Closer and closer . . . screen porch, countertops and faucets

The weather has slowed progress on the house the past month.  Snow and ice on the driveway delayed the installation of the countertops, which delayed the plumber and tile guys as well as the mirror installation.  But in between the snow and rain storms were 50- and 60-degree, sunny days.  One day last week we hit 70 and yesterday it was 4 with sleet and snow.  We stay home and play in the snow on the bad days.

 

But enough of the weather report. 

Since my last post, the granite countertops were installed.  We went with a lighter color in the kitchen and mudroom, and a black granite with green "sparkles" in the master and guest bathrooms.  

 

 After the countertops were installed, all the faucets were installed and the rest of the plumbing work was completed.  It's absolutely wonderful to have hot and cold running water in the house.  The cabinetmaker and the tile installers came out to do finish up after the granite was in place.  What a difference.  Looks like someone could live here.

Kitchen, complete with running water.

Master Bath

Mud Room

 

Upstairs bath

With the completion of more the details in the house, there are fewer people working inside.  That's has allowed us to clean out most of the construction debris, dust the window sills and mop the floors, and have it remain fairly clean.  It's still a constant battle to keep the mud and dirt out of the house.  That will improve as soon as they're able to pour the concrete outside the garage.

 

View from living room.
 

View from master bedroom.

 

 

The warmer weather brought Tony back out to work on the deck and screen porch.  The screen porch is complete and has been named, "The best part of the house" by several family members.  The view is wonderful.

 

 

 

 

I'm ready for spring . . .

 

 

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 . . .