Hot Lunch Break In May

Posted on | May 26, 2010 | 14 Comments

Holy crapola it’s hot out today. 85 degrees in May in New England, craziness! I went down to the beach for my lunch break too soak in a little Vitamin D. I’m taking full advantage of the great weather this summer—last year it rained till August. Unfortunately, I had to head back to my home office to sweat it out. I’m working in my bathing suit and drinking gallons of ice tea. Not so bad for a Wednesday in May? How are you surviving the spring heatwave?

Category: marblehead

Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

Posted on | May 25, 2010 | 12 Comments

I’ve been brainstorming driveway ideas over the past few weeks. We would love to put in a cobblestone driveway but we still have major work to do on the back side of the house. We need a temporary fix. I want to get outside and enjoy summer. The inside of the house is such a mess and unmanageable for guests. I really need a space we can entertain and bbq.

First off, we don’t have a backyard. We have a large driveway that could fit three cars but we only have one (The garage in the photo is our neighbors). We can park the car out in the street in the summertime but in the winter we have a parking ban. I would love to turn the driveway into a patio space for the summer and then back to a driveway in the winter.

We don’t have much storage in the house or room for a shed so furniture needs to be able to collapse or stay outside year around. Some of my readers have recommended a floating deck. I live in a historic district and a floating deck to me feels too modern.

So what about a peagravel driveway for now? Peagravel is patio-esque? My favorite inspiration is below. Love the driveway tripped with granite, a pretty fence, and peagravel in the middle. I could line the space with containers in the summer to soften up the lines. I think it would be a great inexpensive temporary fix. Maybe we will even end up keeping it?

Below more driveway inspiration from around Marblehead including cobble and brick driveways.

peagravel driveway Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

cobble driveway in marblehead Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

brick herringbone driveway Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

brick patio garden Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

brick driveway patio Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

peagravel patio Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

stone brick driveway Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

cobble driveway with granite steps Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

cobble and brick mix driveway1 Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

brick driveway Cobble, Brick, and Peagravel Driveways

Category: marblehead, outdoor

Guest Room Prep

Posted on | May 24, 2010 | 8 Comments

I’ve been out in the garden for majority of May. With all my flowers planted and mulch on the way, I’m heading back inside. I made a vow to myself that I would get the second floor of our house finished this summer…well mostly (greg’s project is to fix the hole in the back of the house). All of the woodwork in the den and little room have been stripped and sanded.

Next, I’m moving on to our guest room. I have to strip at least 10 layers of old wallpaper and paint off the walls. The old heating duct on the ceiling needs to be removed and the floors need to be stripped—hoping to do the whole second floor at once.

Above the guest room (yes, that is a Jenny Lind bed!) getting cleaned out over the weekend. A twin bed would be a better fit but we usually have more then one guest. Below views from the bed looking out to the den and looking out to the dining room (future larger bedroom).

view of two windows in guest room Guest Room Prep

view into larger bedroom Guest Room Prep

Category: house renovation

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