May 27th, 2009
Construction is moving right along. They have most of the master bedroom and bathroom framed, so it’s great to be able to walk through those spaces. The roof window in the bathroom is going to be fantastic.
Here is the dormer, which houses the master bedroom and bathroom, after the first day:
Interior framing started, looking toward [...]
May 23rd, 2009
Our front and back gable dormers have been clipped, and we couldn’t be happier with how the house is coming along. It makes a huge difference in appearance, and I can’t wait for the roof to be complete!
Before
After
Before
After
The windows are on order, but they’ll take 2-3 weeks to arrive. We got a great deal from [...]
May 21st, 2009
Okay, I’m happy with the color we chose for the roof. While I think the warm gray would have looked really nice and helped to ground the roof, it would have made the white soffit and gutters stand out more and I really wanted to downplay those. By clipping the gable dormer in the front [...]
May 21st, 2009
While I may be somewhat unsure about roofing color, whether to use siding or shingles for the dormer, etc., I definitely know what not to do:
Wait, it gets worse.
To their credit, these homeowners have solar panels (and have had them for as long as I’ve been around this area — 20 years now), but WHAT [...]
May 20th, 2009
Thanks to everyone who commented in my last post: it’s decided! We’re going with the hip roof on the front and back dormers — or as Josh at Bungalow ‘23 pointed out, a clipped gable dormer (that sounds more accurate; thanks for clarifying Josh!) — and we’re going to shingle the whole thing.
I don’t want [...]
May 19th, 2009
Thanks for the comments and suggestions about our roof conundrum — as always I appreciate others’ input and ideas and I get a lot of insight from your experiences and opinions.
I do agree that one of the problems with the look of our roof is how far forward the gable dormer sits in the [...]
May 17th, 2009
Pete and I have been talking extensively about our roof this weekend. One of the things that has always really bothered us about it is the gable dormer in the front. Bungalows are supposed to be ground-hugging with a low-pitched roof but ours looks like the roof is about to take off!
That’s not the only [...]
May 13th, 2009
It’s so nice to finally start working outside again. Pete just dragged out the Adirondack chairs, so I’m ready to soak in some morning sunshine and cool breezes.
The backyard, between the house and garage, has filled in the most overall since we started planting last year. Most of the arborvitae (background) are doing well, [...]
May 12th, 2009
On Saturday, my sister-in-law, niece and I trekked up to Libertyville for the Lake County Native Plant Sale. Because they only allow a certain number of people inside at one time, I wanted to get there early. We arrived about 15 minutes before it opened but we still weren’t among the first group and had [...]
May 8th, 2009
I started looking into adding some recessed can lights in the kitchen before the attic floor becomes inaccessible. There are a number of options from either Juno or Halo, both quality lighting manufacturers.
I knew that LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) were available in recessed lighting now and I wanted to look into that option over incandescent, [...]
May 7th, 2009
Attention all Chicago-area gardeners! Lake County Forest Preserve’s 12th Annual Native Plant Sale takes place this weekend, May 9-10 at Independence Grove in Libertyville.
Despite the construction on the I-94 tollway expansion project, it’s an easy drive from the city to Route 137 (Buckley Road). Drive west a few miles to the Independence Grove entrance, just [...]
May 5th, 2009
We did it. We sent in a deposit to the contractor for our attic remodel.
We have a couple things to iron out regarding HVAC and insulation, but we’re moving forward with the project. I’m both excited and nervous.
No word on a start date yet, but I imagine it could be within the next few weeks. [...]