Tuesday, April 30, 2013

intermission over.

We've officially been in the house for 17 sleeps (can you tell I have a wee one?).  And holy moly.  In some ways it feels like we moved in yesterday.  Like the fact we have half-emptied boxes in every room.  And  paper blinds hanging on many windows.  And an empty refrigerator.  And a garage full 'o stuff.  And a basement even more full 'o stuff.


But, in other ways, it's already feeling like our home.  Like we've been here, making memories, for years.  I know that it's really our little family that makes this house a home.  That brings the love and laughter and warmth.  But I also know that all of our extended family that made themselves available to help us move, were really the ones that caused the house to overflow with love and support.  The majority of our family is four to five hours away, so building this house has meant so much more than giving us additional space and new amenities.  We finally have the room to welcome guests properly.  And to host special occasions.  And I can't wait.

So, as anxious as I am to unpack and hang things on walls and really get settled, I'm also okay with playing outside, sitting down at night to read a book or do a puzzle with E or to watch a show with my Hubby.  We're here to stay.  And all of the boxes and all of the stuff will eventually find a place.  The important thing is that we're already making memories in this house.  And it's feeling more like a home than our temporary house ever did.

As you can imagine, the past two and a half weeks have been eventful (umm, so much so that I haven't posted...whoops!).

- day 160:  Moving day!  A huge thanks to our parents, Kendall, Tootie, Donna and Connor, who came up/over/down and helped us get all of our stuff from points A (condo), B (storage unit) and C (IKEA!) to point D (lot 23).  We are beyond grateful.  And, I promise, when things settle down, I'll write a real thank you note to tell you so.

I've never packed and moved at the same time before.  I've also never allowed others to pack for me.  And I've certainly never moved a full house in a day before. It's exhausting!  Our morning started with a call from U-Haul at 6 am, letting us know that the truck we had reserved hadn't been returned because it was stuck in a field.  And, they didn't have a replacement because most of their trucks had been vandalized overnight (apparently it's the new 'thing' to break into these lots and steal catalytic converters - so sad).  Hubby was sitting for the police exam Saturday morning (perfect timing, right?), so my FIL and I loaded up and headed to the next town over, in hopes they could help us out.  Thankfully, they had a truck we could use for the day.  And I'm proud to say I've officially driven a 26' truck.  For a few blocks anyway...  The rest of the day was much less eventful.  Thank you, God.

- day 161: Started the unpacking process, installed a bunch of hardware, ran errands and did a lot of staring at boxes/cabinets/etc. feeling completely overwhelmed.  Do you know how hard it is to find things that you didn't pack?  It's kind of like Christmas every time I open a new box.

- day 162/163: I headed back to work to wrap up the quarter, but Hubby stayed home and managed contractors/answered questions.  They wrapped up the plumbing, did drywall repairs, replaced the master bedroom carpet and completed some carpentry finish work.  A busy few days!

- day 164/165: We both worked and did the best we could to continue the unpacking process at night.  A big thanks to my Dad who left behind enough food to keep us fed for the week!

- day 166: To celebrate the 10-Q being filed, I took a day off of work to work on ths house.  I really need a day off that doesn't involve work.  Like really.

- days 167-170: Lots of errands.  And more unpacking.  And a little bit of curtain hanging, pantry organizing and  laundry catch-up.  All made much more bearable by a sweet new neighbor that stopped by with a delicious plate of cookies.


- day 171: As we were getting ready to leave for work, we discovered our garage was wet.  Everything had stayed dry during the crazy amounts of rain we'd been getting, so this was quite concerning.  Upon moving back inside, we discovered that our laundry room was completely flooded.  And the powder room beside it was wet.  And the basement below was the most wet.  I'd put laundry in to wash the previous morning and was planning to switch it over to dry that morning.  But somehow, in 24 hours, a drip/leak had developed where the hose connected to the wall spiggot.  And oh.my.goodness was there water.  We're still trying to figure out what caused the problem, since I'd done at least a dozen loads of laundry without issue.  Everything is currently dried out and the washer is hooked back up, but I'm only turning the water on to do a load of laundry and then it's immediately being switched off.  Ugh.  We have to replace our wood floors in the powder room, switch out baseboards and quarter-round, and readhere the vinyl in the laundry room (and, yes, I'm now actually glad we switched from wood to vinyl in the laundry room).  Luckily, everything in the basement was in plastic bins and was salvagable.  It's always something..... 

- days 172-177: We've continued to slowly work on getting settled.  And figuring out what else needs to be done.  Even in a new house, the work is never done.


We were able to make some progress on E's room this past weekend and I'm loving it so far.  I'll do a full post soon, but here's a sneak peek for now.  My MIL made the quilt and it's absolutely perfect.


I think E's definitely getting comfy in his new space.


Our house cleaner came today and I can't tell you what a difference in makes to have the dust removed, the floors cleaned and everything shining.  Such a motivator.  She's been such a blessing to us -- and my sanity.

We've had a few non-house related distractions recently, as well.  Hubby had his wisdoom teeth removed on Friday so we tried to have a slower-paced weekend.  He did pretty well... until being diagnosed with a dry socket today.  Bummer.  While he recovered on Saturday morning, E and I went to hang out with some of our good friends.  They just welcomed another precious baby girl to their family.  And, oh my, is she sweet.  I had the lucky priviliege of taking some photos of her and her big sister and, as I've worked on editing them, I can't get over how incredibly perfect she is.  Not good for the baby fever.  Not good at all.


Also not good for the fever?  These sweet bows that I had a blast making.  I'm pretty proud of how they turned out.  And I only burned myself three times..and poked myself with a pin once.  Thank you, Pinterest!


I've also been working on reading the latest book for our neighborhood book club.  No showing up without actually reading the book this month.  Why?  Because I was silly enough to sign up to host this month.  But, I had a good reason.  I figured the ladies would give me a little more grace for having a half put together house now than they would in another nine months.  Right?  Right.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.


Now, I just need to find the serving platters, figure out a killer mixed drink and dig up some delicious appetizer recipes.  10 days and counting...

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

day 160

I slipped away to the house for a bit on Saturday morning to take photos before we started filling it up. Our walk-through was on Friday afternoon and we still have a punch list of items to complete, but I'm thankful we were able to receive occupancy and avoid a short-term hotel stay.

The punch list isn't too crazy and includes things like: patch drywall, touch up paint, install hood extender, replace master bedroom carpet, fix leaky sink, tighten tub faucet, finish installing plumbing fixtures, caulk around windows, shim squeaky floor, trim closet door, add additional shelf brackets, etc.

We also have a to-do list, which includes: hanging curtain rods/blinds, installing cabinet hardware, hanging bathroom fixtures (TP holders, towel rings, etc.) and installing the washer/dryer.  My father-in-law was able to get the hardware installed and we hung those temporary paper blinds over most windows.  Hubby took care of the washer/dryer and will start installing the remaining bathroom fixtures this week.  Progress!

In other words, it's mostly done.  But the contractors are working hard to make sure it's totally done soon.  The drywall guy, carpet crew, carpenter and plumbers were all here today.  And the painter is supposed to be coming tomorrow.  I'm finally seeing the light that we'll be wrapping up soon!

I'll continue to share photos as we personalize this house and make it our home, but I wanted to make sure I documented what it looked like on move-in day.

Without further ado...

[exterior - still need to paint trim, stain door and pour sidewalk/driveway]
[foyer - still need to stain door]
[living room from foyer - still need to touch up paint]
[fireplace]
[dining area from living room]
[flex room]
[living room from flex room]
[dining area - still need a great rug!]
[living room from dining area]
[dining area and my gorgeous handmade table]
[kitchen - before hardware was installed]
[kitchen - before hardware and hood extender]
[kitchen - before hardware]
[kitchen - before hardware]
[kitchen - before hardware]
[E's room from hallway]
[E's room/closet]
[E's room]
[main bath - before hardware, plumbing and mirrors]
[spare bedroom]
[spare bedroom/closet]
[powder room before pedestal sink]
[laundry room before washer/dryer]
[drop zone before hardware]
[hallway off kitchen - master bedroom at end, basement stairs on right]
[master bedroom]
[master bathroom]
[master bathroom tub]
[master bathroom vanity]
[master bathroom vanity]
[master bathroom shower]
[master bathroom shower]
[master bathroom]
[master bath vanity]
Hopefully I'll be back with moving stories and more interior shots later this week.  Until then, you'll find me unpacking, working and sleeping.

Monday, April 15, 2013

moving day

Saturday (day 160) was moving day!  We're officially out of the condo and into the house.  Lots to catch up on -- but first the boxes (or at least necessities) need unpacked.

Pre-move calm on Friday evening:

Mid-move craziness on Sunday afternoon:

More pictures and details to come! 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

day 156

The carpet went in today... but I'm 97% certain that at least one of the rooms (our master bedroom/closet) is wrong.  In looking over our Change Order, it seems that the wrong name is written next to the correct three digit color code.  So, they must have ordered using the name.  Aye.


We called our Construction Manager and the Designer as soon as we discovered the issue but haven't heard anything back yet.  It'd be great if something went right this week.

Supposedly, we're still on track for an inspection Thursday and our walk-through on Friday.  Still crossing my fingers.  But still not totally believing it.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Pack another box.  Repeat.


Monday, April 8, 2013

day 154

Another quick update...wish I had time for something more lately!

Things were super busy at the house on Saturday.  The finish carpenter was on site to finish up the trim, install the mantel, hang a replacement door, finish the master bath vanity, install the porch columns and hang our bathroom mirrors.  He was all over the place!

 
The new mantel does not have an inset back like the old one did, so we were unable to mount the outlet on the mantel itself.  I was a little bummed, but I've always planned to have a large mirror or artwork sitting in the middle, so the outlet should be hidden.  I feel like our original mantel had a chunkier top, but I haven't bothered to find the photo to compare it.  If anything, we can always add trim to beef it up later.  More than likely, I'll forget I even thought to do that.

Also, while wondering the aisles of Target on Saturday, I think I might have found curtains for the two windows that flank the fireplace (and overlook our backyard/porch).  I want something that will allow light through, isn't horribly expensive and is at least 8' (our ceilings are 10').  Enter these:

[Nate Berkus Heathered Herringbone Window Panels from Target]
In other news - the master vanity is finally done!  I can't wait to see it all cleaned up and with the hardware installed.  The electrician hung the scones next to the mirrors today, but they're currently facing upwards and we'd asked for them to be installed downwards.  It's slowly coming together.



And, you can't really tell from the photos, but the columns look fantastic.  The carpenters did a really nice job.  I think the only things left to complete on the exterior of the house itself are staining the front door and painting the trim.



The electricians were also on site Saturday wrapping up the network connections and installing the rest of our bathroom and kitchen fixtures.  Hubby and I were discussing our favorite contractors the other night and the electricians were easily number one. We're trying to figure out a nice way to let them know how much we appreciate their help.  Any suggestions?  I've only come up with a couple of my very favorite screwdrivers.  But surely they have their own favorites.


Anyway, I'm dying to see the kitchen with the protective paper pulled off the floor!  And eventually with a tile backsplash and crown molding.  It's crazy that the "once we move in" project list has already begun.

But back to what has to get done immediately.

The painter came back on Saturday to do touch-ups, as well.  I'm much happier with everything now that the ceiling lines have been refined, walls have been touched up and the trim is much more crisp.

And the plumbers were also there.  They made quite a bit of progress running pipe in the basement, but were unable to get started on installing fixtures.  Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication with someone at the builder's office and all of the wrong fixtures were ordered.  They straightened everything out today (I hope - the Designer never called me back to verify) and we should now have new fixtures and the correct pedestal sink tomorrow or Wednesday.  Another delay.  

While we were all there together, though, they made a point to bring the tub up from the basement so we could let them know how we wanted it placed.  I'm in love!


And, more than ever, I'm glad we decided to go with the wainscoting around the tub instead of tile.  The tile looks great in the shower, but I really like the mix of materials.



Today, a crew worked on patching the drywall and getting ready for the rest of the touch-up paint.  It sounds like they also started cleaning out the basement.  I'm just glad that progress continues, since we're in such a time crunch to get out of the condo and into the house.  I'm on such pins and needles this week.  Ugh.

In exciting news, my father-in-law is making awesome progress on our dining table.  I can't wait to see the finished product, in person!


Note - I think the table legs are sitting upside down in this photo, but you get the idea.  It's large.  And gorgeous.  And amazing.

Hopefully more good news tomorrow... like painting and carpet and new plumbing fixtures.  One can hope!