Blue House update

First Floor Kitchen space is opened up to Office with beam in ceiling

New Master Bedroom with vaulted ceiling and sunset windows

Work has been progressing at the Blue House next to the School. The windows were installed, as well as rough electrical and plumbing. Then insulation was placed in the cavities of roofs and walls. (Remember all walls also have continuous insulation integral with the sheathing, which is great for better air sealing and reducing thermal bridges.) Exterior trim was installed around windows. Interior sheet rocking of walls and ceilings happened. With that surface applied, one can really see what the rooms will feel like! Next is shingle siding, flooring, painting, finish electric/plumbing, and interior cabinetry! (and the new screened porch those french doors will lead to!)

Back elevation

Site of the future second floor laundry and Master Batrh

Sheet rock on wall in Dressing Room / Walk in Closet/ Master Bathroom

Kitchen! Ready for cabinetry and flooring

Sunny Master Bedroom

Lake House Second Floor

The New Family House on the Lake is all boxed out. You can see the floor area of the new screened porch and how the new pantry area has been rebuilt. Neither of these new spaces are hugely different size-wise compared to what was there, but they are better situated, oriented toward the lake breezes and views, and proportioned so as to add greatly to the function of the house as a seasonal family gathering place.

New Side Porch & Pantry connects Kitchen to Screen Porch

Framed out for new larger screened porch

In addition the second floor area, which was short and had no windows toward the lake, now does! Again, it's not a large change, and no increase in floor area, but will make a big difference in how space feels and functions. Instead of the ceiling sloping down to a short wall (behind bunk beds in BEFORE photo below) now the flat ceiling continues those extra couple feet and operable windows were inserted in that new vertical wall section. The windows couldn't be large, because of the roofs below, but still this small add should really increase the comfort of sleeping in those bunk rooms, now that evening breezes off the lake can be brought inside to help cool the space. Not to mention - of course one wants to see the beautiful lake while one is at the lake house!

Second floor windows on the lake side!

Second Floor sleeping space BEFORE
sloped ceiling and only windows toward street and sides, not lake

Just a little more light and air and space upstairs

Upstairs: Flat ceiling extends to back wall and windows look toward lake

The new screened porch will be larger and not so narrow as the old one. Since the old screened porch's roof was integral with the main roof of the house, renovating the screened porch gave us the opportunity to add those windows upstairs. The new screened porch will have the direction of the roof changed so that it can have high ceilings and a tall, screened gable facing the lake. Cable railing will be used to meet the code for guard rail, while not obscuring the awesome view or open feeling.

Screened Porch - BEFORE
Low-ceiling & narrow and not connected to kitchen

BEFORE- small side porch (with no guard rail!)
Small pantry off back of kitchen
and no second floor windows toward lake