Current News:
We've moved in!!
I didn't take pictures of moving day--it was just too hectic.
Here's my finished
Kitchen!
5/21
We're getting down to the last things. We figured out
tonight where the towel rods are supposed to go. The tile
guys were grouting as we left--the tile looks fantastic.
The landscaping looks great--I'm so glad that I just let the
landscaping team decide where to incorporate the rock--it's
perfect just where it is.
5/20 The last week
Just a few more days--and now the house really does look as
if it's almost done. It's amazing how much changed just
since Thursday.
5/19 Down to the wire
We're getting down to the wire--there's only a week left
until we close. The house doesn't quite look 'almost
done', but Tammy assures me that we're in great shape!
The carpeting was supposed to go down yesterday and today.
The entry way tile should be finished and the ceramic tile in
the shower surround is supposed to be completed Monday so that
the glass people can
measure for the shower door.
Monday, the landscaping is supposed to go in. Sod will
go in Friday (the day we close) so we'll be responsible for
maintaining it.
The garage door openers went in Friday and the garage was
pressure washed Friday, too.
Two light fixtures are on back order: the fan for the great
room and the light over the breakfast nook. The light
fixture for the entry way didn't work--it was too long for the
ceiling height. Fortunately, Debbie and Kelly helped us
pick out another one and All is Well.
We'll be over there tomorrow during the Open House for our
current house! I'm looking forward to seeing the
carpeting in! (And maybe the power tools will be out of
the house? :-)
4/22 Trim Carpentry, Closets, and Decisions
The trim carpentry is continuing--the upstairs doors and
molding are being installed!
We met with Tim today and decided on shelves for the closets.
I think we're almost done with the building-decision-making!
Only a few more things left to go:
- Door for the master shower
- Towel rods
- Plants for the included landscaping (from a very
short list)
- Any additional landscaping
- Door hardware for the kitchen
Okay, so the list isn't as short as I thought it was--but
it's lots shorter than it has been!
4/19 Cabinets are going in
Kenny, the trim carpenter, has started his work. The
cabinet installation seems to be going so fast! The master
bath and upstairs bath are installed and the kitchen is well
under way. The cabinets look fantastic.
4/19 Back yard
We met with Tammy to discuss what the back yard patio and
deck ought to look like. We've got to make some decisions
but we're not sure yet what it ought to look like! I'd
love some feedback on our ideas:
Exterior
4/3 Drywall, Paint, Floors
We're in the drywall phase now. The drywall went up
really quickly, but now it's a "hurry up and wait for the mud to
dry" phase. Tammy says that should be done the end of next
week.
We're trying to pick out a paint color for the
house. The default MAB color, Winter Wheat is too yellow
for our taste.
We're also trying to make final floor
decisions. We got our initial quotes and we're going to
take a look at other options before we finalize.
I haven't looked at
light fixtures for a
while, but those are going to need to get finalized soon as
well.
3/18 Brick work
Brick work has started! We're going to keep a few of
the selected brick (Autumn Haze) as pets.
Pet Brick
FAQ
3/14 Floors
We've picked out floors and we're waiting for quotes.
We brought home one 'floating floor' tile on Friday and the
longer I looked at it, the more I disliked it. Best to
find that out before the floors go in, I guess! We picked
out carpet, a ceramic tile for the bathrooms, a floating floor
for the entry and kitchen, and a tile for the fireplace area.
3/14 Countertops
After agonizing and worrying and then agonizing a bit more,
we're going to go with Formica's Butterum Granite countertop, in
an etchings finish. I'm a bit nervous about having some
texture to the countertop, though, so I may end up having a
second thought about that, even though I love the look.
3/8 Electrical
We met with the electrician and an interior design consultant
on Monday and did a walk-through of the house, placing all of
the outlets, light fixtures, and switches. I'm so glad I
had two people there who understand lighting better than I do.
I wouldn't have had a clue on so many of the things we decided
to do. They're all expensive, of course.
Some specific ideas:
- Cans in addition to the center light fixture in the
dining room. Since we're going to use the dining room
as a computer room, some additional general light makes a
lot of sense. This new method will allow us more light
in there but will still leave it workable as a dining room
if we decide to move the computers elsewhere.
- Cans as well as a center fixture in the master bedroom.
- Stair lights on the stair cases instead of hanging
lights
- Can placements in the rec room--I think it'll be a
bright and cheerful room
- Fluorescent lighting in the laundry room
Lighting was really overwhelming me so it's a real relief to
me to have the electrical decisions made. We still have to pick
most of the lighting fixtures, but I'm not as worried
about them. Light fixtures are a lot easier to swap out
than it is to change what fixtures are there in the first place. (The budget, on the other hand,
that is worrying me.)
Previous Status Reports
(including about the Front Door) |
