When we first showed our friend Amy the condo, she wisely said, “the kitchen is the heart of a home. Once you get that going, you’ll be all set.” She is absolutely right. Obviously, that is where the majority of the time and money will be spent during this renovation.

Below is the original layout. A bit on the small side. What I would call a “two butt” kitchen.

Our layout plans have undergone at least four different iterations. We tried to squeeze in an island, but the space just wasn’t there. The opening and closing of the oven, refrigerator & dishwasher doors would have been way too tight.

Losing the wall also meant moving the oven and microwave to the dishwasher’s old location. We then had to move the dishwasher into the dining area. It was always the plan to expand the kitchen. In order to have a bit more symmetry, we added a much needed tall pantry and lower cabinets.

The location of the electrical panel is not ideal…right by the kitchen sink. Our goal is to have a hinged wall over the panel with 3 floating shelves for coffee mugs & such. We shouldn’t have to get to the electrical panel often, but we want to have it functional and easy to reach.

Here’s a sketch of the new kitchen layout:

Our GC Kevin is having his carpenter Daniel building the cabinets in his shop. Doors will be ordered from a different provider. They will all be painted on site. We are going bold on this one…blue tile and blue cabinets with a white marble-esque quartz. Here’s an “inspirational picture”:

Stay tuned!

Can I be the GC of my own renovation? I pondered this for approximately 30 seconds before coming to a resounding “NO”. I turned to a friend of mine that has flipped dozens of properties, thinking that he might take the lead on the project. Due to time constraints, he had to pass, and then directed me towards Kevin Seidl. Kevin has a small but mighty crew that has (so far) done excellent work.

We are currently in the second week of demolition. In order to make the floor plan a bit more functional and open, we had a few walls that needed to come down. The most obvious being the removal of the wall between the kitchen & dining room.

When entertaining, no matter how many times we invite people to adjourn to the living room, the kitchen is where the action is. Knowing this, and given my love of cooking, the kitchen/dining layout had to be changed.

Obviously, one cannot just go around removing walls willy nilly. Structural concerns, along with a host of other issues, must be addressed. One thing is certain, they don’t build ’em like they used to.

You might assume that these walls would simply be lath and plaster. You’d be wrong. There is plaster involved. There are, what appear to be, plaster block walls, a great deal of concrete and wire mesh.

One of the contractors, Steve, has been crowned “The Destroyer”. Just take a look at some of his handy work!

Wall between kitchen & dining room.

Gone!

We also wanted to create a passthrough from the living room to the kitchen. This passthrough is flanked by the 1/2 bath and front entry closet. Opening this up will help create a nice flow.

The master bedroom also had some demo needed. Originally, there were 2 closets that met at a right angle in the corner, leaving a good deal of “dead space”. By tearing out a couple of the closet walls, we will be able to make a corner walk-in closet.

Now, on to the master bathroom. It is on the small side. It will still be on the small side. However, we are changing the walls up a bit in order to match the adjacent closet and create a larger vanity area. All of the tile will need to be replaced. Let’s just say that it has been a challenge to get it off of the walls.

Lots of rubble removal happening this week. Stay tuned for the kitchen layout blog!

We sold our house and are moving. Moving from 3,700 sq ft to about 1,600 sq ft. My mom asked, “How can you be downsizing? You are only in your 40’s!” I told her that my goal is to be in assisted living by the time I’m 55. Truth is, I don’t think of it as downsizing…it’s “rightsizing”. What set this in motion? Read on…

My wife Caroline took a job in Chicago last October, and we have an apartment in Chicago’s West Loop. Decorating and spending time together in this little apartment (about 750 sq ft) has made us realize that less truly can be more. It is “freeing”.

With Caroline here in Omaha less than half of the time, and given that I have joint custody of my 2 sons (one a freshman in college, the other a high school sophomore), I found myself living in more house than I needed about half of the time. Time to make a change. This condo will allow for easier “two city living”. 

No doubt, this move is bitter sweet. We have loved our home on 91st Avenue.

The last time I blogged with consistency, was when we started our master suite addition. We have lived on 91st Ave for almost 8 years. I have had a house in District 66 for 18 years.  Alas, life and priorities change. Recognizing these changes and adapting to them has been challenging, thrilling, difficult, exciting…all in all, more life!

Prior to living in District 66, I lived in Midtown. I moved to Omaha in 1997, and my first apartment was at the Columbian Schoolhouse Apartments at 37th and Jones. In a way, this is a “full circle” situation. We purchase a condo at Tudor Arms at 39th & Farnam.

Tudor Arms was built as luxury apartments in 1931. In the 80’s, the apartments were converted to condos. As with all of the Blackstone District, the building is undergoing a transformation.

In the last couple of years, I have helped 3 clients buy units in Tudor Arms, the largest of which was about 1,000 sq ft. Caroline and I loved the building but that size seemed a bit drastic. Little did I know that 2 of the units in the building are 2 story.

We now own a 1,620 sq ft, 2 story condo. The main floor has a living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry & powder room. Second level has a master bedroom with attached 3/4 bath, 2 other bedrooms and a nice sized full bath.

Here are a few “before” pictures:

Living Room

Entry door to the right

Living Room

Powder Room

Kitchen

Upstairs hall bath

Dining Room

Master Bath

Master Bedroom

Kitchen

Laundry closet, leading to dining

Renovations have already begun. I’ll be posting the demolition, the plans, and selections throughout this journey. Stay tuned for details!

I can see it. We are almost there. All along, the target date for the renovation/addition has been mid to late January. From the looks of things, we should be in our new master suite mid-February. Not too shabby.

As a Realtor, I’m forever telling my clients “your closing date is a moving target”. Obviously, the same applies here. Big shout out to our GC, Don Stormberg. He has kept us informed and has always been accessible.

Here are some highlights of the fun stuff that’s been happening:

The “E.T. Containment Wall” was taken down.

We replaced several existing doors to better match with the addition. New door jams & hardware will keep a consistent look.

Mario working late: taken at 11pm.

I didn’t capture very many pictures of the drywalling…mostly because we were avoiding that portion of the house. Of course, we have all heard rumors about drywall dust. Rest assured, it’s real and it get’s everywhere.

Ready for granite & drawers.

The tile guy took his sweet time…but I wouldn’t have it any other way. His meticulousness has paid off! The “little blue circles” are for the heated floors. The mirror is recessed about 4 inches into the wall. Puck lights will be installed at the top of the mirror.

Remember that previous blog where I talked about the basement carpet going from gross to yuck? Next week, new carpet! To prep the basement, I started by cleaning our utility room. Judging from how long it took, we should probably clean it more frequently than once every 5 years.

Just add shower curtains for that Martha Stewart look.

For the closets, we went with a material called Steven’s Wood. It has a great natural grain look & feel. The back of the closets, however, were more like a particle board. I took advantage of Tuesday’s snow day and painted the back to match.

The next 9 days will be a whirlwind. I am guessing at least 2 more blogs before we stick a fork in this. Thanks for following!

December has been a crazy busy month. We continued to be blessed with decent weather (written while looking out the window at snow fall). The warmer temperatures allowed us to get some much needed sod.

The “dirt driveway” that our contractors/excavators had been using to access the backyard was no longer needed. This, along with a third of our backyard, got fresh rolls of sod. Added benefit: our schnauzers’ paws are a heck of alot cleaner in the morning.

As expected, the Nebraska weather did start to turn, making our home pretty darn cold. With just a plastic barrier between living quarters and the addition, our furnace has been working overtime. Fortunately, insulation was installed, which was a big help.

Wonder if he can juggle?

With the insulation in place, the rooms started to take shape. Next came the drywall. What a difference!

During this time, we also had just warm enough weather to get our painting crew over to finish the exterior.

For years, I have referred my friend Wilfredo Villalta to clients in need of a top notch painter. He and his crew came over and finished the exterior in less than a day. Thanks, Willy!

Willy’s crew just finished up priming the interior last week on December 23rd. This week should bring about our tile guys and cabinetry. With 5 plus inches of snow in the forecast, I guess it is not surprising that no one has showed to work today.

Which brings me to the fireplace. 2 weeks ago, Stone Concepts came by to insert the piece of granite for the hearth. This needed to be installed prior to Claxton putting in the fireplace insert. The granite is from the same slab that will be used in the new master bath.

Let’s just say that Caroline, our dogs and I have been parked in front of the fire throughout this holiday season. We should have done the fireplace improvement years ago!

I leave you with this: May you have an amazing, peaceful holiday season. Keep your chin up and concentrate on the things that truly matter. Wishing you an exciting and prosperous 2016. Cheers!

I frequently work from home in the mornings: calling potential clients, answering emails, searching properties for my buyers…all while drinking coffee at the kitchen counter in my “active wear”. Good stuff. This quiet/alone time is increasingly hard to come by.

Most mornings, the crew arrives at 7:50am and is typically here until 4pm. Last week, we had landscapers, framers, plumbers and lawn care dudes all here at one time. It has been a bit tricky for people to navigate cars down our street. Sorry neighbors.

Here’s a taste of what’s happened recently: Due to our yard gently sloping toward the new addition, a big guy in a small Bobcat worked an entire day on terracing the yard. This should help direct water away from the addition. Weiss Lawn & Landscape is currently working on the retaining wall.

After finishing framing, the wall sheathing (Zip System) was installed.

The lower pitched roof, over the new bathroom, was then built and tied into the existing roof. This is when our carpenter Jay came to me with a big grin and said, “it’s time to breach the house.” You can tell he loves his job.

First, they made our house look like the set of Dexter. The battle against dust continues.

Jay breaching the house.

Now, time for a roof. The roof truss system was built at Millard Lumber and delivered to our driveway.

Here’s hoping that our GC carries good insurance.

We are glad to see this getting enclosed. We have had great weather this Fall. We Nebraskans know, however, that snow can fly at any moment.

As for my quiet mornings of working at home…looks as if I’ll be headed into The Key Group office with more frequency. Stay tuned!

The addition is taking shape. Everyday, less imagination is needed to envision what this place will actually look like. Here is the roadmap we have been using:

New master suite addition in the lower right hand corner. Utilizing what used to be an “office” for new closet. Expanding the closet to the north and adding on master bath and bedroom.

This plan was conceived by our friend and architect, Paul Nelson of PEN Architects. Paul is a cool character that clearly has a passion for his job. I sat down with him to ask him a few questions for a segment we’ll call “Meet the Architect”.

I admit it…I’m NOT an early riser. So, on the very first day of framing, I was woken up at 7:00am. It wasn’t hammering or wood being thrown around that roused me, but a classic 80’s hair band song, blaring from the framer’s boom box…Quiet Riot’s “Come on Feel the Noize”. How apropos.

Of course, there have been a few frustrating days. When the weather is gorgeous and no contractors are in site, it can make a person anxious. I know, however, that we aren’t their only project. The framers also ensured me that they would much prefer to stay in one place and see it through to the end.

A great deal has happened in the last couple of weeks, with much more to come. The roof trusses should be arriving soon, as well as more dirt work and landscaping. It is good to “feel the noise”.