The Bois Bungalow

I haven't posted a lot in the past couple months... But we have been very busy working on all sorts of projects. I think we have house a.d.d... But we really have accomplished a lot. Here are some more recent projects: Because we were broken into over Christmas break, we installed two more security cameras and a couple of signs stating that we have cameras. While the signs are not beautiful, I hope they will deter future break-ins. We also have signs in the yard that advertise that we have a security system, so hopefully this makes our house seem less appealing. We also purchased a locking mailbox because our mail was tampered with around the same time that we were broken into. The mailbox has been great because I don't have to worry about the dogs being out front when the mailman comes. It is also nice for when we are gone on short trips... We don't have to worry about having someone come over to bring our mail in. We added the 2x4s to the top of the arb...

I haven't posted recently, but we have been working around the house quite a bit. Now that the weather has changed, we have been outside a lot. We have been planting and gardening quite a bit and even worked some more on the arbor. We finished the top to the gate in the backyard and handy husband made caps for the tops of the 2x6s on the drive through gate. I will have to post pictures soon, but I wanted to write down a list of goals for the next couple months. -Stain 2x4s and use them to edge the garden beds in the back yard -Put up the caps on the 2x6s -Stay on top of weeds in the yard -Sand the trim upstairs so we can paint it crisp white -Paint the wall that leads up the stairs and through the hall upstairs -Buy a used crock pot to strip some more hardware (I recently stripped a bunch using a pan on the stove, but have heard a crock pot works wonders and don't want to destroy mine) -Start thinking about finishing the beams and woodwork in the living/dining room area...

This weekend we actually were able to follow through on our goal. We 'finished' the arbor and gate and could not be happier. We added the house numbers to the arbor tonight, and will be eventually adding matching house numbers to the house once the trim is back on the front door. I want to center the house numbers above the front door. Thomas leveling the posts Building the gates The view from the outside looking in And finally, a picture of the front door (it matches the back door) As for the arbor, we plan on adding some 2x4s at the top to make it more 'Craftsman'. For now, it is finished and we are very happy to have a complete fence and gate in the front. Our next goal is to work on the mailbox and get it set up. It will be next to the arbor, and will allow the mailman to drop mail off without coming up our porch.

We finally have been able to get our doors and hardware in. We are so happy to finally have two functional doors on our house. After the break in, our back door was boarded up for a MONTH! We decided to save some money and stain and install the doors ourselves. Here are some pictures: Thomas staining the back door Me staining the front door The inside of the front door Thomas removing the trim to the back door The back door is out! Removing the front door New back door! Just need to re-attach the trim Emtek Arts and Crafts hardware. I love it! Craftsman Therma Tru door- FIVE times more insulating than wood doors! We also put in the front door, but it's too dark to take photos right now. We plan on putting the trim once we strip and repaint it. I absolutely love our new doors. It's nice that they fit our house, but are also more energy efficient. Our goal this weekend: start and finish the arbor and front gate. Wish us luck!

Because of the break in over Christmas Break, we have had a flurry of purchases at the Bois Bungalow. We had to replace both our front and back door due to the kick in and we chose to upgrade and purchase beautiful fiberglass Craftsman style doors along with Emtek Arts and Crafts hardware. For the hardware, we chose a single cylinder tubular set with the Arts and Crafts lever. (I tried to post links, but they do not seem to be working...) As for the door, we ordered the Fiber-Classic Mahogany Therma Tru door. The link for the door is also not working :( We have also purchased an additional two cameras for our property. One will be on the front porch facing the door and the second will be in the backyard. Hopefully this will deter any future break ins. We have also chosen to purchase wood for our arbor out front that will frame the walkway up to our front door. It will be great to finish the fence. It has been far too long! We also purchased a locking mailbox because our mail ...

For Christmas and New Years, we spent 11 days out of town visiting both of our families. We have never been away from the house for more than a week, so this was a long trip for us. We headed up to Seattle on Christmas day to visit my grandparents and then to British Columbia to visit Thomas' family. We had a security system installed less than a year ago and have a security camera along the back of our house to keep an eye on our fence (tagging is a huge problem in our area). On December 29th, we got notification on our iPhones that our alarm was going off and the back door, kitchen door sensors had been triggered along with the living room motion detector. We assumed that it was my parents checking on the house (they have set the alarm off before...) So we disarmed it remotely. I texted my family, and eventually realized they were not the ones that set off the alarm. We immediately re-armed it and got a phone call from our alarm company and sent the police to check the premises...

We have been having trouble getting motivated to work on the woodwork. Thomas has decided to start working on more of the electrical to avoid having to help me work on the trim... I do enjoy the results of his electrical work, but I feel like it would go so much faster to both work on the woodwork. I finished the breakfast nook a few weeks ago and it has been nice having a little table in the kitchen that we can actually use. The previous table in there had his computer on it, so it was never used for meals. Here is a picture of some of our original wiring. Isn't it beautiful? Is it odd that I enjoy seeing inside of our walls... I feel like I get to see a little bit of history. In the dining room we left a little note for a future owner to find. I'm thinking I might leave another little something in the parlor when Thomas finishes up in there. I'm hoping to get motivated to work on some more sanding tonight... It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't leave such...