Cold Hard Facts

How about some facts, folks?


The original houses (remember, there are two) we purchased were built in 1900. The houses each had two floors which meant we were limited to two floors as well (in order to get the historical tax credit (more on that another day)). We could have dug out a basement I suppose but, it wasn't in our budget.  Sorry H, no "man cave" for you.  


Buying the "shell" and having the opportunity to "renovate" (knock down almost entirely and build a new) we had the luxury to pick and choose the layout for our new house. Two large bedroom suites? Three bedrooms with one suite? Four smaller bedrooms? Decisions, decisions.  In the end, we decided on the three bedroom, two and a half bath option. We will have two guest bedrooms (taking reservations now) and a master suite. The master suite will have a large bathroom with a walk-in shower and an extra large walk-in closet. The later being the part of this project that H has become (oddly) obsessed with.


THE BASICS
On the first: garage, mud room, half bath, living room, kitchen, dining room and office (or breakfast nook).

On the second: guest bedroom (1), guest bedroom (2), full bathroom, laundry room, master suite, internal rooftop access. 

COLD HARD FACTS 
Year built: 1900 (technically the front wall is 112 years old, wowza!)
Square footage (approx): 2100 total, 1875 living
Width: 24'
Length: 42' (ish)
Levels: 2
Bed: 3
Bath: 2.5
Deck: 1 
Patio: 1
Garage: 1 car 
Estimated Date of Completion: August 1, 2012


It's a bit difficult to find a picture that correlates with this post and I'd hate to leave you without a something pretty to look at. So, here you go.


These pictures were taken yesterday just a block from our new spot.  Loving our colorful neighbors and especially that house wayyyy down at the end of the block...  

This last picture is dedicated to my Dad and the rest of my Pittsburgh family and friends. (xo) Here we go Steelers, here we go! (clap, clap)

Groundwork

Week 4: The ground our house will soon be perched on has officially been prepped. The site was graded/leveled and the pluming groundwork put in place (notice the shiny white pipes).

 

The water service from meter in the sidewalk to the inside of the house was replaced. The plumbing for the inside of the house is new as well (obviously).

There are actually two separate pipe systems shown above. The main plumbing for the house is running deeper than the long piping in the foreground. The piping situated above will travel through under the house carrying rain water from the rear patio and from the stairs leading to the rooftop deck. This is done so we don't have flooding in the house from those two outdoor areas. Isn't that cleaver? The pipe is carried all the way through the sidewalk and into the street which will then run away from our house.  

Mr. Contractor's crew also began digging out the footers for the rear wall. Sadly, we couldn't get back there to take pictures of that.  Just breaks your heart I imagine. Not being able to see a hole in the ground and all.  

To make it up to you here is a picture of H taking a peek through our future living room window.

Please notice two things in the above picture. First, H does in fact have all 10 fingers even though it may look like he lost a pinky somewhere along the line (yes, I am even counting the crooked one). Second, the bottom right corner of the pic shows a nice pile o' bricks. Here is an upclose and more Instagram-y view.  (see more of those to the left)

Ain't it pretty? 

Defining the Obvious

Howdy: An informal friendly greeting, short for "hello, how do you do?", particularly associated with the Western states. 
"Howdy pardner"


Hon: An abbreviation for 'honey', most often meant as a term of endearment, frequently used by Baltimorons. 
"Hey hon"


Howdy Hon: The story of a western gal with a friendly disposition adapting to the eccentricities of the city she will soon call her home.  

Cowgirl                   Hon

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (Part Three)

Here we are, three weeks in and almost all caught up. Mr. Contractor sent me a few updated photos a couple of days ago. These are from the "inside" of the "shell" facing the front wall and street.

South wall.  (Can you spot the "ghetto bird"?)

North wall.

Facing East.

Over the weekend, our realtor-turned friend (my favorite person in Baltimore -seriously), was in the neighborhood and took a few more pictures for us.  

From the front.

Street view.

(Mind you this was on a Saturday morning). I am sure our neighbors LOVE us right about now!

Demolition phase: completed.  This week the groundwork and grading will be done for the site.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (Part Two)

By week two, the roof, the second floor, and the rear wall had been completely demolished. 

This is what things were looking like at that point.

Inside view.

Still trying to figure out what that sign on the garage door says (Matty)?  Well, one small detail about this lil project of ours that I have not mentioned is that we actually purchased TWO "shells" which, we are converting into one (awesome) house.  The sign is a notice offering up the opportunity to protest the consolidation of said property.  


Here it is up close. 

I presume no one showed up to object.  But, in case they did (and we just don't know about it yet) that may mean H and I will each have our own house side-by-side. 


Hmmm maybe I should've called out sick last December 6th...

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes (Part One)

It is time to get you up to speed.

Three short weeks ago, on a Thursday evening, we became proud owners our "shell".

Early the next morning Mr. Contractor was at the house beginning the renovation.

That Saturday, H and I walked by to see the house that was now "officially" ours.  

We found a couple of Mr. C's crew tearing down what was left of the roof.  The massive pile of debris was already taller than I am. Wahoo!  

So, less than 48 hours after our purchase and on a weekend day the demolition was well underway. Case in point as to why we know Mr. C is the best!  

The next weekend H's family was in town for Easter and they were dying to see our new house errr "shell".  So, we took the quick 45 minute drive up to Baltimore.  On the way to our new neighborhood we decided to take the scenic route through the city (the particular thoroughfare we chose is heavily populated with strip clubs and section 8 housing, (must be why they call it "Charm City"!)). I am sure they were impressed thus far.


As we guided the preppy group down the street to show off our new digs we discovered something wonderful had happened. The formstone* had been removed and the existing brick was in the process of being cleaned and repointed. 
Here's to not wasting any time!  


Look how dramatic the change is after just one week.

Here's a side by side comparrison. 

What do you think? Would YOU have opted to keep the formstone?


*Formstone information coming soon!

How did we get here?

I wish that we could say we are moving to Baltimore because we have a strong family history there, we are crazy about their athletic teams, or because it has such a wonderful reputation.

But, none of those things are true.  Actually, they are very far from the truth. 

The reason we decided to move to "Charm City" is because Hadyn works there.  There is also a strong community of young professionals for us to befriend.  Long commutes from our "stop-through" place, Annapolis, Maryland, are wearing and the lifestyle here has been a difficult adjustment for us.  So, instead of complaining about the amount of cars on the roads the rarity of smiles on peoples faces and the lack of all things GREEN, and just move back to Wyoming; we decided to go with a new approach.  We will move to a concrete jungle which, last year was ranked by the FBI as the 8th most dangerous city in the United States.  Hmmm, good idea?  Not so sure just yet but, we're going with it.  

We decided to buy because, hey, it is a buyers market after all, and interest rates are pretty low. 

But, why on earth buy a house that looks like this?

We (I) searched steadily for the past year for a house that would work for us (me).  (I am just a wee bit more particular than H is.)  We tried to buy two houses that had already been renovated that looked a little more like this.

For one reason or another they didn't work out for us. However, they both had one big thing in common. The contractor.  His work, in my opinion, is above and beyond what I have been seeing over the past year. He knew that we loved his work and introduced us to the little "shell" that we now own, with the promise that he will produce a home that meets our (my) standards.  

Good luck with that Mr. Contractor.

Begin at the Beginning

Many of life's most important lessons are first introduced to us through our children's books. As in Lewis Carroll's, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the wise King said, 'Begin at the beginning,' 'and go on until you come to the end: then stop.'  So, I shall do just that.

Here are the basics:

My name is Samantha.  Sometimes known as Sam, Sami (please stop), Livie, Liv, Slam, Spamelot, Skittles (please don't ask) and when I was very young, FlimFlamSam. 

Seven years ago I was blessed with a beautiful labrador puppy.  Her name is Maui (MauMau, Mauzers, Mauikinz, Miss Mau).  She has the most playful disposition and silkiest fur, is wonderfully obedient and undyingly loyal.  

Six years ago I met my (now) husband.  He is a southern (sometimes) gentleman.  As a former ski bum turned financial business man he is a multifaceted person, with a terrific sense of humor and a hippie soul. His name is Hadyn (Barley, Barls, H). 

I was born and raised in paradise; Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to be exact. I am currently on a 'stop-thru' on my way to moving to Baltimore, Maryland, with my little family.

So, in short Maui and I are from here.

(image: http://www.globeimages.net/img7842.search.htm)

The three of us will be moving here.  

http://www.elledecor.com/image/tid/5473?page=15&pause=1

More specifically, here.

Let the adventure begin.