So let's take a stroll down memory lane and reminisce about the original state we found the extension area to the farmhouse. It had vines growing from the ceiling, which I can tell you were a real pain to remove because they had latched onto the vinyl board and weren't too keen on being detached!
There was old tatami that had seen better days and then carpet laid over that so that any guests visiting could sleep-over.
So when the day finally arrived to rip up that old carpet and tatami we were so pleased when we reached the base board. Carpet in itself is heavy to pull up, but can you imagine how heavy old tatami is? Well, it's like a dead weight!! We have an idea to recycle it out in the garden like mulch which will also build up the garden bed. Any chance to recycle and up-cycle anything at the farmhouse is really satisfying. It really gets the creative juices following.
The next stage was to improve this area with cedar floorboards. Prior to laying the boards we put down some plastic sheeting to reduce moisture from getting in. But why cedar you ask, well we chose it for a few reasons. It was quite easy to work with, breaths well and when it is hot or cold outside we are comfortable indoors!
Not looking too bad if I don't say so myself!
Then we moved onto the walls of the kitchen by lining it with a plastic sheeting as well.
At this point its becoming quite exciting with the kitchen walls going up. We can finally see it all coming together after such a long process to get here. Remember we firstly had to level out the house with a car jack, as the poor old farmhouse had sunk to one side. The constant flow of water down the side of the house going in all directions had caused the land to weaken. I'll be sharing what we have done to remedy this problem in a future post.
Measure, cut, hammer, repeat!
Can you see what appears to be window openings with no windows in place? Well, after some brainstorming we came up with the idea to recycle some glass doors from a cupboard to allow for more light and air flow. It's all still coming together, but when we install them I'll share the results with you.
And here we are with both floor and walls completed!
There were a number of knots in the timber, so we just puttied them up.
We chose an "oak" coloured varnish for the floors which came up quite well with the country farmhouse look we are aiming for at Obachan chi's.
And a matte black for the walls going only half way up the length of the wall.
Sitting on the floor I had this beautiful view from the windows above me of a tree covered wilderness, making this painting job quite pleasurable.
I really like how you can still see the knots of the timber through the paint.
Working together is the best because we definitely get things done faster and my dear husband is always good company!
Loving this combination!
So now this area awaits our kitchen which I will tell you is simple in its design. This was intentionally done. Can't wait to share it with you!
