroom door is wonderful.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

Ignore that lattice. It is gone. I need to post a new picture.   

How to Camouflage Lattice!

Don't know what it is about lattice... but I think I actually hate it. This house had so much lattice the first time we saw it that my initial instinct was to RUN AWAY! I'm so happy to report that we have successfully removed ALL the lattice from the inside of the house (see previous post) and now have begun the de-latticing process in the backyard.

Problem: TOO MUCH LATTICE
Solution: Remove it... or cover it up.
We'd like to create a tropical oasis in the backyard and have some big plans for this space! This project is the first step in transforming the backyard. In keeping with the tropical theme, we found some inexpensive reed fencing (same used in ghetto fence project) that could be tacked up over the lattice, and bought six 6' x 15' rolls. (Yes, we have that much lattice that needs to be covered!)

Step 1: Measure and cut the reed fencing to fit over the lattice sections.
The reed cuts easily and the wire banding can be trimmed and twisted to the length needed.



Step 2: Air staple reed section to lattice.
Some of the pieces were awkward to install, but with a ladder and Max up above to move the air compressor it went pretty quickly.




Step 3: Instant tropical makeover!
The pool house looks like it's wearing a grass skirt. Now all we need are some tiki torches and hula girls!


Note: We are still working on this. There is quite a bit more lattice to cover and ivy to remove. I'll post final before and after photos when the project is complete.

Pool Update

The new tile looks great and when the sun is bright the water actually looks blue! We didn't resurface the pool this year, but we may paint it blue next year. It will do for now.

Next steps:
1. Install handrail and ladders
2. Paint grout around top of lagoon (or install rubber edging?)
3. Clean and seal concrete

We also hooked up the water to the slide so it will recirculate in the pool... no more hose!