908 Oakwood Finished

I've been a bit delinquent in posting, but that's because I've been busy! After working really hard on another house over the spring, I got 908 Oakwood done, then went on vacation to Peru and hiked the Inca trail. I moved into this house in early August and LOVE living back in the 'hood.

908 and 906 have a different floor plan and are larger than 910-916. That is because the original footprint was wider - closer to a square, so there was a bit more design flexibility. This house has 3 bedrooms plus a loft/office area and 3 1/2 bathrooms.

I am really enjoying the backard - when I'm not on the front porch! The back yard is a small area but very nicely landscaped. When the shrubs grow it will have some very nice natural privacy screens.

The living room is really cozy - not too big, but big enough and open to the dining area and kitchen - great floor plan for entertaining. I love the gas logs too! This house was spray-foam insulated, so it takes very little energy. My peak power bill (with A/C running full blast this summer) was $51. Not bad for a 1500 sq ft house. Last month the heat started cranking and I thought the bill might be a bit higher - $23!!! YEAH! GREEN BABY!

Speaking of Green, I did some other green things too. Bamboo floors, no VOC paint, low VOC woods in the cabinets, a paver-stone driveway with little runoff, of course Energy Star light fixtures, windows and doors, and CF bulbs and a Rinnai tankless water heater ($12 gas bills - cooking and water heating).

I like having a dining room table - missed that while living in 912 Oakwood. I like having folks over to eat.

The kitchen is significantly larger since this is a 3 br home. I used granite in this house rather than concrete - just because I didn't have time to make concrete counters again.

It's nice having an office with lots of natural light and a view of the DTR skyline!

The master BR has access to the 2nd floor porch on the street side - overlooking the cemetary - very pretty.

The TV is upstairs on the 3rd floor with a full bathroom - the roofline makes it cozy, and skylights keep it bright during the day. Very relaxing room.

So, at this point, there is one more house to go as far as renovation - 906 Oakwood, and we have just broken ground on 316 Seawell - but they are topics for separate posts!

The story continues...

It has been a long time since I've posted, but the work has continued!

This is 908 Oakwood. The other 4 houses are all occupied, one is by me! I'm living here since I sold my big house and am downsizing. I'll eventually move into 908 - if all goes according to plan.

Currently it is framed, most of the siding is on, the electrical, mechanical and plumbing is roughed in.

This house is really cool - a great use of space - I can't wait to move in. It was just insulated - and I'm using spray-foam insulation now. It's amazing to watch that stuff go in, and although it's reall expensive, it is supposed to have a 2-3 year payback period.

These houses are quite a bit larger than 916-910. 908 will be 1513 sq feet and 906 will be a tad bigger.


The difference is that in 906 there will be a full shed dormer on the East side so that we can get two full bedrooms and a bathroom on the 3rd floor.

I really like the 2nd floor porch - that is off the master bedroom.

The neighborhood has really improved since the first 4 houses occupied!

It's been a long time (4 months!) since I last posted, but the progress continues on Oakwood Avenue.

908 Oakwood Begins

908 Oakwood and 906 Oakwood will be a different, larger layout. These houses will have a full second story and a finished attic. The first floor will have a LR, DR and Kitchen as well as a 1/2 bath. The second floor will have a Master BR and a second BR with its own bathroom. The master will have a porch overtop of the front porch. There will also be a laundry center and study or play area.


The third floor will have two bedrooms and a bathroom.

These cozy, well designed homes will be energy efficient as are the other homes in Oakwood Cottages. They will have higher-end finishes and be a great addition to the neighborhood.

Another one finished and sold!

It's been a busy few weeks, but 910 Oakwood is finished! (Except for replacing a mysterious broken window! - Opps!)

Joe & Erin have moved in - best wishes for Happy Years together in your new home!

This is the rear of the first 4 houses - what a difference!

Joe & Erin have a kitchen that is a different layout - it's great! The kitchens in the other houses were designed to allow for a side-by-side washer dryer. Joe & Erin elected a stack unit accessed from the hall area under the loft, leaving their kitchen a bit larger - no island, two walls of cabinets, more space in between.

916 and 914 are finished!!!

916 Oakwood, the first house in the row, is now finished and occupied! It has been transformed from a run-down shack into a beautiful, comfortable and energy efficient home.

914 Oakwood is also complete. The bright purple doors are a great accent to the exterior! This house has been sold.

These homes have small private yards in the rear with some really cool fences! The balconies are off of the Master Bedroom upstairs and have a view of the Raleigh skyline.

This is the Living room of 914 Oakwood. The owners chose dark flooring, which really accents the house and gives it a classy, urban look.

The kitchen in 194 turned out incredibly well. Very nice concrete counters - stained are accented by a well-coordinated glass mosaic tile backsplash.

This is the view from the upstairs loft of the Livingroom in 914.

The gas logs in the fireplace create a nice warm glow and cozy atmosphere.

Ok - enough bragging - time to get back to work on 910 Oakwood. It is sold and closes 12/29! Get busy!

This is Brett and Patrick trying to put up some track lights. Too bad the Swedes didn't make the track light - the cabinets from IKEA went in much more easily!

Certificates of Occupancy!!

The certificate of Occupancy for 916 Oakwood (the first house) was received on 11/18, and today we got the CO for the second house 914. So now, there is electricity and heat in 916. It has been rented, and the first members of the community will move in to their new home in early December. Welcome to Lisa and Marisa!

John, Patrick and Brent are hard at work building the fence's for 916 and 914.

Cool fences, huh?! Some shrubs and mulch will make the houses look great! I sure wish it were a bit warmer, but it looks like I'll be breaking through some frozen ground this weekend.

914 Oakwood is almost done as well. The power gets turned on tomorrow. All the flooring is in and looks great. Only some minor work and cleaning inside. I can't wait for the heat to be started up Friday AM! Thanks to ARS for a great job - Tim Halat, the construction manager is very responsive and has been great to work with.

The second members of the neighborhood will be moving in in mid December - Welcome to Scott & Amy!

Jeff is almost done the stairway in 910 Oakwood - we are busily working away to get this house done by mid December for the third new neighbors. Joe and Erin are really excited about their new home!

This is 908 Oakwood. Chris and his crew have jacked it up and dug new footers, which will hopefully get inspected and have concrete poured by Friday. It is amazing how construction methods have changed - these houses originally were built with very little in the way of underground foundations.

Norman is digging out to place new foundation concrete around the bottom of the chimney so it will be stable in the new house.

This is the view from inside 908. Before long, it will look quite different!

First one - almost done, closing in on # 2!

The first house (916) is almost done and is now listed on Craigslist for sale or rent. The house has passed the final HVAC and Plumbing Inspections, and will likely pass the electrical inspection tomorrow. I hope to have the Certificate of Occupancy by the end of the week, with landscaping to be done over the next two weeks.

There are a few small items to finish, and the house needs to be cleaned, but it it really looking nice.

Ready for appliances!

The second house, 914 is moving along right on schedule. It is sold, and scheduled to close at the end of November. The interior is painted, the flooring is almost all in, tile work in process, and the kitchen cabinets will be in tomorrow. The countertops will be poured Wednesday and hopefully installed by early next week.

HVAC finish work will be done this week, and so will the electrical finish work. The staircase looks great with the white paint against the dark bamboo floors the buyers selected. Very classy!

910 is moving along too. The drywall went in last week, and trim carpentry should be done shortly, then paint! The buyers are looking forward to their December finish date.

912 is waiting at this point. The trim carpentry is in, and it's ready to be painted as soon as there is a buyer ready to choose colors.

The first of the "last two" houses has been torn down to the basics and is ready to have the new foundation poured.

This house will be slightly larger than the rest. It is a more square footprint, and will get a full 2nd floor rather than the "camelback" the other houses got. The attic will also be finished. As amazing as it looks from this picture, this house will be have 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths when done!