My house remodel

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Breadburner

Saddam would be proud......

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by Breadburner

Saddam would be proud......

C'mon dude, all those oppulent palaces Saddam owned while everyone else lived in relative poverty?

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

Its a 1950s split level ranch. I am slowly turning it into a little Italian Villa style home.

Being a big fan of 1950s modern home design and the preservation of same, I cringe when I read comments like that and think of all the mid 20th century modern buildings, residential and commercial, we are losing today because of the owner's taste and preferrence for more provincial styles.

Then again, there is no accounting for personal taste, and no one's personal taste is right or wrong.  I admit, the photographs do look very nice, if that is your thing.  Not mine, but to each his own.

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by TheArtist

Its a 1950s split level ranch. I am slowly turning it into a little Italian Villa style home.

Being a big fan of 1950s modern home design and the preservation of same, I cringe when I read comments like that and think of all the mid 20th century modern buildings, residential and commercial, we are losing today because of the owner's taste and preferrence for more provincial styles.

Then again, there is no accounting for personal taste, and no one's personal taste is right or wrong.  I admit, the photographs do look very nice, if that is your thing.  Not mine, but to each his own.

Actually that was something I thought about myself. There are many instances where I think that the original architecture or design of a building should be left the same, cared for, or even enhanced with perhaps a fresh "retro" perspective. Doing a slight modification and leaving a mixed mess, aka the downtown library is the wrong way to go imo. Doing something halfway that ends up making something worse is also not a good thing imo. But, believe it or not, I felt the lines of this house said "Tuscan" perhaps this particular ranch design evolved from that style?

My neighborhood is quite small and is already a mix of styles. My feeling was that this was a good home for a long time to a family. I bought it from the only owners it had ever had. But this was an instance where I felt it was time to move on and see a new life. She "the house" was ready for a dramatic makeover. It wasnt a magazine, stellar example of some 50s ideal. Yet, I didnt want to do something that would feel clumsy, dishonor the house and make it worse, I wanted to improve it and give it a new beginning. I know that probably sounds odd but let me start with this.  When I first drove up to the house I noticed that the lines of the house very much looked like a typical Tuscan home. Also the backyard has a slope to it, the house sits at the top and the yard goes down a small hill, it is a very large yard actually and they had planted fig and other fruit trees and a garden. Further lending it to the Tuscan feel. In the beginning I was looking for a house on a hillside. But the interior... had a horrible flow and each room was too closed off from the others. The rooms are quite small. For instance the master bath probably had about 8 square feet of floorspace not including the sink or shower. There were other things that were just completely unneccissary like doors that shut the kitchen off from the rest of the house, I took them off. Placed the door that was at the top of the stairs in the kitchen, the stairs that led down to the garage, off and placed it at the bottom of the stairs. Simple and obvious thing to do it seemed for it helped open up the kitchen because now there is a small landing and a stairway adding visual space to an already small kitchen instead of a door. Removed cabinets that were placed between a space between the kitchen and the den so you can go into that room without having to go through the dining room. Walled off the hallway closet door, opened up the other side, which is in the kitchen, and slid the refrigerator into that space so that it wasnt taking up space in the kitchen. The hallway that goes down the stairs now has coathooks and such.

Again,,, it was horribly laid out and designed, 50s or not, wasn't a stellar layout. Lots of wasted space, bad flow, bad interior sight lines, very cheap fixtures, etc.

Soooo lol, instead of doing all that remodeling and bringing it back to some 50s style, which I appreciate, but is not my preference, I took the Tuscan inspiration I felt was available to work off of and went with that. She has a fresh, open, bright, new life, a new beginning and I hope she will look and "live" far better, for years to come.

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by Breadburner

Saddam would be proud......

C'mon dude, all those oppulent palaces Saddam owned while everyone else lived in relative poverty?

Now now how Saddam got his money and who he was as a person is not like these people. Paying someone like me is not an evil thing. I hope. It puts food on my table and a roof over my head. As with all the other people and craftsmen who worked on that home. They are fortunate enough to have given a lot of people a good living for a while and I for one am very thankful for that. I suppose some may think it would have been better if they had not spent that money that way and, I dont know, given it to me or someone else in charity? Believe it or  not, I would rather work thank you. Plus that money I earned went into the local economy putting others to work as well. I suppose they could have put it in the stock market allowing other businesses or their own to grow and have more jobs. But they still invested in a job for me, for several months actually, and I earned it this way versus at a different job. Plus that "local investment" is still paying out in property taxes that they are paying into the economy. Money is money, it doesnt just vanish. It flows throughout the economy. The worst thing to do is keep it in a mattress and not spend it. Even money in a bank is being used by that bank to fund other projects, homes, businesses, jobs, etc. Its not actually "in the bank". The more a person buys, the more people they are putting to work. They no longer have that money,(until they sell the house and then it goes back into the economy in a differnt way again)and they are paying more property taxes to boot.

Thats not how it would work with Saddam. I dont think his "economy" worked the same way.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Breadburner

Saddam would be proud......

bwahahahahaha....[}:)]

[Conan71]

C'mon Artist, just some lighthearted humor.  Saddam's palaces were quite spectacular and I believe that was a compliment from Breadburner.

Far as I'm concerned, once your name is on the deed, you can and should do whatever you want to do to your house to your heart's content.  So long as it doesn't detract from everyone else's house on the block on the exterior, like some very poorly added additions in Florence Park.

From what you've described before of the area you live in, I don't think you've committed a sin with your structural and aesthetic improvements.

Every few years I'll meet someone with a really unique talent, be it a musician, singer, writer, creative advertising type, or someone like you and ask myself: "I wonder why he/she is still in Tulsa?  They could probably make a ton of money on either coast".  Ah, but then you'd have to deal with the headaches of living on the coast!  Tulsa is fortunate to have someone with your skills in our midst.

Pat (P.S.) Gordon was another of those.  Seems like I heard he lives in NYC now.  Anyone know if that's true?

[HoneySuckle]

Artist, I didn't realise you do this stuff for a living.  Have you remodelled the kitchen yet?

I guess some people stick around Tulsa for a slower pace of life?

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by HoneySuckle

Artist, I didn't realise you do this stuff for a living.  Have you remodelled the kitchen yet?

I guess some people stick around Tulsa for a slower pace of life?

Here's TheArtist's kitchen work:
http://williamtheartist.com/gal_kitchen_bath.htm

When I win the lottery, I plan on assigning him perpetual painting duties..

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by HoneySuckle

Artist, I didn't realise you do this stuff for a living.  Have you remodelled the kitchen yet?

I guess some people stick around Tulsa for a slower pace of life?

Here's TheArtist's kitchen work:
http://williamtheartist.com/gal_kitchen_bath.htm

When I win the lottery, I plan on assigning him perpetual painting duties..

That is truly amazing.  I am in awe.  Congratulations on your talent.

[tulsacyclist]

Wow, I had no idea. That is some very good work. I too went looking for the rope and do not touch signs. =]

[PonderInc]

The artist wants us to think that he has actually remodeled his home...using tools, knocking out walls, putting in windows, etc.  In fact, everything that you see in these photos--including the cat--is trompe l'oeil![]

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by PonderInc

The artist wants us to think that he has actually remodeled his home...using tools, knocking out walls, putting in windows, etc.  In fact, everything that you see in these photos--including the cat--is trompe l'oeil![]

Actually I wish I had thought of that at this point lol. Would have been a lot easier in the long run.

And no, my kitchen is not done. Still torn up a bit. My next project is finishing the master bath. Just ripped out the last of the old tile a few weeks ago and got most of the sheetrock up. Hoping to finish it before Christmas when everyone comes over lol.

[Conan71]

Bathroom tile work... I'd rather sit through a hot cheese enema than do tile work.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Bathroom tile work... I'd rather sit through a hot cheese enema than do tile work.

"hot cheese enema"

now, if the need arises, I have a band name.