Details, Details, Details

Early January at the Molette House was relatively quiet, but we were able to get one major item checked off our to-do list for the house, which was to get the handrails on the stairs stained and finished.

Getting a handrail stained and finished may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but in reality, this has been a multi-year journey.

When Jodi our architect designed the centralized stairwell in the new addition, we absolutely loved it. It is very practical, handsome, and somewhat dominates the addition, since it reaches three stories up from the first floor to the second-floor landing to the attic.

It took awhile to decide on the balusters, handrails, newel posts, and treads. We finally settled on the style, and our first contractor ordered them. The balusters were too wide, so those had to be sent back and replaced. We decide on reclaimed heart pine for the treads, and those had to be cut, installed, and then stained and finished.

We had the balusters and newel posts painted, but we always wanted the handrail or banister stained a dark color. Unfortunately, the wood that was ordered was poplar, which is very difficult to stain, as it is very soft, almost like a giant weed. We would have preferred pine or hardwood, but that’s what we had to work with.

We researched lots of ways to stain poplar, but they were all complicated and involved. Finally, we just called Charlton Harris, our go-to stain person, and he came out to take a look at it. After much debate, we finally agreed on an approach, Charlton mixed up a lot of different colors, and we were able to select one we liked.

It took him several days to do, and a lot of sanding, staining, and multiple coats of Tung oil, but in the end, he did a wonderful job, and we are thrilled with it. It is a minor thing, but after years of climbing up and down stairs with bare wood balusters, we finally have a look and feel we wanted all along!

We also had the pleasure of going back to the Look antique store and picking up the antique desk that we got for the downstairs bathroom. Our friends Kent and Perry Woodruff were kind enough to help us pick it up and bring it out to the house. It looks great, but the front glass doors don’t close all the way, so they are proving to be a tricky fix. We’ll keep working on those.

On a trip into the Orville Farmer’s Market, we noticed that Judy’s (the owner of the market’s) son Matt was selling and delivering firewood. Since we have four working fireplaces in the house (living room, dining room, gray bedroom, master bedroom) we thought it wise to stock up on firewood. Matt and his energetic dogs delivered and stacked the wood for us, so we should be set for a while. Our pile of wood does looks puny compared to our neighbor Larry’s, who probably has a two-three year supply cut and stacked!

Our wonderful landscapers Norm and Diane Oglesby came by and helped us with another small project that has also been several years in the making. The driveway that leads to our house and Eleanor’s grandparents house has a few crepe myrtles planted along the way. Some have thrived, and some have died, but the survivors were all invested with in-grown hackberry trees. Some of the hackberry trees were almost a foot in diameter and were taking over the crepe myrtles.

Norm and Diane came out and for two days shaped and pruned the crepe myrtles, while also cutting down and hauling off the hackberries. It was a lot of work for them, but the finished product looks great.

Our focus now is working with the seamstress to finish all the window treatments and other fabric items, as well as starting on a punch list of about 20 items need to be completed before the open house.

We have been fortunate that Mark Manning the contractor and his crew have agreed to help us. We are so relieved to get their help because there is no way we could finish everything ourselves. We view them like the cavalry riding to our rescue!

If you want to see everything in person and if you are able, please stop by for the open house and tour as part of the Selma Pilgrimage March 15-16 1:00-5:00 PM Friday and Saturday.