The house was build in 1997 and we have been updating it ever since. Click Here to see it as it went up. Fortunately I was able to get access to the house before the insulation and drywall were installed so I was able to add some wiring for a surround sound system and some computer network cables.

Since then we have done a few things such as:

• Surround sound rear speakers installed in Family Room Ceiling
• Add concrete patio in back yard.
• Put in a small retaining wall along the back fence.
• Install sprinklers in the back yard, put in sod and plant privacy shrubs along the back.
• Install trellis / overhang over patio.
• Replace both upstairs bathroom floors with tile. The master bath had carpet which was in pretty bad shape near the shower and the hall bath had vinyl flooring.
• Replace all interior doors with either solid wood panel doors or 10 lite french doors.
• Replace door and window molding with traditional fluted molding with corner blocks.
• Install crown molding in all of the rooms. This was done to improve the look but also to hide the poor drywall finising where the walls meet the ceiling.
• Install chair rail in the living room and master bedroom
• Install a soft water system.
• Install utility sink in the garage. It's actual a small bar sink which was about the only thing that would fit.
• Replace back sliding glass door with an Andersen Frenchwood sliding glass door.
• Replace the kitchen and bathroom faucets since the hard water really trashed them. They were fairly poor quality to begin with anyway.
• Replace all blinds with plantation shudders (except home office).
• Replace downstairs bathroom shower, sink, toilet, flooring, and fixtures.
• Replace original Whirlpool stove that never quite worked right with a Viking Professional range.
• Replace upstairs hall bathroom tub, sink, toilet, and fixtures.
• Cover concrete patio with half bricks.
• Install a tile back splash in the kitchen with handmade 4x4 tiles in several colors with a random pattern. This enabled me to move a few very poorly placed outlets and switches at the same time.
• Replace carpet in the living room, stairs, and upstairs hall with maple hardwood.
• Install deck in back yard over lawn. Due to the poor drainage the lawn was mostly a swamp. Even though it only received a small amount of water to keep the lawn alive.
• Install hot tub on deck. I had to seriously beef up the deck to support the weight of the tub filled with 500 gallons of water.
• Install additional sub-panel in garage to supply power to the hot tub and provide additional outlets in garage on a separate circuit.
• Replace carpet in the family room with travertine limestone tile.
• Install 5 fisherman type outdoor lamps across back of house.
• Replace upstairs windows with Milguard sound reduction windows with low-E glass. This really helped keep the house warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
• Installed a window seat in front bedroom by building off existing base on outside.
• Replace dying refrigerator with a Sub-Zero built-in. This opened up the kitchen since the Sub-Zero does not extend beyond the cabinets.
• Replace kitchen faucet (again) with a high end Miko
• Replace dish washer with a Viking which is actually made by Asko.
• Replace master bedroom floor with limestone tile.
• Installed speaker wiring from behind TV to behind bed
• Completely renovate master bathroom which included reconfiguring the sink to add room for a whirlpool tub and increasing the size of the shower. The shower was enclosed with frameless glass. The floor was replaced (again) and the toilet was replaced.
• Remove backyard hot tub since it was not being used any longer.
• Replace front bedroom (Stacey's studio) floor with limestone tile.
• The kitchen cabinets were replaced with custom cabinets that go to the ceiling for much more storage. The counter top was replaced with marble and the sink was replaced (again). The microwave was moved and a proper Viking range hood was installed. The tile back splash was replaced with more elaborate handmade tiles. Under cabinet lighting added.
• Chandeliers everywhere possible
• Install fountain in backyard. Power also provided to gas grill via conduit connected to existing outlet.
• Custom built-in china cabinet installed in Dining room. Upper cabinet has internal lighting with glass shelves.
• The front porch columns were covered to appear solid and a substantial amount of trim was added.
• The original siding, which was defective, was replaced with cedar shakes.
• Installed a trellis over the garage door to add dimension and to support the wisteria.
• Replace Viking gas range with better Viking dual fuel range. Had to run 220V power from garage sub panel to kitchen to make this work.
• Custom built in entertainment center installed in master bedroom to house flat screen TV and peripherals with additional drawers for clothing.
• Upgraded can lights in Kitchen
• Installed can lights in home office

Other than the siding, most of the work we did ourselves which seriously reduced the cost.

The Network

Prior to moving in Catagory 5 network wiring was installed in multiple locations. The initial network was 10BaseT using a Cisco 1900 switch When I finally got around to installing a pair of ReplayTV DVRs, The 10BaseT network was not fast enough so I had to upgrade the network to 100BaseT. After reviewing my options I went with a Cisco 2900 switch. This worked for many years but eventually got flakey so that was recently upgraded to a Cisco (Linksys) Gigbit switch.