Popcorn Ceilings, Polybutylene Plumbing, and Masonite Siding

Popcorn Ceilings, Polybutylene Plumbing, and Masonite Siding are three things that most Cary home buyers DO NOT like

Popcorn Ceiling

to see when looking at homes to purchase. They like smooth natural surfaces, reduced risk of water leaks, and reduced maintenance. Because all three were present in the Cary home we purchased, we decided to remove them in the rebuilding process.

 The popcorn ceilings are the sprayed on ceilings that leave little bumps. They are common in homes that were built during 1980-1996. This is not a popular feature with most buyers.

 Polybutylene is a form of plastic resin that was used extensively in the manufacture of water

Polybutylene Piping

supply piping from 1978 until 1995. Due to the low cost and ease of installation it was viewed as the “pipe of the future”. They were installed in over 6,000,000 homes. Because of the failure rate of these pipes, it is now believed that oxidants in public water cause them to be brittle and break or leak. The biggest problem these pipes present is in the joints. The failure rate is much less if the joints are copper fittings.  We are finding that most Cary Homes are built today with PEX pipe,

Masonite Siding

Masonite siding was used by most builders until 1998. It is a wood product that needs to be carefully maintained by checking for nail pops and wood rot. The exterior is wood but the interior of the boards are wood filler. That is why wood rot and nail pops are so prevalent. Today most homes are built with fiber cement products. They typically have a 25-40 year guarantee. This makes home exterior maintenance almost foolproof.

 Our ultimate goal is to replace everything in our Cary home so that it will require little or no maintenance for the next several years. It is costly, but in the long run it will pay for itself in time, dollars, and peace of mind.

We are Rebuilding this Home in Cary NC

                                            The Great Room, Den, and Guest Bedroom

Here’s the Ranch Home we purchased in the Preston subdivision in Cary, North Carolina. Preston is a beautiful golf course community in Cary with 54 holes of golf and over 2400 homes. We are in the process of totally rebuilding this home to fit our comfort and lifestyle. We would like to share our experience and progress with you via our blog. This post describes and illustrates our redesign of theThe Great Room, Den, and Guest Bedroom:

The Great Room 

This picture shows the original floorplan looking from the front entry to the great room. Notice the 8 ft wall angling out into the great room from the kitchen.

This view after the demo shows the kitchen wall removed for a more expansive, cleaner look and feel.

Here’s a look at the expanded great room from the kitchen area. There will be six canned lights and a ceiling fan to illuminate and cool this space.

Den

This picture shows the original den or study located in the front middle section of the house. There was no closet so this room could not be counted as a bedroom for resale purposes.

Here’s a picture from the same angle showing the closet we have added to the room. For resale, this home is now a 3 bedroom home and not a 2 bedroom home.

The Guest Bedroom

The guest bedroom is located in the front corner of the home and measures 12 x 11. Assuming we utilize a queen sized bed here, there is not adequate room for 2 nightstands with lamps. So we added 4 canned lights and will probably use just one night stand.

The closet in the guest bedroom is one of the larger closets in the home. We will section this closet off with long and short hanging spaces, cubby holes for sweaters, and a space dedicated for our guests.

The Great Room, Den and Guest Bedroom

In deciding how to best utilize these rooms, we needed to figure out what was most important for our new CaryNC lifestyle.

The Great Room will be our main living area. I view this room and the kitchen as a team. They need to blend and work well together. That is why we decided to change the position of some of the windows and the French door that is our entry to the home from the garage. We also extended the far wall of the living room to give a more private entrance to the master bedroom. The TV will be placed above the newly designed fireplace area. It is amazing what a few tweaks have done to this area.

The Den was used as a study in the past, but now with the addition of a closet, it can officially be a third bedroom. A second TV will be put in this room along with some workout equipment. I consider this room Dave’s “man cave”. He can watch all of the football and basketball to his heart content as long as he keeps the door shut. It will be set up in such a way that this room can easily transform as a third bedroom when needed.

The guest bedroom needed few changes. The carpet was removed and replaced with wood floors like the rest of the home. We added canned lighting and the closet will be built to accommodate our seasonal hanging clothes. This is the one room where we actually do not need to buy any new furniture.

Stay tuned for our next edition, “The AGA vs The La Cornue“.

  Here’s the Ranch Home we purchased in the  Preston subdivision in Cary, North Carolina.   Preston is a beautiful golf course community in Cary with 54 holes of golf and over 2400 homes. We are in the process of totally rebuilding this home to fit our comfort and lifestyle.  We would like to share our…

Here’s the Ranch Home we purchased in the  Preston subdivision in Cary, North Carolina.   Preston is a beautiful golf course community in Cary with 54 holes of golf and over 2400 homes. We are in the process of totally rebuilding this home to fit our comfort and lifestyle.  We would like to share our experience and…

 Here’s the Ranch Home we purchased in the  Preston subdivision in Cary, North Carolina.   Preston is a beautiful golf course community in Cary with 54 holes of golf and over 2400 homes. We are in the process of totally rebuilding this home to fit our comfort and lifestyle.  We would like to share our experience and…

  We sold this home  3400 Square Feet    We Bought This Home 1500 Square Feet  Both of these homes are located in the Preston subdivision in Cary, North Carolina.   Preston is a beautiful golf course community in Cary with 54 holes of golf and over 2400 homes.We are in the process of totally rebuilding this…

Enjoying our 3400 square foot home It seems as if our moves have come full circle.  We arrived here in Cary, NC from California in 1994 and were amazed at the difference in the style of living.  We embraced it in full and have enjoyed the past 12 years in our 3400 square foot home.  In the…

   Market Insight with Lenda   January is traditionally a month when quite a few new listings come onto the market. With the Holidays behind them, clients are beginning to list their homes in anticipation of the usual active spring market.  This year so far has been a little different.   Listing Activity in Cary, Apex, and Morrisville…

The Western Wake farmer’s market and four other Triangle area farmers’ markets invite you to their Tues., Nov. 23 pre-Thanksgiving markets!  The hours on the 23rd are 3:00-6:00 pm and the market is located in Carpenter Village in West Cary. Featured events for the day include: Chef’s Tasting:with Martin Sreshta of Martin’s Curry Rice in Morrisville…

Local Art at Fall Craft Fair and Free Chef’s Tasting Cary, N.C. – Local artists will bring their hand-crafted works to the Western Wake Farmers’ Market on Sat., Nov., 6, 8 am-1 pm, for the Fall Craft Fair. The craft fair will be held in conjunction with the weekly farmers’ market at Carpenter Village Marketplace,…