So ... looking for some general thoughts/opinions as we are getting ready to close on some acreage(5,5) in Morrisville with a 30 year old timberframe construction home. Purpose wise, this place is a long term investment for us (not the home value, but the land value). Anything we do to the home will be solely for the comfort and enjoyment we get out of the home, not for resale value.

For the record, we know the place looks plain and drab. Here's some of the photos on Realtor.com:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/101-Holly-Creek-Rd_Morrisville_NC_27560_M62756-22573?row=4

















Anyhow ...so ... planning to add a 12' by 48' addition to the left side of the house. It will have a dining area(12x16) that connects to the kitchen, and a closet Walk In pantry(12x6). Then on the other side of the addition there will be a master bath(12x20) and walk in closet (12x6).



The house currently has 50 year old heart pine flooring, and we will extend that into the kitchen/dining/master bedroom/currently carpeted family area, and will then refinish it all together.

Drawn up plan for shed roof addition and current existing blueprints in this album:

https://plus.google.com/photos/111943871212369622358/albums/5975092932503785681?authkey=CJGc_PfynNCXfA

Other Changes:
Kitchen
- GUT - new antiqued white cabinets with a white, grey, or black solid countertop and white/grey stone backsplash, with rustic dark lights/fixtures.

Exposed Beams stained a little darker for contrast with lighter ceiling paneling.

More windows on the right side of the house (floor to ceiling) to give more visibility to the 2 acre pond, and future deck area.

Partially finished basement (leaving some unfinished space for workshop/storage). (1400sqft available).

Lighting:
One major problem in the house is the lighting. The ceiling is tongue and groove wood paneling that is 2 inches thick, and is the subfloor upstairs (currently there is nothing on top of it but we will add carpet upstairs for sound insulation (4 kids). This means we cannot put pot lights in or even add normal ceiling lights because there is no way to wire above the ceiling itself. Any ideas on ways to get lighting in the kitchen/living areas downstairs?

I would love if there was some sort of home automation option that allows me to install a normal looking light switch box on a post somewhere, and program which lights it controls. Most of these home automation options allow you to control the light switch itself remotely, but does not allow you to program which lights the said switch can turn on and off (still has to be hard wired to the connected light). There are some "remote control" looking options that are flat out ugly and not normal. I want it to feel like the light switch is connected by wires, but know that behind the scenes its all wireless and programmable.



From the perspective of the shed roof addition, how hard would it be for me to be my own GC on this and take care of the subcontracting? How much extra time would I be spending to run the show? Is it really worth it to hire a GC/builder to do this addition?

[Edited on January 31, 2014 at 11:28 AM. Reason : .]

1/31/2014 11:26:31 AM

1/31/2014 12:54:47 PM

My first piece of advice is DO NOT remove that wood stove. If anything, get a bigger one. My favorite part of my house (which is similar to yours....modest house on 7 acres) is the stove. We heat the whole house with it. Don't touch the floors either.

I agree, it is a lot of wood, but I love those beams in the Kitchen. The cabinets are over the top though. Maybe a few good coats of paint to add some color? Appliances look great though.

In fact, you probably could improve the house a ton by painting pretty much all the exposed wood except the floors and ceiling.

In my honest opinion, the exterior of the house is what I'd focus on first. You might be able to get away with just pressure washing and painting the outside, if not definitely replace the siding.

All in all, that house is in great shape (from the looks of the pictures) and just needs some updating. Well worth it for all the land you'll get imo. Pretty much the same reason I bought my house.

1/31/2014 5:05:12 PM

here's what I am thinking for the master bath, and the kitchen (design theme, not necessarily the layout).

1/31/2014 5:18:16 PM

badass

1/31/2014 6:47:56 PM

Holy crap that's a lot of wood--the current kitchen looks like someone built it inside a sauna.

I like your plans for the renovation though. Kitchen looks pretty great, the bath too except I'm not sure why the shower entrance looks cabin-ish.

2/1/2014 7:42:44 PM

Kitchen lighting is an easy fix. Run LED or fluorescent fixtures down both sides of the beams, add a wooden cover and you have modern looking indirect lighting, that looks built into the beam itself. Wiring for these would be run in conduit between the fixtures, and hidden by the wooden shelf on the bottom the the beam.

2/2/2014 12:36:15 AM

For lighting, that's a tough one. Kyles idea isn't bad, but I might have an alternative....

I'd attach like 2 x 4s to the ceiling (or whatever size wood you need to give sufficient space), and put up paneling on top of that, giving you a false ceiling. Then you can run wire in that, and put junction boxes, etc

You'll lose some of the depth around the exposed timber you want to highlight, but it will be dynamic enough to let you do whatever you need.

[Edited on February 2, 2014 at 3:50 PM. Reason : .]

2/2/2014 3:48:47 PM

Pretty good idea .... we could even sheetrock in between the beams and continue the sheetrock into the ceiling of the dining area ...

Looks like we would need ~6 inches of clearance for pot lights though ... but maybe some thing less "pot" like but still close to the ceiling that wouldn't be in peoples way when they are walking around... ?

2/3/2014 1:27:59 PM

I'd just run the wires in some pipe and leave the ceiling as is.





I love this look, but our house is contemporary and not rustic/steampunk enough for it to blend.

2/3/2014 1:59:37 PM

How tall are those beams? What's the height to the bottom of the beam as well? Sheet rock for the false ceiling would work, obviously.

Personally, I would look into limiting the depth of the false ceiling to what you absolutely need. I'd start looking for fixtures that work for you... Short pendants or something,

You might be able to find some low voltage solutions that aren't very tall, if you're dead set on recessed cans

[Edited on February 3, 2014 at 6:51 PM. Reason : .]

2/3/2014 6:44:29 PM

^^imo that doesnt go with rustic anyway. That goes with industrial loft space. But that is beyond obnoxious, and will be a nightmare if your tastes evolve. Its no longer a fixture swap.

[Edited on February 3, 2014 at 6:59 PM. Reason : also, its called conduit]

2/3/2014 6:58:54 PM

yeah, I just found some 2 1/2 inch depth lights that would probably work, and available with black/bronze/white/stainless/nickel trim options. Might be the best bet at this point.

2/3/2014 11:28:35 PM

Cool. Problem solved.

2/4/2014 8:36:35 PM