There Are No Flowers In This Attic!

Up The Crap Staircase

Recognize those colors???? 1975 is calling, they want their carpet back!!!  These are the wonky Seusslike stairs leading to our attic space that we plan to turn into livable space.  The previous owner of the house carpeted the stairway from a carpet sample book....so, no Muppets where skinned it is just shag and sculptured carpets in lovely colors that you probably saw while watching "That 70's Show." What you cannot see is that each and every tread and riser is different....some are shallow, some are steep...which is why we are opting to toss things out the window...actually slide. It gets worse.................

What you first see ...red indoor outdoor, but that's not the bad part!

When we first bought the house we knew we would have to gut it and truly, right now, 4 years later that is what we are attempting. We have been stripping out drywall and insulation.  I am afraid that the enormity (nastiness)of the task puts us all in a bad mood. If it were up to me and the boys we would just rent a huge dumpster and toss it ALL out, but the hubs prefers to do it in small bits.  Beats me......but this spring we gotta get cracking on it.

This is a view towards the back of the house. Past the doorway is a bedroom area with a window.  It is a decent sized room needs a new window and to rework the closet situation as you can see from the photo below.  It has some sad built in cabinets that we will remove (which you cannot see at this time).  For some reason there is a different type of paneling in this room. Sadly, none of this is salvageable due to damage from humidity and lack of upkeep (not on our part).  We are also working toward re-insulating this whole area. It is not heated or cooled at this time.

This was closet space with vinyl accordion folding doors

Insulation that we plan to reuse...

Really groovy built in seating with very Mod fabric cushions... there is a red rotary telephone ...will have to incorporate it into the decor! Oh, yeah and I am going to refurbish the lamp you see there...it has naked little cherubs ...how fun!

The attic runs from the front to the back of the house almost completely. In the very front is a sunken area which will serve nicely as an entertainment area. There is a length of space between the front sunken area and the bedroom space that due to the slope of the roof is a bit awkward to have anything but a sitting /desk area.  I am hoping to vastly lighten up the space because right now it is very dark and brooding with the dark tone paneling and red carpet. We will be insulating as I mentioned before, recovering the walls and probably some rewiring ...then fixtures, paint and flooring!  Ooops and I need to figure out how to economically heat and cool this area! Then will let one of the boys move in which will open up another room for renovation!

So, that is what is going on right now.  We need some good time off and nice weather to be able to accomplish these current projects.  We haven't been able to work on the back porch/greenhouse lately either...but I am growing anxious for a big push this Spring Break!  

I have pics of the outside of the house but I need to do the inside so that I can go ahead and give you the "Big Picture Tour"  ughh....a good task for these next few last cold weeks of winter.

A recap on my earlier pretty day post...

It is my intention...the best of course, to follow up on this project and all the others. I want to do this all in a cohesive manner....which leads me to the question of purchasing a dedicated camera....which leads me to a blog kit if you will.  In other words, a tote or some such thing containing the camera, the notebook, a good tape measure...and other necessities that will make this more likely to happen with some regularity.


Another question~ should I just go around photograph it all and give you a "Big Picture" tour? 
Then go back and revisit??  What to do, what to do....


Well, I will think on it, please your thoughts/comments are welcome... I get overwhelmed sometimes.
Wave~

It was such a lovely day I needed to be outside!

Interesting little corner off the patio

I worked Friday clearing all the leaves and smutz from this area and planning out what to do to it once we make it through the Winter (2011-12).

This space will be where I putter about while work goes on with the green porch. Husband doesn't always need me, but this way I will be close and available in case he does need an extra pair of hands. 

Hopefully this winter won't be too harsh, but we really need to get a move on this project for the sake of all the house plants that are still out on the deck. Seems that we have so many things to do that they get in the way of each other...but have to be done in tandem.

• Before I do anything we need to fix the roof (storm damage) and repair the wall...there may be some galvanized, corrugated metal sheet involved here unless we see that it is too reflective. The blue metal table will make for a great potting table
• The hanging bar will be work well for repotting hanging plants
• The turquoise metal desk will be repurposed as a plant stand/planter (drawers).      

College Kid on moving (back home) day with Sophie the cat...she was hanging out with me learning to be an outside kitty.

• Red cinder blocks will be turned open side up and do double duty as edging to define the area and planters... I figure I can fit 4 inch pots into those openings. 
• Flowers & Plants I am considering:  Hosta, sweet potato vine, petunia, lilies, ferns, moss, caladium...just need to wait and see what looks good together... I also like marigolds & zinnias....so many flowers! This area gets good sun but not too harsh and is easy to water.
• We also see the need to put down pavers for this center area....the dog and people traffic has really roughed that walkway up.  Needs to be something that will stand up to the leaf blower...that is a walnut tree to the right...lots of crud from it and then beyond the carport is maple tress, lots of propellers.

Concrete Benches are from my Gaw-Gaws Rock Garden area.

I am working on just such a spot here.  I also have his frog fountain from his fish pond...need to incorporate that somewhere.

This little redbud tree was badly damaged in a storm cut back to the 

nub...I like the way it is coming back.

Little pot of violas add a splash of color.

A shady spot for hostas!

Edging is from a broken fire pit bowl

that I saved for some reason.

Lots to do in this area, just one of many.  I am planning on plotting a course or making list of do-able tasks.  

Things to do when it is nice outside (today is cold and windy) and things to do inside...like clear out the upstairs so we can insulate so that it won't be cold and windy inside the house!

Playing a little more

I think this wordel captures the moment nicely.
Yeah, I can see this won't just be about the house...probably need to figure out that "label" thing.

Just trying out Picasa

This is only a test...of how to use Picasa...I am not certain that it is any easier just yet.
This "wordel" was based on a true incident....
Last week (4/3/2010) 2 students & I watched a massive vortices of white gulls swirl and undulate against a dark stormy sky. It was mesmerizing to watch as their stark white backs caught the light and then disappear as their darker underbellies blended into the background. This went on for a while and sadly, no one that walked by was even curious at what we were clearly in awe of...shed the blinders people, you are missing out. Thanks to Savannah Fisher and Maria Hula for sharing a moment though.http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=379994643228 for full comments.

Just wondering about adding photos

Ok, here is a little somethin' somethin' to discuss.
This is a view of the back of my house. If you will look past the attempt at a gated garden (all that to keep out deer and Sally the Labrador) you will see 5 framed in spaces.  This relates back to Sally the Labrador who used to spend her nights in what was a screened in porch.  Yes, that was once a screened porch that apparently over the years has received enough water damage to rot out the supports which were supposedly holding up the back side of the upstairs area of the house....load bearing?? Maybe, maybe not.

Neil, the kid, Sally the Lab, Sophie the Cat

We discovered this issue when Sally easily knocked down the side 1//2 wall while chasing a raccoon.  Turns out the whole back wall was just swinging like a loose tooth, it was a little scary. This presented itself as a good project to start on as we were also soon to be putting on a new roof over the Christmas Holiday YEAH!!!
Demolition began! Well, it really didn't take much.

John the Husband

Then reconstruction!  John had purchased 5 "returned" aluminum windows much earlier and this seemed like the perfect place to install them. We also have a nice door and long picture like window to install on the entrance side.  I have also been purchasing plant hangers and some pretty novelty pots to add when we "load in."

It is our plan to turn it into a green-backporch...like a greenhouse to winter our house plants and hopefully get seedlings started for a real garden. This space will get good morning to afternoon sun. I am scheming on a table and seating.
Well, that was November 2010, the roofing activities eclipsed the back porch situation, then the snow, then the tornado, the a bloody HOT summer....then school started and now it is November again.
John & I did get the windows out and figure out how to get them into working shape to install.....but I think I might ought to figure out what to do with my houseplants.

Heavy Sigh

Being Saturday I have taken my usual "Day of Rest" this weekend...this consists of:

• Sleeping late
• Leisurely drinking coffee and lounging with kitties
• Catching up on Facebook and now I have added Pinterest to the list...there's the rub.

There are so many "Pinteresting" things to look at, cook and craft...decorate and design that I end up feeling conflicted~ motivated, inspired, stimulated and overwhelmed at the enormity of all the things that I want to do.
I know, I know start small. go slow...seems that that is all I do though...I am hurtin' to make a difference!  Do some visual impact damage!!!
Tomorrow being Sunday I will:

• Sleep a little late.
• Leisurely drink coffee and cuddle with cats.
• Get out my list/calendar of thing to do and when...I have 9 days off coming up, must use them wisely.
• Figure out how to get some house pictures on here so that I can blog about them.
• Laundry~sorry that isn't very glamorous but it must be done!
• Do something to make my house the home that I mean for it to be.        

I do know, in my heart, that if I keep doing something every chance I get it will eventually add up to awesome.