We are having an auction!

My name is Niki and I’m a …..collector of treasures. No, um…. let me try that again. Hello, My name is Niki, and I…. rescue forgotten goods. No,…. repurpose the neglected….. store up for future glory….. salvage the dilapidated….

My name is Niki, and I am a hoarder. THERE! I said it.

You wouldn’t know it from being in my home- in fact since our move we have become quite the minimalist. No, where I hide my addiction is a couple miles down the road in my shop/shack on Reedy Road. Prepare yourself and hide the eyes of your children… I’m about to show you a picture of my shop/shack:

Cue Horror Movie Scream.

It’s green in real life, I chose Black and White to make it more ominous- you know how I feel about drama.

Yep that’s her. I’m sure if you have driven down Reedy Road you have seen her. And if you live in Madison Subdivision you probably assume that nothing good could be going on in a place like this. Especially because I use to frequently come in and out of the place looking like this:

Now, I’m not exactly sure what people wear when they are cooking drugs but my imagination conjures up images similar to the picture above and it wouldn’t surprise me if the good people of Madison Subdivision jumped to that conclusion too. In actuality, I use to frequently sport the mask when I would strip or paint furniture during my “Painted Stache” days (Dad and I’s homemade and restoration furniture business).  And speaking of stripping…

Apparently, my shop/shack had a reputation long before Rory acquired the property. This is a picture of how the side room looked when we purchased it.

I don’t even want to imagine the stories that came out of this place. All I know is when I moved in, the pole came down and the boom boom room became my spray booth for painting furniture.  It was quite functional, for a while…..

The main shop area was once a dream workshop with over 800 sq feet of open space with some built-in workbenches. When I first moved in I just stored our Christmas decor and a few furniture pieces I would pick up at yard sales to refinish and sell at weekend antique events. Here is a pic of the space when I moved in, in 2014.

I had PLENTY of space to move around and work in. But when I transitioned from flipping furniture to flipping houses the ratio of things that came into the shop to those that left the shop substantially increased (or did the ratio decrease? The math is hurting my head- bottom line, more came in than out). Instead of bringing in things that I wanted to sale in a planned weekend event, I started buying and storing things that I “might, one day, maybe, use in a future storybook home.” Then the problem exploded when Rory and I (yes Rory, I’m throwing you under the bus with me on this one) got the bright idea that we should start a salvage business with all the things we pull out of these old homes during demolition. The inventory was endless but our time was not- so we gathered a lot but never had the time to organize and sell- it’s really quite a shame, I had some really cool ideas for the salvage shop, specifically how I would decorate it, you would have loved it.  But alas it never was.

All of that has led to the current state of the shop/shack…

(I can’t believe I’m about to show you this- Don’t judge….shoot, go ahead and judge, I deserve it)

And the current state of the boom boom room:

I think I could have happily continued stuffing items into the shop forever but the place stresses Rory out. I dread anytime he goes to the shop because it is impossible for him to step foot in the place (literally there is no room for even his foot) without giving me a lecture on getting rid of my “junk” (Yes, I do take offense to the use of that word). At one point he even threatened to evict me. So I can’t put it off any longer, I have to clear the place out. I tried posting a few things on FB online yardsale but most people who came to the shop were too overwhelmed by the mess to truly shop. So seeing that I wasn’t making much progress, Rory took it upon himself to come to the rescue and went and hired an auction company. I’ll admit, this freaked me out at first but I find if I focus on what I’ll be gaining (space to move around in, a place to store our tools, money to spend on a new mattress) instead of all the treasures I will be losing, I’m ok with it-kinda. 

But I will say I’m pretty pumped about an auction! How fun is that?!?! I have only been to a handful of auctions but each one was uber exciting! Even if I wasn’t bidding I found myself getting anxious watching others go after an item. Not the bad kind of anxious, more like the kind you get as you are standing in line to ride a new roller coaster. The thrill of wondering if you can win the item before you hit the top dollar amount you have assigned in your head. Then as you approach that number (or even go over) you wonder how much higher your competition will go before they bow out. Just $1 higher, $2, $3.  Then whether you win or lose that item becomes the most precious thing in the world to you, for that moment, because you fought for it. It’s an adventure, I tell ya.

YOU SHOULD TOTALLY COME!!! Even if you don’t leave with a single treasure you should come just for the experience. 

The auction is going to be this Saturday, July 20th at our Shop/Shack behind the fence at 377 Reedy Road in Conway.  The auction will start promptly at 9am but you will want to get there early to register if you want to bid on any items. 

What is going to be up for auction? you ask.

• Lots of Furniture. Some are project pieces, some are ready to be taken home and enjoyed as is, some were found in homes we worked on, some from yard sales, and some were pieces we had at our twostorysister but just don’t work in our current home. 

I loved the blue circled parson chairs with the ruffle skirt at Sister but they just don’t fit the style of Carl Stuart. Sad Sigh. And I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found that plaid settee that fit the Caldwell Manor story perfectly. My loss your gain.

Oh! and the plans I had for those chairs. I soooo could picture them flanking the ends of a beautiful dining table in the perfect English cottage or sitting in a French Country living room (reupholstered in that scenario).

• Tons and Tons of reclaimed wood salvaged from houses all over Conway. 

• 

• 

Mostly pine, but you will also find oak, Cyprus, and cedar mixed in the lot. Talk about the pinterest projects you could knock out with those treasures. 

• Lots of old windows and doors.

Including over $5000 worth of storefront window frames and glass.  Oh and lots of window weights. Men get excited about window weights.  I hear they use them as anchors for their fishing boats. 

•  some tools and what nots- more whats than nots if you ask me

• Leftover tile and light fixtures

  

Some lights and fans are brand new never taken out of the box! What am I thinking?!?!

• Christmas Decor

I have some beautiful Christmas decor that sadly will just not work in my new modernish home. So if you like whites, creams, burlap, and golds in your Christmas decor you could score big! Plus I have several Christmas Trees- including the one I flocked in front of my church family at the “Don’t get your Tinsel in a Tangle” ladies event. 

• Tons of decor- knick knacks I had collected for staging along with a lot of farmhouse decor that I had hoped I could make fit in our new home but oh my goodness it just really doesn’t.  I have even tried to tell myself a story about a farmgirl who moves in with a bohemian family in the city in hopes to mesh the two styles together- but it’s like oil and water. I’ve given up the fight. 

Plus rumor has it that Waterhouse Market might be dropping off a few items to contribute to the auction as well. 

Speaking of Waterhouse Market, if we can find a free second in our schedules to get together and play this week, I’m going to see if Donna wants to go Live with me to give us some tips on how to properly auction. She is pretty much an expert, and I think she could really help us newbies feel less intimidated by the process.  How does that sound?!?! 

Ok, so if anything has caught your eye, or you just want to experience a real live auction, or you just want to see a real life hoarding situation- here are the details you need to know:

Date: Saturday, July 20th

Time: 9am – 11am

(be there by 8:30 to register)

Location: 377 Reedy Road

Auctioneer: Shawn Hammontree with 

Circle H Auctions

(click on link above to see more pictures posted by Circle H)

Finally, if you did find something you think you can’t live without, please don’t ask me to presell it to you. I can’t! Even if you are my very best friend or my own mother- I legally can’t. I am under contract with Circle H Auctions that I won’t remove or sell anything before the auction. 

See you Saturday!

Conway meets the French Quarter

While in the shower this evening, I got to thinking (I have all my deep thoughts in the shower or while driving down Donaghey Road…..idk)

 this house flipping gig has really allowed me to travel the world. I mean in the last 3 years alone, I have been to Ireland, England, Nantucket and most recently, thanks to 705 Davis Street, New Orleans. These are all places on my bucket list to visit and now, after spending months renovating these Central Arkansas homes to reflect the lands from which their stories are inspired, I not only feel like I have been there but have been fully immersed into their cultures. 

Of course, my interpretation of the native architecture and design comes 98% from my imagination, 2% from Pinterest and 0% from formal study or experience so I can’t exactly guarantee their authenticity. BUT in the case of 705 Davis, with the help of its homeowner, I think we nailed the recreation of the French Quarter in the Historic district of Conway. This confidence is due largely to the fact that the homeowner frequents New Orleans, and had very specific NOLA features he wanted incorporated into his home.  And despite his original idea that he “wanted to be surprised,” he ended up weighing in on a lot of the major design decisions and was around for the majority of the renovation to make sure his ideas were implemented in a way that reflected his true life experience with New Orleans.

BUT, because he had originally expressed a desire to be surprised (and let’s be honest- my obsession with a good HGTV worthy reveal experience) I kicked him out in true “Property Brother” fashion at about 6 weeks before completion, right before interior paint started. We set a reveal date for Friday, June 14th and then the madness began as my team raced toward the finish line. Two weeks before our deadline my carefully planned timeline began to unravel as several key subcontractors did not show when expected (such is the life in this construction world). I stubbornly held on to our set reveal date until I finally cracked under the pressure.

via GIPHY

(Actual Footage of me.)

So after several mornings in a row waking up begging Rory not to make me go back, Rory finally convinced me to call the homeowner and request we move back the reveal date by a couple of days. I dreaded that phone call… but Mr. Homeowner handled the news like a champ and we set a new reveal date for the following Tuesday at noon. Guys, I’m convinced I could have had a couple more weeks and I still would have used every last second to get that house ready but thanks to my heroes- Nicolas and his painting team, Edwardo the floor guy turned overall handyman, my family, and the Waterhouse Market team we had this home show-ready by 12pm, Tuesday, June 18th.

In the craziness, I forgot to snap photos but lucky for you Makenzie Evans, professional photographer, was on-site with Waterhouse Market and she snapped some highlights of the house right before Mr. Homeowner arrived on the scene. So now you too can experience the same “after” reveal as the homeowner. You ready??? I’m so EXCITED!!!

Ok remember, this is what the house looked like before we started:

The hints of Greek Revival architecture in the cornices, columns, and shutters made this the perfect house to transplant to the French Quarter. 

During the renovation, we moved around so many windows and doors we ended up replacing over half of the wood siding.  We briefly contemplated replacing the siding with Hardie Board but felt like the skinny slats of the original siding was more appropriate for a New Orleans style Greek Revival. We also demolished the old lean-to addition and rebuilt a structure that I hope fools you to believe it was part of the original construction.

And now…

BIG Thanks to Phillip Toll for all the Exterior trim and siding and Benny the brick guy and TPA metal works for the NOLA style courtyard. 

And speaking of NOLA style, we played up the Greek Revival by enhancing the window trim (green) and columns, adding the dental molding (yellow), and sourcing custom working shutters straight from a New Orleans millworks company (red). This house is hurricane ready!

Mr. Homeowner also found a New Orleans company to make these gas lanterns that flank the doors that lead out to the pool.

A quick reminder of what this side of the house used to look like:

The pool was not quite finished at the time of the reveal, so I don’t have finished pool pics for you, but I do want to show you a hint of the French Quarter courtyard he created with an 8′ wall that encloses his back property.  This pic also shows that we extended and enclosed the existing carport during the renovation.

I must admit, I had my doubts about that wall when he first explained his vision for the space; but by the end, it became one of my favorite features of his home and I’m trying to figure out how I can get a brick wall in my backyard too. 

Ok let’s go inside!

Let me remind you of the original floor plan:

So the first thing we did was give this home a proper formal entry.

Notice the brick pavers on the floor.😍 What I neglected to capture, in my haste to meet my noon reveal deadline, was the copper lantern pendant (original to the home, and lovingly rewired by the talented Gina at Hambuchen lighting) that hangs from the ceiling and the wainscotting that encircles the space and hides a hidden coat closet. You’ll just have to trust me, it’s pretty cool.

Peeking thru the French Doors, you can see you enter into his new dining room (located at number 2 on the original floor plan). Here’s how the space looked before:

And now:

Jeff Perry the cabinet man put doors on the old built-in for an instant china cabinet and Jacob Smith and his team did all the trim work seen throughout the house. Donna Benton of Waterhouse Market has been commissioned to help blend the homeowner’s current art and furnishings with new finds to help finish out its design story.  This table is the first of her finds, and I was so excited it arrived in time for the reveal to help define the dining space under that oversized lantern I found at an antique shop in Little Rock.

I’m sorry to say I didn’t get a great shot of the living room space in its finished condition, but without furniture, it’s not much to look at anyway. But here it is before (#3)

One of the coolest things about this space is the record storage space we created where that door is above. We unearthed 4 old brick stove stacks during demolition and was able to incorporate 2 into the new design.  Here is the first one:

On the other side of that brick stack is one of 4 doors that lead out to the pool. 

And now my favorite part! The KITCHEN!! Most of me wants to save it to the end, but I’m trying to give you an authentic reveal experience and at this point in the tour you couldn’t avoid seeing the kitchen because it is open to the living room. 

Here is the old Kitchen (#6)

And the location of the new kitchen (#4)

And now……..

Ahhhh. What do you think?!?!!? Did we nail the French Quarter??? I mean look at those lanterns 😍😍😍 And what about that brick?!?!?! Remember the 4 old brick stacks? The two brick stacks that got torn down during demolition got recycled into that backsplash.

At this time I would like to highlight 2 heroes of the renovation- Edwardo David, the tile guy, and Benny, the Brick guy:

Edwardo not only did all the tile and flooring throughout the house, but he also became a jack of all trades in the final days of the project helping me with WHATEVER needed to get done to meet our deadline. And Benny practically lived on Davis Street with all the brickwork he did to this home. No matter how stressed I got these two always had a smile on their face. 

Here are some more shots of the kitchen.

The pantry is located thru that pocket transom door beside the fridge- right-hand corner of #1 on the “before” diagram. 

As much as I would love to stay in the kitchen FOREVER, we must continue the tour.

Where the old kitchen was, we transformed that space into the laundry/dog spa.

There are some very blessed little beagles that live at 705 Davis street. Their human made sure their space was equipped with built-in kennels, water and food bowls and a window seat perfect for sunbathing and squirrel watching.  The dogs also have their own courtyard they have access to at any time of the day thru their own doggy door. 

On the other side of the laundry room is the hall that leads from the living room to the bedrooms (#11). It used to house a staircase that led to a creepy attic space.

We decided there was nothing to gain from keeping the staircase so it was removed and in its place we put a custom trophy case (made by Jeff Perry) to hold this homeowner’s beloved St Louis Cardinal memorabilia. 

Next on our tour are the bedrooms- which honestly are a little boring on a photo tour without furniture but I’ll still show you. 

Number 5 and 7 were the two bedroom locations of the original house. And I guess you could have called the lean-to addition a 3rd bedroom in the old house (#10).

Now the two spacious guest bedrooms are located in the addition. With the back bedroom having access to the pool and its own patio. 

Before I take you to the master suite I want to show you the guest bathroom. The original house did have two bathrooms with one being located in the lean-to.

And the other was at the end of the hall (#8)

The new guest bath got relocated into the old laundry space (#9):

And now looks like this:

This vanity was a last-minute find at the Peddler in Greenbrier.

And last but not least on our tour is the master suite- which I neglected to get pictures of the bedroom portion of the suite- basically it looks like the other bedrooms but it has two windowed doors that open up to the pool (the doors flanked by lanterns in the earlier exterior picture). The master suite occupies what was #5 and #7 of the old floor plan.

And then, through the french doors of the master bedroom, is one of my top favorite bathrooms in the world. (Honestly, the pics just don’t do it justice- no fault of Makenzie, it’s just hard to get a picture in the long narrow space). 

When you enter the bathroom you are immediately greeted by a fabulous copper tub that sits in front of a large picture window facing the pool courtyard. 

Then to the right of the french doors, you will find a vanity,  linen cabinet, and a transom door leading to his closet. (Yes, that is an in heat flooring system panel on the wall.)

And on the left of the door, you will find a mirrored set-up with a second vanity, linen closet, and transom door leading to a large walk-in shower. 

But wait! Where is the potty, you ask. Well, that my friends, is my favorite part! it is located inside the vanity cabinet beside the shower. No really. It is. I only wish I had photographic proof.  You’ll just have to trust me.

So there you have it! How did we do? Did you forget you were in Central Arkansas? Could you practically taste the Cajun food?

If your sad this tour is over, I’ve got GREAT news for you. I hope to take you on another tour of this home once my good friend Donna finishes illustrating this story with all her fabulous decor and furnishing finds. 

In the meantime, I’ll be working on finishing up 143 Oliver to invite you all over for an official OPEN HOUSE!! and I’ve started another custom project for a client in Westgate Subdivision. Fun times ahead!

It’s a "Before" Blog

Hi Friends!!!

Oh it’s been too long, but I’m hoping this next project will have been worth the wait! If you are a Storybook Homes follower you know that over the last year I have been working on custom projects for real clients, myself included:

First, there was the demolished and rebuilt Nantucket traditional house on Oliver:

Then there was my mid mod house on Carl Stuart:

I know I still owe you a complete “after package” on Carl Stuart but we moved in prematurely before the punch list was completed so there are a few more things I’d like to take care of before I post pics- you understand, right??

And currently, I am in the final days of the New Orleans Greek Revival house on Davis…

(come back soon for the after pics on this one)

While it has been a fun experience working with real-life people to help cultivate and create the homes of their imagination; I have desperately missed the creative process of letting a story dictate the design and renovation of a home. I mean, I did try to keep a vague story running through my head throughout these client projects, simply to help maintain a cohesive style, but the final design choices were made by the client, not the story- lucky for me my clients had great taste. I just find that when I focus on telling a story rather than pleasing a client I am more inclined to think outside the box and take greater design risks. Now granted most of these “risks” are not for everyone but it’s often these story led ideas in a storybook flip that captures the attention and the heart of the perfect future homeowner- it’s just cool how it happens. 

So when the mother/son realtor team, Chris and Cindy Bell, contacted me about a potential flip I jumped at the chance to go look. At the time, I was in the final days of the Oliver project, Carl Stuart was barely in the dry, and Davis was patiently waiting in the wings to get started, so I knew there was no way I could start another project. But I figured, if the price was right, I might be able to afford to let it sit for a while or even allow a renter to move in until we were ready to renovate.  Unfortunately, the renter idea was squelched before we even made it inside the house. The front door was broken and permanently ajar and the side door looked like it had been kicked in.  Inside we were greeted by the sweetest elderly couple. It was obvious their declining health had not allowed them to keep up the day to day maintenance of their home for quite some time. It was truly heartbreaking, the floors were sinking in multiple places and 1 side of the house seemed to be tilting away from the rest of the structure. They had held on as long as they could but needed to move to a safer and healthier environment.  With the help of the Bells and the couple’s bank, we were able to purchase the house at a price that allowed the couple to move on and gave us a workable budget to do the necessary renovation.  So without further ado let me introduce you to 143 Oliver:

 

She’s pretty big for a Storybook home at just under 2100 sq feet.  You wanna go inside??

I’ll take you in through the front door (the sweet couple had a new door installed before we closed):

The front door leads directly into the living room.

A fireplace!!! It doesn’t work, but I still love that it’s there.  

 

To the left of the fireplace you enter into the dining room:

Sorry, I neglected to get a picture of the dining room before the demo started. That lath and plaster debris is evidence that our dumpster costs and dust counts were high throughout the demolition. 

 

Through that small door is the kitchen:

That reminds me… I asked the demo team to save that hutch for me. Hmmm, I don’t recall seeing it for awhile…

On the other side of the house was a hall with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms:

Then past the kitchen, there was a pantry area and a cool enclosed porch looking area:

And then there was another small bedroom in that area:

Outside there is an attached storage area that I heard used to be part of a dairy farm. 

Believe me, I almost let myself get lost in a dairy farm story but I did not trust myself with all the cowhide possibilities. So rather, I waited for the space to be completely cleared out and gutted before I started looking and listening for the story this home wanted to tell. 

Over the last 6 months, we have ever so slowly been putting this house back together. In fact, it has been my lack of attention at this house that motivated and wrote her story. And oh I LOVE the sweet story she tells- I hope to get to share it with you before the end of the summer. In the meantime, thanks for spending a little time with me today. I hope it’s not too long before we can do it again.  

♡-Niki

PS- If you’re curious…. The new floor plan hosts 4 bedrooms (5 if you count the office) and 2 baths. Projected price: Somewhere around $250k for the house with a fully furnished and decorated package yet to be determined by Waterhouse Market. Open House Party projected to be Late July or August! Can’t wait to see you!

Storybook Ghostwriter Edition

Welcome to a special edition of Storybook homes. If you have been following Storybook Homes for any amount of time you know that my Dad ALWAYS comes to town to help me on at least 1 special project per renovation. 

Here he is helping me with a feature headboard wall at Bruce.

Ta dah!

He built a vanity top for Oliver:

And helped me with the pine shiplap at Donaghey.

 

Here are some action shots of him working on some special trim projects at Caldwell.

And the fruits of his labor:

He built the master vanity at the cinder block house:

And here he is working on one of the most tedious jobs to date- the wood wrapped entry wall at Lee Street.

Those are just a few pics that prove, not only is he an incredible Dad that sacrificially gives up his time and joints (climbing ladders and crawling on the floor is tough on an old man) to help make his daughter’s design dreams come true, BUT ALSO, that he has some serious carpentry skilz. 

Sooooooo when Dad announced that he thought he might like to try his hand at flipping I was pumped and confident that he would do an incredible job. Plus, I was looking forward to being able to help him for a change in appreciation for the many times he has helped me. 

It took him almost a year to find a property to flip near his home in Harrison, Arkansas that met his criteria for price and degree of renovation needed; but late last summer with the help of his favorite realtor, Laura Ragland with Weichert Realtors, he found a house that checked most of his boxes.  

35 Mimosa Drive in Harrison Arkansas

The house was structurally sound, just in need of some cosmetic updates.  Plus it was a great size, in an established neighborhood, close to schools, and had recently undergone a major price drop after sitting on the market for awhile. Laura was able to negotiate a price that was in Dad’s comfort zone and by July of last year he and his oldest grandson were swinging sledge hammers at the old floor plan. 

Because Dad forgot to get “before” pics before diving into demolition, (Like father like daughter) I borrowed some pics off the old realtor listing to give you a brief “before” tour:

When you walked in the front door you entered into a closed off formal living room:

On the other side of that left wall was a small dining room:

Through that cased opening you can see the kitchen…

Beyond the kitchen was a nice size gathering or family room:

On the other side of this classic ranch style house there was/is a long hall

with 2 kid bedrooms (no good pics of bedrooms) and a guest bath:

 And a master suite:

Complete with single sink vanity and fiberglass shower:

BUT now……

When you walk in the front door you are greeted with a Dad signature feature wall:

And that formal living room has been opened up to the kitchen:

And speaking of the Kitchen…. What a transformation!!!  

 

Dad borrowed some space from the old dining room to expand the kitchen and converted the rest of the old dining Room into a Laundry/Pantry room. This was a genius use of space, if you ask me, because the old Laundry was located in the garage. 

Here is a view of the new gathering room:

And now down the hall…. don’t you just love a freshly painted house and those new hardwood floors.

The guest bathroom was overhauled:

And the bedrooms were refreshed with new carpet, fan, and paint. 

The master suite received a total makeover. 

And the old master bathroom was expanded to include a large walk-in shower, double vanity and private potty room.

What do you think?!?! Did he do a great job or what!!

I’m so proud of him that I thought he deserved to have his very own Storybook Homes For Sale sign.

If you love it too, you should call the number above because according to Dad this was his first and last flip so there won’t be another opportunity to own a Ghostwriter edition SBH in Harrison again!

Yep, I wish I could tell you that Dad fell in love with the reno biz but that is not how this story ends.  The job took triple the time he thought and (as is ALWAYS the case for me) went quite a bit over budget.  That, along with the everyday surprises and frustrations that come with renovating a home, led to his decision that flipping homes is just not how he wants to spend his retirement years.

Whether you are in the market for a new home or not, please stop by Dad’s Open House this Sunday, February 24, 2019 from 2pm-4pm to pat him on the back and tell him what a great job he did. 

OPEN HOUSE

35 Mimosa Drive

Harrison, AR

February 24, 2019

2pm – 4pm

Coming up Next at SBH

Ladies and gentlemen SBH is about to embark on something that we have never done before. Something that has the potential to launch this gig from hobby status to a real legit business. Something that could change the direction and pace of our lives as we know it.

We are about to attempt… TWO PROJECTS AT THE SAME TIME!!! 

via GIPHY

What?!?! you say. I KNOW! Crazy huh! It’s like I’m a real contractor or something. But just think… If I can pull this off then I could potentially do a flip (my true love) and a contract project (aka a project that actually provides a paycheck) at the same time thus keeping me and my creative side happy and Rory and his profit/loss spreadsheet happy. I realize that this feat is nothing to real builders who can crank out entire subdivisions in their sleep, but I have been extremely nervous to try more than one project at a time because I know how much time and energy goes into ONE SBH. When I multiply that amount by two it does not fit within the 24 hour/day allotment of time much less leave room for family, friends, food and/or freaking sleep. (Sorry for the expletive, I was going for a literary alliteration there with the “fs”.) BUT I am still riding the high of my successful contract project on Oliver and 1 of the 2 projects will be our own home on Carl Stuart so I’m thinking now is the perfect time to give it a try.

And do I ever have the perfect client/contract project to work on! This young man approached me last April when I first put the word out I was looking for a pre-reno buyer at Oliver. Unfortunately, he was about a week too late to get in on that project, but about a month later he contacted me about a house he found on Davis. He asked me to look at the house with him to see if I thought it had storybook potential. At that time I was in the early stages of working with my very first clients (at Oliver) and still unsure if contract work was for me so I was hesitant to even go look at the property but my love of old houses and curiosity to peek inside this particular one got the best of me and I agreed to a walkthrough. Well, I should have known better…. it’s impossible for me to go inside an old abandoned home and not start daydreaming about what I could do to help give it a fresh new story, and this one had enough quirkiness to send the imagination in overdrive. But despite my infatuation with the house and it’s potential I was nervous to take on another client project and was prepared to give him a recommendation for another reputable contractor when he said the following words that I am apparently powerless to say no to: 

“I wouldn’t want to see the project until it’s finished- I want you to surprise me.” (the yellow highlight represents rays from heaven shining down on that statement) 

Ummmm, Seriously- all the control, a dramatic reveal, AND a guaranteed paycheck….. I had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. I agreed to take on the project with the understanding I would not be able to start his project until I finished Oliver. We finished Oliver on Friday, Aug 24 and started demo at Davis the following Monday.

Although he wants to be surprised and has given me free rein on all the design decisions, he did share with me his love for the French Quarter of New Orleans and requested the design reflect that style. Now, normally a request for a specific style would stress me out because I like to let the house dictate the style BUT I’m super pumped about trying a new genre and after spending time with Davis it turns out he (the house) speaks fluent Cajun! Plus! I have always wanted to go to NOLA and I’m thinking this project will be the perfect excuse for a field trip.

Although demolition is already done, I did remember to take some before pics before we knocked down any walls. So here is a little lagniappe for your blog reading pleasure. Let’s geaux… (oh my goodness, this is going to be fun)

Here he is: 705 Davis

Recognize him? He sits proudly across the street from First Baptist on Davis Street and has been there since 1937. For an 81-year-old he has held up pretty good. He currently occupies 1624 sq feet of livable space which does not include the obvious add-on to the right of the property or the creepy attic space bonus area.

I did not get a picture of the creepy attic space so you’ll just have to trust me on that one.

Part of our renovation plans for this house involve demolishing the current lean-to structure and rebuilding an addition more in keeping with the original style of the home… kinda like this:

Before we move this tour inside I’ve got to show you the back/side yard:

That space right there is going to be home to the coolest New Orlean’s style courtyard. I’m dying to tell you more but I think I’ll keep it a surprise for now.

Let’s go on inside, shall we.

Inside the front door, space is plentiful but a little awkward. There are only 2 bedrooms but 3-4  living rooms.

Here is a picture of the floorplan I sketched out to help you navigate this tour.

You enter thru the front door into room 1:

This front door location was one of the biggest obstacles to figuring out the new layout. Currently, it opens into one of those 4 living spaces I told you about. I wanted to create a defined entryway but struggled to figure out what to do with the space the entryway would create to the left of the door. Don’t worry, we figured it out, but not without several sleepless nights. 

Room 2, (pic taken from room 3) takes you to another living area. This one is small and narrow but has the most character thanks to a cute fireplace and built-in. It is also where you enter the home from the carport. 

Room 3 Is living area 3 (pic taken from area #2). 

#4 could also be considered a living area but most likely was used as a dining room because of it’s proximity to the old kitchen.

I’m going to go ahead and give you that map again so you don’t have to keep scrolling back up before we continue on our “before” tour.

Since we are in the dining room (#4) let’s go ahead and go thru the door to the kitchen (#6):

It was a galley style kitchen and I absolutely adored those cabinets. Unfortunately, we lost the cabinets during demo because they stubbornly refused to come off the wall in one piece. This homeowner desires an open layout so we will be relocating the kitchen to the old dining room (#4) during the renovation but have some really fun plans for the old kitchen.

#5 & #7 represent the 2 bedrooms of the house:

#8 is the main bathroom of the house:

#11 is the hallway that led to the bedrooms and bathroom (#8) and housed the stairs that led to the creepy pictureless attic bonus space.

I’m thinking #9 was a laundry area and also housed the hot water tank.

And finally, we will end our tour with #10 the bathroom lean-to addition.

And now that you have a better understanding of the old layout forget everything you just saw because pretty much the entire house is getting rearranged during the renovation. Numbers 1-4 will be opened up. Number 6 will be moved to number 4, Number 6 will become number 9. Numbers 5, 7 and 8 will be combined to become an awesome master suite. Number 9 will become a guest bathroom for two new bedrooms that will be added where number 10 used to be.  It’s going to be fun!

Oliver- B&A

It’s Before and After Time for Oliver!!!

Ummm…. Is it fair for me to classify this post as a before and after? I mean, if you remember, this was the house we ended up demolishing due to ZERO footings. BUT! In my defense, because we did not realize the home was sitting on sinking dirt until the week before we were due to start reconstruction we already had the floorplan mapped out to fit inside the original footprint. The future homeowners had approved the new layout and did not desire to make any changes so we essentially built back the original structure with an added carport. Therefore, because we honored the original house I feel justified in claiming these are before and after pics. Soooo now that I cleared that up, let’s get going with the pictures already.

Here is a shot of the house in the before stage: (remember Oliver was a duplex in its former life)

And here he is now!

Isn’t he cute! My biggest fear about tackling a new construction project in old town Conway was that the end product would not have the charm of an old home. But I think by adding the wood trim around the windows and doors and topping the brick columns with the precast concrete of old this house could pass for historic. In fact, Mr. Homeowner paid me the biggest compliment when he shared that someone who had visited his new home thought the house was a remodeled 80-year-old and was shocked to find out it was new construction. 

Speaking of homeowners. If you remember, this was my very first project working side by side with clients and I was just a little (ok a lot) anxious about giving up 100% control. This fear was further escalated when I realized having homeowners on board meant their preferences would (of course) be driving the design ship instead of the Ken and Barbie story floating in my head. Without a story I couldn’t envision the end product, therefore I felt a little lost at first. But then, guess what? As I got to know the homeowners and their likes and dislikes they BECAME the story and I could totally see them and all their furnishings and treasurers living in the space. That, and I kept picturing the homeowners living in Nantucket. Not exactly sure why…. I have never been to Nantucket nor do I have any idea if “Nantucket” is or has a particular style, BUT if ever I was unsure of what direction to take in this project I just pointed North East and suggested finishes I thought would be found in a coastal Nantucket home.  

I truly could not have asked for a better couple to work with. They were gracious and understanding when things did not go as planned, and timely and decisive when it was time to make a design decision. They were very supportive and respectful of my ideas and yet were not afraid to speak up if something did not fit their taste or if they had an idea of their own. I found that I really enjoyed having someone to bounce ideas around with and was surprised at the relief I felt from not being responsible for all the design choices. I would simply present 3 or 4 (or 30 when it came to paint colors) options and they would make the final call.  In the end, we created a home I think we were all proud of.  (Here at SBH it is perfectly acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition.)

They moved in about a month ago but graciously welcomed me back so I could take you on a tour of their home. Let’s go inside…..

Remember how dark, dingy and closed off the duplex entrance felt… (Seriously, what’s with the footprints on the ceiling?!?!)

Well now you walk right into their open living/dining kitchen area:

Can you believe they already have pictures hung?? No lie, we lived at Sister AT LEAST 4 years before I hung anything on the wall. 

I usually like to save the kitchen for last on our tours but since it is peeking out behind the couch, I’ll go ahead and take you in there. 

Another fabulous job by Jeff Perry the cabinet guy. I think that is my new favorite vent hood- very Nantuckety. And shout out to my new friend Brent Rhodes of MBR Woodworks for the BEAUTIFUL oak island top. Mrs Homeowner says it is her favorite part of the entire home. Check out Brent’s portfolio of projects on his FB page: MBRwoodworks. So excited to have found Brent, I think he is just the guy I need to implement a few ideas I have had floating around in my head…. stay tuned. 

While I have you here, take a look at that antique door. I’m going to totally pat myself on the back for that one. It was not always such a glorious shade of antique wood. No, that wood only emerged after a gazillion hours of stripping and sanding layers and layers of paint by yours truly. 

Did I mention I did this in the hot July sun. Take a good look because this will be the last antique door I EVER strip. Alright, I’m done. I’m leaving my pity party… on with the tour. 

One of my favorite spots in the home is the little sitting nook to the left of the island.

Even while Ken and Barbie were still living in this story I had pictured ticking stripe chairs flanking that front window. I mentioned this to Mrs. Homeowner at our first meeting and the very next week she ordered this fabric to recover the chairs above. Love, love, love how they turned out and I think they fit even better inside this Nantucket story. 

Before we leave the kitchen let me remind you of the before kitchens:

Unit 1

Unit 2

Before we head down the hall let me give you a close-up of the dining area:

Waterhouse Market took the homeowners existing antique dining set and gave it a makeover for its Nantucket debut.  

I looked high and low for the perfect chandelier that would harmonize with the kitchen lighting without being too matchy matchy. Found this one at Conway’s very own Hambuchen Lighting.  Ya’ll that place is a treasure. Such unique lighting and surprisingly affordable. 

First door to the left down the long hall is the laundry room/pantry.

Not sure that the duplex had a designated laundry area so no before picture for that one. 

Next, let’s look at the guest bath. Here’s a before to set the mood:

And here it is now:

Couldn’t break the tradition of my Dad joining in on our project- he built the vanity top for this bathroom.

And remember that old clawfoot tub in the duplex? It too got a makeover. 

Flanking that guest bathroom is two guest bedrooms.

And finally, we enter the master suite where we are greeted by the adorable Temple (Shirly Temple that is).

Through that Navy Blue pocket door you will find the master bathroom:

I had a hard time getting a good picture that captured the layout of the bathroom. So I’ll just tell ya the shower is to the right of the vanity and the potty is hidden behind a wall across from the shower. 

If linen-like tile and a chair rail of subway tile do not scream Nantucket I don’t know what does.

Because I forgot to get shots of the backyard and porch it looks like this is where the tour will end.

Thank you to all the subcontractors who helped this project come together. And thanks so much to Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner for entrusting Storybook Homes with your home.

Carl Stuart Update

Well….we are at the 3-week mark of put-back-together mode at the Carl Stuart house and Wow! what a rollercoaster it has been. Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement after my last post. I was in a paralyzing state of fear and panic after I saw the height and drama of the garage/bonus room but your kind words helped me off the ledge. Since starting we have had to hire 2 different crews to take off the roof, wait out a couple of rain storms (roofless) and switch framing companies, but I think we are on the right track now. 

Here are a few pics to keep you in the loop of the progress:

Just to remind you, here is what we started with:

Stats: 1800ish sq feet 3 bed, 2.5 bath, Ranch Style with hints of mid century architecture.

Here is a little clearer, close-up picture of the house after demolition had started:

And now….

The second story addition has gone up. Now I am just waiting for the right side roof trusses to be installed before I decide how I truly feel about the design. I have a feeling this will be a house you either love or hate and I fully expect there will be members in both camps, and that’s ok, I just pray that Rory and I both end up on the love side.

Behind the main house is the garage/bonus room addition that cost me many nights sleep. I think it looks less monstrous now that the second story has been added to the main house, so I’m feeling a little better about it.

Here is a glimpse of the bonus space above the garage:

And now for a quick tour of the inside of the main house:

Welcome to the kitchen and living room:

 It currently feels nice and airy.

This is my feeble attempt at saving the hardwood floors from rain damage:

What do you think the likelihood my tarping will work?? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

And here is the mudroom/master suite side of the house.

See all that tape? That is my attempt to show the framers EXACTLY where I want the walls to go. It took me HOURS. I have no doubt the framers were laughing at me in Spanish. They basically framed up an entire second story in the time it took me to lay out the master bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room. But here’s the deal…whereas in new construction if you need more space you can just bump out an exterior wall on the blueprint before construction begins, you don’t have that luxury in a remodel. You are confined within the exterior walls the house gifts you, so you have to make every inch count and each wall work double time. This is actually my FAVORITE part of renovating an old house. I LOVE the challenge of making the most of every square inch of space. Hopefully, by the end of this week I will get to see my imaginary tape walls come to life. Stay tuned.

What have I done?

Please pardon the grammatical massacre that is about to occur. I do not have time to write something clever or worry about punctuation or run on sentences (not that that is ever high on the priority list here at two-story sister). I just need to vent my worries and concerns about our Carl Stuart home before too many of you drive by and think “what in the world?!?!”

First of all…. Just so you know, as I stood before the almost finished framing of the garage + bonus room addition an hour ago, I too thought “What in the world?!?!” Followed immediately by “What have I done?!?!” Here is the deal…. it’s too late to turn back now, so I feel like I should at least explain why I thought this would be a good idea….. so at least you can sympathize and still want to be my friend.

You see….From the beginning, I have felt that this house had a hint of a mid-century vibe. I think it stems from the low pitch hip roof.

Here’s a better picture of the roof taken during demolition.

I’ll admit it bothered me a little that the house was built in 1978, not exactly “mid-century,” but then again sometimes Arkansas can be a little behind the times in design, so I could see how a mid-century house could pop up close to the 80s.  

So just like that a mid-mod story started taking shape in my head.  The challenge was the current footprint did not meet our family’s long-term needs, so we decided we needed to expand.  This led to the decision to add on a second story. The problem with this decision was it would mess with the roof line that inspired the original design story. So I had to come up with a new roofline that still complied with the mid-century style. 

ENTER the monoslope or shed roofline.  

Photo cred: Pinterest

VERY mid mod but NOT something we see every day in our neck of the woods. So then I lost many, MANY nights sleep trying to decide if we should go “all in” on the design story with the monoslope roof or play it “safe” with a gable style roof. On the one hand, I LOVE to try new design styles and like to challenge myself and others to not be afraid to try new things. But on the other hand- the hand with ALL my fingers, (yes, I was born with only 4.5 fingers on my right hand- freaky I know, one day I’ll show you but for now try to stay with me) I feared this highly visible house would stand out too much and read “showy.” But then again, we aren’t exactly in a subdivision so if ever there was a place to try out a new style this would be it.  In the end, we decided to go for it.

Aaaaaand now I am second guessing this decision.  The garage addition looks HUGE and really dramatic (thus “showy”)! I am trying to not go in full panic mode by telling myself that it just looks massive next to the low pitch of the current house and that it will all make sense once the main house is renovated. But it didn’t help when Rory, who is usually the one to calm me down and assure me everything is going to be ok, said, “maybe we should just bulldoze the whole thing and start over.”  I’m just going to go ahead and declare this a no sleep night. sigh.

I have more to say, but for now, I will leave it at that. 

Thanks for listening. 

Little House on Duncan Street

Hi, there. Let me re-introduce myself since it’s been awhile. I’m Niki, the storyteller of Storybook Homes. Thanks for joining me here at Two-Story Sister…… Although, now that I think about it… I guess I need to look at changing the name of this blog since Sister has been officially adopted by another family and I currently am writing to you from the shared office/living room space of our rental home. As you can imagine, leaving a beloved home that was personified into my third child over the last 9 years, was VERY difficult. As we made our final walk thru our empty home each room flooded me with random memories: 

Wrestling Matches with Rory and the boys in our bedroom.

Back to School Pictures in front of the ever-changing mantel:

Boys anxiously waiting at the top of the stairs each Christmas morning for permission to come downstairs to see what Santa had brought.

Meals prepared in my dream kitchen:

All the birthday parties and sleepovers.

The Adventures of Super Fido.

And the birthplace of Thompson Bro Films and Colby’s Creations.

(Did you watch that video? I do realize that I watch it thru my mommy lense but every year my boys get older that video gets both more precious and hilarious to me.)

Not to mention all the memories of the renovations and weekend projects we conquered over the years- truly no room was left without our family’s mark. 

(Dear New Homeowner, Underneath the carpet in the playroom you will find this blue and white checkerboard that my boys never fully appreciated.)

Yep, Sister was very good to us and we will miss her dearly.

But for now, we are happily settled into our small rental. Ironically, Rory purchased our current home with the intention of letting Storybook Homes flip her but the story I had planned for this home did not fit within a workable budget so I stepped aside and let Rory and Cole take full control of its renovation with the goal of adding it to Rory’s rental portfolio. It wasn’t until they were days away from putting a “for rent” sign in the yard that I had the idea that WE should move into the home while we renovate Carl Stuart. 

Not going to lie, downsizing to 1/3rd the size of our previous living quarters has not been without its challenges BUT I think this phase of life will be soooo good for us.  For one, it is showing us what is necessary and what we can live without…… and what we thought we could live without but now desperately wish we could dig out of one of the buried boxes in the storage building. 

In the weeks leading up to the move, I thought about how I would set up our transition home.

One of my favorite blogs is “The Nesting Place” where the Nester lives by her tag line “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful”. I have always admired the Nester’s mantra and remember being particularly inspired by how she applied this philosophy during the period of life she and her family lived in a rental home. She did not let the fact that she did not own her home stop her from creating an inviting space that she happily opened up to friends and family. I always told myself that if I ever moved into a rental I too would make sure to make the most of our space and take the time to decorate no matter how long we might live there. 

Well, guess what? Turns out I am not the Nester. Since moving in I have not hung a single picture on the wall and because I sold all of our beds and bedding in our “Sister Estate Sale” our mattresses are sitting on the floor with what looks like prison-issued blankets and pillows.

But don’t worry! Although these pictures seem to imply I have taken a break from our storybook home and that I am “just getting by” during our transitional time in the rental, this could not be further from the truth. My home is still telling a story…. it’s just a different type of story than your used to on this blog spot.

You see, from the moment we moved in, my motivation shifted from “The Nesting Place” to “Little House on the Prairie.” If you grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books or watched the TV series you know that the infamous “little house” was not known for its’ decor but rather for the love that filled the home.  Despite the modest home, there was something enviable about the cozy little house Caroline Ingalls created and the simplistic life they led. I’d call Ma’s style “Utilitarian” or even “Tidy.” And that is what I am going for here on Duncan Street.

Now if I was being completely honest, this style was chosen out of necessity due to the small space restraints of our rental. However, by simply giving our living arrangement a story it has given purpose to our set-up and has allowed us to fully embrace and enjoy- TRULY enjoy, this phase of living. 

My end goal for setting up house here on Duncan Street was to be neat and functional. I made sure each item we brought in served a purpose, or even two. The only fluff that made the Duncan house cut were the items of decor I was nervous might get damaged in storage. 

Instead of running out and buying cute throw pillows and curtains for our new digs I shopped for plastic storage containers and command hooks to keep us organized. 

We stack our chairs cafeteria style when not in use to give us access to our makeshift pantry. 

The no dishwasher has afforded our boys the opportunity to learn the lost art of hand washing dishes. Aaaaand the NO Frills refrigerator has introduced them to ice trays and the joys of cracking the trays just right to free every last cube. 

Speaking of chores… Just like the Ingalls sisters, our boys have assigned chores to help keep our home functioning and tidy. Now, the Thompson boys have had chores for YEARS, the difference in Little House chores and past chores is I am actually “letting” them do them. You see, in the past, I rarely made it past week 1 of my boys color-coded laminated chore charts before my OCD tendencies would set in and I would take over their chores so that everything was done just right. I know! I know! This is terrible parenting and one day I will have to answer to my future daughters-in-law. (This is also the reason I have never been able to find a house cleaner.) BUT! I am determined to let this Little House style of living train me to allow others to help out around the house. So, in addition to keeping our individual rooms clean, each member has a list of weekly rotating chores. 

It’s been AMAZING! While it used to take ALL DAY every Saturday to give Sister a thorough bath, last weekend we had the entire Little House whipped in 2 hours! What freedom!!!

This loosing up of control has also trickled over to my boy’s bedroom decor. Colby is so proud of the cardboard box furniture he created….. and I have just let it goooo.

Seriously, I am going to emerge a whole new laid back person at the end of this transition period!

The biggest challenge to our Little House is that it only has 1 bathroom.

But this problem has been remedied by assigning each family member a set “PNT” (private naked time). The rules of PNT are that you can have the bathroom to yourself during your designated 10-15 min PNT but once that time is up, the family is free to walk on in to take care of business. 

Overall, we are perfectly content in our Little House and hope that this story will teach us to appreciate a more simplistic life and not take for granted some of the conveniences our new home will provide. Now if only I could convince my boys to trade in Fortnite for a quiet game of jacks or marbles.  

*******************************************************************************

Coming up: 

Carl Stuart Update- my hopes and fears…. mostly fears. 

The Oliver Reveal! (family moves in this week!) 

And Future Projects

Farewell to Sister and HUGE Estate Sale

Well guys, it is almost time for the Thompson’s to say goodbye to our two-story sister. We are set to close in less than 2 weeks! I’m not ready to sit down and really process my feelings about leaving our beloved home, all I know is that when I have allowed myself even momentary brain space to think about moving my eyes get a little blurry and a lump starts forming in the back of my throat…. so I just don’t think about it.  Luckily, the Oliver and Carl Stuart projects are keeping my mind fairly occupied so I haven’t had time to take a sentimental walk down memory lane with Sister. . . yet. 

What I have been forced to come to terms with is the fact that, in addition to Sister, I will also be leaving behind my farmhouse style. Oh, this makes me sad! Farmhouse/Cottage Style is my absolute favorite. It is the style that I naturally gravitate toward and is the style that I think most closely reflects my character/personality. But, as much as I have fought it, Carl Stuart is destined toward a different path. I kept trying to convince myself that our new home had cottage roots buried deep within its history but the longer I spend with C.S. the more evident it has become that it has an entirely different style story to tell…. more on that at a later time. 

So that means I no longer will be using my farmhouse furnishings and decor. 😢 So sad for me, but if you too love the cottage/farmhouse style, this could be an exciting opportunity for you! Next Weekend, Friday and Saturday (July 27-28), 7am – 5pm.  Sister will be hosting a HUGE indoor estate sale. Basically, the plan is to move everything out that I am planning to keep to our rental so that everything left in the house will be available to purchase. (items previously purchased by new homeowners will be marked SOLD). 

I will also be bringing leftover furnishing and decor from past projects from storage to add to the mix so the inventory should be plentiful. 

I have started packing, sorting, and pricing, therefore currently my house looks like this:

So I’ll go ahead and sprinkle some old photos on this page to give you an idea of what might be available at the Sale.

  

(keeping clock, family pics, family verse and a few knick knacks)

  (keeping chalkboard and maybe the baskets)

(keeping buffet)

  (keeping a few knick knacks)

See anything you might like? If not, you haven’t seen all the stuff I’m pulling out of cabinets and storage…..

I’m just going to be real honest with ya, life is CRAZY right now trying to move while finishing up 1 project and desperately trying to get another project off the ground, I am meeting myself coming and going; so, if you leave me a message about a certain item or price there is a real good chance I won’t see it or have time to respond.  If you don’t mind, please refrain from knocking on my door prior to the sale date for an early look around- it will totally stress me out to let you into the chaos that is our current state of home. I’d rather you wait until everything is priced and organized for your sanity and mine.  I hope you understand. I am not planning on early sales but I am not guaranteeing it won’t happen, either. In other words, please don’t get mad at me. (people pleaser problem).

Hope to see you there! Please spread the word.

Two-Story Sister Estate Sale

Friday & Saturday- July 27th & 28th

7 am- 5 pm

1540 Haley Lane

Conway Arkansas