We had started to look at property and homes in the Seven Lakes area several years ago. Bill really like the idea of finding lakefront property and Maureen wanted to move to a smaller home with less up- keep. By searching the internet, Bill found Lake Auman, in Seven Lakes which is located 8 miles west of Pinehurst. The lake is crystal clear, with a sandy bottom. The lake, and the other lakes in the area, is man-made, but spring fed. It looked like the perfect spot. In the early summer of 2010, we went to see a lot on Lake Auman which had 8 feet of waterfront, not enough water view to make the investment worthwhile. We looked at other houses –3/4 bedroom all needing renovations, but nothing that suited our needs. Our realtor, Susan Adams, asked us if we might be interested in a house on one of the smaller lakes in the North side. She had a friend who had cancer, and wanted to sell her house quickly. We went to see the house, a small 3 bedroom with 150 ft. of lakefront on Echo Lake, which is about 1000 feet wide, and a half a mile long. The price was right, so we signed a contract for the house on Echo Lake. That was in July, 2010. We put our home in Preston Village on the market and waited. Fortunately the seller was willing to wait as well. The real estate market was very slow, house prices kept falling. Finally, the following March our home sold and we were able to complete the purchase of our lake house. We settled on April 25th 2011. Also working in our favor was the fact that the people who purchased our home wanted to wait until the end of June to move in, so we had around 9 weeks to do our renovations.
The Septic System had to be repaired before finalizing the settlement, so that was the beginning of our renovations. During inspection before settlement, we found out the leach lines ran under the garage, so they needed to be re-routed. The tank also needed to be replaced. Rob’s backhoe came out and laid the new field, and installed a new tank. In the process, he pulled out the fence which was in the backyard, and also removed some shrubbery and a big stump in the middle of the yard. A maple tree had to be removed as well—their roots are notorious for ruining septic systems. We learned that there is a 70 foot setback for Echo Lake, so Bill helped Rob figure out the exact edges of our property so that we lay the septic field in a way that would allow the future addition we planned.
We knew that we were going to need to divide the renovations into two parts because of the cost. Phase one was renovating the living room to become Bill’s office, changing the laundry room, back powder room and storage area into Maureen’s work room, changing the door in from the garage, enlarging the front bathroom, taking one closet from the front bedroom to use in the middle bedroom, and changing the Front Entrance. We also needed to upgrade the insulation and change the heating and air-conditioning. Phase 2 will be renovating the kitchen, adding a master bedroom suite, and adding a new living room, screened porch, and deck. We also plan to build a new dock and improve the landscaping by adding some lakefront trees for shade and privacy. Another landscaping project will be to remove the pine trees in the front of the house and change the driveway to make the arrival point be the front door instead of the garage.
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| Original front of house |
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| This was the living room. It will become Bill's room |
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This will become Maureen's room. New pantry, entrance from garage, new window to be added.  
April 25-May 1st: Set up contacts and timetable for renovations. We opened a “Project” account at Lowes Hardware Store. This allowed us to charge materials with 0% interest for the first 6 months. Our team was put into place.
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May 6, 2011 Bill goes through the house with Fred Griffith, then, demolition begins! Fred and his crew began pulling up rugs, taking down curtains, demolishing walls. The walls for the front bathroom have been taken down, and the toilet, shower and sink have been removed. Closet doors have been removed, doors to rooms discarded.
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| The front door opened into the bedroom hallway. We made an entry hallway, and made the bedroom hall separate. |
It stepped awkwardly into the bedroom hallway. We plan to remove the door and change it so that the door enters into an entryway which is open to the rear of the house. The porch area is already covered by roof, so we will expand the room to the side of the entry to make a larger office space for Bill’s room. There will be windows across the front of that space, to lighten the room. We decided that one way to save some money is to re-use the windows from the Carolina Room which we plan to get rid of in phase two. The Windows are Anderson windows and are in good shape.
The former master bedroom and bath will be renovated to become a guest room and the bathroom will become the main bathroom for the house. The bathroom needs to be substantially changed. The room was too narrow for a bathtub. You entered the room through the bedroom, facing the sink. The toilet was beneath the window (which remains) and there was a walk in shower next to it. Our plan is to flip everything around and have it facing in the other direction. The door will enter from the bedroom hallway. A substantial cabinet with a granite countertop will be on the right, as you enter, the floor will be tiled. The bathtub will have a shelf to the side of the tub wall, so that there is more room when you shower. Since there is access through the hallway, this bathroom will be shared by the other guestroom when both rooms are in use.
Another part of this change is that we will be changing the placement of the doors to the bedrooms. The door to the middle bedroom will be next to the door to the front bedroom. This hall will be closed off after the bedroom doors by a coat closet. We will install a sliding pocket door in the wall leading to the entry area. That way, when guests are in the room and want additional privacy, they can pull the pocket door closed, allowing them private access to the bathroom without entering the rest of the house. Most of the time, the pocket door will remain open and the bathroom will serve as a powder room.
The first thing that needs to go in the middle bedroom is the whitish paneling. You entered the bedroom on the left side and there was a jog in the room here for the closet that serviced the rear bedroom. That has been removed, making the room rectangular instead of the odd hodgepodge shape that it was.
We plan to make access to one of the closets currently in the front bedroom, for use in this one. The doors in the front bedroom will be removed and a wall framed making the rear of the closet, with doors in the middle bedroom. The door into this bedroom has been changed to access the room from the left side. This will give the room easy access to our guest bath off the private bedroom hallway. A small closet which will have shelves in it will be on the right as you enter the room.
The existing living room will be changed to Bill’s room and the new Entry/Foyer. One of the big problems with the current layout is that you have a beautiful lake view to the back, but the house does not really appreciate it. Our plan for the new entry will give the view from the front door (which is Prairie style, mainly glass)
There will be a wall built to form the new “Bill’s Room” with a pair of French Doors, the same “Prairie Style” as the front door. We have torn down some shelves that were on the sides of the fireplace.
The plan is to cover the fireplace with something more interesting than brick. But the more extreme change will come to the front of the room. The whole wall, including the window, is to be removed. We will push out, and add space, which will actually be Bill’s desk area. The rest of the space will be used as a library or study. There will be a couple of comfortable chairs, and Bill will have a TV in here as well. There should be space for the Cello as well. This is the only room that does not have a lake view, but we felt that it was not critical for the purpose of the room.
One of our goals with this house renovation is to make a more efficient heating and air conditioning system. The house requires a new mechanical system for heating and air conditioning and so we considered using a geo-thermal unit which would use the lake as the water source. We decided against this option because of the price—even with the rebates, the cost was more than double the cost of the one which we chose. Our system is an air to air heat pump, with the system designed considering proper air distribution. We have begun pulling our old insulation in preparation of this.
May 9, 2011
Purchased shower head and faucet for bathtub: needed for rough-in. Reviewed selections of tile, carpet, doors at Lowes.
May 10, 2011
As the walls have been changed to studs, the ceiling is not holding its integrity. All of the ceilings, including the family room and the kitchen, but excluding the rear bedroom and bathroom, will be removed.
As the electricians work on the wiring, they have advised us to redo it all as they have found many problems in the old wiring which could be dangerous.
The shelves have been removed form Bill’s office, as well as the framing around doors throughout the house. Closet doors have been removed.
Plywood flooring has been put down in the family room as a temporary floor. This room is to be renovated as a part of “stage 2” and the flooring will be completed then.
The framing for the new walls in Bill’s Office has been completed. The carpenters are beginning to frame the new Entry door.
An opening has been cut in the wall to make a new entry space to the rear bedroom and bathroom. It will be there until phase 2 changes the rear of the house into the new family room/dining room, and master bedroom suite.
In the front bathroom, the walls have been removed, as has the toilet, sink, and shower. The wall will be moved into the bedroom space to make the bathroom wider. A new door will be added for the bed room and bathroom. Ceiling has been removed .
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| New entry, framing new walls. New front entrance |
As the electricians work on the wiring, they have advised us to redo it all as they have found many problems in the old wiring which could be dangerous.
The shelves have been removed form Bill’s office, as well as the framing around doors throughout the house. Closet doors have been removed.
Plywood flooring has been put down in the family room as a temporary floor. This room is to be renovated as a part of “stage 2” and the flooring will be completed then.
The framing for the new walls in Bill’s Office has been completed. The carpenters are beginning to frame the new Entry door.
An opening has been cut in the wall to make a new entry space to the rear bedroom and bathroom. It will be there until phase 2 changes the rear of the house into the new family room/dining room, and master bedroom suite.
In the front bathroom, the walls have been removed, as has the toilet, sink, and shower. The wall will be moved into the bedroom space to make the bathroom wider. A new door will be added for the bed room and bathroom. Ceiling has been removed here.
In the middle bedroom, the paneling is still up, but some things have been changed. The framing is in place for the new door, which will be on the left side of the room. The framing for the extra closet in this room is in place.
In the bedroom hallway, the closet has been framed, so there is no longer a long hall leading to the rear bathroom.
Maureen stopped in at the Community office and got the barcodes for the cars, and set up our new mailbox. Our mail is delivered to a community mail house which is about 1.5 mi from our house.
May 11:
Tub was ordered from Lowes.
May 12:
When I arrived at the house today there were trucks all around—we had great people working on our house. Plumbers, Electricians, and Carpenters were there. People were there on time and worked to help us get this project done quickly. The Carpenters are set up in the garage. Materials were being stored in there too.
The area in the front of the house that will become a part of Bill’s office has been framed for the concrete flooring which will go there.
The old front door has been removed and the opening has been covered over. The new front entrance has been framed.
Ceilings are down; you can see the rafters in the roof!
The Carpenters are at work changing the location of the entry area from the garage into the house. The two new closets in Maureen’s room have been framed already.
The Bay window from the breakfast room has been removed and the opening has been boarded over.
The plumbing is being roughed in for the front bathroom.
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| New garage entry |
May 13:
Ordered Doors, to be delivered May 27
The concrete pad for the extension of the front room for Bill’s office has been poured.
The location of the Front door has been changed.
The new opening for the entry to the house from the garage is being framed.
The Bay window has been installed in the wall of Maureen’s room
The Electricians continue the wiring, are placing electric outlet boxes throughout the newly framed walls.
The walls framing the front bathroom are in place, plumbing is roughed in.
A moisture barrier has been placed on the floor of the Crawl Space…This area is to be sealed more efficiently.
May 17:
The framing for the new entry from the garage has been completed. The old door frame has been paneled over and insulated.
The expansion of the front room for Bill’s office has been completed. Five windows were taken from the Carolina Room and put on the exterior of the new space. The old window was discarded.
The bathtub is now in place in the front bathroom.
The paneling has been removed from the walls in the middle bedroom.
Electric demolition and rewiring continues throughout the house.
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| New entry hallway is framed. |
Reflective insulation boards are being installed in the crawlspace. Insulation is being wrapped on the outside of the ductwork.
May 19: Selections for Door Hardware, Bathroom tile, Tile for Bill’s office selected.
May 20: Plumbing is ready for next steps. Bathtub, shower, faucet and toilet rough-in is complete.
Progress continues with Electric wiring.
May 25:
Drywall in family room has been partially removed. Electrician work continues—new circuit box in in rear bedroom hallway.
The concrete flooring in Bill’s office is ready for tile.
May 26:
Old ductwork has been removed. New ducts are being installed. Electrician is working on the wiring in Maureen’s room.
May 27th: Drywall was delivered and is being stored in Maureen’s Room and Family Room. Doors were delivered and are lined up in the Garage.
Duct work has been removed from the house—there was insulation on the inside of the ducts and would not have been as clean as we would like.
Sunday, May 29th – Only 3 Weeks till move in date!
The drywall crew was able to come to work on the weekend, so the house looked like a mess, but the work was getting done. There are “holes” in the wall where the electric outlets are positioned.
The front bathroom had the green moisture resistant boards put up, but they will need to be changed when the tile is set.
With the drywall up, the rooms are starting to look more like spaces that you can imagine to be rooms. Closets are looking good. The Front bedroom looks big enough for the 2 queen beds that we plan to put in there. The new bedroom hallway and closet, doors to rooms are taking shape.
A couple of windows from the Carolina room have been put in the opening in the breakfast room to replace the bay window—much better—we have to live with this for a while, until we are able to do phase 2. The drywall and old wallpaper in the Family/breakfast room and kitchen are being ripped down and will be replaced with fresh drywall.
The empty spaces in the Carolina Room that had windows removed, have been boarded over, and Insulation has been added. We will cover this with fabric after we move in.
Maureen’s room is serving as the work area for cutting board and storing, and so will be one of the last areas completed.
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| New look for Maureen's room. Drywall nearing completion. |
June 1, 2011
What a surprise! I arrived at the house to find all of the windows and doors open. The drywall has been hung and needed to air out in order to dry. Fortunately it does not look like rain today.
June 6, 2011
The wood for the finish carpentry has arrived, and the carpenters, KP and Al are at work. The Front door has been replaced with the new door. The interior doors have been placed in their positions in preparation for framing and hanging. The Front door has been installed!
The reflective barrier in the ceiling has been installed-- And is still visible as the ceilings have not all been installed. Trucks arrived today with more insulation for the attic.
June 9th, 2011
The windows have been trimmed.
Waterproof board has been placed in the bathtub/shower wall in preparation of tile installation. The tile on the floor of the bathroom is set.
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| Finish carpentry--framing windows, adding shelves and doors to cabinets and closets. |
The wooden trim on the front wall of the front bedroom has been built. It will be painted and will become the headboard for the 2 queen beds in that room.
Closet doors have been hung and are trimmed out.
doors to Bill's Office
Carpet ordered: installation to be June 23rd changed to the 24th.
June 11, 2011
Carpenters, tile workers, painters are all at work here. Insulation and ductwork continues, and electric wiring is ongoing as well.
The tile has been installed on the Bath/shower wall in the front bathroom, it looks great!
The shelves have been built for the washer/dryer closet and also for the side shelves for Maureen’s sewing area.
Painters have begun prep work for the paint process. The team is very thorough. Doors had to be removed and are standing in Maureen’s room and in the Bedrooms so that they can be properly painted and dried. Doors and Trim are done first. The painters use “Bondo” which is a red colored filler to prep the walls for a smooth finish.
June 13, 2011
The doors are lined up in the middle of the rooms for painting and drying. Trim is painted first.
The ceilings have been painted “haint” blue. The Trim is being painted now.
June 14, 2011
In preparation for the laying of the hardwood floors, Brown Kraft Paper is put down between the subfloor and wood flooring. This helps to reduce squeaky floors.
The carpenters undercut the door jambs to prepare for the installation of the wood floors.
June 16th, 2011
The move in date has been pushed back to the 24th, although we will move out of our current home on the 22nd.
Painting has begun: the ceilings are haint blue and look good. The doors that had been put into place are down so that they can get painted. The colors we are using on the interior: (Sherwin Williams professional) Ceiling HC -149 Buxton Blue, Walls HC-81 Manchester TA, trim and doors: OC-59 Vanilla Milk.
Tile has been set in the bathroom, but, they will need to cut an opening in the floor for one of the ducts. The tile is covered so that the walls and ceiling can be painted.
The large black tile around the fireplace in Bill’s room is being set.
The front door has been put in place, but is still awaiting stain.
We decided to paint the rear bedroom, so that it would be clean feeling for us. This will be our bedroom until we do the next phase which will include a master bedroom suite. The Kitchen and Family room are also being painted.
Going around the house, the shelves have been painted, and the trim.
June 18th, 2011
We rented a truck and moved some items, such as our dining room table and chairs, to a storage unit here in Seven Lakes. We also loaded some item in the Carolina Room
June 22, 2011
We moved out of our house in Cary, and all of our furniture will remain on the truck until the move-in date. We stayed one night in Pinehurst at an older inn, very quaint, maybe a little too quaint. We moved to the Marriott Residence Inn in Southern Pines the next night. Bill had to go to visit a client on the 23rd, back on the 24th.
June 24th, 2011
This was supposed to be the move-in date, but we were able to change it to Monday, June 27th. Good thing, too. We still had a lot of things undone.
The toilet for the front bedroom is in a box in front of the house—it is to be installed today.
Painters are here working furiously, they had to wait for the floors to be completed before they could come back. The floors do look great—rosewood. They are covered with brown paper to keep some of the dust off them. The electricians are here as well, doing the final installation of lights. There are tools, wires and all sorts of materials and equipment all over the family room and breakfast room. The Refrigerator has been pulled away from the wall so that the painters can complete their job.
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| Rosewood floors are down, tile is around fireplace. Doors have been painted. |
The tile around the fireplace has been completed. Bathroom tile looks good too, awaiting a toilet. We will have that shower and toilet ready for use when we move in. (sink and cabinet to come later).
The mechanical work is not complete, and the person in charge is not here today. He says we will have air conditioning when we move in. There is an over-sized air return in the entry hall that is awaiting a customized grate (it is not the normal size). The humidifier is still here, it was used while the floors were drying to prevent them from cracking.
The new insulation and duct work have been completed.
Maureen worked today cleaning out the garage and getting ready for the move. We were supposed to have the cable connected today, but the electric is off, so we postponed it until a later date.
The carpets in the front bedroom and middle bedroom are being installed today. By the end of the day, the bedrooms look complete! The bathroom is as complete as we planned it to be.
The painters need to come back on Saturday to complete the project.
June 25-26, 2011
Bill had a meeting with a new client at Governors Club this morning, so we head there first. We also went back to the house in Cary to pick up some items and finish cleaning out the refrigerator. It seems that we will never be done there. We leave several other items—Bill will try to swing by sometime.
We arrived in the afternoon on Saturday and—Painters had just packed up and departed! The front door was stained, still needs a handle and will require another coat of stain as well.
When we walked through the house, everything was still very dusty, but looking good. The closet and pantry doors were in place. Wires were still hanging out—the electricians would be back on Monday. The HVAC was not completed.
Rooms ready for move-in day:
Duct need cover in entry hall
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| Front guest room |
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| Middle guest room |
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| Laundry/sewing area |
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| Maureen's office |
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| ceilings are painted haint blue |
The kitchen needed to be scrubbed down—the cabinets were old and were unused for over a year, so there was a lot to do. We also needed to scrub the oven and refrigerator. Bill cleaned windows and put on a few door knobs, hung rods in a few closets. We kept pretty busy for the rest of the day, and all day Sunday.
Left to be completed after moving in:
Closet rods
Door knobs
Paint touch-up, finish staining door
Electric, connections for cable
Shoe moulding
Mirror, countertop, sink, cabinet in front bathroom
Air conditioning
Return air duct cover
Handle for Pocket door in bedroom hall
Siding around front entrance
Cable installation for TV and internet
Monday, June 27th, 2011: Move in day!
Things moved fairly smoothly for our move in. One hitch—the HVAC did not work properly, so they had to come back. Electricians also had things to finish. Irrigation system needed repairs still. After a long day of work, our Movers (from “All My Sons) jumped into the lake for a refreshing dip, and a spin around the lake in the kayaks.
Tuesday, June 28th—Technician from Cooper Heating got the Air Conditioning working for us. We purchased an indoor/outdoor carpet for the Carolina Room.
Thursday, June 30th: Our first guests!
Bella and Grey came for a weekend stay. Dan and Melissa were going out of town for the weekend. They immediately got the stuffed animals out and arranged them all over the 2 beds in the front room. No more work on the house for a while—just play time at the lake.
Friday, July 1: I did have to do some unpacking and re-arranging of rooms a bit—Lynn and Emily came down for the weekend too, so we had both guest rooms christened, even though we still didn’t have the sink in the front bathroom.
After everyone left, Bill and I had to go out of town for a few days, came back on the 10th.
Monday July 11: Electricians are back to make the connections all correct for the cable installation. Still have things to complete. We will need to make some new selections and get them back.
Light in Bathroom installed, but we didn’t like it, so Bill got a different fixture and it looks much better.
Little by little, closet doors are getting handles.
Week of July 18th: the vanity cabinet for the front bedroom has been installed.
July 22nd: The countertop is installed.
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| The countertop is called "Rainforest". |
July 25th: Sink was connected. Sometime around this time we also put curtain panels up in the Carolina Room to cover the insulation that was put where the windows were removed. Fred Griffith and his carpentry crew came back to put the siding up on the front addition and around the front entrance.
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| New front entrance. Windows to Bill's room. The siding will be painted when we do the next round of renovations. |
July 29th: Weekend of guests—Eileen, Ken, Dan, Melissa and kids, and the Pomaricos. On The 30th, Bill Pomarico helped Bill Hirsch put up the rod for the shower curtain, and install the mirror in the front bathroom.
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| Mirror and light in front bedroom |
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| Umbrella and chairs for the dock |
August 2nd: Bill really wanted to have a sandy bottom, so we had a beach delivered! It makes a huge difference when you enter the lake, and makes standing in the shallow water comfortable. We will probably need to do this each year, but it is worth it!
August 20, 2011
First family reunion at the lake, but Kristi was not able to come because she got offered a new position in the school district and had to begin this week. Matt helped me pick out our new grill. We ended up with 12 people overnight in our little 3 bedroom. Matt slept on the floor in the Carolina room and Ben and Susan took the air mattress in the office. Carol and Jeff Lubbers had the middle room, and Dan, Melissa and the kids had the front bedroom. It worked beautifully!
September 16, 2011
Phase 2 has begun, sort of. We just had our new oven delivered and we have put it into place. It is not pushed in all of the way, but it will work that way until the rest of the kitchen is done, probably next year.
Also, this week Maureen has been getting some of the bedding and things for the guest bedrooms. We are ordering blinds, and still need to get paintings hung.
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| Two queen beds in front guest room |
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| Queen bed and studion bed in middle bedroom |
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