The stair project isn’t finished yet, but it’s at least to the stage where there are actual stairs that we can walk up and down!
More pics starting [here](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/house/stairs-during/?g2_page=2). We’re already thrilled with the ability to go down into the basement without having to go outside. Very handy for doing the laundry in this cold weather!
Our builder will be back for a full day of work today, and then he expects to do the final finishing touches on Monday. Woohoo!
1. Today was the starting day for work on the staircase from our living room down into our basement! This is a major hurdle and will enable us to more easily start on our next project – finishing the basement! You can see some [before pics](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/house/stairs-before/) and some [during pics](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/house/stairs-during/) to see what it looks like. Quarters are quite cramped, but we’re excited that we’ll soon have a way to get down into the basement that doesn’t involve going outside of the house!
2. Today was the first big snowstorm of the season in our area. I’m not sure how many inches fell, but it seems to have been quite a bit. Luckily it was fairly powdery, so I was able to brush it off of my car pretty easily. It took me about an hour to get home, which is a lot considering that it’s normally less than 15 minutes. However, it doesn’t hold a candle to a few years ago when it took almost four hours for me to get home (to downtown Beverly, which is only two miles further than I drive now). Here’s some [photos from the evening](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2007/december_13_snowstorm/).
3. As a side note, tonight was the first time I had driven Rebecca’s new Subaru Legacy Wagon in truly bad conditions, and I must say that it was AWESOME! The all-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes were a godsend. It easily backed up our slick, snow-covered driveway, handled all of the twists and turns with no problem at all. Seriously, it’s like the car doesn’t even care that there’s snow. “Hmm, got some driving to do. What’s this white stuff? Oh, nevermind. Just keep drivin’, just keep drivin’…”
4. Corey’s Mini broke down on the way home from work (Peabody to Somerville), and so the three of us packed into the car to drive down and pick him up in Woburn. He’s staying here for the night – hopefully we’ll find a place to squeeze him in!
I hope everyone else affected by the storm is doing okay. Feel free to leave your stories in the comments, or else link to any posts that you’ve written!
As of last Sunday the place where we wash our laundry feels more like a laundry room and less like two machines randomly stuck in the basement. We purchased, built and installed two storage cabinets above the washer and dryer in the laundry nook downstairs. The project was simple, but took a little time to get installed. My psyche is so much more calm now that all the laundry paraphernalia and overstock housegoods are tucked away in their own place and not floating about the basement.
Here’s the before and after and all the rest of the pics.
Before
After
Last night we took a trip to [IKEA](http://www.ikea.com/) to buy some cabinets to put in our laundry area. I sat in the back seat with Catherine on the way down, which gave me a rare opportunity to take photos while in the car.
Here are [a few more photos](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/travels/2007/trip_to_ikea/). No actual photos from IKEA or of the cabinets, but maybe we’ll take some pics of the project itself.
Our living room has a nice big picture window. Having moved from a basement level apartment I enjoy all the sunlight that streams in every day. I’m not so keen on people looking in.
When we moved in we hung some roman shades that we found at Ikea. They are light, so they only block the view from outside, not all of the light. I like that. But the windows still looked unfinished. I didn’t want to hang heavy drapes or curtains; the room is small enough without drapery making it feel even smaller. The window is so wide that I would need to buy special rods to hang even a valance.
Before:
The solution was to build a cornice. It took some wood, ‘L’ brackets, screws, fabric and batting and some good old elbow grease to get the job done. The cornice is upholstered with a dark blue fabric that has flowers and vines embroidered on it in a similar blue. The effect is a nice linear window treatment with a little more design to it if you look closely. I like it.
After:
I’ve been doing a bit more sewing. Peter and I have been decluttering our ‘master bedroom’ to make it more livable and cozy. We decided that it was finally time to put some curtains up.
We went to Joann’s Fabrics with no idea what kind of pattern or colors we’d want in the room. I figured it would take us a while to find something we liked or to agree…but it didn’t. We both knew right off the bat and it was only the second bolt I had pulled off the shelf! I guess it was meant to be.
The actual sewing was pretty easy, and thanks to Peter spending some quality Dad time with Catherine I was able to work from start to finish. The curtains were done quickly; completed in less time than it takes to listen to The Best of James Taylor. (How’s that for a measurement of time?)
Slowly, but surely, we are settling into our new place. Boxes have been unpacked, pictures are up on the walls, the cupboards are filled…and now there are curtains hung.
In Catherine’s room, at least!
I spent the afternoon sewing up those little beauties. It is such a wonderful feeling to start and finish a project and have it look so nice. I’ve made curtains before, but I think that these are, by far, the nicest. Catherine definitely has the best room in the house! See more detail in the curtain gallery.
Today was also the maiden journey for my new Gingher Shears. Oh bliss!
As you all know, we recently moved from Beverly, MA to Danvers, MA. Danvers is adjacent to Beverly, and our new home in Danvers is only two miles away from our old apartment in Beverly. In fact, the street we live on is literally on the border between Beverly and Danvers. My commute from home to work and back has only changed in that it’s gotten shorter: about 10 minutes in either direction now, as opposed to 15-20 minutes. I still drive on the same roads from our house to work, it’s just that I no longer have to drive all the way in to downtown Beverly (a task that can be somewhat tedious when one is eager to get home).
Our old apartment was located in a basement, and had below-ground- and at-ground-level windows, so our view and our interaction with the outside world while at home was limited. In addition, we were at the end of a dead end street, so there was no foot or car traffic around our house. Our new home is located above ground, and though it is not situated *right* on the street, we don’t have a huge front yard to separate us from the sidewalk and road just beyond. We also have a large front window and front door so that we can easily see what’s going on out in front of our home. It also encourages more interaction with folks in the neighborhood as we’re going to and from our cars, or hanging around in front of the house.
Our new home has a deck out back, and although it is in need of some repairs, it is still a deck, and we still enjoy sitting out back, eating dinner, watching the sunset, listening to the birds, and watching the squirrels, rabbits, and other wildlife in the town-owned conservation land just behind our back yard. In our old apartment, we were lucky if we saw a few stray cats and some rusting automobiles when we stepped outside.
Beverly was positioned right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with numerous beaches and seaside parks. Danvers is just inland from Beverly, and has no real beaches per se, but it does have a marina and is connected to the Atlantic via the Danvers, Porter, Crane, and Waters Rivers.
Danvers has a quaint municipal power department, which gives you a discount on your bill if you pay it early. Beverly was serviced by the National Grid mega-company. Danvers has mandatory recycling, while it was optional in Beverly.
We’re still in the process of getting used to our new home and town, but so far we’re enjoying it! Here are some more old vs new facts:
| Beverly | Danvers | |
|---|---|---|
| First Settled | 1626 | 1630 |
| Oldest House Still Standing | Balch House, 1679 | Putnam House, 1648 |
| Form of Government | Mayor-council city | Representative town meeting |
| Population, 2000 | 39,862 | 25,212 |
| Family Median Income, 2000 | $66,486 | $70,565 |
| Area | 22.7 square miles | 14.1 square miles |
| Colleges | 3: Montserrat College of Art, Endicott College, North Shore Community College | 1: North Shore Community College |
| MBTA Commuter Rail Stations | 5: Beverly Depot, North Beverly, Prides Crossing, Montserrant, Beverly Farms | 0 |
| Dunkin Donuts Count | 9 | 8 |
| Home Depot Count | 0 | 2 |
| Square feet of living space in our home | 800 | 588 (to be expanded to 1,028 upon finishing basement) |
I know, March is over, but I wanted to highlight some of the craziness from the month:
Of course, I haven’t even mentioned the all kinds of busy I was at work during the month. With all of that, it certainly made for a mad March. Now we’re starting to settle in, finish unpacking, and relax a bit before the next phase of our project, finishing off the basement. Hopefully we’ll be able to blog some more, and share more about the house, life, and everyone’s favorite ten-month-old, Catherine. 🙂
*I did eventually get the camera back on April 9. Repairs cost $400 (a new camera would cost $600) which will be fully covered by our homeowner’s insurance. If you have any cameras or computer equipment that are even moderately expensive, scheduling them under your homeowner’s insurance is a very good idea. It’s incredibly cheap (less than $20 per year for our ‘big’ camera, camcorder, and all of our computer equipment) and by scheduling it, you don’t pay a deductible if you have a claim.
We’re done with the bulk of the painting! Just a few places that need another coat, and some touch-ups. Check out the colors we’ve chosen.
