Under Construction

36 comments:
 This room pretty much sums up the disaster area that we have created at our little house in Ojai

It looks like we were having a paint ball party in that room!

One thing has sort of lead to another...
funny how that happens with a remodel!

it's that can of worms thing


 so now we have now jumped in with a vengence...
or a whimper as the case may be here

suffice it to say we are not, 
I repeat,
 NOT carpet people
we tend to bring the outside in with us...lots of the outside,
and
the occasional dirty frisbee
 So we are putting in some new hardwood floors. 
And in order to do the job correctly, 
some of the weird and wacky 50s trends needed to go...
such as this ugly brick hearth
 And the fake ceiling beams  and a few other miscellanious cobbled together works of master carpentry (not)
 which are now residing happily in the dumpster.

After we pulled up the carpet we found the old oak floor....which we knew was there,
and yes that's my wine on the table....
much needed after a day of watching this demo happen.
I actually like the demo part...it's always sort of exciting
So exiting in fact that I need to drink wine alot.
Ok well...enough of that
 but surprise surprise ...when the hearth came out, we were left with this large hole and no floor
and to make matters worse the original builder 
had filled the open space inside the hearth 
with rocks and sand from the yard...
which also included cat poop....also from the 50s,

interesting how long that kind of thing (poop)can survive right?

weird...I know
 any way...moving right along
 I was able to find some beautiful old wide plank pine for a pretty good price,
 but there wasn't enough to do the whole house

So I found some smaller width, newer pine,
 and we will be blending it in with the old stuff...
which I think will look more interesting actually
 Now for the fun part...
well it started out fun
 I think we have mocked up just about every stain color on the planet trying to find the perfect color for this house.  
I'm looking for something that looks like old drift wood.
like this:
the photo above is from the Sundance Catalog 

I want that floor!

 way too red
 too yellow
 too dark...

Every thing  we tried was just not right
so....
we decided to create our own custom blended stain.
I will explain how we did that on a future post.

thank you
John and Dave and Greg


It really is not all that hard, just a bit of trial and error 
and twenty trips to the paint store.



But today is friday and the guys need to be paid....
And in order to keep my guys happy 
they got a nice check
I am aways happy to pay them because they work so hard

by the way
 I have great guys!

and

 a gift from the garden for their sweeties

have a wonderful weekend
and thank you so much for stopping by!

kelley

ps
please include
 your email  when you
comment

I love to chat

36 comments:
  1. Love watching your renovation! I always have construction envy ... we went through it several years ago ... now I always look for the port-a-potties cause I know work is happening nearby! LOL

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  2. Can't wait to see what you do! I love the Sundance Catalog! Always something inspiring in there. Keep the posts coming!

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  3. That looks like so much "fun" I think I need a drink too!It sure is going to be beautiful in the end, you can tell already. :)

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  4. Oh Kelley, we're not carpet people here either, but at least we didn't have to try to match floors and all that business! Eeeek! But if anyone can pull this off and make it drool worthy it's you!

    Scott can sell you a house here TOMORROW! And I'd love to have you here! :) Note to the pocketbook though, there aren't any jobs here - so you might go hungry, but the deals are incredible! LOL!

    xoxoxo - THANK YOU so much for coming by and leaving a comment on the pergola pics. I think we've come a long way out there! Getting your seal of approval means a lot! :) xoxo!

    A

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  5. Oh how great is it that you could still provide flowers after such a hectic day.You are hanging in there me I would be loosing it.I do not have remodel patience.lol

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  6. WOW! What a crazy demo...good luck! I cannot wait to see the floors. The photo from Sundance is gorgeous!

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  7. try a pickle type stain for the floors? i saw a blog w/ similar floor stain color..i thinks it home and harmony.... house of turquoise blog just posted a house that had amazing wood floors..I want mine like that!! chck it out. it's kinda the same i think? wish you luck! xoxo's nancy

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  8. http://www.houseofturquoise.com/2011/06/day-five-dream-home-tour.html

    love this house!! i'm in love serious love! xoxo's nancy

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  9. I've been a reader for a while now and am enjoying your blog immensely...its like butter. I'm no floor expert, and this isn't advice (you already have your plan and I can't wait to hear how you mixed your stain). BUT, whenever I hear "old wide plank pine...driftwood look...or white wash" it makes me think of the many times Sarah Richardson has whitewashed/stained pine planks. They are so lovely! I cannot wait to see the floors done!
    How happy those "sweeties" must have been to get those pretty jars of flowers! :)

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  10. Wow, do you EVER sit down? You've always got something exciting going on!

    Look so much better already. Can't wait to see the new floors and how you handle the fireplace. It's going to be awesome!

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  11. We've done the carsiding floors which turned out beautifully but too easily distressed. So with a Scottie and day-care kids our choice is laminate. The dog and toys haven't made one scratch or blemish. My hubby is a contractor who's put in all hardwood for a doctor. And our choice suits our lifestyle. Each has it's advantages. Enjoy viewing your work-in-progress.

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  12. I'm laughing at this because I'm imagining you looking like a mad scientist mixing stain colors together in a lab and obsessing about the right color for the floor. It's kind of an OCD thing that I truly understand, LOL!

    I would be right beside you though, obsessing about the color for the stain!

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  13. Hooray for hardwood! We are not carpet people either. Blah. Can't wait to see how the mix of stains work out!

    Who knew about the cat poop!!!

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  14. HI Kelley! Can't wait to see the floor color. If I would've had a choice in the colors of our wood, I would've gone for the same "driftwood" type greige color....can't wait to see it!
    I personally love the ole brick fireplace, when painted white, and the shuttered cabinets on the right, cuz I love the old rancher style living rooms....I'm sure you have something wonderful planned though.

    We have 2 large lab dogs now and yes, carpet is not cool with pets. However, this house had carpet in the media room, guest room and master closet...I still love it in the media room because it's crucial for sound absorption/acoustics, etc....and it's actually just nice to walk into those few rooms with a lil carpet for that soft cush feeling! Cuz I have tiles or hardwood floors in all the others. This house did have carpet in Luke's room and the master bedroom, but we replaced it with hardwoods because we knew the dogs would frequent those rooms. The stain is not my first choice, but we bought it at a bargain!

    I hope to get a decent camera soon and get back into the groove of blogging....
    have a great wknd....
    j
    p.s. those flowers were too sweet....you're so lucky to have a garden with all those!

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  15. This takes me back to last year when we were remodeling and trying to pick out floors and colors (who knew there are 4,000 shades of white)? I don't envy you. I never want to remodel again, but it's fun to watch you go through the process, you seem to do it so effortlessly. Can't wait to see the finished results! My neighbors are painting the shingles on their house the color you want your wood floors. I'll ask them the color they're using. I can't believe there was cat poop along with who knows what else in that space beneath the hearth. Now that's the kind of thing I experienced the entire time we remodeled with the contractors we used. They would have done something just like that! Good luck with the rest of your remodel; can't wait to see!

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  16. Love what you're doing with the place...LOL about the whole cat poop and dirt from the yard to fill the hole! How fun, and hard work, but fun work to have to find the right stain. Such a creative process and so rewarding (usually) in the end.
    Absolutely love the flowers! You have inspired me on more than one posting to keep working hard in the yard and with new and interesting flowers that will provide cut flowers for little wild flower bouquets.
    Karen [klbunch at yahoo dot com] :-)

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  17. I love demo day too! You see such a difference, right away, even if it gets a little dusty and dirty =) Looking forward to seeing your project come together. Have fun de-pooping petrified cat poop =)

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  18. Love watching this, went through this on our 150 year old home about 8 years ago, and we still are not finished. My question is--are you removing the wood flooring that is in the pics now ? the smaller planks that are shown in all of your pics ? If so, I might be interested in them--
    Thanks so much,
    Kathy

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  19. Thank you all for joining in! The cat poop thing was soooo weird. I was hoping we might find someones wallet from 1947 or something fun like that...but no...me, I get cat poop!

    I will share more info on this floor install on my next post. It is turning out wonderful but a bit tricky!

    xo kelley

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  20. Love seeing pictures of the house! It's going to be amazing and beautiful. Let me know if you ever need an assistant. :)

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  21. I can relate to the can of worms thing...we are going through that now.

    I think the floor is going to be fabulous!

    Elizabeth

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  22. Just like La Borda Bleu, I thought of Hiya Papaya/House of Turquoise. Those floors are incredible. Funny, I was also thinking of Sara Richardson's floors.....

    Love to peek at your life - I truly look forward to each blog post. The idea of the bouquets for the ladies speaks to my heart. Tres cool!

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  23. It will be lovely when it is finished...just a note on the floor stain, pine does not love stain, I am a woodworker and have great success with analine dye...very easy to adjust the depth of the color and the dye goes deeper into the wood hence if the floor gets scratched it will not show as easily. The dye is mixed with water which raises the grain somewhat, a light sanding before your finish or top coat of varathane etc. will be required but then the finish coats are that much smoother. Just a thought, you may just get that driftwood look with dyes,,,,

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  24. I found an OLD and I mean OLD McDonalds cup on one of my renovations. By the way...did you notice in one of the pics of the stain, the one above too red...the knots of the wood with the stain looks like a dog face. VERY Random, but it jumped out at me! :-)

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  25. So exciting!!! Can't wait to see it finished!

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  26. Hi Kelley
    Our fireplace in our 1957 CA ranch house is almost identical to yours and for many years I've pulled my hair out trying to figure out a solution. Hope you detail the changes you make to yours--imitation is a form of flattery and I'm looking for ideas! Best of luck on your project. I'm sure it will be fabulous like all your other renovations. All my best, Patty

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  27. Good luck w/your ambitious reno!
    Personally, I would have kept the old hardwood floor and maybe painted it. Anyway, it's probably in pretty good shape if it's been covered w/carpet all these years, right? I totally agree that wood floors are always preferable to carpet.

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  28. We are starting construction on a very small, itty-bitty (compared to this) project tomorrow. It is my first construction project ever. I'm so excited! I'm considering doing brick floors inside, which wasn't in the initial plans. It's funny how one thing leads to another and snowballs! I love that you give your guys flowers for their ladies, very sweet.

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  29. First off - my mom looked and looked for ages for a "driftwood color floor for her master bedroom - She has a California ranch that she and my dad built smack in southern New Hampshire in 1970! She eventually had to compromise on the new master bed floor - she found close but not exact. She has laminate because she was laying on top of a slab and she likes the wear of it. I have to agree. but hardwood or laminate - no carpet for me please -just a nice area rug that can be cleaned or replaced!
    As for my house I have a 1950's cape and after losing sleep for 6 months I finally committed to the decision of painting the ugly red brick fireplace a bright white - WOW - cheap and easy and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Can't believe I didn't do it sooner!
    Can't wait to see how this major re-model works out!

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  30. ohmy!! this is so fun and I can say that since it is happening at "your" house!! yes, wine is very important during demo.... and constructon... and install;);) looks so exciting and I know it will be fabulous! how sweet of you to send a gift to their wives.
    it sounds like you have the driftwood stain covered, but the heart color is exactly the stain I matched for the walls in the barn- formula is on my sidebar under "my paints"!

    good luck with it all!
    joan

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  31. hi kelley!!!!!!!!!!!!

    now is the hole in the floor from an old floor furnace? that's what happened to us here when we pulled up the carpet. most of the floor in the kitchen was rotten but we were able to salvage some to fix the hole in the living room. anyway, i like that you are mixing the old and the new. that is going to look fabo. good luck with the stain. that is the hardest part. if i could do that staining day over i would. i rushed and didn't stand my ground around a bunch of lame ass men. oh well.

    having some wine right now in your honor.

    xo
    janet

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  32. This was so fun to read about - I look forward to watching the whole transformation. Your work includes some of my absolute favorite rooms of all time so I am so glad I found your blog! I can't wait to see what you do with this room...very clever idea, by the way, to blend the great wood you found with the more standard stuff! I'm impressed so far and laughed about the cat poop!

    hausdesign@hotmail.com
    http://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/

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  33. Mid-century modern poop...who knew! I love constrction so I can imagine your excitement. As for finding the perfect floor stain, not so fun, we went through it recently. Good luck and at least you have great boards to work with. Also, can't wait to see the fireplace re-do!!!

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  34. I was also going to try for a gray color on my floors but just recently painted them all white. They are red oak and when I would try to put the paint on and wipe it off they turned pink. The answer for me was to use 1/2 paint and 1/2 water, and roll it on. It sunk in enough to see some of the grain but they look great! We did put a sealer on. I thought they would be hard to keep clean but so far things are good. Can't wait to see what you turn up with. Pine is so tricky because it just wants to turn yellow over years. Good luck!

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  35. I loved reading about your demo (well, except the cat poop part) but I must say the flowers for the guys sweeties was my favourite part. Very thoughtful of you.

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