In between other construction jobs Eric had, we started renovating the kitchen and laundry room in January 2020. Since the original cabinets are custom-built of solid wood, we kept them and refinished them. We installed all new appliances and a farmhouse sink. We altered the kitchen layout slightly and added another sink. We laid a new floor. We repainted the kitchen, laundry room, and dining room, with new trim on all the new windows.
Before – Looking from the dining room into the kitchen. Eric was talking to the previous owner.After – Looking from the dining room into the kitchen. Dennis working on installing the new cabinets.
And another “After” picture from the dining room into the kitchenAnother “After” picture of the dining room. Added lots of ceiling lights. We want it to be nice and bright.
Before: Looking into the dining room from the kitchen. The counter on the right is now a sink and counter. The stove was moved to the outside wall and vented.Before: Laundry room right off the kitchenAfter: Dennis Griswold, a local man the Deans grew up with, has worked with Eric for the last 20 years. He took this jelly cabinet home to his workshop, refurbished it and added some doors to it. On the left, you can see the new sink where there was just a counter. A dishwasher and a refrigerator will be going there, too. The shelving was changed above it, as well. You can see the renewed laundry room on the right.
Before: Jelly cabinet and part of kitchen before renovations
After: Jelly cabinet and part of kitchen after renovations.
Before: Kitchen sink and shelves before renovations
After (well, more like During): New farmhouse kitchen sink and range hood in place of the shelves
After: Cabinets refinished, range hood all finished, and walls repainted.
Before: The long counter on the edge of the kitchen by the mudroom
After: New floor, new window and trim, refinished cabinets, new wall finish
After: Kitchen corner with new floor, new sink, new windows and trim, refinished cabinets, walls repainted
After: Kitchen, looking towards mudroom and laundry room
We also ripped out an old bathroom and framed a hallway through it instead. The new hallway will be going to the addition. Then we removed all the old insulation from the attic – what a dirty and tiresome job!
Eric pulled the old insulation out while laying down, in order to reach it in the narrowest part of the attic. He passed it back to the other guys working with him. You can see how dirty his mask got – glad he was wearing it! He had a sore chest for days afterwards.
The old insulation needed to be removed, so we could better access the electrical, plumbing and fire sprinkler system.We widened this hallway, plus made a new hallway to the addition, where an old bathroom was. This is the only corner you will see Eric cut.
When we ripped out the old bathroom, we removed this cast iron bathtub out the window. It was in perfect shape, so we repurposed it as a sheep water trough in the pasture. The deer make use of it, too. The overflow from the new well fills it constantly.
We had a difficult time figuring out the fire sprinkler system that we are required to install. It is a unique situation in that the residence is considered residential, but fire sprinkler systems are usually for commercial use. We had a very hard time finding someone to design the system for us. No one would take it on, because they had not designed such a system before. So, we did a lot of research ourselves and figured out basically how it should work. Once we understood it, we could explain it to the engineers, so then we finally found a guy who would design it for us and get us a stamped plan. Then, we had a challenge getting the supplies for the system. The manufacturer of the equipment we needed to use is very proprietary. They only allow their own licensed installers to even buy the supplies! Through some networking, we eventually were able to purchase all the parts we needed. It was a frustrating journey and a big roadblock for many months, so we are glad to have that behind us.
John Hicks, a local licensed plumber, installed the fire sprinkler system for us. You can see part of the intricate system at the right.
We are installing a speaker system throughout the entire residence. We got the idea from visiting the other facilities, Redbud Canyon and Pecan Grove. One of our friends in Pennsylvania, Greg Kilgas, helped us figure out and order what we needed.
Living room ceiling, with dining room at far end through the doorway, with speakers, ceiling lights (lots of them because we like it bright!), and fire sprinklers. Ceiling fans will also be installed. The ceilings are a busy place!
In June 2020, our Uncle Ken and Auntie Ann West came to visit us. They helped us around our place, running the tractor, working in the garden, and picking raspberries, to name a few things. Uncle Ken helped do some work at the residence, and Auntie Ann helped with many projects at our home. We had a lot of fun together.
Uncle Ken feeding the sheep, while Auntie Ann waits for her turn on the tractor.
I believe Auntie Ann did these donuts in the driveway before heading off to help Eric. See, she is on the tractor below the driveway.
A little rain wasn’t going to stop Auntie Ann from helping Eric in the garden. She brought along her own roof.
Uncle Ken and Auntie Ann picking raspberries in our patch.
Fresh raspberries from our patch. Auntie Ann also picked and arranged the wildflowers.
