The Big Reveal

July 11, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a comment

After only four weeks of construction, our backyard has been completed. Kevin has spent many long nights working away to get the patio finished. My dad and his guys have been spent almost every day digging, irrigating, and planting. We are so grateful for the help we have received.

To say we cut it close is an understatement. The finishing touches were completed at 2am the day of Parker’s first birthday. Bishop’s Painting painted and stained the patio cover on Friday and ended around 6pm. Then Kevin hung the ceiling fan and pendant lights. Then we cleaned and began setting tables out for the big party. Phew! We did it!

Plants being installed!

Vegetable Garden with tomatoes, basil, chives, peppers, strawberries, cilantro, limes, avocado… this paint job was fixed after the ceiling was stained.

Raw wood ship lap ceiling, prior to stain (EAST SIDE).

Raw wood ship lap ceiling, prior to stain (WEST SIDE).

Oh no! Something we encountered when spraying the stain was this very splotchy, uneven finish. It took 3 coats to even it out and make it presentable. But believe me… I was worried.

Taken the next day during with the sun out... You can see how the stain evened out.

Much to my relief, the stain soaked in and evened out. This photo was taken the next day with natural light.

What a transformation! (LOOKING FROM THE GARAGE)

LOOKING FROM NORTHWEST CORNER

LOOKING FROM SOUTHEAST CORNER

Welcome to Parker’s First Birthday party (/backyard reveal party)!

Over 50 people attended this 1st birthday bash! The yard functioned perfectly and proved to be the perfect place to entertain.

Over 50 people attended this 1st birthday bash! The yard functioned perfectly and proved to be a wonderful place to entertain.

The kids loved the new sod!

Thanks to Kayla for her help party planning!

Hurray! I have a brand new backyard to play in!

Patio Lights

July 6, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a comment

Barn Light Inspiration

After looking all over the internet for cool patio pendants I finally landed on farm light fixtures. I searched high and low for online retailers and found plenty of good options, however my expensive taste kept getting in the way. I decided to get crafty and spruce up some chrome lights I found at Lowes. Adding the Edison bulbs from Ace Hardware pulled the entire look together.

$28 per light!

How about barn yard red?

Took all of 30 minutes to spray paint our four patio pendants.

I love how the red pops with the white trim!

Backyard Makeover – Part 6

July 4, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a comment

There are a few ways to guarantee rain. 1. Wash your car. 2. Start Roofing. Although drought-stricken California enjoyed a few sprinkles this week, our roofing project did not suffer. Kevin finished the ship lap sheeting and began laying the shingles the next day. He worked around the clock in the heat to get it done in two days. He was pleased with how relatively fast it went with the new nail gun he purchased. Funny… it seems like we acquire a new tool for every new project we begin…

While the roof was being completed the sod was installed and the sand box was constructed. It is so exciting to see the progress we are making each day!

Shade!

Sod being laid!

Sandbox constructed, just needs sand!

Finally Covered!

Shingles going up!

We were so excited the shingles were done we couldn’t hold the camera steady.

Ridge cap installed. Kevin is a proud handy man!

Backyard Makeover – Part 5

June 29, 2015August 20, 2015Leave a comment

Kevin has spent many nights this week framing the new patio cover. Thanks to our brother in law Dan, Kevin’s brother Jason, and our friend Jake for their help.

The patio cover is much taller than I expected but I am pleasantly surprised. I think it will make a grand statement and I cannot wait to begin picking out lighting and other patio furniture decor.

Lumberjacks, Kevin & Dan. Placing the first supporting beam up.

Getting the center ridge of the roof in place.

Framing begins on the roof.

Support cross beams in place.

Look at the size of this thing!

Framing completed.

My hero 🙂

Where’s Waldo? Up on the roof… in 100 degree heat…

Shiplap roofing being installed…

I’m Pregnant!

November 13, 2013August 20, 2015Leave a comment

Well in the midst of this crazy home renovation, I found out I’m pregnant! We are so excited. It’s a good thing we found out before we finished the extra bedroom. Looks like we will need to begin creating a nursery. 🙂 Guess this means I won’t have to do as much painting 😉 Phew!

Day 24 | New Lighting

October 23, 2013February 24, 2017Leave a comment

Day 24

Kevin was at home again today studying for his test. At lunch we went to Lamps Plus in Upland and picked out the lights for our front porch (HERE) and our bedroom (HERE). Kevin installed our bedroom light when he got home. I realized I have a thing for edison bulbs…

PRODUCTS USED

Bedroom Light

Porch Light

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Edison Bulbs

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Day 12 | It Continues…

October 11, 2013February 25, 2017Leave a comment

Day 12

NOTE: ALL of our work takes place after our 9-5 jobs… which means LATE nights and little sleep. Thank you to my mom and dad for coming over during the day and getting things done while we are at work!

Today we caulked all of the moldings and windows in our bedroom, primed all of the walls and ceilings (because the wild colors didn’t stop at the walls), framed the doors with new molding to match the rest of the house, and ripped up more sub floor in the living room.

HELPERS: Mom & Dad U., Caleb

Day 5 | Goodbye Kitchen Walls

October 4, 2013February 24, 2017Leave a comment

Day 5

Say goodbye to the rest of the kitchen cabinets and the walls between the kitchen and dining room and mudroom. We are going for an open concept. The boys found an old water softener hidden behind the walls!