Over one year later

Now that we're comfortably settled into our new house, we thought it was time to bring you up to speed on what fun we've had finishing projects over the last four and a half months.  We also have some new projects in the works. 

Contrary to beliefs held by those outside the profession, summer is a busy time for us. In between running writing camps at EMU, planning for huge developments with our writing professional development board for the WISD, and hosting an array of thirsty and hungry friends on our back porch, we've somehow found the time to finish all of our indoor projects and get a lot of work done outside.

As soon as the school year ended, we finished the tile backsplash in the kitchen. The project took so long in part because we just couldn't decide on the perfect color tile. Inspiration struck at a birthday dinner out at Mani Osteria where we decided we loved their cream subway tile with dark gray grout even more than our meals. Mike and Sean threw the tile up in record time, complete with herringbone patterning over the range, and Sean tricked Aimee into grouting it early one morning before Peter was even awake. 

Meanwhile, the Motawi tile on the fireplace has been up since the weekend after we moved in back in March. Sean and Mike did all the work while Aimee and Peter were out of town visiting Katie in Maryland. We love, love, love it, and Sean was a fire building maniac when the weather was chilly earlier this spring.

Lately we've been working on a ton of outdoor projects, and there is a definite sequence to them; everything waits for the front steps to be finished. Sean and Mike started on them in early July, and this is what they looked like at the end of the day Saturday. The piers supporting the front steps are getting covered with stone to match the rest of the front porch, then Trex stair treads and painted railings will go up.

 Now that Peter is walking  running, he's getting into everything. He's a chip off the Eldon block; he adores being outside with the guys, watching them work, and hauling around remnants of blocks and bricks and stones. Here he is, caught in the act with a prime find from under the table saw.

Meanwhile, we're anxious to get the flower beds and yard in tip-top shape once the steps are finished. We have grand visions of grass for Peter and the dogs to romp in, a boules court over the what-the-hell-do-we-do-with-this-space? septic field, and a fenced area in the back of the house for the dogs to safely roam without the threat of chasing after deer. Or turkeys. Or squirrels.

We have lots of outdoor projects to go, and Sean and Mike continue to display a boundless energy to work on them. Our road and driveway are being graded and covered in several inches of crushed asphault, and we're looking forward to smoother, less dusty cruising in the car and stroller from now on.

We'll be sure to post pictures of the finished projects that we accomplish in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Time to move!

After a busy week, we have three out of the six final permits finished, and the remaining ones will be issued shortly. It's exciting to walk around and see a "real house" after working on a construction site for the last eight months. We're planning on moving this weekend, so gentle readers, you're all welcome to come heft some boxes this Saturday. Seriously.

The television is hooked up over the mantle, and the new living room furniture is staying wrapped until the floors are finished Tuesday.
The kitchen appliances are hooked up, and the lights are all in place. This is the view from the living room.
A shot of the kitchen from a corner of the dining area. Sean and our buddy Jay picked up the Amish table we ordered this fall, so we'll set it up later this week.
The plumber finished this week, so we finally have complete bathrooms. This is the powder room in the front of the house between the kitchen and entry.

The carpet throughout the house looks great, and the carpet layers worked until almost 9:30 Friday night finishing the job. Moving upstairs, the loft is bright and sunny.
A view of one of the bedrooms with the lighting, carpet, wall colors, and trim.

We're especially excited about the double sinks in the master bath.
The soaking tub is all hooked up and ready to go.
The glass for the shower will be installed midweek, and after that the bathroom will be complete.
Sean built a roaring fire, and Peter delighted in trying to sneak sticks of kindling from the bucket on the hearth. The house is cozy, and we're looking forward to making it our home for years and years to come.

The final push

The last month has been a test of patience as we have seen delay after delay in getting contractors to wrap of their previous jobs and start work at our house. It was a tough couple of weeks watching the house sit untouched during the day. Flash forward to early February. The painter Javier and his crew spent two and a half weeks painting and staining, and they did wonderful work.

The mudroom has light gray walls, seen through the first floor, and bright white for the trim, wainscoting, and storage bench.
The kitchen appliances arrived this weekend, and the electrician is working on hooking them up. The custom vent that Sean and Mickey built over the range was stained as is the back of the peninsula. The vent and other pieces you'll see below all use cherry and oak that we had milled from our property.
Below is the stained beam that Sean and Mickey built. It's hard to tell its impact on the room in this picture, but it looks pretty huge and awesome in person.

The fireplace mantel was stained, too. The Motawi tile we ordered was finished (early!), so we hope to install that soon.
Peter has been a trooper coming to the house on the weekends with us. He is super happy to walk around and get into whatever we let him. Who needs an expensive Wheely Bug when you can be just as happy pushing around a work dolly?
Alas, Peter was often confined to his Pack N Play where he was understandably frustrated at not being able to help out and put his wooden hammer to good use.
Aimee spent an entire weekend scraping paint off the windows, and Linda helped all day Sunday with the job. Peter was happy to roam around the rooms we worked in and keep us company.
This is the library, the same room pictured above, after John Douglas and his floor crew sanded, stained, and put the first coat of polyurethane on. The second coat of polyurethane will be applied early next week.
The stairs are painted and stained, and they're awaiting the carpet runner that will be installed Thursday and Friday along with carpet for the entire second floor and office on the first floor.
Meanwhile, it's a busy week. We're off for mid-winter break, so we're working at the house cleaning, installing closets, hanging bathroom hardware and mirrors, and prepping for the electrician, plumber, low voltage wiring, and heating and cooling contractors that are all due to make appearances this week.

The end of this week should have most of the final items taken care of, and we hope to have our final permits approved soon!

Trimming duet

The final stretch of winter break was full of busy days at the house. Sean was at work all day every day, and Mickey came out often and even worked New Years Eve and day.

The bench and storage system was built in the mudroom; it's waiting for some hooks and a coat of paint to finish it off. Beadboard is also up in the mudroom, adjoining bathroom, and master bath; some of it is visible here in the mudroom.
The library book shelves have been started. The shelves have been cut, and everything will be assembled once they're painted.
Mickey started the cherry mantle using lumber milled from the lot. It still needs several pieces across the top, and it should look fantastic once the wood is stained.
The back side of the kitchen peninsula has been covered with birch and cherry paneling.
The stairs are finished now that they have thick, craftsman spindles. This is the view of the stair well from the front entry.
This is the top of the stairs in the loft.
Sean and our buddy Don spent a morning cutting and setting tile in the laundry room; Sean finished the room by building a counter using some leftover tiles from the mudroom and grouting everything in.
With luck, the painter can come soon. Once he's at work, the home stretch is in sight.