A Dreamy First Christmas at 308

Jane and Van's first Christmas living in 308 was pretty much perfect.  Snow fell outside on December 25th as family opened gifts, drank, ate, and enjoyed each others' company in the new sun room and kitchen.  The new room really proved to be a festive and wonderful heart of the home -- Jane set out a buffet of treats on the large island, the windows provided great views of the falling flakes outside, and the heated floors kept everyone toasty.

 Here are some images of the white Christmas at 308:

During: Sunroom Floor

Prior to the renovation, the sunroom floor was a dark red terra cotta (which, for all of my life, was covered with an almost-wall-to-wall area rug).  In conjunction with all of the other changes and upgrades to the space, the room is receiving a heated tumbled travertine floor in an offset pattern. The colors of the travertine really brighten up the room and will look great next to the new wood floors of the kitchen and the refinished wood floors of the adjoining music room/study and den, etc.  And the underlying radiant heat will make the room more comfortable and efficient in cooler seasons.

During: Drywall Installed

The project is about at the half-way mark.  Drywall now covers the recently framed, wired and plumbed walls of the kitchen, sunroom and powder room, making the spaces really feel like rooms.  Below are a few photos showing the fresh drywall.

First is a photo looking toward where the L-shaped island will be.  The sink will be in the corner at an angle.  As a point of reference, this is roughly what one used to see from this same vantage prior to the renovation (wow, right?!).   I love how the new sunroom windows and doors look, and how bright, open and airy this new kitchen will be.

The next photo shows the corner where the new range and hood will be.

The final photo is taken from in front of the French doors in the above photo (just inside the sunroom from the study/music room).  The L-shaped island, which will have breakfast barstool seating on both of its sunroom elevations, is in the foreground.  The double oven and warming drawer will be on the kitchen wall seen on the left side of the background.

During: Sunroom Windows and Doors Installed

The new sunroom windows and doors have been installed. They are made with low-e glass, which will prevent interior finishes from fading and which will make the room more efficient.

Selections: Sunroom Windows and Doors

Prior to the renovation, the sunroom's exterior walls were comprised of floor to ceiling sliding glass doors.  Although they provided great views outside, the sliding doors presented security and access issues because they could not be locked from the outside and because they could easily be jammed open by an intruder.   Over time, the glass in these doors had gotten cloudy, so a change was necessary.  Here is a photo of the sliding doors in the sunroom just prior to the start of the renovation:

In the renovation, all of the sliding doors will be removed.  In their place, casement windows will be installed along most of the exterior.  Two sets of French doors will be installed at each end of the sunroom (one pair next to the den, and one pair next to the study) for access to the garden.

Here is a photo of the doors selected (being delivered):

and here is a photo of the windows selected (being delivered):

During: Demo Complete

Below are a few photographs taken from the sunroom looking into the former kitchen and breakfast room.  The once-upon-a-time exterior brick walls have been removed, and steel beam has been placed in the corner to provide structural support for the house. 

These photos provide a glimpse into what the new combined space will look like (although you have to use some imagination to envision new flooring, cabinets, and appliances).  Both the sunroom and the kitchen will be so much more open and enjoyable spaces.  The beautiful custom hutch, which will be on the framed wall seen on the right in the above photographs, will be very visible from most areas in the sunroom.  That's really going to be a neat feature of the new kitchen.

As a reference point, the following photograph is what you would have seen standing in the same place as the above photographs were taken, only looking a little more to your right.