THE HEAT CHAMPION FIREPLACE IS HERE!

Now that we have piles of wood, thanks to my Wood-Chopping-Champ-Hubby, I am happy to report that we are using the recently installed Heat Champion fireplace!

You may recall that the old fireplace was also a wood burning fireplace, but we rarely used it because with the flue open, it sucked all the heat out of the rest of our house. Because we heat with oil, it was just too expensive (and too cold) to enjoy a fire on a chilly night. Also, since our fireplace happens to be on the enormous side, it just was not efficient at producing heat before.

So, after completing renovations on the hearth and brick facade, we purchased a custom-made Heat Champion unit from Hearth and Home Shoppe. It was installed a few days ago and we have enjoyed a fire pretty much round the clock ever since. The best part is that we are now able to supplement (instead of subtract) the heat in the house just by burning a fire.

 
This new product made by Stoll has a built-in firebox that concentrates the heat and uses internal fans that blow out the warm air produced by the fire, thus heating the house. Due to the ceramic class doors and other insulation, unlike before, we do not seem to lose any heat through the flue when we burn with the doors closed. Plus, isn't the new fireplace a handsome fellow?

Albus the cat is pretty darn handsome, too!

So with the installation of the Heat Champion, our fireplace renovation is now about 80% complete. We only have 2 items left on the list for updating this part of the house:

1). We need to decide what to do for the mantel. We are leaning towards using a rustic wood slab salvaged from the old barn.

2). After we replace the carpet, we need to install trim around the new granite hearth to frame it in.

In the meantime, I think I might grab a good book and go read by the fireplace. It's a tough job, but somebody has to tend to the fire, right?

KITCHEN CHAOS COMING TO A CLOSE

I'm excited to report that we are 90% finished with our farmhouse kitchen renovation! The Mister and I have been working in diligent fits and spurts (as time and money have allowed) since January of last year. It has been a long, sometimes stressful, but very rewarding process, throughout which, I am proud to say, that these Do-it-Yourself-ers did ALL the work with our own two hands!

Here's the quaint little kitchen BEFORE we began renovating:

 Wall-to-wall knotty pine wood paneling, linoleum stick-tile flooring, no pantry, no dishwasher, minimal storage, dated laminate counter-top, tiny sink... oh yeah, and what's with that weird beam in the middle of the room?

 Notice the basement door on the right side of the refrigerator (Guess what? we moved it!)

The tiny stove was bent in the middle so nothing cooked evenly (I may have knelt on it once when trying to reach something in the upper cabinets... ahem).  Even Albus, the cat, looks sad and confused in this dark and dated kitchen.

We had a huge TO-DO list and this is what we've CHECKED-OFF so far:

*Replace old, white appliances with new, stainless steel appliances

*Replace linoleum tiles with wood laminate flooring (beautiful mahogany finish)

*Move basement door to recess refrigerator and add new cabinets/counter-top between stove and refrigerator

*Replace overhead wooden light fixture with stainless steel fixture

*Install a dishwasher!!!

*Install new farmhouse sink (large enough to bathe a small child in) and new fixtures

*Add slate tile back-splash behind sink

*Replace old counter-tops

*Build walk-in pantry with floor to ceiling shelving and overhead switch-operated light

*Reface all cabinets and doors --- paint white

*Add multiple electrical outlets and replace old wiring to bring up to code

*Deep clean and reuse current stove-top hood and fan

*Install dry-wall over wood paneling throughout kitchen

*Paint dry-wall (Buttercream with Eggplant accent walls)

*Replace all cabinet hinges, hardware, and pulls (brushed nickel finishes)

*Paint all trim and moldings white

*Build additional counter-tops and cabinets between stove and refrigerator --- paint white

*Mount microwave on shelf above new counter-top

*Add window treatments

Kitchen-in-Progress
(90% finished with renovation):

 

Don't you just love wood on the floor so much more than on the walls?

Notice the door on the left? Since we couldn't move that beam in the middle of the room, we incorporated it into our new walk-in pantry that features floor-to-ceiling storage.

I repainted the entry door and commissioned a custom birdie valance, handmade by Miss Muffets Tuffet on Etsy

I just love this slate tile backsplash! The eggplant accent walls play up the purple brown tones in the slate so nicely.

Moving the basement door access out of the kitchen and around the corner allowed for a recessed refrigerator and extra counter-tops and cabinets between stove and refrigerator. 

A handmade owl tea towel, purchased from Zen Threads on Etsy 
and a colorful print from Artful Escapes add finishing touches to this handmade kitchen.

DOING THIS WEEK :

*Restore, sand, prime and paint original crown molding... scratch that... not able to reuse existing molding

*Purchase and paint brand new molding from our local lumber mill, Siewers.

 We picked out a wider molding with a little more pizazz than the original crown molding had. We will carry the new molding throughout the downstairs of the house as we continue our renovations (the living room is next).

STILL TO-DO:

*Install crown molding

*Install vertical trim along exterior pantry walls

*Install floor trim

*Paint behind and install trim around recessed refrigerator

*Replace windows with energy efficient and historically accurate wood windows $$$

*Add built-in double trashcan cabinet on left side of stove

*Complete final touch-ups 
and eventually...

*Remove baseboard heaters and install HVAC system and vents in entire house $$$$$

Total Cost of Kitchen Renovation: 

$5000 ($2800 went to new appliances, mind you).  

Not squabbling over whose turn it is to wash the dishes anymore: 

PRICELESS.

LANDSCAPED AT LAST!

Last weekend, my hubby and I enjoyed our first whole weekend off together in over a year! Inspired by the gorgeous Spring weather, we decided to use the time to finish landscaping around the front of the house. With a generous birthday gift from my mother-in-law, we were able to buy mulch, flowering perennials, and even a Viburnum tree at our local plant nursery, Ed's Landscaping. (We support local, small businesses whenever possible and this garden center is truly excellent!)

Just for perspective, below are some before and after photos. 

When I moved in with the Mister in 2006, this is what the landscaping looked like (actually the raised beds were a big mound of dirt with no plants in sight). Eager to paint on a blank canvas, I immediately spread and tilled the soil and began to fill it in with perennial splashes of color.  

Within the next couple of years, we re-painted the entire stucco facade white, screened in the front porch and painted the exterior trim around the sunroom, my beloved jewelry-making studio.

Yes, we still have work to do on this old house. More trim to paint, windows to replace, walls to repair. And each year there will be weeds to pull and plants to water and prune, but WOW! the rewards of our labor have been amazing. Caring for a garden and renovating an old home is a continuous work in progress.

But I must admit that after almost 7 years of being together, I am pretty pleased with our progress. (:

White Blankets

Well, on February 19, we finally got our first winter snow! About 3 - 4 inches blanketed Richmond and up the East coast to Northern Virginia.

However, the cold weather didn't visit for long. It is back in the high 40s today and the snow is quickly melting back into the ground.

 Because it has been such a mild winter thus far, not only are the daffodils confused....

 but so is Potter!

On the topic of white blankets, check out our new find for the Red Room from World Market. This is a great, soft throw to protect our antique chair from the kitty-kids (as well as provide them a nice sleeping spot since they practically own the Red Room) until we have the chair reupholstered. 

I'm having trouble deciding on the fabric for the chair. We recently had the ottoman reupholstered in this vibrant red/gold print. I was thinking I'd go with a quieter print or solid in a matching red for the chair, and then add a throw pillow in the red/gold to tie it all together.

 
Or maybe I should go bold and hunt down more of the red/gold print and do the entire chair in the same fabric. 

What do you think?