Posted on by Emily

Day 496

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.

It’s going to be a big week – wish us luck!

Posted on by Emily

Day 428

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!

Posted on by Emily · 1 Comment

Day 331

Well, well, well…

We have a well!

I stopped by for a quick site visit this week and this was happening in the backyard.

It amazes me that they can do this all in one day.

Mostly because of what they charge for this.

Nonetheless, I am THRILLED that we have a well, and therefore, a water supply. We are waiting on the official report, but our builder told us that they were somewhere around 140 feet down and getting 15 gallons per minute.

Continuing the exciting infrastructure tour, Walt, our builder, is seen here pointing to where the propane tank will be buried behind the garage.

And, lastly, here is the electrical thinger. It will have a cover and we can plant some shrubs strategically to block it from view as you come up the driveway.

We’ve been watching Yellowstone, Longmire, and now Justified lately so I am really feeling my 10 gallon hat shadow in these photos.

In other news, we have exterior doors! Front door…

French doors from the living room to the screen porch. I have a thing for French doors so these make me especially happy.

Kitchen door to the screen porch.

I’m also obsessed with transoms. There will be many throughout the house.

OK, back to the exterior: John graded the hill by the garage and it looks approximately 1 million times better.

They also put in the gravel driveway up to the garage, which means, were there not a bunch of supplies and bathtubs in the garage, I could park in the garage!!!

I will be doing this the first chance I get.

Having the hill graded meant it was time to seed and straw. This was our project yesterday morning. Here is Barry (my dad) loading up the erosion control matting at the local Farmers Co-op. I predict we will be back here many times over the next few decades.

My Dad and Josh did a fine job getting all of the matting and straw in place.

My job was to spread the seed. The workers did not know what to make of this. One day, I show up in business casual attire and am telling people what to do. The next day, I am wearing yoga pants and a fedora, spreading grass seed.

I like to keep them guessing.

The masons are almost done with the first chimney.

And they have started on the second.

We REALLY need them to finish the chimneys so the roofers can finish the flashing and put on the roof.

My other order of business yesterday was to paint some samples for the exterior.

I LOVE this color. It’s Benjamin Moore “Limestone”.

The exterior is coming along. I can’t wait to see the whole thing painted!