Art Studio Construction Update: Home Stretch!

It’s time for a studio update! If you’ve been following along, you know that we broke ground on a long-planned studio space in our yard last March. I have loved seeing each step of the construction: the cleared open space in our side yard (though it was very hard to let go of the grape vines that had previously occupied that area), the crisp slab foundation that was poured, and then the skeletal framing of the structure. By August, it was starting to look like a real building, with sheetrock and some windows in place.

It has felt like a long time coming, but we’re now getting pretty close to the finish line. Over the last few months, the windows and doors have all been installed, the floors were laid in, we got kitchen cabinets and countertops (minus the doors, as everything needs to be sanded and painted), all the trim and baseboards have been added, and the tiling in the bathroom is done (and so pretty!). The exterior siding is done, and the structure is mostly painted (the painters still need to do one more coat). The next steps are painting the interior walls and cabinets, installing the light fixtures and sink hardware, and then installing the appliances. And that’s it! Well, almost it: we are planning to add built in storage and a slat wall to the loft space, but that’s going to be a little further down the line.

When we started this project I had no idea how involved it would be: how many decisions needed to be made about details I had never thought about. There is so much about the way our structures are designed and built that I totally take for granted. And because Dave and I are both fairly particular, and the space needs to be able to accommodate a variety of uses, (and also because I’m a libra), each decision took a lot of thought. It would be an understatement to say that I’m looking forward to having that mental bandwidth freed up. And I’m beyond excited to move into the space and really use it (a blank wall for photography! Good light throughout the day and night! A place to leave my work out and organized and not have to clear it away so we can eat dinner as a family!). It’s all within sight now. Here’ a little preview of where the space is now.