June 2022 – Blue Sky Interiors

Out With the Old…

Posted on June 26, 2022 by nancychapmon

Welcome back to the “Empty Nester’s Home Refresh” project! Today I’m updating you with a glimpse into demo….where we remove the old fixtures, carpet, lights, cabinets, etc, to begin preparations for the NEW!

Needless to say, this phase is a mess! We managed to fill the dump trailer to the brim twice, carting off debris and fixtures that could not be recycled. As a side note, I’m happy to say that a local investor/remodeler was able to take quite a bit from the house prior to the actual demolition, and it’s nice knowing many fans, lights, faucets, and even doors will be recycled and reused soon. I’m always happy when the landfill only receives actual trash, and as much of our waste as possible finds new life elsewhere.

As you can see in the master bath photos above, we removed all of the fixtures and walls from the existing room; after removing the HUGE round tub, made of and surrounded by cast marble, we were surprised to find an actual HOLE in the floor beneath the tub! By this, plus the fact that old wallpaper was behind the walls of the tub surround, it is clear that the tub and shower we just tore out were not original to the house….still, the plumbers should have filled in the floor properly last time. After relocating the drains for the tub and shower, our plumbers poured new cement to close in the chasm and protect the pipes (see below)

New tub, set with spray foam for stabilization

I’ll show you more about the plans for the master bath next week, but I did promise demo pics, so here are a few of other areas in the home:

Pulling up carpet often reveals a mess, with trying to remove the pad underneath; it’s not unusual for the pad to stick in random spots, making it necessary to use scraping tools to get it all up. The carpet tack around the perimeter of each room is also very difficult to remove, as it is actually nailed into the concrete floor ~ our guys did a fantastic job of removing ALL traces of the carpet. We also removed the dated wood mantle, but for a very good reason OTHER than aesthetics.

To improve the furniture arrangement in this large room, we decided to place the TV over the fireplace. While this is not a unique idea, that placement often leaves a TV too high for comfortable viewing from the room’s seating. I see this often; people are unable to sit back far enough from the TV to prevent an uncomfortable neck position while viewing it over their mantle. By removing this mantle, we will be able to mount the TV in a lower position that works comfortably without causing my clients future neck problems! (I have found a beautiful live-edge walnut mantle which will be placed on the bricks, thus lowering the overall arrangement)

Quick note about the plans: while the new cabinet footprint remains very similar to what was here, it “fixes” several design problems, which will make using the new kitchen more pleasant and productive. Of course, it will also be up-to-date, with beautiful new finishes, fixtures and appliances. I can hardly wait for you to see the new kitchen emerge!

Kitchen, cabinets & tile cleared out (pantry doors sneak peek)

This kitchen had electric appliances, though gas is available elsewhere in the house; my clients elected to go back with an upscale gas range, which will sit in front of the half-wall you see above. We have framed in the wall there to accommodate the new arrangement, and widened the cased opening to the breakfast room. Since there was no gas to that location, the plumbers were able to bring in the line through the attic, drop it close to the range location, and bring it over to the exact spot. Like this:

New gas line mounted in newly framed full wall

I’ll show you one more area I think might be interesting today: in the Game Room, there was an old wet bar that has not been used that way for many years. My clients made the best of the space, though having a sink along with mirror-backed upper shelves really wasn’t conducive to anything else! My least favorite thing about the bar, from a design standpoint, was how is was jammed up against the wall on one side, making that side of the room feel off-balance. (it was that way because it backed up to a bathroom vanity on the other side of the wall)

Having decided to close in this area to make a game closet, we were going to have narrow double closet doors framed in. During the kitchen tear-out, I realized the former pantry doors would look much better there than the regular white closet doors I’d planned! Because they are narrow, we were able to center them on the space, which means it won’t look “jammed up against the wall” when it is all finished out. The solid wood doors also match the wood ceiling over the pool table and another set of wood and glass doors that separate this area from the kitchen. WIN! I hope you can see the transition in this series of photos:

I leave you this time with a few things we are saying “goodbye” to! Out with the old, and soon…..in with the new! On the job, we have framed in the new bathroom and kitchen, and the plumbers and electricians are hard at work on the rough-in phase of their work. By the end of next week, we will have new sheetrock hung, then we’re really on the way to exciting times!

Next time I’ll share plans and colors, then soon I’ll introduce you to our (no kidding) rockstar electrician! Stay tuned, and thanks for joining us on this fun project!

Empty Nester's Full Home Refresh, Remodeling Projects

Empty Nester’s Home Refresh

Posted on June 20, 2022 by nancychapmon

It is my extreme pleasure to be able to help one of my oldest and dearest friends and her husband refresh their home in one of Greenville’s loveliest well-established neighborhoods! It was a beautiful home before we started, yet it was screaming “90’s”! My friends had lovingly taken care of this home while raising their family, and made oodles of improvements over the years….starting with LOTS of wallpaper removal, all new carpet and tile (except for the dining room which you’ll see), and later moving on to a sparkling swimming pool and truly lush, gorgeous lawns and gardens. The house was pretty amazing!

So why are we redoing it? Well, all that new carpet and tile has been well worn over the years of family life, the master bath and closets were just plain difficult and the kitchen needed some upgrades to work really well for them. Those were the main concerns, but decisions were made throughout the planning that expanded our project to at least SOMETHING in every room!

Empty Nester’s beautiful home (that grass!)

Because all of the floors were carpeted or tiled with 90’s style white 13×13 ceramic tile, we are planning to add hardwood floors in all of the main rooms and the bedrooms. We will use updated “today” tile in the bathrooms and hall coming off the garage.

Right now the large living room features beautifully stained high-quality paneling with picture frame moldings; it’s very well done, clearly by master craftsmen. The carpeted floor is light, the walls are dark, and the room feels closed in. Expansive new windows open up the view to the pool and back acreage, but call attention to the generally dark feeling of the room itself. This effect is furthered by the lighting, or lack of…as the overall lighting is brass track lighting mounted on the ceiling.

So this main room is where the design process began; my clients asked for a light and airy feeling in here and throughout the home. We will begin by painting this paneling, though I know SOME of you are groaning, right?! If you’ve ever seen a bad job of painted paneling, you know it’s crucial to do it right, and that includes quality paint as well as plenty of prep. Please also consider that “white” to a designer is not one color; I looked at many whites to choose the one that would work here (to be revealed!) All colors have undertones, white included; if your undertone is too red, the walls will appear pink in the shadows; if too blue, it will appear gray/violet in the shadows, and I bet you can guess what happens if the undertone is too yellow!

I will share much more about the plans soon, but just know that putting the light color on the walls meant putting a darker color on the floor, for balance and warmth. We will be using a hickory wood floor, thereby reversing the color balance from what exists now. I think you’ll agree how much better that feels, when you finally get to see the finished room! Now, here are a few more “before” pictures so you’ll have an idea where this project begins:

Kitchen/Breakfast room, leading to the Game Room

Original flourescent lights with WAY too much LED power now!

Dining Room, with original bordered carpet

Master Bath, super large mirrored closet doors removed

How lucky am I to have the opportunity to work on such a beautiful home with “great bones”? This project is a total delight, not to mention that I’m doing it for dear friends! Speaking of…they wisely rented an AirBnB for a couple of months to give us the house: living through remodeling is possible, but it does slow things down on the contractor’s end. It’s dusty and uncomfortable for homeowners, but mostly it’s difficult: when ALL of the floors are going to be changed, and ALL of the rooms and closets are going to be painted, one almost has to move out, or at least most all of their things out! Now you know why I have “before” pictures without their furniture; I do have pictures I took months back when planning began, but I’d rather show you the blank slate look now.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this FIRST LOOK! Look for my next post featuring the destructive phase, or DEMO! We filled up 2 dump truck loads last week, and begin framing new walls in the bath, kitchen and bedroom closets this week. Stay tuned, and thanks for following along!

50's House in the Woods

We are “down to the studs”!

Posted on June 19, 2022 by nancychapmon

If you watch HGTV reno shows, or have personally been around home remodelers, you have probably heard the term “down to the studs”! Today I’ll show you pictures of just what that LOOKS like, as we see the result of the deconstruction of the 50’s House in the Woods!

I think of these as the “before” pictures, but really this stage comes after “before” and before “after”….so I’ll show you some before and….hmmm, “between”?!

Since the kitchen is always truly the heart of the home, let’s start here: the original 4 x 4 yellow tile was in good shape in many places, but the specialty border pieces around the sink were hopelessly broken, with parts missing. The cabinets were built on-site, unlike today’s block-built cabinets, so saving any for reuse was impossible. While the kitchen was a good size for when it was built, there was unfortunately TOO much room between the work area, but no chance to add an island as that’s a major walk-space (and it would have been too narrow) You’ll see that we add an island in the redo, by pushing the cooktop wall back a few feet – just a hint for later! Now a few pics…

Now a look at the “pink” bathroom, before, during demo and DOWN TO THE STUDS!

In this bathroom, we will be pushing both walls back a bit; on one side, the purpose is to gain some space, of course, but also to line up doors in the hallway, which I’ll pop in a picture of shortly…the windows in that bathroom and the adjoining bedroom (which becomes CLOSETS!) will also be moved/changed, causing all kinds of trouble for the framers! But as you’ll see, it will be worth it both functionally and aesthetically.

And here is the 50’s master bath – the green bathroom. I always find it interesting that the builders did not prioritize square footage in the master bath until sometime in the late 80’s. Now we tend to make huge master baths and closets, as we will be doing with our addition onto the back of this house. This actual spot will be one of the walk-in closets soon…oh, when you see the “down to the studs” photo below, the space includes the entire master closet as well – it’s on the right side of the photo!

When remodeling, you just never know what you’ll find! This time we all saw a “first”. In this green bath, all of the tile was installed with CONCRETE instead of the normal tile mortar; the pink bath was a typical installation, so we have no idea why the master was done differently. As you can imagine, it was a bear to demo! (poor guys!) I have a closeup showing the concrete behind the tile – and this was the whole tub, shower and walls!

At this point, it might be fun to help you visualize our master bed/bath addition, so I’m going to show you the outside photo again. You’ll see where we’ve removed the brick to make way for the new wing that extends outwards. That room extends from this bathroom and bedroom, on the back of the house:

So now you’ve had a peek at the inside of the 50’s house in the woods…just a bit about our plans, which you’ll see happening soon: we are adding 700 sq ft, which consists of a master bedroom and bath, and a music/sunroom. There will be a screened porch off the master and a deck under roof off the kitchen/mudroom. All of the aforementioned are NEW construction.

Inside, the major wall in the kitchen is being removed, with the lower cabinets being pushed back a couple of feet; the removal of this supporting wall necessitates adding a steel or laminated beam in the attic above both the kitchen and den, to lend support to the whole roof structure. Speaking of roof structure, the roof on this house has an extremely LOW pitch, which is why we had to tear out ceilings in the main rooms. The idea was to give attic access to the electricians, who will be rewiring everything. It was then we discovered that the pitch was only 14″ at the HIGHEST point! Because of this, the decision was made to ‘fix it while we’re at it’….meaning, we will not only remove the roof shingles to make way for a new roof, but we will demo the entire roof framing so it can be reframed with a higher pitch and restyled to take in the additions. Now, I doubt if we’re the first to EVER try this tricky operation, but let’s just say it is not done often! The timing will have to be perfect, to coordinate the removal, reframing, and reroofing to get the house back “in the dry”. Stay tuned…

Lastly, all surfaces will be upgraded and rooms made more useful. In the hall, doors and room entrances were a bit offset, which is hard to show in a picture, though I’ll try; I’m going to line everything up so the bathroom door is centered on the hall, and all doors off the hall are uniform. The newly-aligned doors will be a major design statement as well, as they are going to be 5-panel (horizontal) hickory doors. Here’s the hall now:

Here is the type of door we’ll be using throughout, though some will be painted. The hall doors will all be stained hickory.

With that, I’ll leave you for this time; we are waiting on the guys to do the new pier and beam foundation, which we hope will be in the next couple of weeks, then everything will start moving quickly on this project. Thanks for following along, friends!

Demo!, Design Tips Included!

Meet the “50’s House in the Woods”!

Posted on June 12, 2022 by nancychapmon

Hello again! I took 3 years off to move to Colorado and “do life” with my daughters, Kiki & Lynzee, but alas, Texas called me back and here I am, in my hometown of Greenville, and jumping right back into real estate & remodeling!

I pretty much love ‘ALL things houses’, so both matching them up with new owners and giving old ones new life are my passions. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to do what I love so much….and right now I am blessed with 2 very exciting remodeling projects right here in Greenville! Today I’d like to introduce you to the one I’m calling the “50’s House in the Woods”…

50’s House in the Woods ~ after interior/exterior demo

This house sits in a small neighborhood of mostly mid-century modern homes constructed in the 1950’s and early 60’s. As a child, Oak Village was one of our favorite destinations when driving around looking at Christmas lights! There is one house in the bend of this dead-end street that looks EXACTLY the same as it did when I was growing up! Most of the others have been updated, several paying close attention to the MCM architecture. Now it’s time to give this home with ‘excellent bones’ a new lease on life!

This house is the classic late 50’s ranch, but with a forward-thinking layout. Clearly built as a custom home, it has so many elements that were “the best” at the time….however, progress and innovations in home design can lend a hand to make it much more livable today. So….here we go!

Today I’m going to highlight demo and prep work to the EXTERIOR of the home only (next time I’ll show you what it means to go “down to the studs” inside!)

We tend to think of “demo” as only interior, but this house is truly getting a complete reset, so the outside is just as important. The 50’s bricks were originally pink, as you may have seen on other homes of that era. While I’d love to design around the original brick color, the house has been painted at least once – so it will get a new coat of paint once the bricks are thoroughly power-washed. We are also adding 700 sq ft to the rear of the home, so we will want the new siding color to match the brick color.

50’s pink brick showing around old garden

For a peek at the original pink brick, just follow the arrow; you can see they painted around existing gardens before – which is why we are now removing all vegetation and the built-in planter around the foundation – a few “before” pics follow…

Poison oak and ivy had prevented maintenance on the east side for some time, so a brave and very professional landscape crew cleaned it all out and put down black landscape cloth covered with mulch to kill off the roots and keep the area clear while windows are changed/moved and the house eventually painted. New landscape is in the future for this newly-lovely area!

In the back, there was an old pin oak tree right in the way of the new master bedroom/bath addition, so it had to go (no easy task!). Speedy Tree Services lived up to it’s name, however, removing ALL traces of the tree and surrounding vegetation in one long day’s work, complete with an impressive array of heavy equipment! See before and after pics, plus the further step of having removed the bricks from the section that lived behind the tree, but will soon be attached to the new wing;

The semi-circular back steps were so nice, but the door they fronted will be removed to make way for the new music room, so they had to go too. Breaking up concrete seems impossible to me, but here you see, it’s done!

Not only did the guys remove the bricks, but they stacked them neatly for reuse. Several windows will be moved in this remodel, so we will need original brick to replace the spots where old windows were. Here you can really see the original pink of the 50’s brick!

I’m going to leave you today with a view of the backyard of this home; surrounded by mature oak trees which extend to several acres behind it, this whole area has a park-like quality which will only improve over the next few months. It’s a beautiful, peaceful place where one can hear birdsong all day, everyday. It’s lovely ~ it’s well worth the investment to update this home for another few decades of living well.

One last thing: my nickname for ranch-style homes used to be “long and low”. Having grown up in an old 2-story stucco house myself, I did not yet have an appreciation for ranch style, though I did think that’s where the ‘rich folks’ lived! Once I became a Realtor in Longview, however, I became very familiar with ranch style, the major style built there prior to the 90’s. I gained a new appreciation for these well-built homes during that time; they were often well-thought-out for family life, but not too large to be comfortable for just one or two. Though the floor plan is now “old school”, ranch style homes are relatively easy to update.

I hope you’ll follow along as we update this one; I can promise you it will be spectacular!

Nancy Chapmon, Real Estate Broker/Interior Designer

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