Home Renovation Archives – With the Barretts

Hildring House – the Tiniest Bath – Fini – Guest Post by Debra

Guest post by Debra showing off the changes to the tiniest bath at Hildring House – with lovely photos by the lovely Amber Shumake.

As promised, Debra is here with one of a couple of posts that she’ll do about the conclusion of the Hildring House Adventure – the re-do of the little bitty bath in Debra’s Domain. I’ll be throwing in some before shots for context – they’re easy to distinguish from Amber’s lovely after shots. As usual, when I just can’t resist chiming in, I’ll do so in italics.

We may have a new contender for the title of the tiniest bath at an upcoming project, but now, let’s just enjoy the lovely photographs from my wildly talented friend Amber Shumake.

The light fixture (@hudson valley) looks so great in here! I’m happy with the all-brass decision, but it’s always sad to leave the “finds” behind- gotta keep that warehouse full of things for future projects so I can move on peacefully 😊.

Hildring House Transformation – Before & After – Part 2

Part 2 of the amazing Hildring House transformation in before and after pictures.

Sorry that it has taken me so long to get around to continuing the before & after shots of the Hildring House transformation. Things have been pretty busy, what with Valentine’s Day and getting ready to move.

That’s right. Hildring House soon will have new owners and Debra and I will be off to a new remodeling adventure. For now, though, let’s keep looking at the changes that took place at Hildring House. Once again, unless otherwise noted, all of the “after” pictures are by the wonderful Trey Freeze.

Let’s start back in the dining/living/kitchen area.

Living, dining, kitchen before — Before.

See how isolated the kitchen was? And not just because of the wall. The dramatic change in flooring material segregated the spaces. The pass-through, while a pretty convenient idea, did nothing to help the flow.

Removing the wall, installing the bar/island, getting rid of the fluorescent light box, recessing the kitchen lighting and carrying the same, wonderful oil-rubbed wood flooring throughout all of the area – and painting everything white – made it miles more open, welcoming, and accommodating.

Dining on the (NEW!) Deck – A Hildring House Outdoor Adventure from Debra

outdoor sofa — Photo by Amber Shumake Creative

Welcome to my looooong overdue post about the deck. I’m not gonna lie, I thought this deck was overkill …. a lot of $$$ …. would it really add that much to the value of the house …. etc etc.

Luckily, it was Mr WTB’s turn to win and so onward we went with the OTT plan. (Dan here. Notice how when it’s my plan, it’s over the top? Just wait until the post about the new 35 square foot bath in Debra’s Domain!)

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

This is the listing photo— that pergola was quite wobbly, there was a large ‘step down’ from the house to the patio. Continue reading “Dining on the (NEW!) Deck – A Hildring House Outdoor Adventure from Debra”

The Littlest Bathroom Renovation – Hildring House – part 2

Renovation of the Littlest Bathroom in Hildring House

Hi! Dan here, kibitzing at the beginning of Debra’s post. As you know, (go here for the first inspiration post) the bath in Debra’s Domain was sorely in need of a re-do. Hence, we continue with the Hildring House littlest bathroom renovation. This is actually the second inspiration post. I may be chiming in (who am I kidding? Of course I’ll be chiming in!) in italics.

Just because it’s tiny doesn’t lessen the work load. For me, every decision feels even MORE important because there is no room for mistakes in 35 square feet!

I’ve spent some time (okay, LOTS of time) [days and days] looking at vanities. The easy (well, easier) part: size. Unless we moved walls, nothing bigger than 33 inches is going to fit. While I love the look of a console or pedestal sink in small spaces, I actually use this bathroom daily. Continue reading “The Littlest Bathroom Renovation – Hildring House – part 2”

Hildring House Bathroom Renovation: the Beginning

Bathroom Renovation: the Beginning

We are very lucky to have an abundance of bathrooms at Hildring House- one for the grandboys, one for the mister, one for me, and a powder for guests. The powder is pretty – I love it very much:

Powder Bath full view — Photo by Trey Freeze

We talked about it in a prior posts. (Dan kibitzing again – you can find that post here.) The master has a 1980’s makeover that is in need of an update. But it’s functional and, now that it’s been painted, tolerable. Now, however, in Debra’s Domain at Hildring House, it’s time for a full-on Bathroom Renovation: the Beginning.

The very small (35 square feet!) bath in Debra’s Domain is the next Hildring House project. I know, we never finished the last project..but that’s the way renovations go sometimes. The outdoor reveal will have to wait a while. So for now- onward with Bathroom Renovation: the Beginning.

Dreams and Inspiration

I am still in the planning phase – my hope is that a really good plan will eliminate most of the surprises and speed things along once we get started. So this post is all about the planning process. Let’s start with the dreams: Continue reading “Hildring House Bathroom Renovation: the Beginning”

A Small Closet Adventure With A Big Impact at Hildring House

Debra says: Some changes improve the look of your house. And some increase the value of your house. But some make your life better – every single day. This post is about one of the last kind: a small closet adventure with a big impact at Hildring House.

Before

You may remember that about a year ago, I mentioned that the mother-in-law suite at Hildring House would become Debra’s Domain (you can find that post here, if you’re interested – it’s really all about demo, so it’s pretty messy). Well, Debra’s Domain is a thing now. It has two closets – one big one that we “stole” from the garage, and one smaller one that was the only original closet in the space. (You can find that process in the middle of this post.)

Since we built the larger one pretty much from scratch, it’s pretty nice: well-organized, new fixtures, etc.

The smaller one was the problem.

See what I mean? Continue reading “A Small Closet Adventure With A Big Impact at Hildring House”