So, we have had a pretty slow week house-wise, but that does not mean that we are not still doing things that are house-focused. We had a few companies come by for some estimates, and are hoping to start on the adobe restoration soon. Sunrise Pools came out to do some work for us to bring our pool up to code, but that's not exciting enough to post - it's too damn cold to swim right now, anyway. We started demolishing the 1980s mirrors in the entryway, and Nathan has finished pulling up tack strips in the rest of the rooms besides the guest suite. Next, we removed the master bath vanity, and began comparing some Fritztile samples that Mike Fassett gave us for the guest suite, hall and master bathrooms. Nathan and I began removing the mirror walls this week. Note: this is rather dangerous work. Be sure to wear safety gear while removing mirrored walls - odds are, the adhesive used is very strong, so the mirrors will likely shatter as you chisel the adhesive off. However, underneath we found what we believe to be the original wallpaper, finally seeing the light for the first time in 30+ years. We finally got one panel off, but at the cost of some drywall and wallpaper. I love the design, too bad we cannot salvage it. A closer look at this unique patterned wallpaper. We will have to find something cool to replace it with. After we got the vanity out of the master bath, Nathan decided to see if there was adobe behind the drywall. There is, but we may just replace the drywall. Here is one of the Fritztile samples that we are thinking about for the floor tile for the hall bath. Here is a closer look of the terrazzo that we are mulling over. Of course, we have not made any decisions yet.
Unfortunately, this weekend Rachel will be out of town, and Nathan will be toiling away doing some kitchen demolition over the weekend. We are having a few general contractors come out to take a look at what we need to do to restore the kitchen and bathrooms, grind/polish the flooring, and work on updating the electrical throughout the house.
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So much demolition. So little time. Anyway, so here we are at the second week. Nathan and I did a lot of demolition, and Mike Fassett, the VP of the Tucson Historic Preservation Society came by the house to take a look at what we have and what we should/should not do. Mike has been a wonderful resource on Tom Gist and Tucson's mid-century homes. If you plan on purchasing a mid-century home here, we cannot recommend the Tucson Historic Preservation Society enough. Anyway, to the pictures. Here is the second bedroom, with the carpet removed. We are planning on having the concrete slab polished. Master bedroom. Notice the cracks in the slab - although the overall slab is in great shape, these cracks give a ton of character. Obligatory doge photo. This is Kona (L) and Kimo (R). They also love the new place. We have also started removing the crappy scaffolding in the kitchen. As you can see, there's a skylight. Covered by 1980 office lighting. WHY? Here is the scaffolding removed. We had hoped that we could salvage the cabinet boxes, but it looks like everything original was removed in the 1980s. So, a complete kitchen renovation is likely. Here is a panorama of the living room. The next few pictures are going to be room panoramas. Dining room, door to the kitchen, entry, beginning of hall, more living room. Den/Bar room. Plenty of untouched Philippine mahogany in here. And yes, that's an original GE fridge in the wet bar. Family room and the current kitchen mess. Screened porch. Note the Jalouise door to the kitchen on the left. There are no screens currently, but we are thinking about putting wood on the bottom part, and louver windows on the upper part. We shall see.
There is still so much work ahead of us right now. We have contacted a few general contractors to help us with this process, and Nathan and I looked at new appliances for the kitchen this past weekend. Things are moving along, keep on this page for a weekly update (I hope). |
About Us
In October 2016, Nathan & Rachel bought a 1958 Tom Gist custom home in the Mid-Century filled Wilshire Heights neighborhood in Tucson, AZ. This is our blog documenting the restoration! Archives
October 2017
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