I am happy to report that we have made it through most of the punch list. There are just a few minor odds and ends to finish up. As such, I believe this will be my last post with the meter running on the house build. Let’s call it 600ish days from the time we closed on the property to the house being complete.
Not terrible. I’m just so glad construction-related items are done!
We have shutters!
And the columns were finally repainted!
The screened porch was finished just in the nick of time for us to host a little going away party for my sister and brother-in-law who are soon moving to California. Waaaaaaaaaaaah!
Just a little cocktail and charcuterie spread, naturally.
Bu was keeping cool on top of the cooler until the guests arrived.
I think he loves the screened porch even more than I do, which is really saying something.
The moonlight was so strong the other evening that I went up to my office to take a picture of the light hitting the house. I don’t know what happened here, but somehow the photo looks like an oil painting?!
I might have it framed.
Things have been quite picturesque on my walks lately. This is my blue heron friend that I see most mornings.
Last weekend, when my sister and I were walking, he took off from the pond and we watched him land on top of this tree. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
We’ve also had quite a showing of deer and turkeys. I can hear the baby turkeys chirping from inside the house when they’re out foraging. They are the tiny dots below the turkey on the right. I’ve seen as many as 20 at a time.
I met this fella on my walk yesterday.
Several of the neighbors have cut and rolled hay lately. Such a beautiful sight.
View from the front porch last evening.
And lastly, our garden is coming along. We have a few green tomatoes and many of the plants are over a foot tall.
Josh is so excited about this corn. I just hope the electric fence keeps the above pictured critters away!
We prepped and planted a garden. Josh did the prepping and I did the planting.
In addition to these seeds, I also planted a variety of tomatoes, peppers, and some speckled lima beans (my favorite!).
Things are progressing nicely as we’ve had a lot of rain. So far, the solar-powered electric fence is working well and keeping out critters.
Check out my beets!
This is the garden after two weeks!
If it were up to Josh, the entire garden would have been corn. We settled on 3 out of 12 rows being corn.
I’d also like to report that some of the shutters have been hung. Due to the weather, this process of hanging the shutters is going on three weeks long now and not even half of them are hung. And the painters won’t be back to finish the columns until after the shutters are hung and the screened porch is complete.
I can’t talk about it.
The screening of the porch has progressed more steadily. All screens are in and now we just need a few final trim pieces to finish it up. Please take note of the large horse fly that is *inside* the screened porch…
This photo was taken on a peaceful morning walk the day before my first brush with death since living in the wilderness.
The following morning, I was walking along our road, by the creek, when I noticed a turkey on the creek bank about 20 feet away. I was thinking to myself what a lovely moment in nature this was just as the turkey spotted me and then started squawking and flying right at me.
I began shouting in the deepest and most menacing voice I could muster and put my arms out wide as I backed up the way I had come. The turkey stopped flying when she was about 5 feet from my face but kept charging, flapping her wings, and carrying on until she had forced me 50 feet up the road.
She then retreated to the brush on the other side of the road opposite the creek, circling a spot about 10 feet from where she first spotted me. Evidently I had come between her and her babies though I didn’t know it.
I think I’ll be adding a whistle and some pepper spray to my keychain.
Home sweet home.
And, finally, our Starlink satellite arrived today! There is hope for better internet service.
I may be retired by the time the shutters are hung.
We’ve been focusing on other things in the meantime. We’ve had some visitors now that we’re vaccinated. My friend Jessica and her little girl, Sophia, came to visit and Sophia was very interested in “meow”.
We have a new coat rack. Please alert the media.
I added some feet to the laundry room cabinetry. I know your mind is blown.
I painted and put new hardware on this pair of dressers in one of the bedrooms. These were in my sister’s nursery nearly 30 years ago and then went to college with me. I’ve painted them three times now.
“Meow” is upset that the dressers are not going in his room.
I hosted some of my pals for a girl’s weekend.
We did some crafts and threatened to start an Etsy shop.
Josh and I discussed the vegetable garden and selected a location in the yard.
There has been SOME progress on the exterior of the house. They’ve been working on painting the porches.
I am LOVING the painted porch floors – light gray – a historical look.
Don’t mind the patchwork columns – the painter decided he didn’t like what the paint was doing so he was testing a new primer. He then proceeded to scrape ALL OF THE PAINT off of the front porch columns. They are now white again and I can’t talk about it.
Painting is going much better inside. I painted the bench I posted last time. I’ve also ordered the fabric sitting in the window to make roman shades. This is keeping me from losing my mind amidst the porch paint drama.
I recently inherited all of these blue willow treasures, which were my great grandmother’s. I have collected blue willow for years and am thrilled to have these pieces.
Joshua tilled the garden yesterday and we are gearing up to plant this evening.
Hopefully we’ll have some exciting things growing soon!
A whole lot of nothing has happened construction-wise since my last post. We are still waiting on the following, which at this rate may or may not be done by the end of the year:
shutters to be hung
cupola to be painted and installed
porches to be adjusted and screened
porches to finish being painted
exterior paint touch up
floors to be touched up
interior paint to be touched up
window film to be removed and screens put in
a bunch of other miscellaneous items. Our punch list is two pages long
Since these items are out of my control, I have focused instead on furnishings and décor.
We took a trip to Kentucky a few weeks ago to pick up items from my grandmother’s house. The good news is all of this furniture is very sturdy. The bad news is it is heavy. The guys are smiling in this photo but they had a real time moving these pieces.
But, everything and everyone made it safely to our house.
These twin beds were my mom’s and aunt’s growing up. I adore them.
Also, fun fact, this piece of furniture on the left is called a “chest on chest”. I thought my mom was “pulling my leg” when she told me that, but lo and behold, it actually says that on the tag on the back of the piece of furniture.
I’m waiting on the drapery hardware to arrive to install the buffalo check panels, but this is shaping up to be one of my favorite rooms.
We also picked up this church pew in Kentucky, which had been a fixture on my granny and papa’s carport my entire life (I’m sure even longer than that). I gave it a fresh coat of paint and it will go on the screened porch with the dining table (that I do not have yet).
In outdoor news, Josh purchased this monstrosity to collect rain. It too, will soon be painted black.
Out front, we started on the landscaping. Still much to do, but it does feel less like a job site and more like a home each time we plant something.
And my irises that I transplanted last fall from our old house are in full bloom by the driveway.
We got tired of waiting on the painters and exterior trim guys so we went ahead and put out our random assortment of porch furniture on the front porch so we can use it as the weather gets nicer. I got some new cushions for the sofa and chair that were from Josh’s bachelor life and painted the rocking chairs that were also on granny and papa’s carport for years. All of this will go to the screened porch once it’s complete, but we have been enjoying it in the meantime.
I installed my custom kitchen window treatments the second the were ready. I am in love with them. I found this fabric several years ago and knew I had to have it somewhere in the house where I could enjoy it everyday. They were a splurge, but I couldn’t be more thrilled.
Bu assisted with the shade installation.
There is still touch up to be done in the butler’s pantry and the wine fridge needs to be put back (it currently looks lovely in the middle of the mudroom), but I have put on the cabinet hardware and we are using it as a bar.
Bu got a little touch up – his first bath in his new sink.
There was some verbal protesting, but everyone made it out unscathed.
He’s always happy to be fresh and clean, but does not enjoy the process. I have similar feelings about working out.
Bu says please no more baths this year.
We’ve also had quite a bit of rain. We lost power and cell coverage for a while the other day. Wouldn’t recommend it.
As a result of all of this rain, Josh spends a lot of time spreading grass seed and putting down erosion control matting.
It’s about time to be thinking about our garden and all I want to do is plant things. All Bu wants to do is follow me out onto the porch.
Alas, due to MORE rain, my projects for today will have to be indoors. So I will be painting this bench, with Bu’s supervision.
I didn’t realize it had been a hundred years since I last posted. Sorry about that.
It turns out moving your home and business is not for the faint of heart.
Highlights from the past month:
we are in the new house
we closed on the old house
we survived
Bu is adjusting well (likely because he’s getting to sleep with us)
both Josh and I have received our first dose of vaccine
This is where we left off last…
March 12:
Who knew we could cram over two hundred boxes worth of stuff into a ranch house?
The weather had been beautiful all week and then, of course, the day of our move was rainy.
It took the movers over six hours to pack the two trucks. Somewhere along the line, they decided they needed an additional truck and accused us of accumulating more stuff because the estimator said we would only need two trucks. We assured them that, if anything, we had purged stuff. They sorted out the third truck, sent another guy, and by 4PM(!), we were headed to the new house. We bought them pizza and with renewed energy, they unloaded the trucks in half the time it took them to load.
Fun plot twist: we still hadn’t received approval on our final inspection at this point, so we couldn’t actually unpack, set up, and move in.
So, our house looked like this for the next week.
During that week, which I took “off”, I went and collected final items from our old house, hounded the builder to get things done to satisfy the inspector, set up a temporary office headquarters at my parents’ house, closed on our old house with a power of attorney for Josh, and moved in with my parents while Josh was out of town all week for work. Oh, and for kicks, I agreed to do a cleanse with my sister.
Our old house also did a cleanse and was unrecognizable with out our three trucks worth of stuff.
I will miss our view of downtown Nashville.
It was a great first house, which I bought planning to live there three-five years. Three rounds of renovation, six years, and a husband later, we sold the house to a couple who will take good care of it.
I will say, it seems like a lifetime ago that we lived there.
Because we live here now! We officially moved in March 20 after receiving approval on the afternoon of the 19th.
Our satellite internet was installed nearly one week later, which meant I was basically living in 1992 until then.
(still waiting on them to put on the shutters and finish painting the exterior – which is killing me)
The screened porch is framed, awaiting a few adjustments, and then it will be painted and screened. I can’t wait to use this space, especially as the weather improves! Though, as you can see in this photo, we’ve had some extreme weather lately.
A week into living in the house, we had record levels of rain and flooding, accompanied by some of the brightest lightning I’ve ever seen and sizeable hail.
Thankfully, we made it through without damage.
Most mornings look like this, with the sunrise gently waking us. No, that’s not fog, it’s the window film that is still on the outside of our windows.
It’s on the punch list, along with 82 other items.
Still some final interior painting to finish up…
The butler’s pantry is going to be one of my favorite spots in the house, but right now it just looks creepy.
The rest of the house is coming together, with Bu supervising all of the unpacking from a comfortable perch.
Getting reacquainted with all of the upholstery…right after I had cleaned it.
These chairs will go in the library (inherited from my parents’ house) and the rug from our old bedroom is too small, but for now they are helping to make the living room feel like a real room.
Approximately one hundred of the two hundred boxes were kitchen items. Window treatments are in the works!
The dining room is feeling a little sparse. We need six more chairs to fill out the table, but we used it for Easter and it was perfect for social distancing!
The laundry room is being put to good use. Bu assists with washing and folding each load.
Tonight will be Bu’s first night in his room and not in our room. Yesterday, we assembled his new cat tree, which we thought did not come with instructions until we had it 80% together and then the instructions somehow materialized.
I’m convinced Bu was sitting on them.
Taking his new tree for a spin. I had to order a “large cat” tree with perches large enough for Mr. Seventeen pounds.
I guess it’s time to move his sign from the master suite to the pet suite. Hopefully the punch list will be wrapped up soon and we’ll no longer need this sign!
We arrived yesterday to find 47 painters hard at work.
The moving truck shows up in less than two weeks. Carpet goes in on Tuesday. We may need 47 more painters to be done on time.
It’s a good thing there’s a mask covering my face in this photo.
When I walked in earlier this week, the electrician told me he was “putting the jewelry on my house”. I’m going to miss him.
I’m so happy the dining room chandelier is in! I put this fixture in at our soon-to-be “old” house when I did the initial renovation. I still love it so it had to make the move with us. Thankfully, I had saved the extra wire and chain as the ceilings are 2 feet higher in the new house and I didn’t want the fixture hanging 8 feet off the floor. (They have it tucked up at the moment so people don’t run into it.)
Continuing on the subject of house jewelry, most of the door hardware is in. Egg knobs for the win!
Originally, I was going to do rectangular roses (backplates) but I am slightly neurotic about alignments and if they weren’t perfectly straight, it would drive me nuts.
At least I know this about myself.
And speaking of alignments, I went through and finalized where I want all of the cabinet hardware installed so I can make notes for the cabinet guys.
Somehow, I managed to hold up the hardware and my tape measure and make some sort of alien symbol with my fingers all while taking a picture.
I specified in my cabinet drawings for the space between wall ovens to be 48 inches above the floor. This gives a superb alignment for the center of the appliance pulls.
Details matter.
The transoms make me so happy.
The plumbers are *almost* done (we desperately need them to finish so we can call in for the final inspection!).
The kitchen plumbing is complete. Air switch for the disposal on the left (no fumbling around for the wall switch and turning on all of the lights in the process). A faucet I won years ago and have been hanging onto in the hopes that I would use it in my forever house someday (dreams do come true!). And, on the right, though I’m not one for lots of gadgets, a glass rinser, which was a gift from a vendor event (thanks, Delta!).
I am super excited about this for cleaning wine glasses and water bottles.
Still waiting on the rest of the shower trims in the master bath.
Hall bath fixtures are in!
Finally some wall color! The painter asked me three times if this was the correct color for this room. I assured him that it was and that I’m not afraid of rich walls.
This makes me so happy to see some color!
We are really going to be in business once the carpet is in this week.
Exactly nothing happened at the house last week thanks to six days of below freezing temperatures, snow, sleet, and ice. The ice was no joke. We’re talking inches of it on the roads.
We ventured out yesterday as things started to melt to check on the house. It looked lovely in the snow!
Two of the three HVAC units were installed since we were there last.
This is definitely the least attractive wall of the house with all of the utilities, but we will paint the boxes on the wall after inspection and put in some shrubs to hide the units.
Apparently we have an artist in one of the crews…
We remember to take pictures of us together approximately twice a year. This is our first one of 2021.
The floors were finished the week before last but this was our first time seeing them!
This makes me feel like moving in could become a reality!
I’m in love.
We had our first casualty…little birdy must have gotten trapped in the house. Josh escorted him to his final resting place.
A peek of the foyer floors!
And perhaps most exciting of all, we have garage door openers.
Let’s hope we make up some lost time this week and can call in for a final inspection!
We were all set to head out to the new house and see the progress this morning when we discovered black ice at our current house.
Better safe than sorry – but I really wanted to see the hardwoods all finished!
This is the stain sample I approved earlier this week. Classic. Timeless. I love it.
Painting is inching along…I’m loving the richness of the trim color. So much better than stark white.
This is our builder, Walt. He’s a good guy.
He does not know that I have this blog.
I cannot wait to get rid of all of this plastic and tape! Though I do appreciate the thorough prep work.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, packing continues. I’m trying to stage most of the boxes upstairs in the middle of the house. Consequently, with the furniture against the wall, the dining room looks like a waiting room.
Bu is waiting for us to tell him what is going on.
I always tell clients that it’s that last 10% that just about kills you.
We are there.
The highlight of the week: appliances were installed.
Hello, gorgeous.
The refrigerator and freezer will have panels to match the cabinets.
This wall brings me great joy; however, it may be the most expensive wall in the house. Given that we will be out in the country and that the nearest restaurant is not close, we will be dining in most of the time and this fridge/freezer space will be essential to our survival.
My employees decided to check if the new house was serviceable by grubhub/ubereats/etc. because they frequently take advantage of such services at our current location.
Haha.
I got a real kick out of that. To be fair, they haven’t been to the property yet.
I squealed with delight when I saw the range. I can’t tell you how excited I am to fire up this bad boy.
Switching gears, one of our neighbors generously volunteered to build us a shared mailbox structure. It’s not at all what I would have chosen, but since it’s at the main road, I didn’t have strong feelings about it. The good news is, he ordered extra large mailboxes so packages will fit inside.
Back inside the house, the painters continue to cover things in tape and plastic.
While I know and appreciate that painting is 75% prep, I would like to see something painted the color it is supposed to be.
These closet shelves appear to be the correct color, my beloved limestone.
Fireplace surrounds are primed.
I’m dying to see the dining room painted. It will be a deep burnt orange.
Speaking of the dining room, I had been on the hunt for an antique dining table with many leaves so I could adjust it for up to 12 people. I hit the jackpot this weekend when I stumbled upon this estate sale find.
I snagged this triple pedestal, inlay top, 115″ long, 3 leaf table for $450.
It makes up for the wall of appliances I mentioned earlier.
Miraculously, the 5 piece top and 3 piece base fit in the back of my vehicle. All of these pieces are hanging out in the entry/dining room of our current home for the time being and Bu thinks they are for him.
In other thrilling news, the toilets have been installed!
You have no idea what an ordeal it is to get a decent toilet these days.
I sent Josh an update with pictures at my last site visit on Friday. 3 out 5 pictures were of toilets.
The master vanity is shaping up! Tower has been installed – though still missing crown – and faucets are in.
So glad the trim guys made a masterpiece of the attic stair pulldown that is located in an unfinished storage closet.
Lastly, Josh, Nate and my dad delivered the library built-in tops yesterday. They installed them, with the exception of one that can’t be installed until a gas shutoff is moved.
Have you ever seen such a look of pure joy?
Thank you, Daddy! And thank you, Josh and Nate, for assisting. Can’t wait until these bad boys are painted a deep green.
Hardwoods are being finished this week. We’re in the homestretch!
Things are not moving as quickly as I would like given that we’re trying to move in in five(!) weeks.
However, a week ago, we were still missing one appliance prior to our pending installation. But, late this week, I received some excellent news that this piece had come in. For reference, we ordered our appliances in August.
They are supposed to be installed Monday, February 1. Woohoo!
Meanwhile, the painters have been priming and the plumbers have been putting in the trim pieces.
The painters left me some samples. I like the one on the right. Can you guess what this is for???
Barry D. has finished and delivered all base pieces for the library built-ins.
They are in position to be installed.
Today, we delivered 2 of the 4 tops. They are gigantic. Barry is very serious about this and unsure as to how we are going to transport the remaining 2 (largest) tops from his shop to the library.
Meanwhile, I’ve been packing away at our current house. I ordered a lot of boxes and they are filling up quickly.
Shelves and cabinets are not seeming to empty quickly, however. There is still so much to pack.
The cat is very proud of himself for getting up onto the empty shelves…
Also, I think I need a new phone. Photo quality is quite poor.
Primm & Property 