Riverside House - rennovations!

We closed on the new house in mid-August and began the remodeling
process immediately! The demolition happened very quickly - Grant and
our team of helpers were very eager to take a sledgehammer to those
interior walls! The wall running along the center of the house was
load-bearing so we put a 24 foot beam into the attic to support the
ceiling. Grant ripped up a layer of tile and 3 layers of linoleum from
the kitchen floor to reveal beautiful old hardwood floors!

In the mean time, the tiny "half bathroom" (toilet and sink) off the
master bedroom was undergoing some serious changes! We "stole" 2 feet
from the third bedroom to create a more spacious closet and bathroom
(ensuite) off the master bedroom. We also salvaged the "pocket door"
from the old dining room to create a new entrance to bedroom #3 off the
dining room.

There was plenty of other work happening while our builders took care
of the big stuff. The old wood paneling and kitchen cabinets were
sanded and primed for painting, the baseboards and quarter-rounds were
restored or replaced, dated light fixtures were removed and replaced
with more modern ones. A team of electricians put recessed can lights
in the main living/dinging/kitchen area. We hired a guy to repair the
old stone wall around the front of the property

While the exciting rennovations took place, the not-so-thrilling
problems were found! The main pipe to the city sewer was cracked
and.... well... you don't really want to know. The bathrooms that had
been remodeled by the previous owner were unfinished and had not
plumbing vents or outlet fans. We were also introduced to the wonders
of multiple tubes of caulk and grout sealer! The subfloor under the
kitchen was badly damaged by termites in a few places and had to be
replaced. The air-conditioning unit had been subjected to excess
pressure and had developed a leak - fortunately this was discovered
before we closed on the house so we were able to negotiate a
replacement with the seller. The straw that almost broke the camel's
back fell during an exceptionally heavy downpour one morning. Grant
arrived at the house to find that the converted garage (that held all
our belongings in storage) had flooded! It turns our that the old
garage door was replaced by a large window and a brick planter/window
box that had no drainage holes. Off course, when the soil held water
from a heavy rain the water found the path of least resistance: through
the interior wall into the house. Thankfully our friends helped us pull
out everything that got wet and we managed to sort through and dry out
most of our belongings before they were ruined. Thankfully, the damage
was minimal and we now have a great story to tell Max about why the
pages of his books are wavy.

Once most of the "big" work was completed one of the most exciting
transformations began: refinishing the hardwood floors! The original
oak floor boards were in great shape, despite a beaten up finish, some
scratches from where carpet was sliced away and a large stain of what
we assume was dog pee. Thankfully the wood was absolutely gorgeous once
sanded and the varnished finished floors are beautiful!

More pics to follow!

Fall

Footy fan!

Max wanted to show off his Footy gear! Max shows his true colours as a
Geelong fan (winners of the AFL Grand Final - woohoo!)

Here he is in his All Black rugby jersey! We won't mention the world cup... but check out that mohawk!

Max at 6 months

We can't quite believe that Max is 6 months old! He is very playful,
active and happy, despite those annoying teething pains! He has one
tooth, expecting more any day now. He has mastered the "commando crawl"
- his version is more like a butterfly swimming stroke - both arms move
at once. His eyes seem to be turning brown and his wild hair continues
to grow (it has been cut twice) and attract attention everywhere we go!

These photos were taken at the playground at a mall - he loved the little slide Daddy took him on. He also loved sitting (and drooling) in the tunnel while Mummy and Daddy played peekaboo! Much fun!

He's doing very well with baby food - I've started to prepare it at home now that we're a little more settled. His favourites are butternut squash, sweet potato, bananas and apples. NOT interested in peas or carrots, Mummy.

A walk in Shelby Park

Our new house in East Nashville is just short walk from Shelby Park
and golf course. We are enjoying the cooler fall weather and our new
"back yard".

An explanation of our silence!

We are extremely behind in posting updates to our blog - very sorry!
To cut a long story short we stayed with friends for a few weeks while
renovations continued on our new house. Internet access has been scarce
and we have spent most of our time getting the house move-in ready.
There is much to tell and many photos to share - I'll be adding pages
to this blog now that we have internet hooked up... not to mention
responding to a couple of months worth of emails!
We hope you are all well.
Brooke, Grant and Maxwell

Riverside House: BEFORE

After Max was born we started looking for a house that would be
suitable for our growing family. We started looking in East Nashville -
an eclectic neighborhood with a lot of character and funky cafes. In
August we closed on a house in Riverside Drive. It's a 1960s "brick
ranch" house that needed some TLC and a serious facelift. We saw lots
of potential for our needs - the house is just a short walk from Shelby
Park - a beautiful wooded area with a lake, ducks and geese to
entertain Max. The house has a small yard with some beautiful old
trees.

One of the most appealing aspects was the old garage which had
been converted into an extra room of the house with direct access from
the carport - perfect for Grant's studio. The dining room, living room
and kitchen were all divided by walls that made each room feel very
closed in. The walls were also lined with "knotty pine" wood paneling
which was kind of oppressive! Stay tuned for the progress reports!