Project Reveal // Modern Exterior Wood Screen

I thought I'd share an update on the big project we've had in the works here around Holtwood House - the one that has been consuming every ounce of free space in my brain over the last couple of weeks while we watched it come to fruition. These things take a lot of thought and patience and I've been overflowing with thought and coming up short on the patience lately.

This is the one obstacle to us finally landscaping the front yard and for two years now, I've been envisioning it. But even if we temporarily fooled ourselves into thinking we could just slap some boards up on a couple of posts and call it a day, we knew in the end that nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

Fortunately, we have an ace in our back pocket and he's overflowing with both thought and patience (most of the time- wink, wink Dad). See Dad had other ideas- the kind composed of augers to make post holes deep enough and levels and nylon string to make lines straight and evenly spaced. He advised on the right screws to keep rust at bay and the appropriate poly to weather proof and add luster to our grains.

So when he showed up at the crack of dawn last Saturday to erect this most modern of screens, The Mister and I knew the day would result in exactly the look we were after, but go a little something like this:

The man is a machine.

That's not to say that The Mister and I didn't put a little sweat equity into this thing. Yours truly sanded and stained all 144 linear feet of those boards and The Mister spent the previous Saturday learning how to use that auger. Good times.

But so, so worth it, no?

So here she is in her current state: up on her legs with the first coat of poly. After some more sanding and coating and a whack or two to the blocks down below, she'll finally get some sleek address numbers, a wash of lighting and a parade of plants at her feet.

Completion of this project of course has lead to additional work we must now take on. You know how mom and dad always taught us all to take care of our stuff and it will last a life time? Well we'll be putting that into practice by outfitting the eaves with new gutters to keep rainwater at bay.  There will also be some yearly maintenance like sanding and re-finishing to keep the wood protected from both sun and water.

Two years of waiting. Two weekends of work. A lifetime of maintenance. But we couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome- or more thankful for Dad.

Priorities {+ An Exterior Renovation Update}

Back in February, The Mister had gifted me a little birthday dream getaway- Florence + The Machine at the Santa Barbara Bowl. If you haven't already caught on from my lunatic tweeting over the weekend, I'm a freak for Florence. Girl is not from this world. So the promise of a leisurely couple of days in one of my favorite cities to see my favorite band (with my favorite fella of course), has sort of kept me floating through the weeks since.

That is... until I made the "mature" decision last week to skip the expense of that fantastical weekend in lieu of some fantastical illumination outside the house. Priorities. Rarely are they any fun. You can insert all the neurotic inner dialogue that ensued about how "I feel old and I'm not cool anymore." Yeah, it totally happened.

Well, that is until I flipped the switch the evening after the first round of lighting had been installed.

What a thrill, because when you plan and plot for something like this for over a year and then finally see it come to fruition, sometimes it just doesn't get any cooler than that. Another round will tie in some recessed lighting up the sidewalk in the entryway. 

While our Electrician wired up this vintage beast, a whirlwind of other updates also took place last weekend as well.

Like the installation of a new sidelight. The window guy actually looked at me funny and then laughed when he came to change it out. I agree it was paper thin and old as hell, but it was like "hey dude, remember it was here long before I ever was... "

I can't tell you how much it has brightened up our front entry. That grimy yellow glow it cast just inside our door is now gone. What a mood lifter.  The Mister crowned this one the best update thus far.

{Then}

{Now}

While the concrete guy worked on our front stucco, he also threw in a handy dandy mow strip. We're official now. We have ourselves a front planter and not just some random dirt plot thrown across the front lawn.

Last, but not least... we started on this project. Can you guess what it is?

If you look closely, you'll note the requisite power tool project beer sitting up on the patio table.  That is some thirsty work.

* All images via Holtwood Hipster

Exterior Renovation Update {04.09.12}

The last couple of days have brought lots of activity to Holtwood House. I love waking up when projects are in full effect, the sounds of hammer, drill and saw in the background playing like a productive little symphony as I gulp down my morning cup.  It means progress and that by sundown, things will look a whole lot different around here.

I learned that we are quite the talk of the neighborhood and met several new neighbors out on their morning walks, all interested in knowing what we were finally going to do with this place. Until now, we've greeted each other only with friendly hellos while I've watered and they've speed walked down the sidewalk tethered to their dogs. But the renovation has given us new occasion to talk and that's been one more happy little side effect to the commotion.

While the work continued on the house, Saturday's balmy weather delivered one of the best days in the garden I've had in some time. I finally worked up the courage to clean up the lemon tree that has sort of taken over the side yard. Two very scratched up arms later and I had myself a little house arrangement created from the discards, just in time for the Easter holiday.

Wishing you all a productive and happy week!