NOT THE END...JUST THE BEGINNING!

I have a lump in my throat as I post these before and after pictures.  It's been so much fun from start to finish...I can't believe we are living in the house!  Sometimes it seemed like we would never be finished, and at other times I couldn't believe how fast things were moving.  It seems like everyone in Commerce, Texas knows about the restoration of the Knight house.  People in neighboring communities are even talking about it.  Complete strangers stop and ask to see what we've done--and we say "yes, come on in!"
The house is finished, but we haven't begun the landscaping yet.  That's another huge undertaking!  When all is finished, I'll post the final pictures.
Our future plans include using the barn as a bed and breakfast/event venue.  We also plan to offer the grounds for weddings. (remember the wedding steps?)
So, really, even though the house is completed, it's just the beginning for us!

To all the Knight descendants--Please, come to see us!  We want you to see the house where so many memories were made that are a part of your history.  We think you will be proud.  Thanks again for helping with the research.  We treasure all the articles and pictures you shared.  Our scrapbook is overflowing!
We're making our family's memories now, and we want you to know that we think about the ones that were here before us.  We are in possession of the historical marker.  I'll let everyone know when the ceremony will be.  We had originally planned to have it this fall, but we would like to have our landscaping finished, so we might have to postpone for a little while.

Below are various pix of the house that I didn't have a before picture of.  To see all the before and after pictures, look at all the posts again.  I went back and added the after pictures beside the first ones.

Addie Lou's room-upstairs

music room

Grandkids room

dining room

den

WINDING DOWN...

We are in countdown mode!  We've been busy these last few weeks getting last minute things taken care of.  Finally, we have about a week until we move in.  Rick has worked some long hours lately trying to get everything finished.  This will be the last post until we move in.  When we are all set up in the house, I will post before and after pictures.

 Go way back to the beginning pictures and you will see the old front porch.  We put these decorative pieces back in to match the old ones. 

We just call these the wedding steps.  Beautiful place to get married, don't you think?

Music Room-Above the mantel are 2 of the old window weights and the track from the pocket doors.

All fireplaces now have brick surrounds and hearths.

Rick designed the showers.  They are made of pea gravel!  The shelves are made from flagstone.

 
Showers are complete!  Wait 'til you see the seat and shelves Rick made for the showers!

Been waiting for three years to be able to see through to the next lot!  Work has begun on my mom's lot next door.  This creek was nothing but a tangled mess of brush and trash. 

I can't wait to show you the final pictures.  You won't believe your eyes!  What a lucky girl I am to have a man who would do all this for me!  We should have been charging for tours!  Every day people slow down to look.  Many of them stop and ask to see the inside, which I gladly show them.  It is truly a transformation!

PAINT!

It looks amazing!  As our grandson, Jack, would say, It's pank!"  The cut-in work took a while, but all the walls are now covered.  It looks really great next to the stained trim!

The rust colored cabinet will be antiqued.

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

Stormy weather hits Commerce.  Again.  Rick and I woke up at 3am listening to a torrential downpour and strong winds.  The painter had been working inside the house, so we were worried that he had left some windows open.  Rick went to check it out.  When he came back to the barn, he said, "Well, we didn't have any open windows, but we do have a tree on our house!" 

Needless to say, this was not a treerific situation to be in at 3am!

There was very little damage to the house, just some to the porch cornice and roof.  Thank goodness it didn't break our beautiful, antique stained glass window that's on this side.  Our neighbor, Lavelle,  brought over his backhoe and lifted the weight of the tree off the house, while Rick began work with the chainsaw.  I took this next picture with my eyes closed, because it was scary to watch!! :/

Notice the part of the tree that's still upright?  That's the rotten part (literally and figuratively).  We've been talking about cutting that part off for a couple of weeks, before it fell onto the driveway.  Of course, the living part of the tree is the part that fell. :(  Lots of trouble, but it could have been much worse!

SNEAK PEAK....

The painter has been hard at work for a couple of weeks.  The inside trim is completely finished and looks amazing!  The lift you see in the picture is borrowed and must go back to its owner in 2 weeks, so the painter is taking advantage and painting the highest parts of the house while we still have it.  The gable is grayish-green and looks great with the white trim (and the "K").  The rest of the house will be a lighter version of this green.

I can hardly wait to turn the lights on in the parlor at night, get in my truck and drive in front of our house to look at our front door!  This picture doesn't do it justice.

I also hope to  open this door and find some Knight descendants on the other side!

This is the antique window above the landing that leads upstairs.  We bought it a few years ago, hoping it would fit somewhere someday.  And so it did! 

You can see how beautiful the stained trim is!  The balusters will be painted white and finials will be added to each newel post.

Our finials are made from bun feet (for furniture).

Everything old is new again... Remember how these huge pocket doors were painted white?  Now, they are back to beautiful!  We've used the same guy for years, when we've needed something stripped and refinished.  He always does wonderful work.  He actually just stripped these for us.  Our painter stained them when he did the rest of the woodwork.  

We used the pocket doors upstairs with the tracks on the outside.

Rick finished these stairs today.  Look at the ceiling of the back porch.  That's the original siding from the house.  The steps going straight off the back porch are going to be round.  

Totally unrelated to house restoration, but cute nonetheless.

Chevy.

A PLACE FOR DAYDREAMING...

A couple of Knight descendants told us that there used to be window seats in the parlor.  We put one in on the left side of the front door.  I chose not to put one in on both sides, because I have some furniture that I want to put on the other side.  I can imagine Leita or Myrtle or one of the other sisters sitting at the window and watching for their beau!

Completed window seat!  This is the best way to see the transom over the front door.  In case you can't read backwards, it says Horse Apple Hill.

                                                                                          

VIST THE OLD COUNTRY STORE...

We used some of the original siding from the house to put around our pantry door.  A rusty tin roof will go over the door, a wooden screen door will be the entry, and an old light will go beside the door.  I just couldn't wait for it to be completely finished, so you'll have to check back to see the finished product. ;o)

Wouldn't you like to shop here?  Maybe I need an old pickle barrel sitting beside the door! (with a checkerboard on top)

OK, I know you're saying to yourself, "Isn't that a level board beside the door?  Wonder why they didn't use it?"  It's just an optical illusion-it's really all on the level!  I think the photographer might have been a little out of level.

Pantry Complete!  The bottom of the screen door is an advertising plaque for a screen door company.