Tag Archives: architecture

No, I’m not a Plumber

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It’s funny, but I have yet to write about my ‘day job’.  I write about my home-jobs… taking care of Avery, our house and home renovations – but I keep forgetting to write a little something about what I do all day to ‘bring home the bacon’ while Avery is playing with his friends at Daycare.

If you’ve checked out our About Us page, you’ll see that I’m a ‘Plumbing Coordinator’.  Now you’re thinking… what the heck is that?  Am I a plumber? No.This is NOT me… :)

(source)

I am actually behind the scenes (not out in the field in a hard hat & boots), designing the plumbing systems for large scale projects in Boston Metro.  I work in an office on a computer designing the plumbing systems that will be sent out (in drawings) to the plumbers in the field so they know what to install.

When I explain this to my husband, and show him drawings, he says that it’s all ‘greek’ to him.  So, I’m sure to anyone outside the construction industry, it’s not an easy concept to grasp.  However, it’s nice to share what I do 8 hours a day while I have to be away from my little monkey.

On a daily basis in my office, this is what my view looks like…

Well, the red bull isn’t there EVERY day… just on the days after a rough night with Avery!

Most days, a little chocolate in the morning gets me through the day…

And I’m randomly writing about this today because I am super-busy on a project: an 18-story residential building in Cambridge, MA.  So busy that I don’t have much time to write a post (I usually write during lunch)… and I’ll have to get back to work soon…

What is your day-job?  Is your blog super-awesome and pays the bills or do you do something else to bring home the bacon?

A Cabin in the Woods

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I’ve had this project looming over my head for months, and FINALLY got to it last night.  Well, technically last night and this morning.  My head hit the pillow at 12:15AM, and for once, it wasn’t because of Avery.

My sweet Aunt and Uncle are building a cabin in Vermont.  They have an existing foundation with a unique shape and were throwing around design ideas.  They enlisted my help to show them the idea in 3D so they could better visualize what it was going to look like.  Not everyone has an easy time reading and understanding architectural plans and elevations – so I made them a quick (4 hour) model from the plans and elevations my Dad drew up for them.

The Exterior

Interior – Option A (The stair location, bathroom & kitchen layouts differ from A to B)

  

Interior – Option B

I’m waiting for my Aunt & Uncle to get back to me with their feedback before moving up to the second floor which will have a bath above the first floor one, two bedrooms above the dining and kitchen areas, and an open space above the living room.

Now, you’re asking yourself, why in the world did I stay up all hours of the night (and morning) to do this?  First of all, when else would I have the time?  I tried making time for months and it’s very hard to work while Avery is awake and I would just rather play with him – so while he was sleeping was the best option.  Second, I love helping family, especially when they reach out for my design help, and third, my Aunt demanded that she pay for my ‘services’.  So, into the Avery fund it will go!  He’s due for a new car seat (he’s creeping up to the 30″ limit in his current one) so this will go straight to that!

Do you like Option A or B?  Do you have any design critiques or helpful suggestions?  Do you have a cabin or summer home that you designed yourself? Is it as creepy as that movie that just came out?  I haven’t and won’t be seeing that movie by the way… I don’t do scary movies.  They’re scary! I can’t sleep afterwards…and right now, I need sleep.

Kitchen Renovation: Before & After

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It’s about time for the big reveal!  We finished the final touches on our kitchen renovation and we’re excited to share the before & after photos.

When we bought our house, we knew it would be a ‘fixer-upper’.  The kitchen especially needed a total overhaul before we could even move in.

Before:



With the help of our amazing family and friends, we were able to gut the entire kitchen and build a new one.  If you want to see pictures of the renovation process, Click here.

And if you’re a visual person (like me) a floor plan will help you better picture the kitchen layout.

And here’s our re-design of the space:

Now, lets jump to the good part – The AFTER photos!

After:

We’re excited that it’s DONE.  But in our house, a project is never really ‘done.’  We have some touch-ups to fix on the baseboard and door frame from our fridge fiasco (it was too big to fit through the doorway), window treatments, and maybe eventually a backsplash? We most recently added a DIY Menu Board to the fridge.  But for now, it’s done and we’re focused on other renovation projects around the house, like our ongoing battle about hallway colors.

Not to shabby for 82 square feet, right?! We have high hopes of expanding the kitchen years down the road, so we didn’t go with the whole travertine and marble, perfect to a T redesign.  We kept on a small budget and did all the work and planning ourselves to make our perfect ‘for now’ kitchen.  We’ll share more about our process of getting permits, drawing plans, and budgeting for the project later.