Wood Floors

The plumber and electrician were both back this week.  The water heater(s) and softener have been installed and most of the connections to the sink and shower locations have been made.  We now have lights in the basement.  Exterior door hardware and deadbolts finally arrived and were installed.

 

Chris, Greg and Steve cleaned out the garage yesterday.  Since the permanent furnace is now on, cutting and sanding takes place in the garage.  There were piles of sawdust, scrap wood, cardboard and trash everywhere.  It looks more like a garage again, although it's still filled with table saws of various descriptions, wood, scaffolds, etc.

 

Bathroom tile work is now 98% complete.  We're waiting for the cabinets to be set, shower enclosures and countertops to go on which should be done the first week of February.

Master Bath

Mud Room

Upstairs Bath

 

Wood flooring upstairs is complete.  Dusty, but complete. 

The vanities in the mudroom bath and the upstairs bath were brought in so some additional tile work could be completed.  We chose quarter-sawn oak with a fruitwood finish to contrast with the darker look of the wood floors and trim.

 

As of today, the master bedroom, closet, yoga room, foyer and living room are done.  Half the dining room and the kitchen should be finished by the end of the day.  Access to the second floor is not possible today.  The temporary steps have been removed and Tony is installing the oak stairs.  The photo below shows the risers being put in place.

The dust on the floors makes it difficult to take a good picture.  The yoga room floor (above) has been cleaned and will be the storage location for the light fixtures when they are delivered tomorrow morning.

What a difference a week makes . . .

Interior finishes - doors and tile

Seems odd to be writing the first post of 2014.  We spent a quiet New Year's Eve at home watching a movie. 

On New Year's Day, Chris, Greg and Steve started clearing some of the overgrown trees and brush from around one of the ponds on our property.  Over the years, the bank has become covered with thorn bushes, small trees and other vegetation to the degree that you could barely get to the bank to fish.  I remember how pretty it used to be and am excited that it may be that way again.

 

 

 And, here's what the pond used to look like . . .

Outside work has come to a complete stop - maybe until spring.  The driveway, sidewalks, rough grading, etc., will have to wait.  If we get some warm days, we may be able to get the gutters up, screening and railing on the porch and the deck railing. 

Work continues inside.  The tile in the master bath is done and looks really cool.  The upstairs bath is tiled but not grouted.  The mudroom/bath floor tile is done and the walls are about 50% complete.  The sinks arrived Friday.

Master Bath

Upstairs Bath

Mudroom

All of the interior doors are hung and most are stained.  Being able to close doors and get an idea of what the space of a room feels like for the first time has been fun.  Below are some photos of  the master bedroom and yoga room doors going up. 



 

The furnace ductwork is complete and the geo-thermal unit is directing air to each floor based on 3 thermostats.  Ducts open and close for each floor as required.  We're waiting for the plumber to hook up the water and drains for the humidifier, ERV, and the pre-heater for the water heater.  Excess ground heat from the geo-thermal unit can be used to pre-heat our water before it enters the water heater.

The wood flooring arrived this week so that it can become acclimated to the temperature and humidity levels in the house.  Installation will begin the week of January 13th.

It was sunny early today, so we took the dogs out to the house for some exercise.  Nice and relaxing for everyone.

Waiting to go outside.

 



 

 

As I'm writing, I see the following headline on another area of my computer:  "Dangerous 'polar vortex' to create near-record cold across U.S. Midwest Sunday".  We're predicted to get 5-8 inches of snow and have wind chills tomorrow evening approaching -30 degrees.  BRrrrrrr.  Stay warm . . .