Today is the day when things are starting to really come together. There was a flurry of activity going on at the house. Counter-top installers, soffit going up on the back porch, plumbers moving the two claw-foot tubs into place and the stairs are looking better and better.
What a fantastic way to end the year. Not moved in, but darn near close. Tomorrow the heating contractor is coming out to check the heat pumps and see what is making the bills so high. Then on Monday the flooring contractor will be coming and putting in the laminate flooring in the utility room and small 1/2 bath and finish up the master shower. Plumbers and electricians will be in after that to install the water heater, cook top, oven, sinks and tubs and a bunch of other stuff.
How am I going to spend my New Years Day? I will be staining stairs. Now that aught to be a sight. Lets hope I remember some of the stuff I learned watching This Old House, Norm Abrams, and various other DIY shows. Plus if I reach way back to the late 70’s when I worked in a cabinet shop, I might remember a thing or two from then.
Now for some pictures.
Looking from the pantry toward the kitchen. Waiting on the dishwasher & trash compactorLooking toward the breakfast nook. New counter tops and my cast iron sinkLooking toward the soon to be oven and microwaveThis is our little sandwich board
Now for the baths. Oh, and the faucets and chrome lines were just delivered by the UPS guy today. Wahoo!!!!
The long tub in the main bath upstairsThe shorter tub in the guest suite
This last picture is just for Jodi, my sweet co-worker that will be viewing this tomorrow. My Christmas cactus still lives 🙂
This is for Jodi. My Christmas Cactus finally bloomed after a year. Lucky it thrives on neglect.
More blog to come as this project gets closer and closer to completion. I will have a hard time sleeping tonight.
I know this is a little late for Christmas, but I still feel it in the air. Been busy packing and working and painting and caulking… on and on. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas spending time with family and friends. That makes for a beautiful Christmas’. We didn’t really celebrate much this time as we are in the middle of finishing so many projects. Hoping that we will be able to move into our new house sometime in February.
That progress at this time is: Most of the trim is down and waiting on the counter tops and some flooring. The counter-top will be installed on Tuesday the 30th. The guys have been working on the stairs and they are going to look amazing. All the appliances have to be installed and the 2 claw-foot tubs have to be installed. The faucets and plumbing items are purchased and should be delivered by the 5th.
My son Steven will be coming to stay with us for awhile so he can get registered and, hopefully, accepted into the nursing program at WWCC. It is his dream to be a nurse, and I want to do all I can to help him recognize his dream. Bonus is, he will be a lot of help around here. Never realized how limited we have become in this past year. Everything seems harder and seems to take a long longer to accomplish. Just need to set goals and keep working toward those goals.
I did get a rude awakening when I got my power bill this month. It was $799+ for one month. It went from $139 the previous month to $799. To say that took my breath away, would be an under statement. The power company along with the heating company will be coming out to see what is going on. I knew the bills would be higher, but I was not prepared for that. Needless to say that has put a tremendous damper on things around her. Holy molly, cross you fingers and hope it is a malfunctioning meter.
Now for some photos: We will start with the tile in the shower.
Another view of the showerVinyl combo with tile for the tub surround
Still now finished, but I am sure the flooring guy will be a fixture in January.
Then there is the staircase. To say I am excited for the stairs is an understatement. It will be the focus of the house. Lots of natural light and something I can decorate next Christmas. Oh, boy I can’t wait.
Yet another view of the stairs. They will be stained after they are installed.The railing is going up in the reading nook
Stairs are going in
The guys also installed the French pocket doors in the upstairs bonus room (aka man-cave). Also, I found an entertainment cabinet that I am going to use as a wet-bar sink. Our little wet-bar is only about 3X4 and I had to get creative. Excited about how it is going to turn out. Not much of a drinker, but it could be a coffee bar. I love coffee.
Interior French pocket doors
A media center will be our new wet-bar
While working all the time, leaves little time for anything else, I did take a moment to snap a few photos of our really muddy April. She is our little yard ornament and can’t figure out what the fuss is about. Looking forward to spring when everything greens up and we have warmer days. Then we can look out our front windows or sit on the front porch and watch her play.
Dirty AprilApril wanting to know where the carrot is hiddenApril looking for Papa.. He’s her favorite
She has a stable mate, Buckwheat the llama, but he wasn’t having anything to do with the photo shoot.
More photos and more blog through-out January. Hoping our move-in date will be real soon 🙂
Its Friday and tomorrow is the beginning of another painting weekend. We have had the worst weather with freezing fog and freezing rain. So I have been slipping and sliding through the last 3 days. Though, I did make it over to the house to take pictures of the cabinets.
Jerry’s Custom Cabinets did a fabulous job on the cabinets. He was just short a piece of molding around the upper cabinet but that will be along. Another item that we will be doing tomorrow is going and picking out the knobs/handles. I really wanted to see the finished cabinets before I picked out the hardware. I love the simple lines and all the additional items like the lazy-susan’s and the full extension draws and pull-out shelves. They are very high quality and craftsmanship at its best. I will highly recommend him to anyone that asks.
They will be measuring and making a template for the granite counter tops on Tuesday. They are darker and will complement the lighter cabinets.
It is starting to sink in that this is almost done. It is so unbelievable and we have waited so long. Paying a mortgage on your dream home is well worth it. Rather than living in a house with a mortgage and trying to build your dream house with what is left over. That meaning: money and energy.
Now for the pictures:
This is the upper next to the refrigerator, aka Lynn’s sandwich cabinetThese are the doors to that cabinetLooking at the uppers installed to the right of the window next to the oven cabinetThis is the glass cabinet I wanted for my dishesThis is the cook top peninsulaThis 1 of 2 lower cabinet lazy-susan’sThis is the upper lazy-susan. Humm what am I going to put in there?
More pictures to come when we get the counter tops. In the meantime they will be finishing up the trim and in January will be putting in the stairs and carpeting. Completing the plumbing and electrical. Stay tune and thanks for following my blog.
The cabinets arrived on Monday, just like Jerry’s Cabinets promised. We opted for a plain raised panel maple cabinet with a clear finish to show off the grain. We love them. We also wanted a lighter color as the granite top will be dark so the contrast will be good with a white cast-iron porcelain clad sink. My old-fashioned touch.
Bottom cabinets were installed on Monday and Tuesday. Then the cabinet people were side-tracked on another job, but will return tomorrow to begin installing the upper cabinets.
My impression was that the kitchen was small to begin with and I thought that the cabinets would make it look even smaller. I was pleasantly surprised as it actually looks bigger to me. We have a peninsula instead of an island as the layout didn’t allow for that. The peninsula is actually longer than the original plans called for. I opted for a built-in oven and a cooktop on the peninsula. Lots of drawers and lazy-susan’s. There is a breakfast nook on the other side of the peninsula so we didn’t want a breakfast-bar type top.
The granite company will come and measure and make a template next Tuesday, then the tops will be installed on 12/30. That means that we will not be in before next year. That is fine with me as I still need to pack.
Here are a few pictures. Note: I still need to pick out the pulls. So back to shopping 🙂 Somebody’s got to do it.
Lynn’s Sandwich areaLazy Susan w/ doorsRange-top PeninsulaNice shot looking into the kitchen from the breakfast nook
I know this feels like it is taking a long time, but to me it’s been lightening fast. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
I’m afraid that I am looking at the only present I want this year and forever, to just be done with this and retire from the DIY business. I hope you have enjoyed my little blog as it is about the only thing that keeps me sane. Well, that might be debatable.
Wow, that was a fast 9 days. Of course I didn’t get as much accomplished as I always envision, but inching along still.
Did caulking, painting, assembling vanities, celebrating the hubby’s Birthday, making Thanksgiving dinner, and brushing the dog. The last part was my favorite, but needless to say, not her’s. I try to be gentle, but she just hates to be brushed. She’s sleeping at my feet right now so our struggles wore her out.
Can’t say much for our weather the last few days. Had some snow and some melted and it will be dry probably until Tuesday when rain is predicted. I’ve had enough of winter already, looking forward to spring. It is in the single digits outside. Ugh 😦
Not much in the way of pictures on the house, but I do have some showing the beautiful snow while I was painting.
Our snow fall looking out the bonus room windowLooking out the front window at the front pastureApril enjoying her second snow of the yearMy sewing room window
I have come to the realization that it’s a good thing I am a Paralegal, because I would starve as a painter. There is no end in sight for anytime in the near future. While winter is here I will be spending my weekends painting the interior. When spring comes, I will be renting a lift and finishing the rest of the outside of the house. If I am able to sell the house we are in or get a long-term renter, I hope to have a new lawn. Well here are some more photos.
Looking out the back bedroom window over the upper deck after the snow with clear cold skys
Looking across the highwayAnother shot out the bonus room windows looking at the back acreageA big cottonwood tree in the back pastureTrim primed in the upstairs hallAnother shot of the hallHall sconcePretty all lit up.
Well that’s pretty much all for November. Tomorrow is December, and it looks like I won’t be resting until next December. Ho hum.
15yearsandcountingdream 