A few months ago, I set out to reclaim my old office building and turn it into my studio. Jim and I set out to organize fabric and art supplies and sort through boxes for salvaging or discarding what was inside. It soon became obvious there was more wrong with the building than the loads of junk inside.
As we moved in and out the front door of the studio, the floor began to give, more and more, until it became dangerous of caving in. The sill at the door gave way and it looked rotten. A friend from church, a contractor, came by and told me I have termites!
Having a detached office for my interior design business was a very large part of my buying Wisteria Cottage. (That and the gorgeous Oak treesJ) It would be a home office without all the problems associated with the average home office.
It was not immediately recognized as the office it would be. For one thing, there were no windows. The front end of the building had a porch and the interior room was narrow and filled with junk. Another room (also filled with junk) backed against the front room, but there was no connection between the two. The entrance to this room was through a barn-like carport. Finally, there was a lean-to on the end of the long building.
My son, Jamey, applied the magic that I needed. He closed off the door to the carport and created a large door opening between the two rooms. He built up the floors, meticulously leveling them. When he added windows, my excitement began to grow as I could “see” the office emerging. Next came sheetrock on the walls and peaked ceilings. Finally, he installed carpet and furnishings.
It was a wonderful office. There was desk space, computer space, and drafting space. Book shelves held my large collection of Art and Design books. There was a light box and space for fabric and samples.
As my husband’s health deteriorated, I spent more time in the house and many items moved inside. It was during this time that I began designing and teaching 0n-line Interior Design courses for Piedmont Technical College. My beautiful little office became a dumping ground for everything that needed to be moved out of the house, but were deemed to be “too good” to be placed in the either of the two storage buildings.
The news is not good. There is a leak in the front corner, undiscovered until several charcoal drawings were completely destroyed. There was a squirrel infestation in the attic that created a good deal of damage. I woke up one morning to discover holes in the exterior walls, on two sides (I’m guessing made by an animal on a squirrel hunt). My son has patched them with unpainted old panels that stand out as a glaring reminder that the studio building needs work.
It seems the new studio is destined to remain unfinished until after the New Year. I have the creative parts ready to go. Unfortunately the sill must be replaced and the floor repaired before the creative process can be implemented. “Sigh.” Patience has never been one of my virtues.
KMJ
As we moved in and out the front door of the studio, the floor began to give, more and more, until it became dangerous of caving in. The sill at the door gave way and it looked rotten. A friend from church, a contractor, came by and told me I have termites!
Having a detached office for my interior design business was a very large part of my buying Wisteria Cottage. (That and the gorgeous Oak treesJ) It would be a home office without all the problems associated with the average home office.
It was not immediately recognized as the office it would be. For one thing, there were no windows. The front end of the building had a porch and the interior room was narrow and filled with junk. Another room (also filled with junk) backed against the front room, but there was no connection between the two. The entrance to this room was through a barn-like carport. Finally, there was a lean-to on the end of the long building.
My son, Jamey, applied the magic that I needed. He closed off the door to the carport and created a large door opening between the two rooms. He built up the floors, meticulously leveling them. When he added windows, my excitement began to grow as I could “see” the office emerging. Next came sheetrock on the walls and peaked ceilings. Finally, he installed carpet and furnishings.
It was a wonderful office. There was desk space, computer space, and drafting space. Book shelves held my large collection of Art and Design books. There was a light box and space for fabric and samples.
As my husband’s health deteriorated, I spent more time in the house and many items moved inside. It was during this time that I began designing and teaching 0n-line Interior Design courses for Piedmont Technical College. My beautiful little office became a dumping ground for everything that needed to be moved out of the house, but were deemed to be “too good” to be placed in the either of the two storage buildings.
The news is not good. There is a leak in the front corner, undiscovered until several charcoal drawings were completely destroyed. There was a squirrel infestation in the attic that created a good deal of damage. I woke up one morning to discover holes in the exterior walls, on two sides (I’m guessing made by an animal on a squirrel hunt). My son has patched them with unpainted old panels that stand out as a glaring reminder that the studio building needs work.
It seems the new studio is destined to remain unfinished until after the New Year. I have the creative parts ready to go. Unfortunately the sill must be replaced and the floor repaired before the creative process can be implemented. “Sigh.” Patience has never been one of my virtues.
KMJ