Hardscaping

As nice as the house is on the inside, the surrounding area was pretty craptacular. It was all gravel in the driveway. The fence was dilapidated. The outside space itself seemed wasted. What I also disliked was that my basement door was easily accessible to passers-by. And why would I want people to see my trash bins?

Here is the before:

Note that the house next door is completely exposed. That window is the main resident's bedroom, so he can hear the gravel's crunching when I pull up in my truck. So the first major expenditure is in the hardscaping and fencing.

I felt so bad for my neighbors. The cement truck came in at 5:30 on a Saturday morning and they began mixing at 6am. It was super loud. Thankfully, they understood. They know I'm new to the neighborhood, and when there's a new owner, there will be some work to be done.

The cement now brings a new driveway that extends all the way to just before the deck. The area feels so much cleaner, and my backyard feels far more expansive.

The fence has been brought up to the front just before the porch with an added step towards the house.

The best part, my nosy next-door neighbor (and he is a busybody) is fenced off.

All Moved In and Ready to Design and Decorate

Since receiving the key, I've spent all of September making improvements to my house; both inside and outside.

The Backyard

The backyard was a huge task pulling out all the old trees and plants and putting in new ones. It took an entire weekend and a trip to the dump, but it got done. I've planted the following trees in addition to the peach tree that was already there: plum, cherry, pomegranate, and avocado.  It's still a work in progress as I've yet to begin my victory garden. I also have plans to build a chicken coop. That's right, my backyard will be my own private farm.

As you can see from the panorama above, I have a deck. Eventually I will build a patio (with the help of my weekend warrior parents, of course). Other small projects I'd like to have completed/included by next summer: a tiki bar, a bbq grill, torch lighting and a pull down screen. I think it would be nice to project old films; have friends over for a cocktail and classic films.

It's like living in the woods.

The Living Room

What little furniture I have is of course antique. I brought my 1912 victrola, a gutted 1920s victrola that serves as a cabinet, a lamp table, a side table that belonged to my grandparents, end tables and my upright bass. So where to sit? My parents and I went up to Sacramento's antique row to look for some seating. We came out with a lot of goods. We bought a 3-piece parlor set that dates back to the 1890s. 

The curtains, though modern, added a nice vintage appeal. I also included art work by Tamara De Lempicka. What I need now is a rug and perhaps a coffee table. We'll see.

Bedroom #1

I finally got to use my 1930s beaded chandelier. It lights up my room quite beautifully. The closets are quite small, so I drove up to Upper Lake to purchase an Art Deco armoire that matched perfectly with my highboy dresser. 

Bedroom #2

The guest room is not yet complete. Right now it's just a bed and setee. I need to find a dresser and perhaps a blanket chest for my extra linens. Still, as it is, it's a comfortable place to sleep. My parents certainly love it.

Dining Area

It's an eat in kitchen. I found a vintage table mantel which I topped with a plastic cover (it's the Latin in me) and some flowers. The art work is Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.

Bathroom

I have to say that I HATE the bathroom. It is tiny. But, no place is perfect. There are far more positives in this house. The bathroom just happens to be the negative. All I can do is make it as comfortable as possible. I took some crates, stained them, and made them my towel storage. My dad put up a shelf over the window to keep other bathroom items.

At Treasure Island, I purchased this DIY type of hook. Different, but I liked the look of it. I screwed it in and now have a convenient place for a hand towel.

That's all for now. Eventually I'll add more posts to show other improvements and additions. Stay tuned...