First off, Welcome back to my blog and apologies that you have had no new content to come back for in a while! If you know me well, you know that I’m usually in the streets and finding new things to photograph so I don’t sit down and write much. But, you probably have noticed that I was pretty much missing for most of 2018 from all aspects of photography. So, as we prepare to enter 2019 and I prepare to get back on track, I thought you should know WHY you haven’t seen any new photos in about a year.
Short answer…. I built a house.
Final House Plans, April 2018
In late 2017, After a long (and I mean a LONG) time of discussion, I finally made the decision to move back to my hometown of Chalmette, La. In order to make the move, I finally decided to give in to parental pressure and allow my dad to help, and we would contract the house ourselves. Let me be clear…. this took a lot to convince me! I have always had a love of residential design, and building my own house was a “bucket list” item (so check that off), but I have never had any aspirations to be a General Contractor. So in January 2018, with my dad managing the construction and myself managing all of the design we began this project.
Below is just a glimpse into the process. Take a look and let me know what you think.
Construction
After the initial design phase we broke ground in early late April, with framing beginning on May 6th, 2018. It was great to finally see the progress from an idea to reality.
The Design Process
Here is just a glimpse at the design process and materials. OMG Y’all…. the decisions! I am happy with the final result, but picking out EVERY SINGLE SMALL DETAIL was crazy. This is about when I gave up all focus on photography for the year. But thanks to Pinterest, Houzz, Jack Daniels, and all the great vendors I finally made it through.
Progress
I always find it satisfying to see the progression of a space. Below is just a few images of the kitchen area along the way.
The Final Product
After approximately 4 months of construction I was able to move in a mid September, and then a few weeks to make it actually feel like home. Well it took about a year from concept to completion. There were lots of struggles along the way, but I’m happy with the finished product.
2019
I would just like to say Thank You to everyone who contributed to this process, and my parents for not killing me. And my dad, Tom, for helping to manage this entire process (one which will not be repeated for a LONG time).
Now that I this is checked off my bucket list, it is time to get back to business and create more beautiful photographs for the world to see. I hope everyone has a great 2019!
Determination | Architectural New Orleans Series