day 128

Not much has changed on the house this past week.  The backhoe returned last Thursday (day 123) and started digging up the front yard.  After racking our brains a bit, we realized they were hooking up the sewer and water lines.

At some point on Friday or Saturday they hit the underground electrical lines and we were without power until the utility company was able to come out yesterday morning.  Everything is back up and running now, though.

The big news is that the granite was installed in the kitchen today (day 128)!  The stone is Kashmir White and it looks amazing.  They still need to finish some caulking, drill the faucet holes, and cut out the area for the cooktop, but that's easy enough (says the person who doesn't have a clue how to do any of that).

They also put in the granite for the drop zone today, but my camera battery died before I could grab a photo.  I like it but I'm struggling with the 3" backsplash that was installed with the counter.  It's a small space so the backsplash seems a bit excessive.  Plus, it's totally unnecessary since there won't be water in the area.  On the plus side, it covers up the gaps between the countertop and the drywall.  Apparently the drywall is slightly bowed in the drop zone nook, which was their reasoning for installing the backsplashes in the first place.  I think I'm just going to live with them for now and if I still don't like them down the road, I can always do some demolition.

This whole backsplash discussion with the granite folks tonight got me thinking about the bathrooms, as well.  In the main bath, we'll definitely add the granite backsplash.  The bathroom will primarily be used by kids and it makes complete sense from a practical standpoint.  In the master bath, though, I really prefer the look of not having a backsplash.  But I don't want to ruin my drywall.  And I don't think I want to add tile.  Another decision that will need to be made soon.

Well, I'm kind of hoping soon.  Because that will mean the carpenters and tile guy showed up again.  I'm anxious to see the master bath vanity put together and also can't wait to see the tiled shower in the master bath.  Patience is becoming less and less of my strong suit these days.  I'm not sure if I blame the house construction or the two year old?

This past weekend, Hubby and I were able to escape the chaos for a bit.  We dropped E off with a sitter Sunday morning and spent the day shopping, browsing and even sitting down for lunch, without the interruptions of a certain little guy.  It was bliss.  But we were both missing E like crazy by the end of the afternoon.  It's funny how that works.

I also ran by the house on Saturday, during E's naptime, to grab some photos of the cabinets and trimwork on my big girl camera, in the daylight.  Since the last update, doors have finished being installed and most of the trimwork is complete.  Everything is really coming together and starting to get that almost-finished look.

Hopefully the next update will include a gorgeous master bath vanity.  Crossing my fingers. And toes.  And arms.  And legs.  And whatever else I can think of.

day 121

It's snowing up here.  Again.  And that really wouldn't be a big deal, except there was a bit of a mishap with our garage door on Monday.  We still have no idea what happened, but the large door is partially off the track on one side and the track on the other side is bent and detached from the wall.  So, our garage door is currently stuck wide open.  Luckily, the snow has been drifting in the opposite direction of the open door, so our garage isn't completely filled with snow.  Yet.  Our Construction Manager called the garage door guys Monday evening so hopefully they'll be out to fix it soon.  Better now than in 18 months, I suppose.  (Update: finally finishing this post on Thursday - door was fixed on Wednesday and the garage door openers and keypads were also installed)

The carpenters have been hard at work inside the house this week installing our cabinets, trim and doors.  They still need to assemble the master bathroom vanity (which I'm beyond anxious to see), but the kitchen cabinets, drop zone and main bath vanity are in.  And I love them.

[Tolani by Merillat in Maple Chiffon - looking north]

It's crazy how much I adore this kitchen already - and it's still missing important things like crown molding along the tops of the cabinets, hardware, granite counters and stainless steel appliances.  So excited to see it all come together.

[Tolani by Merillat in Maple Chiffon - looking west]

[Tolani by Merillat in Maple Chiffon - looking northwest]

[Tolani by Merillat in Maple Chiffon - looking northeast]

[Tolani by Merillat in Maple Chiffon - looking east]

[Tolani by Merillat in Maple Chiffon - looking southeast]

The fun part about the cabinets?  They have upgrades I'd forgotten about.  Always a nice surprise!  I didn't remember for certain if they would be soft-close (they are!) and I wasn't sure if the drawer front under the sink would be functional (it is!).  Which brings me to another question.  For the main bath vanity, should I put hardware on the two non-functioning drawer fronts under the sinks?  Currently, I have pulls for the three middle drawers and knobs for the two cabinet doors.  Decisions, decisions.

[Portrait by Merillat in Maple Sable - main bath vanity]

[Tolani by Merillat in Maple Sable - drop zone]

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to having a set place to put mail and school papers and everything else that currently clutters my kitchen table.  I even picked up a few organizers for the drawer at Target tonight (Have you checked out their Clearance lately?  It's everywhere!)

Besides cabinets, the crew has been hard at work installing trim, putting in closets and hanging doors.  I'm not sure I'm sold on the dark hanging bars, but that's an easy enough fix.  And eventually we plan to do custom closet systems, so I'll probably just wait until then to change anything.  It's a bit crazy to already be talking about changing things and upgrades.  I suppose that's part of working within a set budget, though.

Know what looks even better than the closets, though?  The doors.  I. am. in. love.  It's amazing how big of an impact such a simple, non-standard selection can make.  When we were sitting with the designer, making selections, I remember casually mentioning that it would be nice to do something other than the standard.  He knew I liked the detail found in older homes and, when he pulled out his deck of alternatives, I was immediately drawn to the traditional three panel Craftsman style door.  I think our exact doors are the Crossmore by CraftMaster, but no guarantees.  Aren't they lovely?

On Monday evening there was still a stack of doors and trim to be installed, but as of tonight, the piles are almost non-existent.  All doors have been hung (including the pretty French door below) and trim is almost complete.  It's looking so much more like a house.  Our house.

day 119

Hubby and disagreed on how long it'd been seen I'd taken real (e.g. non-iPhone) photos of the house.  I said a week.  He said two.  It kills me to admit that he was right.

Where have the past two weeks gone?  Oh, I know.  A week away for a work conference and then a week for month-end close.  Add in some unplanned (but super successful) potty training and time flies.  So freaking fast sometimes.  Like the fact that my son is now two and a half.  When did that happen?  I swore I just brought him home from the hospital and learned just the right way to swaddle him so that he kept at least one arm snuggled.  Now, he's parading around like a big boy, willing to share his latest bodily movements with just about anyone.

Anyway, I digress.

This past week, in particular, has been a busy one.  Flooring work continued, we met with the granite folks to do a rough layout, trim was delivered, lighting was installed and cabinet installation began.  Cabinets were supposed to start going in on Monday, but due to delays in flooring and trim delivery, the carpenter re-scheduled for Friday afternoon.  Everything is finally starting to come together and the place is looking more and more like a house.  And I think, for the first time Sunday night, I finally had the realization that it's our house... and we'll be making it our home.  It's not just a project we've spent countless hours working on, waiting to hand off to someone else.  Pretty exciting stuff.

I'm mostly going to let the photos speak for themselves.  But, I need to say this -- I love my hardwood floors.  Love, love, love them.  They're the Ponderosa line from Real Hardwood Floors and we chose Alamosa Hickory.  The color is just dark enough, without being too dark -- and just warm enough, without being too red.  And don't mind the dirt; I'll take better photos once the dust settles and the protective paper is removed.

[wall color: Gray Clouds by Sherwin Willams - flooring: Ponderosa Alamosa Hickory by Real Wood Floors]

The tile in the main bath was the first flooring laid - and the one we were least excited to see.  That sounds so anticlimactic, but it's true.  It's a very pretty beige tile.  It really is.  But the tile in my master bath?  And the hardwood floors?  So much more exciting.

[wall color: Nantucket Dune by Sherwin Willaims - tile: Sandolo Acacia Beige by Daltile]

And while I prefaced the master bath tile with being even more exciting, we're still waiting for the best part to be completed.  The floor tile is in - and it's beautiful.  But, we're still waiting on the vein-cut tile to go up in the shower.  It's the tile I originally fell in love with, but ultimately decided to restrict to just the shower because it only came in the large 12x24-inch size.  Our bathroom is somewhat galley style (is it appropriate to describe a bathroom as 'galley'?).  With a narrow center walkway, we feared the large tiles would be overwhelming to the space.  Bummer.

[wall color: Perfect Greige by Sherwin Williams - tile: San Michele Crema Cross-Cut by Daltile]

[the good is coming... this is the bad and the ugly]

[wall color: Perfect Greige by Sherwin Williams - tile: San Michele Crema Cross-Cut by Daltile]

The electricians worked hard to install fixtures and complete wiring over a few different days.  We have been beyond pleased with these guys and I'm super thankful for their laid back manner and willingness to answer my ten thousand questions.  Examples:  Are you installing a doorbell? (A: Yes)  The hallway light seems to be in a really weird place - is that right? (A: That's the smoke detector - the light box was drywalled over)  Can you wait to install our dining room fixture?  I don't want it to get dirty. (A: Sure)  On second thought - can you wait to install the shades on the other drum lights?  I don't want them dirty either. (A: No problem)  On third thought - can you also wait on the kitchen pendants and vanity lights?  (A: Already planning to)  Seriously can't thank them enough for their patience with me.

[Harbor Breeze 44-in Bellevue Ceiling Fan in the two bedrooms]

[Hampton Bay Altura 68 in. Indoor Oil Rubbed Bronze Ceiling Fan in the Living Room] 

[allen + roth 12-in W Bronze Traditional Pendant Light with Clear Shade in the foyer]

[allen + roth 12-in W Bronze Traditional Pendant Light with Clear Shade in the kitchen]

The only bad part about all of these fixtures going up so quickly was our lack of planning in purchasing light bulbs.  When we got the call on Monday that they were ready for fixtures the next day, I had a momentary freak-out that we hadn't purchased any light bulbs.  Oooops.  We'd also forgotten to purchase the motion light for the side of the house.  Double oooops.

I immediately started making a list of the fixtures, required numbers of bulbs and ideal wattages and Hubby began scouring Lowe's and Menards for exterior motion lights.  I'm happy to report that between my diligent list making, Hubby's diligent shopping, and a properly-timed sale at Lowe's, we did end up getting everything out to the house by the next day.  And with only one mistake.  We decided to 'go green' and try LED lights for the first time in the bedroom ceiling fans.  Well, they were the wrong size...or the wrong shape...or something.  Lucky for us, the fans came with bulbs and we just hadn't noticed.  I'll mess with the LED bulbs later, and for now, will be thankful to return $60 worth of light bulbs.

[Harbor Breeze 60-in Saratoga Oil-Rubbed Bronze Ceiling Fan with Light Kit in the master bedroom]

[allen + roth Semi-Flush Mount Light in the back hallway]

[Hampton Bay Altura 68 in. Indoor Oil Rubbed Bronze Ceiling Fan in the Living Room] 

[allen + roth 12-in W Bronze Traditional Pendant Light with Clear Shade in the kitchen]

[Patriot Outdoor Double Glass Wall Light by the garage]

They really busted their you-know-whats to get most of the electrical done and I believe the following is just about all that's left:
- Install large drum pendant in the dining area.
- Install shades on smaller drum fixtures in laundry room, flex room and master closet.
- Install single sconces in master bathroom (flanking each pivot mirror).
- Install vanity lights in main bath (above mirrors).
- Install kitchen pendants above peninsula.
- Return LED light bulbs.
- Install exterior motion light.
- Pick up a replacement glass shade from Lowe's (so thankful only one fixture has been damaged - and luckily it's one we picked up in town).

The trim was delivered on Friday morning while we were at the house.  The delivery truck ended up blocking us in the driveway, so we spent quite a bit more time at the house than we'd intended.  Someone started to get a wee bit bored and started hiding in closets.  Adorable, no?

NOTE: This update  has been semi-drafted since Friday evening but I'm just now getting the chance to wrap it up.  Interested in what's happened since Friday?

Swoon!  More details to come.

day 112

Ready for another list?

1. I like the paint colors.  Phew.  We had selected Valspar colors from Lowes but the painter uses Sherwin Williams, so we were forced to find new colors.  The kitchen was almost an exact match (Gull by Valspar vs. Gray Clouds by Sherwin Williams) but the master bath wasn't (Smoked Oyster by Valspar vs. Perfect Greige by Sherwin Williams).  I like the master bath color quite a bit, but until I see it with the granite and cabinets, I won't be 100% sold.  The main bath color I actually like better (Light Raffia by Valspar vs. Nantucket Dune by Sherwin Williams).  I was unable to get good photos this weekend, but here's a preview of what the new color palette looks like:

[color samples from Sherwin Williams]

2. The trim was finally finished being installed on the front of the exterior!  It's amazing what a difference it makes having that one piece up.

3. After a bit of drama, our kitchen faucet has arrived.  We decided on the Wheaton by Pfister and ordered it from build.com on January 31.  We were aware that there was about a one week delay for shipment, but when I received an e-mail on the 15th that it might not ship until February 28, I started freaking out a bit.  Their customer service team was great to work with, but ultimately we ended up cancelling the order because their shipments from Pfister were on back-order.  We found a new faucet being sold from a user on Amazon for $50 cheaper so it ended up working out for the best.  Despite being a tad nervous about the condition, it arrived in the original box, in mint condition.  Yay for small victories (savings)!

[Wheaton by Pfister from build.com]

4. Flooring started going in on Friday!  The main bath, fireplace hearth and half of the master bath tile was laid on Friday (day 110).  The hardwood floor started being laid out on Saturday (day 111) and they were back out working on the tile again today (day 112).

5. I did a bit of shopping at Restoration Hardware today.  The towel rings, toilet paper holders and towel bars at the big box home improvement stores are cheap.  In price and quality.  I've been hesitant to spend the money for decent ones, but I'm finally giving in.  The Restoration Hardware outlet had a matching towel ring and toilet paper holder so I picked them up for the powder room.  I thought I had been diligent about comparing finishes at the store, but upon getting home, I realized one was polished chrome and the other was polished nickel.  Ugh.  Hopefully I'll be the only one to notice.  But, for $32 each instead of $55, I was happy with my purchase.

[Chatham Tissue Holder by Restoration Hardware]

[Chatham Towel Ring by Restoration Hardware]

6. I also picked up some hardware for the main bathroom.  We'll use the pulls on the middle three drawers and the knobs on the two doors.  These were $4.99 each instead of $11.00.  Have I mentioned I love the outlet?

[1-1/4" Aubrey knob by Restoration Hardware]

[4" Aubrey pull by Restoration Hardware]

[Portrait series in Maple - Sable by Merillat]

7. I almost bought pulls (the Gilmore) for the master bathroom vanity but ended up putting them back.  The only con to the outlet is their no return policy.  I still love the pulls, but I was worried how they would fit on the top drawers. I'm having a really hard time picking out hardware for this vanity.  Any ideas or suggestions?  We're looking for polished chrome without fussy details.  Our inspiration vanity actually just uses simple knobs for everything.

[Gilmore pull by Restoration Hardware]

[master bath vanity]

Source: houzz.com via Amy on Pinterest

8. The hole in our master bedroom floor was patched.  However, our floor is starting to look a little Frankenstein-like.  I had requested the floor vents be moved from under our windows (and ultimately under our nightstands) immediately after they were cut out.  So, now we have three patches - and another large seam along one of the side walls.  I know it's only the subfloor but I worry about the integrity of the patches over time.

9.  We hit up Home Depot on Saturday and finally purchased the hardware for the kitchen cabinets.  I'm happy with both the price and style.

[Cup Pull by Liberty Hardware from Home Depot]

[Contempo Knob by Liberty Hardware from Home Depot]

10. Finally, we started sanding and priming the Craigslist dresser tonight!  So far so good, but I'm still completely stuck on what color I want to paint it.  Ivory?  Light gray?  Charcoal?  Yellow?  Light blue?  So many possibilities.  Anyone have some uh-mazing inspiration photos to share that will help me make up my mind?