Relocated Living &raquo;

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05.16.2013

As the inside of our house edges its way to the finish line, we have started to “survey our land” to figure out what we want to do on the outside. The biggest thing we have to contend with outside is The Pool and what to do with it. It’s a pretty large pool too.

When we bought the house the pool looked like this, beckoning you for a swim:

Now it looks like this:

Not much difference except the water is a bit murkier from debris making its way into the water. That said we’ve had the pool diligently cleaned all throughout the construction. After years of living in Los Angeles and wishing we had a pool, we thought it ironic that we moved to the Bay Area and bought a house with a pool. Mind you, we were not looking for a pool. So, our intention was always to keep the pool and one day make it look more like this:

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Well, the cost of fixing up the pool surround quickly snowballs into something truly astronomical. So we did a lot of soul searching, evaluating whether it was worth keeping the pool or getting rid of it, especially since the weather in the Bay Area is much cooler than in Southern California. We were of two minds about what to do, but after consulting with our fabulous realtor, she said that the house would gain in value without a pool*. So, if we spent money on the pool, the money would literally be going down the drain because it would adversely affect the value of the house?! Huh? After hearing that bit of information making the decision to get rid of the pool was easy.

Sayonara pool. Looking forward to learning how to plant a vegetable garden instead.

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* N.B.: the added value of a pool depends on the community you live in. Our realtor’s recommendation was specific to us and our community.

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05.14.2013

Construction: Progress Report 7

“What did you do Saturday night?” Typical answers might include, “We went to the movies to see the Great Gatsby“, or “We tried a really great new restaurant”. But once you have kids, your answer to this question starts to change to something like, “We did movie night with the kids, and had some microwave popcorn”. Hubby and I try to have a date night once a month. Last night was one such night. So, what did we do for our hard to come by date night? We built closets. Yep, you read that correctly, we built closets. I know, super romantic.

Once the kids were in capable hands we got to work and got well acquainted with the likes of Pax, Komplement and Algot. If you recognize these names you know that this is no small undertaking. We have two large master bedroom closets, 3 additional bedroom closets and two hallway closets that need fitting. If left to the contractor, he’d probably put up a shelf and a hanging rod and call it a day. But from experience I know that the more thoughtfully you optimize your storage, the better chances you have at containing clutter.

So, the master bedroom is getting a customized Pax system, the other closets are getting the Algot system. When taking down walls, we considered building a walk in closet (WIC). However, after discussions with our architect it became abundantly clear that if we did a WIC, the master bathroom would loose considerable square footage and in the end neither of the spaces would be particularly large. In fact the WIC would likely be puny? I ask you, what’s the point on insisting on a WIC when what is truly matters is cubic feet of storage? By forgoing the WIC, we gained a large master bathroom AND also have tons of closet storage. Win. Win.

Again, Ikea to the rescue. Their Pax system has so many different options you can really create your dream storage. However, same caveat as with the kitchen, it takes time to build yourself. Hubby and I took on all the closets, because we want the guys working on the house to finish the stuff we can’t do, like plumbing the laundry room, or checking all the new electrical circuits now that many of the light fixtures are in. I like the Pax system a lot, the Algot, not so much. It’s the same principle as the Elfa storage system available at the Container store, but a) not as flexible, and b) not as easy to install. Having installed the Elfa in 4 closets in our last house, I know the merits of the Elfa… however, I also know its cost. So, I opted for the less expensive, less flexible Algot. Not the end of the world, and probably about a quarter of the price.

So, if you were to ask me, “What did you do Saturday night?” my answer would be, “Hubby and I had a date and built closets” and you know what? It was kinda fun.

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05.08.2013

Construction: Progress Report 6

The big story this week is that the kitchen is nearing completion.

I don’t think I mentioned this before, but we decided to go with an IKEA kitchen. Several factors helped us make this decision. First off, IKEA kitchen cabinets cost considerably less money than going custom. Sure you don’t have all the options of a custom kitchen, but the savings are worth it. Plus we bought our kitchen components during one of IKEA’s kitchen sales, so the discount applied not only to the cabinets but also to the quartz countertop we chose. These savings are not insignificant. A second consideration was replaceability. OK, the latter isn’t even a real word, but by that I mean, that if something breaks IKEA stuff comes standard and so it can easily be replaced. This was an important factor for me because our last kitchen was a mid-level custom kitchen, but after a few years of use, the door finish started to show serious signs of wear. I like the fact that if a door breaks I can just go buy a new one. The last factor in our decision making process is related to doors. IKEA cabinet frames are standard, so down the line if I decide to give the kitchen a whole new look, I know that I can choose a new door profile and just pop them in for an instant makeover.

The cons of an IKEA kitchen? Well, you do have to assemble it. We were originally going to use the IKEA installation service, but after they jacked up the price of installation by $1000 from our original estimate, to an a new estimate given to me when we were actually ready to install, we decided not to use them. Our contractor’s team is handling much of the install at the price we were originally quoted. The good thing about that, is that we stay within the budget we’d originally allocated for this aspect of the project. The bad thing is, they are not IKEA installers, which means they are not used to building these cabinets day after day… so the install is taking longer.

Anyway, enough about the kitchen it’s on its way, but not yet done. This is probably the last you will see of it before it is completed. At which point I will show you the dramatic before and after shots, that will hopefully look more like one of my kitchen inspiration shots.

By the way, speaking of doors, I tried to located the modern five panel door by Masonite, but apparently it is not a model they provide in California. For your reference, you should note that not all doors featured on the Masonite website are available in every part of the country. I learned that they contract with local fabricators and so each region has different designs. I think the website should feature a search criteria that narrows your selection by geography, that way you can get a real sense of what is available in your area. Don’t you agree?

So, to conclude the door saga, we went with a solid core single panel shaker door. And, yes, it is the most expensive option, but the hollow core just didn’t feel right and the only other design I liked was the five panel door. If I’d gone with the more traditional 5 panel door, our hallways would have started to look really busy. In some areas we have seven door right next to each other 5×7=35. That’s just too many panels. Single panel lets you rest your eyes more. Here they are in their hung and primed state. Just wait until you see them with paint and glossy hardware.

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