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.
There has been good progress this week as we enter the “home” stretch.
We have lighting! They won’t install the decorative fixtures until the painting is done (because this isn’t my first rodeo and and I know how that goes and don’t want them to be damaged).
Fun fact: I arrived on Tuesday and they were installing recessed lights. I noticed that they were installing gimbal lights everywhere. I mentioned that I had specified gimbal lights on my reflected ceiling plans in just a handful of places (8 total out of 40+ on the recessed lights) and wasn’t sure why all of them were being installed as gimbals. I said no problem to install gimbals everywhere as long as it wouldn’t be at a greater cost (which I knew it would be). After a review of the play on the field, it turns out our builder didn’t catch it on the order and it would have been a $1000+ cost increase to install all gimbals, so they quickly started replacing those gimbals with the 4″ LED, 2700K, dimmable, fixtures I had specified to begin with (in great detail).
(stepping off soap box)
I delivered the cupola this week!
It arrived to our current address like this:
They had called to let me know that the driver would *call* and schedule a delivery window. Well, no call came, and though I was home, no one rang the door bell or in any way let me know they were on their way, so they decided to show up and dump this 100+lb pallet in my flower bed. This company will be receiving a detailed customer experience review from me.
In other news, all of the tile is complete and they have grouted everything. The kitchen backsplash is looking lovely.
In this photo, the grout is still wet and thus darker than it will appear dried. I came in and commented about the darkness of the grout and was told not to touch…
So, I went upstairs to check out the master bath.
The shower is in and looking enormous.
The hidden niches are going to keep things looking halfway decent on a daily basis.
Not that anyone will be seeing this other than the two of us…
Speaking of things no one else will see (including me, hopefully) Joshua’s closet is coming together! I am calculating how to fit a wall-mounted ironing board into this setup. I have an outlet for the iron, but am still doing some math on the clearances once there is clothing hanging. I’ll make it work.
In other exciting news, they have almost finished the stairs!
Our base newel post is gigantic and I love it. It’s going to be stunning once it’s stained.
The fireplaces are really coming together with all of the mantel surrounds in place.
Cannot wait to see these painted!
Speaking of painted, everything is being covered up, taped off, and primed, so it all looks like a version of this.
My final paint schedule has been submitted and I can’t wait to see each room come to life!
Meanwhile, Barry D. (my dad) has been working on the library built-ins in his “shop” (garage) at my parents’ house.
It will be so special to have something he built in our house.
I have selected these pendant pulls for the built-in cabinet hardware, which I realized are very similar to the pulls my grandmother had in her kitchen at her 1890’s home she remodeled in the 1960’s.
It’s funny how deeply the spaces we grew up in influence our lives, though it’s not always obvious. I am constantly asking my clients to dig deep into the homes that have influenced them. And, now, being the “client”, I realize how unconscious many of these influences can be until they are pointed out to you.
On top of all of the exciting progress, I had a special visit from my friend Jessica and her daughter, Sophia.
We had planned to take a long walk, but it was quite brisk and windy so we did a short walk along the property perimeter. Along the way, Sophia stopped many times to say hello to our neighbor’s horses and by the end of the walk, she insisted on wearing her mother’s gloves, where were the size of her head.
I convinced her shortly thereafter that a snack on the front porch would be a good idea. She proceeded to outeat both me and her mother, while also managing to fit in a wave to the painters inside every few minutes.
Lastly on site, they’ve installed the garage sconces.
Meanwhile, at our current house, the packing has begun.
First and foremost, WE HAVE POWER!!! This is a huge deal because it means we can now do all of the things necessary to finish the house. And by we, I mean all of the tradesman, contractors, installers, etc.
Related to this critical development – we have heat! I was able to be in the house without 47 layers on today.
We had a little family site visit today, and though, as I mentioned, we have heat and the climate was practically tropical inside the house, old habits die hard for Eugene and for Kath, who wore her earmuffs the entire time she was inside.
The other major event was the countertop installation! I am at a loss for words to describe my love for the kitchen countertops. I practically wept tears of joy when I walked in and saw the island.
As I shared a while back, it was a journey to find these slabs, and my love for them grows each day.
I will try to pull it together.
I learned the other day that soapstone is extremely heavy and that this island slab weighs approximately 1,100 pounds. I’m really glad I did not witness the guys putting this in place.
In the laundry room, we have leathered black granite. I love the texture.
I put quartz in the (very dusty) master bath and hall bath so we don’t have to worry about ruining the countertops with beauty products, which are the devil when it comes to natural stone.
I almost always do a taller than standard backsplash in bathrooms because 4″ just doesn’t catch all of life’s splashes. These are 6″. I find straight backsplashes to be terribly blocky and dull, so I threw in a curve.
The walls aren’t grouted yet in the hall bath, but I am loving the niches.
The brick fireplace hearth and surround is coming along in the living room! These bricks are from the same lot used at my grandmother’s house, which are from an old jail.
The mantel surround is in progress in the library.
Also in progress for the library are the built-ins. My dad is building them for us so I sent him this design package I put together of the plan, elevations, perspectives, exploded versions, lumber cuts and layouts, and notes. It’s quite a project, but it will mean so much to have something he built in our home.
Fingers crossed for another week of major progress!
Our shower valves have blankies so they don’t get too cold.
Master vanity is in. The tower and fronts will go on after the countertop is installed.
Butler’s pantry cabinets installed by yours truly and my A-team (Dad, Josh, Julia, and Nate). I’m already plotting to paint these cabinets, the walls, and the trim a deep, moody color.
And laundry cabinets. The trim guys will build laundry basket cubbies in the middle so I can have a big folding surface along this wall.
The farm sink will be Bu’s spa. He’s excited…not.
I am just smitten with the brick floor in the mudroom, the tall baseboards, the dutch doors, and the transoms.
But, the true love of my life is the kitchen.
I’m dead.
I can’t even.
Ok, back to the progress report.
Stairs!
Newel posts and balusters. Our base newel post is massive and I love it.
The top of it is almost as big as my head!
Outside, the porch ceilings were going in and the gutters and downspouts were being installed as I was leaving this morning.
We have officially entered the stage of interior finishes.
Translation: pretty stuff is going in.
The library is packed with all of the interior doors that they started installing today.
We have a lot of doors.
Master bedroom and closet doors…and master bath tile waiting patiently to be installed tomorrow…
And my Dutch doors! Can’t wait to see these in the mudroom. The trim guy sent me into a panic this morning when he called to asked where “the doors that are cut in half” go. I was about to tell him “back to the supplier” until it occurred to me that he was talking about the Dutch doors.
The trim guy and I also went over my transom details today. I’m *so* excited to see these go in. Major new old house detail.
They are getting ready to start on the trim, an element that can make or break a house. This, my friends, is not an area to skimp on. Case in point: we are doing 9 1/4″ tall baseboards downstairs and 7 1/4″ tall upstairs. Merry Christmas to me!
Other exciting things: floors!
The hardwoods are in (though they won’t be sanded and finished until the end (which is a good thing because I would be the floor scratch police otherwise)).
A peek into the kitchen from the rear hall. Cabinets coming Saturday! This view will look quite different in a week.
I can barely contain myself.
The mudroom brick floors are in. The grout will really take it over the top, but that won’t be happening until there is heat in the house (which is still a few weeks a way thanks to county electric nonsense).
Last exciting thing for the day: guest bath floor! I am a sucker for a classic basketweave.
I’ll be back out to Meadowcrest tomorrow to meet with my door hardware guru and to see other developments on the door, trim, and tile fronts.
Stay tuned for rapid fire updates over the next two weeks!
Dining room through to library and a peek into the kitchen on the right.
Kitchen…and Joshua.
Stairwell up to the studio.
Studio…in need of railing…
Front stairwell in need of a railing upgrade.
Guest bath.
Hall bath. Tile guys are getting all of the floors prepped to start tiling next week!
Master bedroom.
Tile, waiting patiently to be installed. Hardwood floor installation starts Monday, too!
And…garage doors have been installed. They will be painted black to match the other exterior doors, but I am in love.
We are entering the exciting phase when all of the “pretty things” are installed over the next two months. Stay tuned for tile, cabinetry, trim, doors, countertops, appliances, hardware, lighting and plumbing fixtures, and all the other things HGTV leads you to believe can all be installed in three days.
As we approach a very large number of days that this project has been underway, we are *this* close to starting drywall.
I feel like a broken record, saying for the last 8+ weeks that we are close to starting drywall, but we are actually almost there.
The insulation is nearly complete and drywall has been delivered, with drywall guys on standby.
Though the interior has been progressing slower than I would prefer, the exterior has made some big strides.
We’ve also had some visitors who came by to check out the property…
Lorelei was not terribly impressed with the raw interior, but enjoyed walking the grounds. She decided the yard was good for playing and that she will come back for many more visits.
Since Lorelei’s visit, the dirt pile has disappeared and the yard is completely graded.
Try to envision the hedged courtyard with a fire pit and herb garden that will be here in the future. Likely Phase 271.
Look how smooth and lovely the side yard is!
Also of note, the classical columns for the front porch arrived! They weigh a casual couple of tons each.
Funny/not funny story: The column company tried to deliver these to our builder’s office, which is in an office building in a busy part of town. They called and said, “We’re here!” and our builder, who was at our property, said “So am I! and I don’t see you…” And that’s when they realized the billing and shipping addresses had gotten mixed up.
I’m glad I wasn’t there for that.
The driveway is complete! It is now a breeze to pull up and park by the front door, which I intend to use frequently.
Lastly, the exterior painting is almost done. They will have to come back to paint the porches and garage doors, but the yellow is history!
We have a site meeting in a few hours. Wish us luck and hope that drywall is starting…
Just kidding, we have a long way to go until it’s time for furniture.
We had a big inspection last week for the rough plumbing, HVAC, and framing. The inspector was cranky and came up with a list of things (several of which the builder and I have never heard of before) that need to be fixed before he’ll pass us. Still working on getting that completed.
In the meantime, we are bursting at the seams with insulation.
Progress continues on the exterior:
I am loving the paint color!
The black doors and shutters will add some much needed definition.
Less exciting but extremely necessary, they are putting in the septic system. I am not sure what all this entails and I don’t think I want to know. All I know is that the ugly orange fencing is gone and the open yard feels a million times better.
So much more open from the porch!
This will soon be a lovely, grassy field.
The cellar door is in! Getting close to being able to secure the house.
Perhaps most exciting of all in the last week, I selected our soapstone slabs for the kitchen and butler’s pantry. I am absolutely obsessed with them.
If you need me, I’ll be staring at pictures of my slabs.
It’s been nearly 3 weeks since my last post. The reason for this is partly because we’ve had a lot of other things going on, but it is largely due to the fact that not much has been happening at the house.
The plumber saga dragged on for several weeks (injuries, surgeries, no shows…excuses, excuses) which has set us back nearly a month in getting our rough inspections complete so we can move on to insulation and drywall. They did finally show up this week and are almost finished (hallelujah!).
Tubs are set and water lines have been run…
Though I was not shy in expressing my displeasure about the pace of the interior progress, I have been delighted by the exterior progress.
We have porch floors!
And siding is almost complete. I have submitted the exterior finish schedule to the builder in preparation for the painters to start in a few weeks – bye bye, yellow!
I am so excited about the screened porch, I can hardly stand it.
I am in love with my door and window trim. I could stare at it all day. And I plan to, once the screened porch is finished.
We’ve also had some good progress on the grading. The Chia Pet dirt mound has had quite a haircut…
…and has been transferred to the front of the house to smooth out the slope around the driveway.
We arrived last Saturday for a meeting with our builder and upon inspecting this, Josh insisted we make an emergency trip to the CO-OP to pick up more seed and erosion control mats for this section.
Lawn crew reporting for duty.
My dad came to help the next day. This is like an acre of dirt.
Grass is starting to come in on the hill by the garage we worked on a few weeks back.
Just for fun, one day when my dad and Josh were off chopping down trees on the other side of the property, I decided to test out parking in the garage with my dad’s giant truck. Kath was a good sport and rode the 37 feet from where the truck was parked in the driveway to the garage, and then she got out to help direct me so I didn’t crash into anything. It took a 27 point turn for me to get into the first bay. So, I’m thinking a) we need to widen the driveway and b) I will be parking in the second bay if I get a vehicle larger than my small SUV.
Next time, I intend to try this exercise with my current vehicle. Stay tuned for the results. Oh, and for house updates.
Not a whole lot of progress at the house this week, unfortunately. Tradesman are slammed in the Nashville area, which is not good news for our house build, but it is good news for being able to pay for the house build, since both Josh and I work in professions related to construction.
We did get 8″ of rain at the property last Sunday, according to our neighbor. This helped to get the grass going. See it peeking through the straw matting?
They finished the first chimney this morning and are about 1/3 of the way done with the second. I am hoping they finish it this weekend so we can get the roof on next week and the bulk of the exterior trim and siding finished. That will be a HUGE deal to have the house looking fairly complete from the outside.
The siding and trim on the dormers is complete and I am SO PLEASED. It looks a little funny now because some of the material is white and some is beige (it will all be painted the same color), but I love all of the layers of detail. I’m a bit of a trim enthusiast as you can tell by my dormer detail from the plans:
Josh and I spread some more grass seed and erosion control matting this morning.
There was a different crew working on the chimney than had been there before and one of the guys came up to me and asked if I might have some mixed fuel for my weed eater (which he must have assumed we had in the truck) that he could borrow for his saw. I told him I didn’t have any, but if there was any on site, it would be in the garage.
I thought this was kind of odd, but then it occurred to me that he thought Josh and I were the lawn crew.
Primm & Property 