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!

LAKEVIEWS

SPRING... the azaleas you see here were planted over 25 years ago. Those in the foreground have been pruned back severely due to entanglement with wisteria and honeysuckle gone wild. They're off to a good rebound.

The next photo shows three boating options... we hope to add a couple of kayaks soon. The boathouse which we built soon after we first moved here is in remarkably good shape, though a bit of cosmetic touch up will be appreciated. All in good time...

LIVING ROOM - UPDATE

What are we going to do about that big brown post? Joel thinks we should paint it the wall color (antique white) but I don't know. Borrowed the two high directors chairs from my studio for the bar area... much more comfortable than the $17 stools from Ikea. I'll get new seat covers for them since these are covered with paint. The Living Room furniture are mostly from a big 75% off Pier One sale... made out like a bandit at garage sale prices.
The rug is from another steal... Joe's place in Little Rock. They're holding up really well and look good with the other bargains. Note our old chess table and chairs... also good for puzzles. The sculptured coffee table was brought out of storage, glad to be used again. Another source for unexpected bargains is the local Salvation Army Thrift Store, especially lots of wicker baskets which get painted to go with 'the decor'. This is fun, mostly because it's the looking ahead to when it can be a gathering place to be enjoyed by family and friends... and bargain basement shopping is always a good time!

BOATS

Our first boat was a second hand purchase in Kansas. I remember the loving care it was given it our little garage in Salina, cleaned and repainted to make us proud. Ski boats had been talked about from the beginning of our marriage and the one of the first words Joey spoke was "Boat!" as he pointed to passing boats being trailered down the highway. So it was with some excitement that we discovered there were lakes in Kansas when we transfered in 1963.

Our second ski boat, the Blue J, was like a member of the family for many years. We pulled it behind us through many states as we moved from base to base.

Then we added a little Sunflower sailboat. The kids were excellent swimmers and had fun sailing between skiing turns. So did we!

So much fun that when we returned to the lake house, we looked for a replacement... thank you eBay!

Then... a friend donated a 20 yr old Sunflower sailboat to the cause and it's in the process of being renovated... what's more fun than one sailboat? Two, of course!

A leaky old flat bottom jon-boat came with the lake house, and it recently was given the same loving care, patching and painting, and now ready to haul back to the lake, complete with new battery and trolling motor, since no gas motors are allowed on our lake.


We now have our third (and final) ski boat, stored at the same marina at the near by 'big lake' where we spent many fun hours skiing. The complimentary launching is a big plus! Look at that wake... just tubes, skis and kids needed.

Next? Mom wants a kayak... actually, she wants TWO!

LIVING ROOM - FIREPLACE

The original fireplace had to go, including the clock and 'hidden' storage compartments on both sides.
We replaced it with Old Chicago brick and turned the storage areas into alcoves and shelves which don't show up well in these photos.

The recent re-do includes removing the mantle to give a more streamlined look to the fireplace. Lots of discoloration to be dealt with but it's coming along. The brass fire screen be replaced, probably with matte black. The old blue grass cloth has been painted... no easy job.

KITCHEN

Taken in 1981, the first photo shows a dark paneled, closed in view of the kitchen from the breakfast room.
The second photo was taken at time of recent purchase. It shows how we'd opened it up a bit to include the breakfast room with the original renovation, painted the cabinets and put a creamy wallpaper on accent walls to blend with the cabinets. The darker blue wall paper was added but we will remove. We also changed the hinged door in left photo to two louvered doors which leads to the foyer.
The last photo shows that it's still a work-in-progress but we've dramatically opened the kitchen to the living area and exterior view. Notice that the oven has been moved next to the fridge to give unbroken counter space which will be trimmed with a wrap around bar counter.

The back (or living room) side of the kitchen wall before deconstruction. There's nothing to be done about the center post holding up the ceiling.

Same area, now open to the world!

MASTER BEDROOM

The house has two equal size bedrooms with baths upstairs but one includes a fireplace so we claimed it as the master bedroom. This room originally served as an office with two built in desks and shelving, all were salvaged for use in other rooms as we finished the lower level. The paneling in this room was not of the same high grade as in the living room so there was no question about painting it. The fireplace brick was also painted during the renovation process.

The only picture I can find of the room as it was during our first ownership features my very first "computer," a Texas Instrument/ TV arrangement located in the far left corner of the room next to the fireplace. The carpet and walls were soft shades of orange and the bedspread, drapes and cornices were all the same floral salmon colored print. We built the padded cornices from 1x1 wood and cardboard. They are now recovered but still in use as you see in the latest photo

The white carpet and white painted walls were here when we repurchased the house. The IKEA bed took half a day to put together, figuring out the arrangement of slats with International instructions that were only simple drawings. The frame itself was a steal at $199 plus mattress and slats. The whole thing came to $550... then I saw an ad for a very similar bed that was $1300 for just the bedframe, which would only accommodate mattresses in the same price range. IKEA has been a real find for us at a time when we're trying to redo this house 'on the cheap!'

The rocker was handmade by Tennessee Amish. I bought it in a friend's gallery in Port Gibson, MS. Looks like the vines might be the same wild grape vines that we have to deal with on our lot. The vine fragment over the fireplace (a temporary placement) is from the wisteria we had to cut out of several trees. I'd introduced it 20 years ago in trained tree form, but it had taken over the area in our absence. Haven't decided on bedding yet, but there will be no curtains.

Our Fountain Of Youth...

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KID'S BED AND BATH

Large, lower level bedroom with attached bath.
Queen size bed.












Door to Family Room with collector wall for children's art.












Showing door to bath and shelves of games and kid's art. Decorative wall painting in progress.












A full bath with two closets. Mirror shows shelves and tub/shower. Originally dark stain and plaid wallpaper.

Terrace Garden, Then And Now

1982 - This photo looks across the lot line of our two properties. The steps from the house to the lake have been built along with retaining walls and terracing in front of the boathouse. Daylilies, Iris and Azaleas are the backbone plants of the garden. Free bricks and flagstone (you haul!) defined the beds.

2006- Then... 20 years of neglect. The 6-9 Fashion Azaleas had grown to a dense 5' and tangled with wisteria and honeysuckle.

10/2007 - The area is cleared, the overgrown azaleas cut back to stumps and the wisteria wrestled to the ground. Two small iris leaves were found and will be nursed back, along with a bit of miniature gardenia. Note the old fence posts that still mark the lot line. We had the pines removed to open up our view from the house.

Signs of the old garden are being uncovered... some will be take up and relaid or replanted.

There are a few tiny daylilies struggling here and there. I plan to pot them and see if I can bring them back and identify them if they bloom. I hope I find this one which once hugged the edge of the lakewall...