FINAL WEEK....

open kitchen with quartz counter tops

One more week and 5528 West Wilson should be complete and on market.  The process of completing the final items always seem to take longer than expected but we are very close to being finished.  The kitchen cabinets and quartz counter tops are in.  There will be a butcherblock counter installed at the island.  Some custom open shelving was built for the kitchen walls to create additional storage.  A few more lighting and plumbing fixtures will be installed to complete the kitchen.  Located in the middle of the first floor, adjacent to the dining room, office and family room,  the kitchen provides a great central location for all household activities. 

kitchen open wall shelving

Second floor bedrooms and the basement have carpet.  Bathroom tile is complete and vanities and accessories are installed.  Trim work and all mouldings have been installed and painted.  Final bath accessories and the glass shower door are to be installed this week. 

master bath shower stall

Exterior siding and trim is 75% done with the front gable sections remaining to be completed. Front and rear glass entry doors are installed.  The side entry will get painted and receive a new aluminum standing seam roof.  

side entry deck

Although the house has received a complete modern renovation we have kept a few items which were original to the house.  The living room stained glass window will remain a focal point above the decorative brick fireplace.  Open shelving was rebuilt at the fireplace and a wood mantle will be installed across the top.  The 100 year old mosaic entry tile was in fantastic condition so this will be cleaned and sealed with no additional work needed. 

living room decorative fireplace with built-in shelving

original fireplace after demolition

Staging furniture and accessories have been delivered and I'll spend this week doing the final styling so the house is ready for photos.  This is the last and in my mind, one of the most exciting phases of work for any renovation project.  Hopefully by this weekend this work will be done. 


                     Check back for the 5528 West Wilson Renovation final update and photos.   

                                                         H A P P Y   H O L I D A Y S 

WILSON BUNGALOW NEARING COMPLETION...

the sunny south facing living room

The drywall phase is finished and the painting is nearing completion.  We are fast approaching the most exciting  and fun part of the project when the spaces start to near completion.  The floor layouts have really come together well and its encouraging to see the finished materials going in and final details being constructed. 

front entry and new stairway

 

front yard excavation for new water service

We installed a new 1 1/2" water service to the house.....the excavation created quite a mess in the front yard....the new lines were inspected and the trench was back-filled.....then the yard was leveled and completed with new sod. 

front elevation with new windows

Thirty-four new windows have been installed flooding the interior with a huge amount of natural light.  Gates have been hung at the two, front cedar fences.  The rear deck and stair is complete.  Exterior siding and trim will be done next.

rear deck and railing

front cedar fence with gate

The bamboo floors and stairs will be in by the end of the week.  Bathrooms are getting tile and trim work. The interior doors are being hung.  Flat panel maple cabinets and white corian countertops will go in next week.  


Our 5 bedroom / 4 bathroom Portage Park / Jefferson Park renovation is nearing completion and will hit the MLS shortly......stay tuned. 
   
                                         H A P P Y   T H A N K S G I V I N G


 

READY FOR DRYWALL....

MEP
Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing rough-in work and piping is complete. We have received the city inspections and approvals.  Insulation will be completed this week and dry wall will be stocked at the building. Windows will be installed next week. The hanging and taping of drywall will begin next week.  Once complete, the interior spaces will really take shape.  Two of the second floor bedrooms have volume type ceilings with 12 foot plus heights and large double hung windows. 

master bedroom ceiling with hvac ductwork

second floor laundry room plumbing

EXTERIOR
In addition to the interior work, we have been busy working on the exterior.  For the west side yard we have constructed a smaller version of our "signature cedar fence" to signify the main entrance and create an enclosed yard.  A portion of the fence has been continued on the east side of the house extending to the neighbors house.  A cedar swing gate will be hung in the center of the fence.  Matching cedar planter boxes will be positioned at the front of the house.

wood fence and poured concrete side walks with offset for new entry deck

New landscaping consisting a yellow ginkgo tree along with various shrubs and grasses have been planted in the front yard.  The new concrete side walks are poured from the front yard to the alley and will be surrounded with small river rock. 

front yard landscaping

ginkgo, boxwoods, rhododendron, grasses and cypress shrubs

cedar planter boxes to be installed at the front of the house

MARKETING
The site sign has been designed and will get installed in the yard next week. 

project site sign

  
We are getting close to finishing up this project and are pushing to meet our Fall completion.

PROJECT FRAMING FINISHED

 

interior  of first floor at kitchen area

The past few weeks have been spent on the new framing of walls, floors and roof structures.   This phase of work is now complete for each of the three floors.  Only a  few walls were added back on the first floor to create an office / bedroom and the rear mudroom.  In order to open up the first floor, we installed engineered lumber beams and a few columns which then allowed us to remove most of the load-bearing walls.
  

first floor at dining room looking south to kitchen and  living room

The majority of the time was spent in framing the new second floor.  A completely new floor system was added, with new exterior side walls, interior walls and a new roof system.  By removing the existing front gable roof and constructing the new higher pitched gable roof (12/12)  this created a much higher volume of space for the front bedroom.  The new second floor covers the majority of the long first floor footprint with room for a master bedroom suite, three additional bedrooms, second bathroom, laundry room and a furnace area.  

 

 

high front gable roof

With the new framing now complete, the  sub-contractors for the plumbing, electrical and hvac systems have started to do their rough piping work.  About two weeks will be required for this work to be completed.  City inspections will follow and then insulation and drywall. 

A new water service will be installed and then we will start on the exterior landscaping and fences.  The side entrance will be maintained but a new cedar fence, entry gate and concrete walkway will be added to define and distinguish the side yard.  

 More updates soon.....hoping for a Fall completion.  

PORTAGE PARK / JEFFERSON PARK RENOVATION

brick bungalow front elevation

Our current project is the renovation of a 1920 brick bungalow located in the Portage Park /  Jefferson Park neighborhood.  The home is a very solid brick structure situated on a 40 foot wide by 138 foot long lot.  Once again, we'll need to do extensive work to update the building and create a modern, open plan layout.   We'll maintain the original side entrance but will totally reconfigure the floor plan.  The new first floor layout will have a centrally located kitchen, a front living room, a bedroom / office, a dining room, family room, mudroom and bathroom.  This layout will be similar to our recent project at 5201 West Belle Plaine but this home will have even more  usable square footage.  We'll remove the attic level and construct a new second floor addition that will have a large master suite, three additional bedrooms, a bathroom, laundry room, closets and a furnace room.  The lower level will have a large recreation room, a bathroom and a workshop / utility room.  A new rear open deck will lead to the landscaped rear yard. 

front living room with walls stripped down to common brick

re-claimed wood from the attic walls to be used on numerous interior projects

attic floor ready for new addition

attic and roof removed

Demolition is in now complete with the exterior walls stripped down to the existing masonry. and the existing attic level and roof removed.   Most of the interior walls will be eliminated to create the modern, open layout.   A framing crew will start next week constructing the new second floor addition.  I'm finalizing the landscape plans which will include a wood fence on the west side and new entry deck.    



We're shooting for an early fall delivery date....stay tuned for the progress.