Remember, the purpose of my blog is not only to share with friends and family but to also document life in a way I can remember the details. The details give life color and flavor. I don't want forget any of it.
And, so we begin with my planning process.
The proof of the pudding may be in the eating, but isn’t the satisfaction in the making and the anticipation? I think the same can be said for this project.
The planning and preparation was sometimes more joyful and creative than even the end result. It was the hard part, sometimes the messy and difficult part, but that is what made the process fulfilling.
The wall and sliding doors in the office were covered with my work orders. I did not take any of them down until that specific portion of the work was complete. |
During the remodeling process I worked with over 30 tradesmen. It did not take me long to realize I had to be REALLY, REALLY organized. |
It often seems like it has taken an extremely long time to complete. However we did not start the interior until January 9. Every painter, electrician and plumber was 100% booked from August through December finishing work for all the snow birds (retirees) that come to Florida in the winter. We could not start on the interior for four months after buying the house.
We decided to go forward on the landscaping and exterior first while we waited on the other tradesmen for the interior!
Here is the first photo taken on the day we purchased our home. |
After the major landscaping was done on the outside and the paint had been applied the house looks so so so so so much better than the original “Floridian Coral.”
Here are the before and after shots. Palms were removed or replaced and stumps ground out of the yard. However the best part is the new color.
BEFORE |
AFTER |
LW even enjoyed playing with the concrete forms. |
"Oma, let me do that!" |
After the concrete cured, the texture was applied. |
Painting the exterior did not take long, but there were times when I just couldn't watch because the painters had to go up so high.
Even the driveway columns have a new color and new numbers. Granddaughter MVL helped Hubby D install the numbers. |
We spent a lot of time on the front of the house, however the back was just important. The back of the house faces the tee box for the 6th hole of the Classic course of the Suntree Golf and Country Club. It is like having two front yards.
As we added the palms we also dug out a bed for shrubs all the way across the back of the pool enclosure. |
BEFORE -- Here is how the house looked from the golf course. It was rather plain. |
AFTER - the palms will take a couple of years to become stately, but it is an improvement from before. |
Finally we are done with the front and back yards -- new paint on everything and great landscaping. Now we were ready to start on the living spaces. What fun!!!
Cheers, Brenda