lyndale renovation 2015 & 2016
lights & windows

January 2016
In the basement's southwest corner —
Wow, that looks complicated.

In the kitchen, near the door to the mudroom —
Switch boxes like this are scattered throughout the first floor; fifteen new boxes in all.
This one controls kitchen recessed lights, kitchen island pendants, mud-room overhead and back-steps exterior lights. Nearly all new lights are dimmable.
The God-awful door shown here will be replaced by a beautiful wooden door that matches the classic style of the millwork.

In the living room northeast corner —
Because of all the switching and light-fixture changes, lots of holes have been chopped into the walls to accomodate wiring.
Wire passing through this particular hole serves a new light fixture on the front porch and a new exterior light over the front steps.

In the living room facing east —
Recessed lighting cannisters are in place. A total of four gimbal-style lights are going into the ceiling here.
They are pointable and will illuminate artwork on the walls as well as add ambient light to the room. The chandelier in
the dining area has also been moved to be better positioned in relation to the kitchen/dining room opening and the dining room windows.

In the kitchen facing up, north and east —
There are lots of lighting updates in this area including: ten recessed cannisters, one fixture over the sink, two pendants over the island,
lights on the stove hood and a bucket-load of led strip lights under the cabinets and on the island.

In the kitchen facing up and west —
Shown here are more of the kitchen's recessed cannisters. There is also a switch and an
overhead light in the closet area to the right of the old window.

In the kitchen facing west —
Speak of the old window: here is a last glimpse of it. This old window served us well for many years but
in days it will be gone. I feel strangly sentimental about this, having looked through this window at kids playing
in the yard, friends drinking by our firepit and all sorts of critters visiting Val's garden.

Our chilly backyard —
A big day has arrived, the west window is going in!
The general contractor, and all-around swell guy, Edgar is on the steps. His son, and co-worker, Lee is in the background.
Around our kitty, Stephane, we've taken to calling these guys uncle Edgar and cousin Lee. Edgar and Lee are aware of this and
they seemed charmed by it. I guess we're not the first crazy couple they've worked with.

Our chilly backyard —
Cousin Lee is gearing up to make some noise as he chops through our stucco wall.
Despite an unseasonably warm winter, this stage of the project coincides with a cold snap. In fact, installation of the
window was delayed for a couple of days due to the weather. A one-day respite from the cold came along and the guys
jumped on the opportunity to do their work. More extreme cold is predicted in the coming days.

In the backyard facing east —
Dang! Nothing like a giant hole in the house on a January day in Minnesota.
This photo offers a rare glimpse of the house's original siding.

In the kitchen facing west —
On days like this, I appreciate the efforts of our builders even more than usual.
Uncle Edgar and cousin Lee kick butt, and they've endured some days of suffering on our behalf.