June 4, 2008
We hired new painters at almost twice the price, but at least they show up and begin priming the house. The original structure is brick and needs a masonry primer to hold the mortar in. I’ve had too much time to think about color, and in the end, chicken out and paint it Sherwin-Williams (www.sherwin-williams.com) #7008 Alabaster, a warm white. Tip: Tint the primer the same color as the final coat. We primed it with Loxon XP Masonry Coating.

June 10, 2008
Kevin installs the lockset and the cabinetry hardware today. We found stainless-steel hardware we love on www.myknobs.com. The handles and pulls are from Hickory Hardware (www.belwith.com). I’m especially taken with these rectilinear bin pulls. It’s a fresh take on the cup pulls that we see in many country kitchens. These will work beautifully within the frames of the cabinet drawers and transition styles between classic and modern country. The lockset on the backdoor is from Kwikset (www.kwikset.com). The Hawthorn handleset in iron black is strong and sharp. Kevin has a full day, but we’re glad to have him back helping on the last push. (Admit it, Kevin, you’re going to miss my calls!) Outside, the landscaper pulls out all our existing perennials. We put them in a kiddie plastic swimming pool to keep them alive until we transplant them into their new homes around the foundation. A backhoe grates the backyard to make sure water drains away from the foundation. But by doing so, it absolutely trashes every inch of the backyard. Yikes.

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo

June 11, 2008
In the last two weeks, we’ve had about 9 inches of rain. Here’s the mudhole that is now our backyard. My hostas and other perennials are drowning in the swimming pool, so I slice the side open and let it drain. Somehow, the painters found a few dry hours to finish spraying the house today.

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo

June 12, 2008
Gutters! Too bad we didn’t have them before the massive rainfall, but better late than never.

June 13, 2008
Ben and Ted, the electricians, stop by this morning and install the exterior lantern (www.circalighting.com). This short linear lantern has an oil-rubbed bronze finish that looks more like a smokey grayish black. I chose this and the hardware in the same finish to bring a bit of crispness and contrast to the white façade. Donovan stands next to our new lilac tree that waits on the driveway for the ground to dry up a bit before being planted.

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo

June 14, 2008
We get an early call from our landscaper. It is Saturday, and the sod farm is cutting our sod today. In all parts of our state, the floodwaters are topping levies and backing up sewers. But in our little pocket garden, we are undergoing a 4-hour transformation that is nothing short of amazing. The plants are in, the sod is in, and ironically, we need to water the lawn to help the sod take root. We’re done.

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo

June 16, 2008
Our team from the magazine swoops in and we shoot these images for Country Home today. Our project took nearly a year, but the final results were worth it.

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo

+ click to enlarge photo