Saturday, April 27, 2013

Where Once Was a Window

One of my favorite parts of the new deck is this area right outside my bedroom door. Once upon a time it was just the top of the driveway, used to store trashcans and other assorted demo debris. But now it's a private little nook, just waiting to be given a purpose.


When I asked my brother, Monty, to build me a gate on the other side of my bedroom window, I was really just setting him up for the eventual request to replace that window with a door. And being the awesome guy that he is, this weekend he kindly obliged. 

First, the old window had to go. 


Then the scary part - cutting out the wall!


In a crazy stroke of luck, the window was almost exactly the right width and height for the door replacement. Only very minor adjustments had to be made.


Oh boy, that pic probably should have been censored...


And voila! Door is in! A little trim work, patch, plaster, and paint, and I officially have a walk out from my bedroom! And just check out the exterior...


Too freaking cute! And here is the overall view, all dressed up for a Sunday BBQ...
 

The rest of the backyard is still a disaster, but I love that I now have one (small) outdoor space that is officially finished. It makes me so motivated to get the rest done!!

Discovering the Morey Mansion

I was driving down a quiet, orange tree-lined street in Redlands the other day when I spotted a for sale sign at the end of a driveway. As I always do, I slowed down to take a look, expecting the 1950s ranch style home that is popular in that area. Imagine my astonishment when this was staring back at me.

Hello gorgeous!

I quickly Redfinned it, and the pictures of the inside did not disappoint. Check them out here

I decided to do a little more research on the house, just out of curiosity, and it turns out it is not only famous (was used as a filming location in Talk About A Stranger, in 1952), but is also haunted! Maybe the ghost upkeep is very expensive, because the owners also seem to be financially troubled. I'm not at all surprised that they're being forced to sell due to bankruptcy, just looking at that place made my bank account whimper. 

If you're looking to move to Redlands and have $1.6M to spare, check this place out. Maybe you can get the ghost to move to the pool house?