No worries though. The delay actually worked out well, because we saved all the good lumber when we rebuilt the front steps and back deck, so now we have a nice cache of salvaged materials to recycle.

We’ve been sketching out ideas for a year now…and we keep changing our minds/design!

We like the open feel of this house (think MUCH simpler) and the horizontal slats would tie in nicely with the new slats going in the front.

Photos via Inhabitat

Which will look much more like this budget version….

Photo via a Prefab Project

But, because it will be built on a slope, we plan to have 2 levels on the ground like this…but screened in with a roof, like above.

Photos by Laurie Stubbs via Dwell

My dad built me a treehouse when I was a kid…and spending the night out there with my friends, in our sleeping bags, with popcorn and flashlights was a seriously wonderful thing.  I want that for them!

The roof/screening aspect is important for being able to hang out for sleepovers.  The bugs here are too plentiful to sleep out in the open. (Remember Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?!)

We (currently) think the best spot is to the left of the trail we made last year.

The bottom level will be accessible from the bottom of the trail, and the top level will be entered at the top of the trail.

So now, we just need to finish with all that staining, dirt and gravel so we can get started. Phew.

Because you know what I’m like..I’m already planning another project before I’ve finished the ten I’m currently working on.  Today may be rainy and cold, but the glorious Saturday that had us all out and lovin’ life, also had mosquitoes.  ALREADY.  I thought the harsher than usual winter would give us more time….but NOOOOOOOOO.

We needs bats.  Last year, the bloodsuckers got so bad I had to take some (technically illegal) action on the adjacent parkland.  There is a spillway that fills up in spring and becomes a stagnant mother of all breeding grounds.  It’s about 100 yards back in the woods from the mailbox, and last spring, while getting the mail, I was seriously swarmed.  I trotted out to the Depot immediately and bought a supersize pack of those floaters that kill the mosquito larvae and hiked back through there and hurled all of them in the “pond”.  That seemed to help, and I replenished again before summer dried out the area. We can do better.

If we build it, will they come?  I’ve found some good info here and here, and I think we can make a good looking bat house or 2 in a weekend…no?  I wonder if it’s better to have many smaller houses or one Batmansion like this?

photo via batroost.com

This pitifully plain looking thing can hold 300 bats and comes in a kit for $95.  Ouch!

If we really want to freak out the neighbors…and our own children for that matter….we can make one of these…..

photo via Greayer.com, via Gritty Kitty

A naval officer built this shrine to bats in Iraq.  Impressive.

Now this is what I call a wee bit extreme….

photo via ecotality

In the end…I envision a dark stained simple bat house…like so…

photo via bsdhome

If successful, we can build more.  Apparently there are about 15 species of bat living in this state, so which ones actually come will be interesting to see.  Their poo/guano can be used as fertilizer, but we’ll see about that.  They may be nasty looking things, but anything that can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes an hour will be my new best friend.

I hope I don’t regret this, but I decided to hit my faux Salterini hoop chairs with a splash of orange.  All the other pieces are getting painted a dark bronze, and these needed something special.

Speaking of hoop chairs….On the copycat front….The new CB2 Igloo is certainly more affordable than those Acapulco chairs I’ve been wanting.  While certainly not as groovy, these could work.  Has anyone sat in them yet?  What’s the verdict?  No CB2 store in Nashvegas, so no test drive available for me.  $149 v. $400.

They need replating, but I also like their worn appeal.  I’ve envisioned building something like this, from Barrie Benson’s fab house via the late Domino.

The pulls are really too small to pull off that effect, but it could possibly work.  Somehow, we will, we MUST use them in this house.

On a freakishly mild day before “snowmageddon”, I tested out a chair and was pleased with the results.  Sometimes the paint isn’t paint, but old, flaking powder coating and that’s tougher to deal with.  This just has lots of layers of paint.  Easy peasy.

Just a few passes with the sandblaster took that paint right off.  Now if it would just stop snowing, I can finish the set!!! (I never thought I’d say that living in Nashville.)

I’m also trying to find a deal on some swank outdoor fabric for these benches.

My HOPE was that when those fabulous Trina Turk fabrics came out last year, I could get them at a serious discount THIS year.  I’ve been trolling E-bay and I’ve come up empty thus far.  Has anyone used LA Design Concepts?   20% over wholesale sounds good….I’ve requested pricing, but I’m not holding my breath that it will still be affordable enough.

All 3 are Schumacher, bottom 2 are Trina Turk’s 2009 line.  Don’t you think that crazy Peacock is just meant for the Regal Beagle?  The CC also has that bit of welding he promised for our Woodard pieces….

I warned you I had some heinous bathroom action going here…and I haven’t had the guts to show the master bathroom in detail yet…it may take some time to muster the courage. The best bathroom in the house by far, was the upstairs jack and jill used by the Minors.  Probably because no one used it for the past 10 years or so.

The half bath is actually our kind of project.  This will really happen this year, because we can do it ourselves, and do it inexpensively.  The Crafty Counterpart has some pretty good plumbing skills, so that always makes it easier/cheaper. The half bath will also take priority since it’s what our guests use, and its proximity to the playroom makes it the most used bathroom in the house.  The beige potty doesn’t flush unless you hold the handle down, etc..even the Minors have been asking when we’re going to “do something about that bathroom.”   The color in here is that shade of beige that looks dirty all the time.  No matter how many magic erasers I use on the walls, it still feels dirty.

I had debated keeping the floor in here.  It’s a groovy tile, but if I keep it, that means I have to keep the vanity cabinet.  The cabinet is actually decent, paint job, new countertop and sink/fixtures…it would look great, but since it’s such a small space, my vision was to have a floating countertop with freestanding storage underneath.  It will certainly be faster and simpler to rehab the cabinet. I’ve brought home about 30 swatches and can’t find a color that I like to use with that tile. At the end of the day, busy tile means no busy walls, so methinks the tile floor goes.

For the walls, I really wanted a groovy 70′s inspired wallpaper, but I have stripped too much wallpaper in my life and I can’t do it. It’s a shame, since there are SO many beautiful papers, but I refuse to put it up in my houses.  It’s too big a commitment. (I can hear the collective gasp of horror now…sorry.)

So, my plan has been to take a page from Kellie, who I saw featured on this Design Sponge post last year.  Brilliant!  All the wallpapers I had been eyeing were metallic patterns on a rich color, so I could do something like that in the half bath! If I screw up, I paint over it and start again.  My kind of project.

photo via Kellie/Scraplog

photo via Scraplog via Fossil catalog

Problem is, one day this summer, when it looked like we might get started on the half bath any day, I grabbed the paint pen and started doodling on the walls.  Just testing some ideas..you know…6 months later, it’s still there.  Kind of embarrassing when guests are over, but hey…it is what it is.

You know you’re jealous of my fancy hardware and faux marble laminate countertop.  So, should I rehab the cabinet or go floating like this one we built in our last house?

When we layed the stair treads (previously green shag over lumber) the stair railings came down, but we never put them back up, because we’d be drilling into the new hardwood treads… for a look we didn’t want to keep.  We made the copper railing immediately, but having the other side open is not very comforting to many who visit.  Not to mention..it’s against code, so we gotta deal.

Luckily, I don’t have toddlers or this simply could not be.  We want an open airy, yet safe rail for both the stairs and the catwalk… we keep coming back to glass.  We considered cable systems, but I really want the sleekness.  I love the idea of minimally framed glass all around, but the practical/resale minded side of me is considering this glass/sheet rock hybrid.  Not having priced glass railing systems yet, I’m betting it’s a big ouch.  If we mix the wall/glass, we can DIY it for not too much money.

photo from Dwell Oct. 2009

The idea is that up in the nook, where the lounger is…glass, then about a six foot section of wall, then glass at the corner, nice clean seam where the corners meet, then wall finishes it out.  The stairs will require a ton of research.  We’ll see how this idea sounds after said research.  Here are some other looks I liked…now to find out how unaffordable they are.

via Amorphous Studios Inc  on Flickr

via California Glass and Rail

via Remodelista

via Natural Elements Custom Homes on Flickr

This is the only non-glass option I have in my files so far…custom ironwork…ouch.

I’m so sorry, I can’t remember where this is from and I forgot to rename it with creds.

For my eagle eyed readers (you always amaze me) who wondered what the little brass plate in the ceiling is….that’s on the List as well.  That is where I lost my mind, and the siding decision was pretty much made.  That’s the hole in the ceiling where the squirrel and I had a staredown as it tried to chew its way into the house.  Good times.

The look we’ll be going for is similar to the treehouse walls built over at a PreFab Project.  Very simple and easy to DIY, we’ll screen and add the stained strips as well as install a clear corrugated roof under the deck floor to keep water out.  Ideally, you’ll never see the roof…it will be a stealth roof.

photo by A PreFab Project

Much nicer look than this…no?

So with the hog panels as railings up top, and the slats as screening underneath, I think we may finally have a respectable entry…one day…soon I hope.

We are those people.  We have a thing I’ll call The annual list reconciliation.  Come January, in every house we’ve ever had, we pull out our To Do list and start marking off items accomplished throughout the year…it is sooooo satisfying.  The logical and higher functioning part of my brain edited the list on the computer one year, and it was SUCH a let down…no ceremony to it.  We gotta do it old school..print it out and mark off with a big fat pen.  We add new items throughout the year, but we never remove until January.  Yes, I warned you that we were dorks a looong time ago.  In keeping with that, I’ll have a new To Do List category this year so I can insanely point out all the flaws and problems that need attention.  So how’s the reconciled list looking for 2010 and beyond?  Here’s about an eighth of it:

Get new banner for bloggiversary (via Eye Q!)

Get wood steps built to front door

Remove lattice, re-frame deck and screen storage area under front door

Get outdoor lighting connected

Order fill dirt, topsoil, compost and gravel

Build back deck extension

Pantry area build out:  This is why there has never been a full on kitchen reveal, just small bits because this side of the room is unfinished.  I thought we’d have knocked it out by now, but we’ve been thwarted.  The last couple of trips planned to drive to IKEA fell through, so we have to pick up the cabs…AND remove the wall between the fridge and the pantry.  This is one of our most shameful and frustrating mistakes.  When demo-ing the kitchen, CC thought this was a load bearing wall and that it had to stay…turns out it isn’t, and to take it out means our hardwoods will have to be feathered in.  We considered just leaving it, but we think aesthetically, it will really bug us…not to mention the wasted space if we leave the wall there.

You can understand why we’ve been dragging our feet a little on this.  Living in a kitchen with sheetrock dust is still a very fresh memory for both of us and we’ve not been prioritizing it…but now..it’s time.  We need to get this room truly finished once and for all.

Clean out/organize basement (this never leaves the list, as soon as it’s done, we have a whirlwind project that trashes it again.)

Paint trim in Kids’ rooms (still never got to that)

Stain thresholds in LR/Kitchen (new doors were installed AFTER the floors were done)

Reupholster Plycraft chair/ottoman (this has been on the list for 6-7 years)

Dimmer on kitchen sputnik

Hang Capiz chandelier/get wiring run in MB ceiling….the list goes on for pages….more later…..