FIREPLACE UPDATE

Remember the old brick fireplace?

Well look at it now!

I've actually been post-poning this BITTER/SWEET fireplace update for a few weeks... read about why below.

The BITTER BITS: 

For the first time on this DIY house, we decided to hire a contractor to complete a project for us. Unfortunately, in addition to spending a lot of money unnecessarily (turns out we could have done it ourselves), the end product was so questionable that there was a possibility that the whole project would have to ripped out and redone.

Why did we hire a contractor in the first place? When we did the demolition, you may remember the big crack that fissured through our over-sized hearth.

Since it is an active wood burning fireplace, we were concerned about structural and safety issues. We assumed that a "professional" would have more knowledge of fireplace code regulations and how to support and level the hearth so it wouldn't crack again.

 

There were many issues with communication and workmanship along the way and we should have listened to our guts and pulled the plug, but we had all the materials ready to go and were so excited to be able to check this project off the list.

After the contractors left we found a chip in our wood floors, grout stains on the carpet, and dried concrete that had dripped down the wall and floor into our basement.  Since the project was left incomplete, we had to do the final coats of grout and tile sealant and we'll also do the wood trim work around the hearth tile.

But the most critical problem was that in the end, the hearth was not properly LEVELED. You can see just how far off level it is on the far right side of the photo, where the metal fireplace face meets the tile - 5/8 inch off, to be exact.

However, we are currently working with fireplace technicians, who have advised that they will be able to make up for the off-level hearth when they install our custom fireplace insert, which means we won't have to rip out and redo the current tile job. Whew!

Lesson learned: If you want it done right; do it yourself.  If you can't do it yourself; do your homework - meet with more than one contractor; get everything in writing regarding the scope of work; don't hire based on a single recommendation or because they are likable; withhold final payment until you are satisfied.

Zillow actually has a good article on Hiring a Contractor. 

Now on to the HAPPY, SWEET BITS:

We are thrilled with the Shanxi Black Flamed Granite tile that we selected for the hearth.  We had it laid on a diagonal to draw the eye to the fireplace. 

This special granite has a non-traditional finish, in that, it is not shiny, instead, it is torched with fire until the shiny-bits burn off. What is left behind is a textured, matte, stone finish, with a hint of metallic shimmer. This flamed granite works perfectly with our rustic contemporary design aesthetic.

Aside from looking a million times better, the ultimate purpose of our fireplace reno is to be able use it more - without losing heat from the rest of the house, that is. We currently heat with oil, so it can get expensive to reheat this two story house after burning a fire in the winter. We love having fires and would love to be able to actually add to our home's heat efficiency while burning one. 

Over the past year, we have been looking into wood burning fireplace "Heatilator" units that insert into your fireplace and have an electric blower to circulate the warm air produced by the fire around your home. Anybody have one of these? The fireplace doors, made from ceramic glass, are insulated and left closed as the fire burns. The fire is concentrated in a smaller interior firebox. On the outside of the unit, there is an intake fan and at least two blowers to distribute the hot air around the house (I can just see the kitties curled up right in front of the blowers in the winter).

Albus says, "Who me?"

ON-GOING PROJECTS:

1) Finish designing our custom Heatilator unit (yep, our fireplace is way oversized, so it is all custom, baby), order it and pay for it (gulp).  Custom = expensive. 

2)While the Heatilator is being built, I am hoping the hubby will have some time to start constructing our built-in bookshelves that will line the entire wall to the left of the fireplace, and run from floor to ceiling.

3)After the built-ins are complete, we will decide what to do for our fireplace mantel-piece. We are leaning toward a rustic slab of wood - perhaps milled from one of the trees that fell on our property last year.  Like THIS or THIS.  Other ideas include a Stone Slab or a simple Mantel Painted White to match the ultimate color of the built-ins and crown molding that we will install.

Which do you like best?

Yellow Room Makeover Re-Cap

 

 This multi-purpose room is a study that can convert to a guest-room in a flash. 

 

 I do love red but the color was just too dark for this small, cramped, 9x9 room.

 

 I had to fix the plaster walls before I could prime them. 

To find out how many coats of paint it took me to cover the red, Click HERE.

 

The walls are painted Lemon Parfait by Valspar to brighten the space.

I rearranged the furniture and added a modern area rug. 

Adding artwork to the walls and hanging a shelf of travel curios completes this cozy book-nook. 

Handmade artwork, a framed blue morpho butterfly, and a mirror from Morocco add pops of turquoise blue, gold, yellow and green.

My original "Turtle Drum" painting finds the perfect space between birdy prints by LeeArtHaus. Overall the room feels so much bigger and brighter in this cheery shade of yellow.

 

From Red to Yellow in Four Days

Since starting my own massage therapy practice last November, my weeks have been booked solid with appointments, which has been wonderful but leaves little time for studio work (and of course my poor blog). However, I've noticed I usually need a creative hiatus from my jewelry studio after the Christmas holiday rush, time for new ideas to germinate under the grey blanket of winter. Meanwhile, I've discovered that renovating our old farmhouse provides a great creative outlet.

Finding myself with a few days off in February, I renovated our study-slash-guest room. Years ago my hubby had painted the room a deep shade of red. Although we loved the red walls, the dark color and layers of travel décor left this 9x9 room feeling small and heavy. Aside from the cats and an occasional guest, the room was rarely used.  

Eventually this room will become a nursery so we wanted to choose a color that would work for a study-slash-guest room now and a baby's room later. Deciding on a bright and cheery shade of yellow to make this dual-purpose room feel larger and more inviting, I set to work on the renovation. 

Day 1:
First, I moved out the furniture and took down the artwork. Before painting, I had to repair the damaged plaster with joint compound. There were many small holes in the walls and a few big ones from past water damage. Thankfully the big patch did not require a screen, which may have been beyond my solo expertise. 

While the joint compound was drying, I caulked around the windows to seal and re-glaze them. Next, I painted all the baseboards and window trim in a high gloss white. (Eventually the hubby will install molding around the ceiling, that I will also paint in high gloss white). 

Day 2: 
My patch looked good. It was dry so I sanded it down to a smooth finish.  I used the shop vac to suck up all the dust. Then, I decided to tape over all the freshly-painted trim to protect it while I slathered primer and paint onto the walls. To remove the red, I rolled on two thick coats of primer, using over a gallon of paint by the time I finished.

Day 3: 
Now for the fun part! I rolled on two thick coats of Lemon Parfait by Valspar in a satin finish. I also decided it was a good time to clean and polish the 100 year old hardwood floors. I left on a fan to let everything dry overnight.

Day 4: 
I pulled off the painter's tape and touched up the trim. My hubby helped me install the new blinds. I used white, light-filtering, cordless, honeycomb, cellular shades. This adds a layer of insulation around the windows without blocking out all the light. I moved the furniture back into the room, using basically the same pieces but changing the layout to open up the space. I am in the processing up putting up whimsical artwork with pops of green, turquoise, and orange.

I found this 100% wool rug on sale for $100 at Tuesday Mornings. The rug normally retails for $510, so I snatched it up. It adds another layer of warmth and coziness and I love the yellow grey color combo. Cats and hubby approve.

 In addition to lodging a couple of weekend guests so far, the yellow room is getting a lot more use than the red room did. It was especially handy to have this cozy, updated space to hang out in to read and watch T.V. while we were without living room furniture. More on that to come.

ZUCCHINI PUREE - HOORAY!

 The garden has been steadily making a come-back after the recent heavy hail damage and hundred plus degree temps of the last two weeks. I've been picking okra, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cucumbers and Japanese eggplant every few days. The sugar snap peas have finally fizzled out due to the heat. Sadly, the zucchini and yellow squash may not last much longer either. But prior to the hail and heatwave, we harvested a whole bunch of zucchini!

We were able to capitalize on this bumper crop by making A zucchini puree that we freeze and use as a soup base throughout the winter. This is a wonderful recipe, particularly for utilizing those giant zucchini (almost as big as my head) that tend to be tougher and more seedy.

FROZEN ZUCCHINI PUREE

To make the most of a boutiful garen, preserve zucchini by freezing them in a puree with onion, green or bell pepper and herbs. They retain fresh garden flavors and nutrients for months in the freezer and are convenient for making hot or cold soups or a simple casserole. 

Wash but don't peel about 6 pounds of zucchini. Cut in thin slices (we use a mandolin slicer). Add 2 green or bell peppers, sliced, and 3 thinly sliced large onions and 3 cloves of minced garlic. In a large pan over medium heat, melt 6 tbsp. of butter, saute onion. Add 1/4 cup of water, stir in zucchini, pepper, garlic, 2 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cover and cook for 3 mins; then turn heat to med-high. Continue cooking covered, stirring often, until tender. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup parsley sprigs and 1 cup fresh basil leaves. Let cool somewhat and then puree in blender. Cool to room temp and pack in freezer containers. This amount will fill about 6 pint-size containers. 

 

For our hardy winter soups, we defrost a container of the puree and add 1/2 cup of milk or cream, cheddar or Parmesan cheese, canned chicken (including the juice), a squeeze of fresh lemon and sometimes dill weed or tarragon.

To make a casserole, beat 2 eggs, stir in zucchini puree, and pour into a greased, shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

A Winter Without Snow?

Richmond weather has been a bit unusual this year, with the mildest winter I can remember since moving here 7 years ago. Believe me, I am enjoying the warmer temps and vastly reduced heating oil bills, but it just hasn't felt like winter yet. It's already mid-January and we haven't seen a flake of snow - not even one little puff of cloud-dandruff scratched off from the winter sky's scalp. 

Here's a photo of what our backyard looked like in the snowstorm of March 2009.

A winter without snow is like a birthday party without cake and candles. There is just something about the cake ritual that makes the experience saturate.  I think it's the split-second reflection that occurs as you make a wish and blow out the candles, letting go of the year that's passed (into darkness) and embracing (the light of) the year ahead. 

Speaking of birthdays, I just had another one.  Can you believe we missed the cake and candles this year?  Mom did send me a nice box of cookies, though.  So I guess you could say that I still have a half-sense of unreality regarding my new number.  Had I experienced the ritual of cake and candles this year, however, you would never guess what this cold-fingered, heat-seeker would've wished for. 

Let there be SNOW!