Forest House

Windows & Doors

2010-04-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

For some reason, a month before the wedding date, I decided that I needed new windows and sliding glass doors. After two and a half years, I did not want to feel a draft at night anymore and this was clearly the right time to do this project!

I had 3 workmen come out and install vinyl double pained Energy Star windows and doors. It was cool to see them bring everything in and cut some of the outer layers to spec.

Upstairs Green Room Windows

The big window, old:

Now empty, for bringing in the bedroom sliding doors!

Now new, and actually closes!

The small window, old:

In Transition:

Now new, and opens and closes!

Bedroom Sliding Doors

This had to be brought in through the front upstairs windows, because the door was so big. Old:

Empty:

New and no more draft:

Downstairs Sliding Doors

I started off with this:

Then some work was done on the open space:

Now new, with an integrated dog door:

Kitchen Little Window

From old,

to new, with a fancy pattern:

It is nice to have everything new and working for the summer...hopefully this will help the heating bill!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my family (Mom, Frances, Sherry, Jan, Jim, Matt, Alex, Bob, Warren, Ann) and Arne's Parents (Julie and Bob). Bogey and Summer greeted everyone at the door with barks.

Arne and I cooked up Turkey, stuffing, gravy and whipped potatoes. Mom brought some appetizers and cranberry sauce (homemade and from a can). Jim brought wine. Julie made rolls, beans and beets. Jan made roasted vegetables. Sherry brought holiday salad. Frances made a mince pie and Matt made pumpkin and hickory nut pie (so GOOD). Bob made vanilla ice cream. Alex brought coffee. We used my old curtain homemade (someone made for me, because I don't iron or sew straight) napkins and place mats. It was a wonderful meal.

Arne's Dad took an amazing set of pictures of the day: Bob's Pictures and we took a few pictures too: Arne's Pictures

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Bedroom Furniture!

2009-09-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

This weekend, the furniture we ordered from Made in Pescadero was delivered. This was our first joint purchase, creating a lovely addition to the home.

The bedroom used to look like this:

So we cleared the bed away:

And had the new one put in, along with a dresser and a great bench:

Arne particularly loved the bench's figured redwood:

The dogs continue to get along, although I think some days are longer then others for them.

Arne has also been trying out a number of the features of his new MacBook Pro and the take a picture from the computer created some fun results.

Donations!

2009-07-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Arne and I finally did our spring cleaning (it was more like mid-summer cleaning) and created an enormous pile of stuff to donate - 12 boxes of books, 8 bags of clothes, 4 boxes of kitchen stuff, 3 bookshelves and a lamp. I really liked seeing the pile all organized.

This also inspired us to finally fill the bookcases we bought in April. Now Arne and my books are all intermingled. Sometime later we will need to organize them.

Enjoying Summer in the Garden

2009-07-16T10:21:00.001-07:00

One nice thing about Forest House is the back yard. We have been eating yummy meals outside, to better enjoy it and the fresh tomatoes from our garden!

Arne has also been working hard inside on his computers.

How the Garden Grows

2009-06-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

It is now summer - a year and a half after buying Forest House, and oh, my, how the garden has grown. This is what it looked like when I moved in:

Now there are plants growing up everywhere:

And now, of course, there are dogs in the garden!

Arne Moves In!

2008-12-29T10:57:00.001-08:00

Arne and Bogey are now living at the Forest House!

It is so wonderful to have a full house, filled with much love and bits and pieces of Arne's family history as well.

Cooking and Enjoying

2008-09-24T10:48:00.001-07:00

It has been a great summer at the house. My Summer Doodle dog has settled in and I have been cooking. It has been great to make meals and desserts and other fun stuff in my lovely kitchen. I am so happy with my home.

Painting Done!

2008-05-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

The painting in the house is all done! My projects, except for little updates here and there are complete.

I love having a bright and beautiful bathroom. It went from:

to this:

My bedroom was OK before, but I really hated the closet, and now it is a lovely blue and a tranquil place:

And my guest room is really working out. It was empty:

and now is filled with color and even has a guest futon:

The Great Room is also all decorated and bright:

It is so nice to have a cozy home, with tomatoes on my tomatoe plants and now a DOG to complete the household. Meet Summer, the 4-5 year old Aussie rescue (she was abandoned to the streets of Hollister) I brought home on Monday.

Paint Colors

2008-05-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

It is now time for me to pick paint colors. I put patches on the walls in the 2 bedrooms and the bathroom, to see what the colors looked like.

After looking at these for a few days, I decided on Polar Sky for my bedroom, Sherwood Green for the extra bedroom, and Costa Rica Blue for the bathroom.

I also finished putting plants out on my deck. It is now a really lovely reading place.

Contractor Work is All Done!

2008-04-17T08:35:00.001-07:00

Hooray, 3 weeks later and all of the work is done!

My bathtub area is sealed and the fixtures put in. I love having a nook to place things on. I even got to take my first bath!

My closet is also installed - the prune drying trays are so cool as the sliding doors. It is nice to have a personal touch in the room and also a closet that doesn't have an open gap. It was so odd when I bought the place that there was the opening all the way to the wall, but doors not covering the whole area.

On a non-contractor note, I finally sealed my cutting boards and hung them up in the kitchen. Just sealing them brought out the amazing color in the wood.

Now, I just need to figure out paint colors and get a painter for my rooms!

Grout!

2008-04-15T08:54:00.001-07:00

The bathroom is now all grouted! It is really cool to see the tub area coming together, with the little nook for my shampoo and the pretty tile.

Now it just needs to be buffed and sealed, and the hardware installed and it is all done!

The nook across the room is also grouted. Here you can see it and its reflection.

A glass shelf will be added and then it will be usable space that is not as ugly as the prior medicine cabinet.

Hooray, the house project is almost done.

Tile!

2008-04-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am back from Hawaii, and while everything is not done, there has been a lot of progress on the house.

When I left, the bathtub had just been enclosed.

On my return, the tiling is almost complete.

I love the sparkle little glass tiles from Hakatai.

The closet now has a wall and by the end of the week the prune drying tray "doors" will be installed.

Finally, while not part of the remodel, some of my tomato plants already have flowers!

Once all the work is done at the house, I will need to pick paint colors for the rooms. The house adventure continues.

Bathtub!

2008-04-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

The little remodel continues. My tub was installed!

It is super deep Kohler soaking tub. I look forward to getting to take my first bath.

The lighting guy came and put in overhead light in my great room - so now that area can also be bright.

And I also have overhead light in my bedroom. This is just so nice.

They are just starting with the closet project. I took everything out of the closet (which will be good for me to help with a spring cleanse) and they are setting it up for my prune drying tray doors and to add in some additional structure.

This weekend I head off to Hawaii for my triathlon and I hope when I return almost everything will be done!

Remodel

2008-03-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

I really did not like the bathtub area in my bathroom.

My remodel of this area has now begun, with the area now free of anything!

I am looking forward to seeing the area with my tile and a new tub, and no more ugly frosted glass screen!

While doing the bathtub area, I am also getting some overhead light put in downstairs, and in both of the bedrooms. I got this lovely fixture for my bedroom:

We will also be fixing the closet in the bedroom using the prune drying trays as the closet doors.

In a few weeks this will all be done. I am looking forward to it!

History of the Wood

2008-03-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Bug sent me a history of the wood that is a part of all my furniture!

My table is constructed with three elements. The main components of the top of the table and two benches are two book-matched 2x16's cut from a 12 X 16 out of a 1927 split pea and barley warehouse in Moscow Idaho.

The live edge on the table top was a piece milled from a windfall tree at Bug's home in Occidental that was used as part of the Occidental Yacht Club's Charity Bar for 5 years.

The slab trestle legs on the table and benches were milled from a branch of a 370 year old windfall tree that fell at Salmon Creek School grounds in the storms of 2002. 85% of the gross sale of Salmon Creek wood goes to the schools Environmental Education Fund. You can read the Spirit of Windfall here.

The Incubator Doors were found in a chicken shack in Petaluma. The incubator was invented in Petaluma during her prominence as the Egg Basket of the world. The corner shelf was made with barnwood from a milk-painted barn on Fallon Road at the Marin-Sonoma County Line. The trim was from a Brainerd Jones designed Victorian house in Petaluma.

My Table

2008-03-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

This weekend I picked up the rest of my stuff from Heritage Salvage. The most amazing piece of work was my table and benches...they are just so very beautiful. Soon Bug is going to write a full history of the wood used (Salmon Creek Redwood Windfall, Washington State Barley Barn Douglas Fir...), but even the best wood is only as good as the artist, and I was lucky to have Ron take my idea and make me this:

Some of the detail in the wood:

Me at the table!

Ron (the artist) with the table!

Along with my amazing table I also got my corner stump of fir. This is 17x17x24, super heavy, and as my mom demonstrates the perfect height for putting on shoes.

My corner unit is now in my bedroom with the book shelves.

The reframed mirror is now hung up on the wall (just past the table, which has place mats my sister brought me back from Latin America).

I also got a little coat hanger, just to complete the look.

In the back yard are some planters made of old chicken hatcheries. Now I just need to figure out how to line them before I plant my herbs and tomatoes!

I am just so very happy with all of my wood work. This is the first time I have really invested in making my home my own. I am now looking forward to having people over to eat at my table and enjoy my home.

My Corner Shelf

2008-02-14T16:04:00.001-08:00

I still need to go pick it up, but I now have a fabulous corner shelf unit built for my entry area!

Chris of Heritage Salvage made this for me. He would call me with little questions and I would just say, sounds fine, or OK, or no, that is a bit big. I am really happy with what he came up with.

Furniture!

2008-02-07T14:42:00.001-08:00

I now have couches! It is so exciting to have a place to sit that is comfortable in the downstairs. I updated the pictures of the Great Room. While they did not make it in time for the housewarming, the open house was still fun, with good food, friends, and family. I made a salmon and corn chowder that was really yummy.

I continue to finalize my home, with a little sitting table for my outside and updates to my room. I am also continuing to use Heritage Salvage to make things for my home, including reframing a mirror, a little corner unit, and a big dining table project. I am excited to see what the guys create for me. Bug has been really good about calling me and telling me stories about the amazing wood that can be used in the projects.

It is nice to slowly add some life and character to my home.

House Party!

2008-01-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am having a housewarming party on January 26th! I am looking forward to showing my home to others!

I continue to update the house, getting furniture and other fun stuff to personalize some of the spaces. I am also meeting with a contractor to get a bid on fixing the tub area in the bathroom and making the closet area in my bedroom symmetric.

I want to use this tile in the bathroom and paint the room blue to give it a very open sky like feeling.

For the master bedroom, I am excited by the furniture I am getting from Heritage Salvage. I love the idea of reuse of materials. Many of these things came from farms in the area, so a nod to the bay area agricultural past.

Screens to use on my porch and for the closet:

Stacking shelves:

Planters from old chicken hatcheries:

What Should I Do?

2007-12-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

I am very excited about the new home and think there is a lot I can do to make the house a home. Right now I have very little furniture and only a few design thoughts. I like horizontal elements, not vertical elements. I want to house to be nature themed, so the outdoor and indoor feel like one.

My mom was great and got me a couch and loveseat for Christmas. They should arrive at some point in January. They are "pine" colored and big and comfy. I am excited.

Please offer comments and suggestions!

The Master Bedroom

2007-12-04T13:03:00.003-08:00

This is the master bedroom. With a door to the bathroom and the sliding glass doors to the balcony, there are a lot of doors in this room.

I got a new bedspread. It is very peaceful. I also got new drapes and my bookshelves in place.

The Bathroom

2007-12-04T13:03:00.001-08:00

Here is the upstairs bathroom. It is lovely, except for the tub. That needs to be upgraded. I would like the room to be more "sky" like, with more blue and lavender accents.

The Guest Room

2007-12-04T13:02:00.002-08:00

Here is the extra room. I am not sure what I will do here. Maybe it will become a craft room. It has lovely light during the day.

The Laundry

2007-12-04T13:02:00.001-08:00

Here is my laundry. Maybe it can be better organized? I like the leftover flooring.

The Powder Room

2007-12-04T13:01:00.002-08:00

This is the downstairs half bath. I am thinking this needs to be painted a sage green color.

The Back Yard

2007-12-04T13:01:00.001-08:00

My yard and Redwood Tree. They light up at NIGHT! Also, now I have a little table to sit at and watch the squirrels in the morning.

The Great Room

2007-12-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

I have one big great room that can be divided up into areas.

I have a little dining area, that now has my great table (and my bike is currently hanging out here too.

I have couches!

I created a little desk area, because I felt the need for a place to put mail, the computer, and other random stuff, instead of putting it on the dining table or kitchen bar.

The Kitchen

2007-12-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

Here is the kitchen. I have filled it with all of my dishes and stuff.

Homeownership!

2007-12-03T14:40:00.002-08:00

I bought a house! I move into my new home on December 15th. I am looking forward to the adventure of setting up the new home and will use this site to post pictures and information about each of the rooms and ask for suggestions on how to make my house a home.