Stairs and cabinets.



Seems as though every minute of the day is spent doing something at the house, or related to some part of the construction process.  But the house is looking great.  After the wood floors were put in, Tony started putting the permanent stairs in between the first and second floors.  It took about a week to get all the different parts cut to fit and put in place. 

 

 

 

Stairs complete, but still need the final coats of varnish, hence the cardboard covering on the stair treads.

 

Second floor, cleaned up and floors vacuumed. All trim work completed, door handles installed.  Looks ready for furniture!!

Yoga room doors complete with glass and door knob.

The cabinets were installed on January 20 and 21st.  I'm so glad we've been able to be present throughout the building process.  It's been great fun to watch it all come together.  

 

We kept the floors covered with the cardboard boxes that the flooring material came in during the subsequent construction process.  There was continuous foot traffic through the house while the doors, windows and floors were being trimmed out.  An unbelieveable amount of dust and debris accumulated on and under the cardboard in the as a result of the trim work and cabinet installation.  We finally couldn't stand it and picked up all the cardboard, swept and vacuumed and then put most of it back down until the rest of the inside work is done.

 

Kitchen island lights and most of the rest of the lights are now in.

Living room, semi-clean floor.

 

 

 

Our appliances were delivered on January 28th!!  Hint to anyone buying a french door refrigerator:  Don't try to put it next to a wall because the door won't open unless there's at least 6-inches of clearance.  Thanks Leigh and Robin for that tip when you visited at Thanksgiving!  You saved us from a huge headache.  We were able to have the adjacent cabinets modified and a spacer put on the left side.

 

Fridge door opens wide enough to open all drawers, etc.  YAY!

And . . .we finally have toilets . . . and they flush!!!!!!!!!!   Shower enclosures were installed and look wonderful.

 

The garage AFTER it was cleaned out. 

 

 

 Chris and Greg have been building shelves in the basement.  Our friend Jay has been doing a fantastic job with all the trim work. 

 

The gutters were put up last Friday, January 31st.  It was warmer (above freezing) but the wind was blowing hard enough that the guys asked Chris and Greg to hold their ladders while they put up one of the long sections on the back side of the house.

 

 

We try to take the dogs out to the house as often as we can. The last time, we walked through the field on the west side of the house to the edge of the woods. It was good to see water in the small creek that runs near the edge of our property. Tally and Nissa loved it - lots of things to see and sniff and so much room to run.

 

 

Today is a stay-at-home day as a result of a winter storm that brought us 6-8 inches of snow.  They don't clean the roads around here quite as quick as they do in Michigan.  Winter seems to be here to stay according to the weather forecasters with temps below freezing for the next week.  

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 . . .