New year, new way of life (thanks to the Corona-virus), and a new project is on the way! This little number has been not 6 months in the making – but two solid years of finding the right place. To be frank, it feels like it has taken just as long to get the right project name for the job!
Let’s start with the basics:
This is Project: Verde
As you can tell, the day of our inspection, the Mr. and I were in full Corona-gear (minus the face shields) going around to measure the entire interior. Don’t worry, plans will come soon enough – you can believe that I have already modeled this thing 3-dimensionally in Revit for all the things I have in store!
Before we get too into the weeds of changes, check out this entry! (You can ignore the Mr.’s attempt at hiding). And yes, you are seeing stairs go up, and a set of stairs going down. Back in the 1990s, this split-level design was all the rage! Although I was planning for a single story (to be able to age in place) these half-story steps are super easy to go up and down that I don’t feel so bad going in the completely opposite direction.
One area I am planning to hold off on, is the downstairs, or ground-level room. This room connects to the laundry & garage and as of right now, has been named “the game room”. I do want to point out the silliness in the fact that the previous owners painted the ceilings to match the wall color in most cases of the house, but this room was a little special in that they painted an oval above the fan. I don’t mind the color choice of the home… but this room is just dark! There is a patio right off the only door/window and there really isn’t any artificial light other than a single downlight over the bar area.
The kitchen is a very doable space. I love the galley layout and I really think we were lucky in the applicances. Although I know we will update this room down the road, it will be further down the road than some spaces.
Case in point: the master bathroom. From the minute the Mr. and I walked in, we knew that room had to get an update! The shower is just too small for someone over six-foot, the towel rack is behind the door to the shower so you have to completely step out unless you were prepared and draped it over the door before you got in. Neither of us really use a tub, and if we ever wanted to, there is a second bathroom with one we could use. The only light in the room is over the vanity, So, when I shower at night, that wall feels like it completely blocks any light. It’s also a bummer that the only fan for this space is over the tub (not including the fan in the toilet room hidden behind a pocket door).
But the worst part is that this space is completely open to the master bedroom, and has carpet installed – even to the shower and tub! That’s right, look closely and what you are seeing is a carpeted bathroom. So, when one of us forgets to prep our towel before a shower, all of that dips right on down to the carpet – YUCK!
Not to let the master bath win in the crazy department, I have to share this room: the 2nd bedroom. When I shared this with my collegues, one came back to ask if this was a rendering (becuase how could this be real?). Yes, my friends, every wall in this room is painted green – as is the ceiling, and there is a flairs of neon green on the shelves and in the closet.
The intensity of this room was going to make it our “test room” for things we have planned, but that has since changed. (I still can’t wait to paint this room, though!)
Last, but certainly not least, is the garden space. Well, it’s not a garden…yet… but you can bet I am looking forward to this area! The nice thing about this time of year, is I have time to plan things out while it’s still wickedly hot outside. The trouble is, I can’t wait to start getting this going!
It’s all in the name
So why “Verde”?
Yes, there is a nod to the “green room” that adds a little humor to the mix. But the Mr. and I wanted to highlight something that expressed the reason we moved back to our home town. It can be hot – believe me, it can be seriously hot at times. But, man, those sunsets and the monsoon season after weeks and months of drought just make this a fantastic place to live!
So get ready – we have some cool things in store for this one!