More shots of Tom's place

I'm back on the subject of Tom's house because I realized I'd left out the whole downstairs in the last post about the house. So I'm adding those basement views and some other views for good measure and I am hoping to create a bench mark against which to measure the coming improvements. I just wish I'd taken some actual "before" pictures, of the true "before." I see a lot of improvement inside and know you would, too.

Here is an unflattering view from the rear of Tom's house. I include this so that later you can say, "Yes, it does look better!" However, this is how it looked today. The yard has been sprayed with Round-up so we hope it won't be a terrible weed jungle like last summer. Our family spent five hours hoeing those weeds last summer and we hope that's the last time for that experience!

This is the former storage room. It is downstairs at the foot of the stairs. This will be the laundry room. The pipes you're seeing are the sump pump pipes and the house plumbing pipes. TS has replaced the old pipes with the newer pipes. It looks so much better. In the process, he found and repaired a leak in the old pipes, for which we're grateful!

Oops! I'm skipping back to the upstairs. This is a wall in the kitchen. It has been preliminarily painted the finish color. However, the walls will be textured like the living room and entry.

Here is the front bedroom. TS put in the trim today. Other than finishing the trim (paint, putty, etc.), new windows, closet door and carpet, this room is ready to go. (Well, cleaning, too. :-0) This is the most finished room in all the house. This photo also gives a truer image of the wall color in the house.

This is the kitchen. The cabinet maker came today to take some measurements for some upper cabinets and she reported that the lower cabinets are finished. We're waiting for the windows to be replaced and then the cabinets and the tile can be installed. The contractor came today and did a final measurement of the windows so they could be ordered. We are assuming that it takes about two weeks for the windows to arrive.

Here is the new downstairs bathroom. With all the pipes and wires, it looks really official. This was formerly the south bedroom downstairs. It will now be a bathroom and a large walk-in closet. I am excited about this bathroom. Although we've "lost" a bedroom, I think the bathroom/master closet will make the house more livable. The idea is to make the downstairs area a master bedroom suite.

Here is the walk-in closet (with the new and improved water shut-off valve that TS installed). The idea is that this is the master bath and closet to the other room downstairs, as mentioned already.

This is the bedroom on the north. The closet and drawers have been removed and the new wall (on the left) will have to be remodeled to enclose the room. The duct going under the front addition was not attached to anything and TS will be working on that to get it in working order. There won't be a closet in this room--the closet will be the one in the foregoing picture.

Here is the view of the hallway from the "master bedroom" (right) into what will be the master bath and closet area. Look for more improvements here, particularly with the pipes but also with the addition of lights (there were no lights in the downstairs hall).

This is looking up the stairs from the "master bedroom" doorway. The new back door is a real improvement.

Back to the upstairs, this is the view of where the bathroom vanity will be in the upstairs bathroom.

Here is the bathtub area of the upstairs bathroom. TS has improved the plumbing and the tile has been taken from the walls. Once the window is replaced, this room can be finished off.

Here is what used to be the old doorway into the house, before the front addition was built. The wood casing around the door has been removed and cement molded to make a more attractive entry. Then C is going to work some texturing magic and, viola!

I guess that does it for the update.