The very "Before"

The previous owners hauled away two full moving vans and then out for trash so much that a neighbor complained and the county threatened a $300 fine if it wasn't gone within a week.

We put a curb alert on Craigslist, and some people did come to take the metal, but between the smell and the filth, there was not much to salvage here. It took the junk hauler three trips, which translates to over $1200 dollars (which we took out of the security deposit, since we were doing a rent-back).

Once we got into the empty house, it was clear what a labor of love this was going to be!

The front bedroom that will be our office



Front living room


The front living room and what was the dining room, which will be part of our kitchen.
Just past that first window on the left will be a wall extending almost to where you see the kitchen wall begin at right. The radiator under the window at the back wall will be the left start of the island (with sink and seating that will open up to the dining part of the addition).
Floorplans coming soon.

Upstairs

Kitchen.

The door at the back goes to a sunroom that is being demoed. The new addition containing our dining room and family room will extend there. The site of the sink will be our fridge, the site of the stove will be the beginning of the island, and the site of the fridge will be a bit more doorway and then counter going all the way to the edge of the house to eat up what was the dining room in this smaller space.

Main level bath, to be gutted. (And it will have to lose its window).

Vinyl on top of hardwood. We think new floors are probably in order!

Basement. Not bad, if it didn't stink so much!




Front closet, which is disappearing to create a doorway to the front office, which will serve somewhat as mudroom.
We also hope to have a front porch for some of that entry stuff but have to apply for a variance because of the setback requirements.

Countertops: go for concrete?

After watching several episodes of DIY Network's "I Hate My Kitchen," we've started to consider concrete countertops. They don't require mining into the earth, and they can be customized. You can come up with your own color and grind in bits of recycled glass or shells. Drainboards and trivets can be built right into the surface. We love our new Mint Green granite counter as the most artistic part about our kitchen, with its white cabinets and white subway tile and cork floor.

In the new place, though, we'd like to make more of a statement with a backsplash with some Motawi art tiles, so we're thinking toward a more subtle, monochrome surface for our counters. Concrete is one of the contenders that might complement rather than compete with a stronger design element in tile.















Last weekend we went to Amicus Green Building Center and checked out a few products. But I keep wondering, is concrete really healthy?

Here are a few articles on the subject:

Green Home Guide's Top Picks for Countertops
Health note: inquire about the toxicity of dyes used in concrete

Concord Green blog notes that concrete normally takes four weeks to cure

eHow Home says that concrete and granite both pose a radiation risk. Get a radon detector!

Well, there's a start. Nothing that sounds a whole lot scarier than anything else.

Now onto the possible products...

The concrete countertops we were most interested in came from Luke Works, a Baltimore-based company. Their Lukecrete requires less maintenance than some other concretes: an occasional waxing (Amicus recommends Cheng's wax)

Artisan Concrete Concepts in Falls Church, VA is also on my list of places to check out.