Hey folks! I hope all is well with our friends and family in this little cyber community we are building. As always, we love the feedback we have received as we go about our daily lives. Simply Sutherland fans are truly the best!

Well, the verdict is in friends. We are keeping the front porch ceiling! With a little sanding and a pinch of color here and there to match the siding, it is ready for a clear coat of sealer and we are done! The feedback has been overwhelmingly in favor of leaving it as is. We think we have a winner.

As for the rest of the house, the story continues to unfold.

I have mentioned before that our contractor, Marc Engelke, keeps noticing oddities about the house. Of course there were the beams in the attic and on the stairs that showed signs, such as paint and the pegs, that indicated they had been used previously on another structure. Those indicators continue to show themselves.

For instance, the door knob plates. Below are some samples of the different plates you will find throughout the house. They are randomly used, even in the same room. In my imagination, the original builder used leftover material from previous projects to save money for the homeowner. Actually, that sounds a lot like our current contractor! 🙂 I have no idea what the explanation might be, but I hope to find out more when I have time to devote to the research.

We have a meeting Monday with Charleston Hardware, a local company who specializes in historic preservation, to see what it will take to restore as much of the door hardware as possible.

Another interesting tidbit…

Marc, tells us that as they were digging to install the fence in the backyard, they came across something very interesting. Now let me give you a little background info.

When the renovation first began, a young man stopped by and asked could he dig underneath the house to see if he could find anything of historic value. We agreed. Marc felt he would not be very successful as the house was built in the early 1900’s. And he was correct.That was before the excavation began in the back corner of our lot.

As the digging began, they ran across something that was quite unusual. It seemed to be some sort of brick structure or foundation. According to Marc, the brick was more orange than the red Charleston brick used in the 1800’s indicating that it could be as old as the 1700s. Could it be the remnants of an old privy? Or was it something else?

I consider myself somewhat of a history buff so I was both amazed and annoyed that I did not already know what he went on to tell us. It seems that even before the settlers moved from the Charlestown Landing to the peninsula to build the walled city, the area on which our house is located was actually farmland. He certainly had my attention. I cannot wait to find out more. This is a part of Sutherly’s story that I will certainly keep you abreast of as it unfolds: TBC.

Another small way we are trying to preserve her history is in the newly constructed upstairs hall closet. It is located at the top of the kitchen stairs. You can see in the photo to the right the remnants of the stairwell wall. Of course it will be cleaned up a bit, but a part of Sutherly’s original history will remain to help tell her story to future generations.

(We are keeping the kitchen stairs as an architectural feature but not for use. They would not pass today’s building code standards for actual use. We could not bear to tear them out so this is our solution. They will have built-in drawers on the side and a pendant light for accent.)

The progress continues with great vigor throughout the house. The last few days the drywall team has been hard at work.

As you can see in the picture above, the master bedroom ceiling will have exposed beams, painted a creamy color of white, the same as the trim. The floor will be painted a light grey. Also, there will be an accent wall of shiplap.

The installation of the bathroom tile has begun as you can see from the photos of the master shower. I can’t wait to see how the hall bath with its retro 20’s design unfolds.

The dark stained kitchen island was delivered as you can see below.

The cabinets around the perimeter of the kitchen will be painted Quill, a kind of gray/green color from the Charleston Historic color chart at Sherwin Williams. The product we have chosen for the counter top is quartz, Carrera. It looks like marble but without the headaches.

And…the new backdoor is in!

On schedule for the upcoming days are floor installation and trim work. We’ve been busy beavers, haven’t we? 🙂

And finally, lest we forget….

Well friends, that’s about all that’s worth printing for today. I hope you all continue to enjoy the journey as much as we are. The only sad thing I see in sight is the end. I wish it could last forever! (Almost) 🙂

Until next time, take care, y’all!