The Renovations...

It's time for our third renovation of this very special place. The first began in 1981 when we moved from Montgomery to Tuscaloosa (where Joel began his second career after retiring from the AF.) We searched all over for just the right house and were drawn to an older community that surrounded a lake and was convenient to everything. But only one house on the lake for sale and it was too small and bright RED!  One day I was meandering around, pulled into the driveway (the house was unoccupied) and walked down around back, mostly to get a better look at the lake... turned to peek in the sliding glass door and was surprised to see a large unfinished basement which would double the size of the house! Long story short, we bought it and began a 3 month renovation which it sorely needed... turned the two bedrooms into four and added a studio to boot! And... it was a steal!

First Renovation, 1981... celebrating with candlelight dinner on a table saw...

Thought that after 21 years of military moves we'd finally settled in our 'forever home', but no, we sold it after five years and headed for our 15 years in the New Orleans area. A great job opportunity for Joel and an especially timely move for my budding art career. Then back to Birmingham and about five years ago, discovered the old house was on the market and, well... it was a steal! And we still owned the empty lot next door which gave even more lake frontage.

Second Renovation, 2006 - opening up the kitchen, brown paneling has been painted...

 So the second renovation began... this time not so much for ourselves, but to entertain bunches of grandkids with emphasis on openness and plenty of sleeping space. Joel and I did it ourselves this time. Nothing fancy, rough around the edges but fun fixing up with thrift shop goodies and such... and lots and lots of Oops! paint from Home Depot!

Now, after great fun as a vacation/camp place, it's time to plan for the next phase. The g-kids are busy growing up, the ski boat bit the dust and only a couple of kayaks, an old paddle boat that spiders love and a sad remnant of a sail boat remain.We have our memories and you can't beat the view for the price! Did I mention it was a steal?

So... I now begin a photo journal of our third renovation. I don't know that we would have been in such a hurry to get this going except that the roof leaked badly and began causing damage to ceiling and floor. It had to be fixed. Insurance would not cover the roof for several reasons but would cover interior damage... so to get the full amount, we needed to get the place fixed!

We opted for a metal roof and are looking forward to noticing heat reflecting instead of beating through this summer. We shall see...

Third Renovation, 2012, begins...

So far, the ceiling has been painted... it's all an off white, no more brown beams. Also dark blue wallpaper in kitchen entry has been stripped. Floors will be last, a complete kitchen redo is next and the steep stair$ to the lower level will be rede$igned.

Stay tuned! Kitchen is scheduled to be demolished in a few days!