Personal Update:
I am doing well. I have been relaxing quite a bit. The house in the Mexican War Streets sold, taking a lot of stress with it. I enjoyed a trip to Houston mid December for Kara & Choong-Fai's wedding. That was really a treat. Good times. Then my friend Amanda came to visit for a week from Eagle Pass, by the Texas-Mexico border. We went skiing, jogging, and enjoyed the snow-covered landscape. Since then I have been working more. I am developing more friendships with my church community and enjoying that.

I moved into this project in Edgewood with the intention of keeping it my home long-term. I purchased half of this duplex and have begun work on it. The inside of the half I currently own is mostly done. It was a fairly extensive rehabilitation, but significantly simpler than the house I did in the War Streets. God willing, I should be able to close on the second half of the duplex in the next few weeks. That half needs quite a bit more work.

Contracting Work:

I have the privilege of doing some contracting work for my family at the moment. I completed my parent's basement bathroom and have begun work on a total-gut remodel of their upstairs bathroom.

Houses Update:

This home is constructed on the side of a hill, so it effectively has 4 stories (if you include the garage in the basement).
1st Floor: Basement Garage
2nd Floor: Media Room, Laundry Room, Bar, Full Bathroom
3rd Floor: Front / Main Entry to this floor, Living room, Dining Room, Kitchen
4th Floor: 3 Bedrooms & Full Bathroom

First Half:

• New Roof
• Complete new Kitchen, 2 bathrooms, Basement Bar, Laundry Room
• New Ceilings & skim coat on all walls for consistent texture
• Some electrical, around 6 new circuits
• Minimal Plumbing
• Enlarged opening for kitchen on first floor
• French Drain to divert water from the front of the house down the side

Still to be done:

• Weather-shielding Pergola constructed from reclaimed barn timbers 23' maple 2"x12" boards
• Pressure Wash & Spot Tuck-Point Sandstone
• Sod / grass on right side
• New Windows throughout both sides
• New Front Doors & Doors throughout inside
• Misc. Detail Finishing
• And... complete gut on second half.

Front Yard (I live in the Left Side)

Main Floor, Living Room

 Dining Room

Kitchen

 

Going upstairs

Top Floor Bathroom

  

Back Down Stairs to the Main Floor

And down again to the Basement, (with the garage still being below)

Basement Bathroom (Laundry room to the right)

Basement Media Room & Bar

And here are some low-light pictures.

Thanks for looking!
-Tom

1534 Garfield Ave

99% complete in these pictures. My friend & photographer is moving to New York City, so we jumped the gun by a few days, but you can get a pretty good picture from these images. :-) He also made a video here: Garfield Ave on YouTube

Major Projects:

-Roof
-Installed AC, Furnace, and all new ductwork
-Replumbed most of house
-Installed Master Bathroom
  w/ Two shower heads & mosaic tile floor
  w/ His & Her walk-in closets.
-Installed Powder Room
-Installed Laundry Room
-Installed third floor Wet Bar
-Installed circulating hot water
  w/ hot water return loop for front & back of house
  This means instant hot water anywhere in the house.
-New wire throughout
-Hardwired smoke detectors
  w/ one carbon monoxide detector per floor
-New front doors
-A handful of new windows
-Deck railings
-Fixed Koi Pond
-New Kitchen
-Refinished heart-pine floors throughout
-Fixed water-damaged plaster
-Installed old trim around new plumbing & HVAC chases
-Tiled Kitchen, Solarium, 3.5 bathrooms, laundry closet, and wet bar

This might help explain some of the pictures...

The final house is:
about 2600 sq ft
3 stories w/ 2 sides to the third story. In the middle of the 3rd story you can walk out to the spiral staircase to the roof deck.
3.5 bathrooms
3 bedrooms
Small patio back yard
Sunroom
Back covered porch with fan & carpet
Bathroom with clawfoot tub / shower
Master bathroom with fun-tile wall, heavy glass enclosure, and his & her floating vanities.
Media room on third floor with wet bar & bar-fridge
Roof Deck w/ spiral staircase

  

Wow, lots of pictures!

Thanks for looking!

-Tom