Why can't we be like normal people and go to the beach for our summer vacation?

Belle Renovation Update

It is time to clean the construction site

Belle Renovation Update

The foundation is done!

Belle Renovation Update

All of these bricks came from the original foundation and will be turned into a walkway in the garden.... which will be beaut-tee-ful!!!

It Is All Fun & Games Until Your Superheroes Get Serious

Belle Renovation Update

Serious is an understatement when it came to the work at Belle over the last few weeks. And yes, we now have three Superheroes!

"Those Kids Are Nuts"

Belle Renovation Update 

I've lost track of what week it is!

This photo was taken in 2007 on the day that Jeff's and my mother met for the first time. We had been together for 2 years, but with Buttons living in Colorado and my mom in California - it took a trip to Belle to meet for the first time.

What is a girl from California doing in the country?

Week 7 & 8 Belle Renovation Update

For a girl from California, a screened porch is something that I had only witnessed in the movies... that is until I bought a house in upstate New York. Well, let me clarify, my house does not have a screened porch (at least not yet) - however, my neighbors have them and I have managed to sip a cocktail or two on these cozy country wonders.

A Room with a View

Week 5 & 6 Belle Renovation Update

Adam looks worried.... very worried

Week 4 Belle Renovation Update

I feel overwhelmed...

Week 3 Belle Renovation Update

Belle has 'Super Heroes'

Week 2 Belle Renovation Update

Its like eating an elephant...

Week 1 Belle Renovation Update

You want to keep 160 year old windows?

...Yes, actually we do

Are you brave enough to take on a renovation?

When we bought our property in 2006, the word "brave" was not on our mind. 

It was more like "excitement" or maybe even "adventure".

Let's Do this!

The decision has been made... it is a go!

What is so cool about tin ceilings?

What is the real story behind these metal ceilings we all love so much?

Budgets, plans, drawings... Oh my!

It is time....

Winter is cold in Livingston

We do not have heat in the Carriage House - just a woodburning stove. We can stay there until the first hard freeze, and then we shut it down for the winter.

Old Wallpaper

Every room in the original 1868 part of the house had 160 years worth of wallpaper on the walls. Each layer representing a family who lived there and their memories.
We have saved samples of all of it, since it is part of her history... but it is all gone now.

Why do we continue to do this?

Because old beautiful houses deserved to be saved!
This is our home we think around the turn of the century

Use your imagination....

.... one day this room will be a beautiful MASTER BEDROOM!!!
But right now - it is just a 115 year old room that needs a lot of love!

The plaster is gone, the ceiling is gone, the 3 layers of flooring is gone (to expose original floor), and pretty soon those old crappy windows that DON'T MATCH and LEAK will be gone too!!

What was up with pink toilets in the 70's?

This is the main floor bathroom and the reality is.... this bathroom has to go! ALL OF IT!

Bye Bye dark kitchen

This kitchen was one of the darkest kitchens I had ever been in... but that will all be fixed when we are done with it. Now that all of the appliances and 1970's cabinets are gone... we can see what we really have to work with!

Some day this will be the library

The original 1868 plaster ceiling was being held up by the tin ceiling probably put in around 1920s

Dungeon Distruction

The family room (or dungeon as we used to call it) needed to be gutted down to the studs... which was no joke

Dude? Where did the wall go?

Makes you kinda laugh when you think about how hard we try to keep out bugs now!

When we decided to renovate the carriage house we had NO IDEA what we were getting ourselves into.

It is ALL ABOUT being outside!!!

My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. 
~H. Fred Dale

The Carriage House is done!

The Carriage House has been completed... and it is AMAZING!

Sometimes all you need is vision...

To be able to see that this WILL be a beautiful patio off of the carriage house one day... no really, we are not kidding.

It is time to paint!!!!

Finally! The moment we had been waiting for... the transformation of our carriage house that the world can actually see!

Saving the Carriage House

Since 2006, Jeff and I have dedicated every weekend, every dollar, and all of our love to our beautiful 'Belle' upstate. But,many of you might not know that 'Belle' has a brother... we call him the Carriage House - which over the last year we have dedicated ourselves to saving.

This is what the carriage house looked like when we bought Belle.... it was so overgrown you really had to weed-whack your way to the door..... oh how things have changed! It was on the very back of the acre property - so very easy to ignore (too easy)

Original Hudson Valley Art

... in my library!

Forsythia! Forsythia! Forsythia!

The north side of the property begins to take shape outside

A family affair

My mom, Dad, Jeff and I tackled the master bedroom and it was NO JOKE!

Will it ever be beautiful?

YES! But it took a lot of hard back breaking work....

Hallway Restoration

The Two “Plaster Masters” – Jen and her dad!

A transformation

LOOK AT THOSE PERFECT WALLS in the 1st guest room!!!

After two months of reattaching them to the lathe, filling countless holes with drywall, and muddying layer after layer.... I am proud to show off 150 year old original plaster walls with NO crack, NO holes, and PERFECT corners! YAHOO!... but we are far from done.....

The upstairs bathroom remodel...

The drywall is in... and now we need to tile the tub, put in the appliances, and paint!!!! We are finally getting closer....

Coming together... slowly

Look at that wall and closet in the second guest bedroom!!!
The drywall is in and is taped, plastered and ready to go. Now we have to turn our attention to repairing the original plaster in the rest of the room….

Building our first wall

So the closet is gone in the 2nd guest bedroom and now all we need to do is build a new wall to the bathroom, close off the door, and build a closet...
How hard can it be?

You have an outhouse? Really?

Learn from our mistakes

Don't ever buy a house with japanese knotweed in the backyard - the plant is IMPOSSIBLE TO KILL!

The office drop ceiling in the library...

... is otta there!!!!
Now what do we do with this tin???

We have a cistren... who knew!

Actually many years later we learn that we have THREE cisterns on the property.
It sounds cool - but actually it is hella dangerous

Can a chimney float?

You bet it can! 
We have proof!

Time to take down that old wallpaper!

Taking down wallpaper that has been in place for 160 years is well... a pain.

Our first weekend at Belle

Original Photos - Library

One of the coolest things about Belle is the hand painted mural in the library under the mantle. 
We later learned that there are similar paintings around the area and that possibly painters who needed food would offer to paint a mural on the original plaster in return for a warm mean.
Kinda rad.

Original Photos - Dining Room

The original dining room was being used as the master bedroom for the little old lady who sold us the house. She was no longer able to climb the stairs, so she took over the dining room as her room!

Original Photos - Family Room

This room was given the nickname the "dungeon" soon after we bought the house due to the very low ceiling and no real windows... lovely

Original Photos - Hallways

A center hall colonial is all about the center hallways... and Belle does not disappoint