Home stretch

So here we are — the final weeks of construction.  We should have the final inspection at the end of the month.

There aren’t too many major projects left:  Pete’s ordering the garage doors this week, but those can’t go in until the driveway is paved, which will be in a couple of weeks.  The kitchen counters should arrive soon, but I’m not sure when.

There are still plenty of minor projects left — finishing the baseboards and other trim, putting railings on the stairs (inside and outside), painting the front and back doors, staining the cement floor in the Man Cave, building the seats in the dining area (maybe that’s a medium project?), touching up the paint, etc.

I do have a couple of photos to show you.
First of all, a few months ago, I think I mentioned that we picked out some great hardware for the bedroom closet doors.  Check these out:

All the bedroom closet doors have those handles and I am so pleased with them.

Next, did I ever show you how the tile in the master bathroom shower turned out?

I am absolutely thrilled with how this looks and am glad we splurged on the floor tiles.

More soon!

After a hiatus, some action

The crew was on vacation last week, but they’re back and just as busy as ever.

Here’s my favorite new thing:

This is a wall in the children’s toy room.  It’s the first thing you see when you come upstairs  and you can see a bit of it from the bottom of the stairs.  We had been talking about doing something interesting and this idea came from Jeff the Builder.  The primary purpose is actually practical, not aesthetic — Pete and Jeff the Builder are going to put a small climbing wall for the girls on the right side and we needed something solid to drill everything into.  (Note to my mother:  Don’t worry, this will be safe and we’ll have mats.)

If you can’t remember what the lights look like in this room, click here.  They are linen-like shades from Ikea and there are two blue and two green.  For the rug in this room, I am currently looking at samples from FLOR.  I have seriously considered La Fonda del Sol in Verde (the colors look washed-out online, but are brighter in real life), but am also considering Toy Poodle and Striped Poodle.  Or, I might mix up two of the three aforementioned styles.  This is one of those rare areas in which I find myself unable to make a decision and keep waffling among various possibilities.  I have over a dozen FLOR samples strewn across the desk at this moment and adore them all.  Also, if  I buy something clashes with the lights, it will irritate me more than you can possibly imagine.  I think I’m going to take the samples over to the house and see what looks good and then place an order before I have a chance to change my mind.

Anyway, moving on…

Across the hall in the girls’ bathroom, I wanted to show you the cabinets:

The cabinets are from Ikea.  I need to get a close-up of the drawer knobs, as they are gorgeous hand-blown glass.  Blue with swirls of white.  They’re made by a local artist and, unfortunately, she does not have a website I can link to.

More soon!

Problem solving

A few times in this project, we’ve hit a minor stumbling block.  Something that we’ve planned didn’t work out the way that we thought it would or it didn’t work out at all.  And by “we” I really mean “me” because in a couple of cases, I was the reason that plans had to be changed.

Example #1 — the master bathroom

I was hell-bent on having a vanity that had drawers.  It’s a seemingly small thing, but it was of huge importance to me.  In 15 years of home ownership, I’ve never had drawers to organize my toiletries and make up, which led to jerry-rigged systems involving baskets and bins.

A couple months ago, we realized that the Ikea bathroom vanity we had planned to use wouldn’t fit in that small space.  We intentionally made the bathrooms in this house small, which made finding cabinetry a bit more difficult.

We searched the internet  for days and couldn’t find anything that was reasonably priced.  So, Pete had the brilliant idea to use Ikea kitchen cabinets and then he and Jeff the Builder put their smart heads together and came up with a plan using one cabinet with a door and one cabinet with drawers and a small kitchen sink that had the sink on one side and a drainboard on the other.

Okay, so we really don’t need a drainboard in our bathroom, but I’m so happy to have drawers that I simply don’t care about the rest.  Best of all, we got to use a cabinet that I’ve always loved — the Abstrakt high gloss white — but didn’t actually want to use in the kitchen.  (I have a white kitchen now; I’m not spending the next who-knows-how-many years wiping down white cabinets.)

Here’s the result (the doors and drawers are still covered with a protective plastic):

I haven’t decided what hardware to use on the door and drawers yet, but I’m sure something will come to mind.

Example #2 — the half bathroom on the first floor

For several months, we planned to use the Ikea Abstrakt high gloss red cabinetry in the half bathroom on the first floor.  Then I actually measured the space and realized that we would need to be able to actually get into the bathroom and that my plans were far too oversized.

At some point, either Pete or Jeff the Builder suggested that we use a wall-mounted sink, which led us to buy a stainless steel restaurant hand washing sink.  I am not kidding:

Since the sink is hanging there on the wall and there’s no cabinet or anything below it except for air, we got that wall cabinet over there on the left for toilet paper and other important stuff.  Of course, this means I’ll have to be more diligent about cleaning the bathroom floor, since more of it will be visible, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Example #3 — the cabinets over the stove

Because of my instance that the wall cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling and our desire to have a microwave mounted over the stove, we had to get a little creative with the wall cabinets.

Those skinny wall cabinets were the only things that fit there.  And of course they had to align with the bottom of the microwave, which left funky little spaces up at the top.  Jeff the Builder and I decided weeks ago that we’d just buy the cabinets and figure things out later.  (We’re really good at that.)  This week, Jesse and I talked about it and decided that little cubbies up there would be ridiculous, so he closed off the openings entirely, giving that section of cabinets a more seamless appearance.

So those are a few of the ways everyone has been really creative during this process.  The guys have pretty much completed all the heavy construction and are working on the finishing details, so it’s possible that a few more oddball things will come up, but I’m sure it will be nothing major.

More soon!

Let there be light, part 1

Interested in seeing some of our bee-yoo-ti-ful lights?  I thought so!

Today, I’ll focus on bedrooms and bathrooms.

Here’s the ceiling fan in the master bedroom:

I first saw this  months and months ago, but then decided to put myself through the torture of spending more months looking for other possibilities before finally realizing that I was right from the beginning.  (Found at Home Depot.)

And, in the girls’ bedrooms, we have these fans:

We had originally planned to get all the same fans for all three bedrooms, but when I saw these,  I thought they would be fun for the girls.  It also helps that they were significantly less expensive than the one in our room.   (Originally at Lowe’s, then discontinued, so bought piecemeal off eBay.)

We put the same vanity lights in all three bathrooms:

Okay, that’s not a very good photo, because the inserts look mottled, but these lights are cool.  I spent months searching for the right ones and it was so frustrating because all the sleek, edgy, great lights used halogen bulbs, which we were trying to avoid.  At the 11th hour, I found these on eBay.

In the hallways and staircases,  I wanted to use sconces, because they cast better light.  As with the bathroom lights, it was a long process to find the right ones and then finally eBay came through for me.  I don’t have a great photo of them, so will post one tomorrow, along with photos of all the other lights.

In the meantime, here’s a brain teaser for you.  Can anyone  guess the purpose of these huge pieces of wood:

I’ll give you a hint:  It has to do with my favorite room in the house.

More soon!

Updated to add:  Shelves, yes.  Craft room, no.

Tile (a sneak peek)

Yes, I know I haven’t posted this week.  Sorry, we’ve been a bit busy.

Luckily, Jeff the Builder has an iPhone and he’s not afraid to use it.  He emailed us some pics of the tiles being installed in the upstairs bathrooms.

The main bathroom:

We went with glass mosaic tiles in mixed blues.  I knew I wanted mixed blues, but the final decision was based on which color combos we liked (and which more or less match with the paint we chose) and also the cost per square foot.  I’m not sure why, but some color combos were higher (around $13 s.f.) and others were less (around $5-6 s.f.), so we found something we liked in the lower end.

And here’s the master bathroom shower:

Those are basic glossy white 6″ tiles that you can get from any hardware store. (Ours came from Home Depot.)  I think they’re only $1-2 total per square foot — I’ve looked at so many tiles lately that the numbers have blurred in my mind.

Here’s the floor:

These tiles came from Imagine Tile and we’ve been salivating over them for about 12 years.  They’re incredibly pricey, but we decided that, since we’ve wanted them for so long, we should go ahead and splurge.

That shelf-like thing on the left is exactly that.  It’s low because I wanted a place to prop my foot when shaving.  (Too much information, I know, but one has to think about these things during the planning process.  Otherwise, I’d be cursing my lack of foresight every. single. day. for as long as we live in that house.)

Because of the long weekend, there’s no more work until next Monday.  Jeff the Builder’s plans are to finish the tile on Monday and Tuesday.  Also, next week the guys are planning to finish the siding on the front, as well as the front and back porches.  And maybe, just maybe, they’ll install the main stairs so that we can go up to the second floor and see things for ourselves for the first time in a few weeks.  When it happens, it’s going to be like an early Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff

Lots of fun stuff to report today.

Outside the house, the guys continue to work on the siding as they have time and close to finishing the back of the house:

The roofing panels were delivered today, so the crew started installing those.  The roof will be clad in galvanized corrugated metal.  Yes, it’s pretty much the same stuff you see on chicken coops out in the country.  We love the look and just had to have it on our roof, even though it’s not at all visible except by helicopter.  No matter, we know it’s there and that’s good enough for us.

Amazingly, we actually have a photo of the roof from earlier today.  Jeff the Builder has been enjoying all the uses and applications of his new iPhone:

Inside the house, the guys have also been busy hanging our beautiful doors. For example, here are the closets in the master bedroom:

I’m going to love looking at those every morning when I wake up.  And not just because it will mean I have my very own closet.

And in other big news, the plumbing manifold is in:

I know there’s all sorts of technical plumbing stuff I should mention here, but I don’t know what it would be.  If there’s something you want to know, leave a comment and Pete will answer it for you.  That includes any questions about what kind of water heater we’re getting, because I honestly cannot remember what Pete and Jeff the Builder decided.

In other fun news, various supplies are being delivered to the house.  Trust me, this is pretty exciting.

For example, check out these boxes of bathroom tiles:

The tub surround in the upstairs hall bathroom will have postage stamp glass mosaic tiles in mixed blues.  The shower in our bathroom will have Imagine Tile on the floor and simple 6′ white tiles for the walls.  We’ve been wanting the Imagine Tiles for 12 years now, but nearly had a collective stroke when we got the estimate on doing the entire shower (the rocks on the floor and the water design on the walls).  So we came up with a compromise that we’re happy with.

Our sexy kitchen sink is here too:

It’s a stainless steel double farmhouse sink and it will be the second thing you notice when you walk into our kitchen.  The first thing will be the slate counter on the peninsula.  At least, that had better be the first thing people notice!

I also noticed some drywall in the basement, means that the drywall dudes are coming soon.  They can’t come until the city inspector comes out for a visit to look over the plumbing and electricity and whatnot, and I think he’s coming this week.

One final fun note.  The crew has been enjoying our lovely fall weather with picnic lunches in the backyard.  Sometimes, they’re joined by spouses and significant others, including Jesse’s wife and baby daughter:

If I had to guess, I’d say that Jeff the Builder was standing on the roof when he took this. Since the days are getting cooler, Pete and I are going to take some chairs over soon so that everyone will have a place to sit when it’s too cold to eat outside.

More soon!

Deluxe plumbing

Check out the two drain lines that will be connected to all of the 2nd-floor plumbing:

Jeff the Builder is our spokesmodel

The black pipe on the right is cast iron instead of the usual PVC plastic; the heavy cast iron muffles most of the noise of the water cascading down the drain whenever someone flushes the toilet.  This is one of those little details that higher-end builders recommend, and it’s been on my dream-house wish list for many years. I think we’ll really notice the reduction in sound (especially since this wall borders our eating area), and the total additional cost was only around $250.

The copper pipe on the left is the centerpiece of our drainwater heat-recovery system.  The water from the two showers/tubs on the 2nd floor drains through the center of this pipe, while cold incoming water flows upward through the tight coil wrapped around the outside.  This transfers heat from the warm drain water to the cold water flowing into the water heater.  As a result, the water heater has to do much less work to heat the water to the correct temperature.  Not only does this save energy (and $$$), but it also effectively increases the capacity of the water heater.  It’s unclear to me why every new house doesn’t have this; it has no moving parts and should pay for itself from day one, since it will reduce our electric bill by more than it adds to our mortgage.

We’re having a couple of other cool plumbing features installed in the very near future, so I’ll have a post on them once I have pictures.

The trades come in

Today, the HVAC and plumbing people arrived.

We have ductwork in the garage and basement (a.k.a. the Man Cave):

There are also ducts in every room now.

We have the beginnings of plumbing in the laundry closet:

The plumbing manifold will also be in the laundry closet.  Pete started telling me all about it this morning, but all I heard was “… blah blah blah plumbing manifold blah blah blah…”  So if you want more info on that stuff, leave a comment and I’ll get him to do a technical post.

In other plumbing-related news, the bathtub for the girls’ bathroom has arrived:

For the tub surround, we’ve picked out mosaic tiles in mixed blues and whites.  The bathroom will be painted a pale blue and the cabinets will be white.  I’d like to think that all those serene colors will lead to serene children, but I know better than that.

Speaking of bathroom tiles, after yesterday’s worrying about what to do with the master shower, I think I’ve got it.  I just need to show Pete some tile samples tonight to make sure he’s on board with the idea.

Outside the house, our guys got started on the siding:

So, the way this is ultimately going to look is that there will be three sections of siding — left, middle, and right.  The left and right sections will have wide planks of Hardipanel and the middle section will have more traditional planks of Hardiplank.  Jeff the Builder came up with this idea as a way to break up the huge mass of gray. I would never have thought of that, but Jeff the Builder is filled with amazing ideas, which is one of the reasons we like working with him.

More tomorrow!

Getting closer

It appears groundbreaking will be the week of July 7, so we’re finally getting closer to our fantasy becoming a reality.

Since last week, Pete and the builder have met with more HVAC people and gotten one quote. Seeing the numbers was one of those GULP moments because I think most of us don’t know how much it costs. (Hint: Definitely more than I had thought.)

(A lot more.)

(I really had no clue.)

(I wasn’t even in the ballpark.)

Also in the past week:

We’ve chosen the tile for the two upstairs bathrooms. Mosaic postage stamp tiles in blues and lavenders for the girls’ bathroom and the same thing in mixed blues for us. Yes, the two pre-teen girls chose the colors for their bathroom. If you’ve got a problem with pastels, then plan to use the bathroom on the first floor.

We’ve made absolutely no progress whatsoever on choosing kitchen counters, other than to look at a lot of samples and sigh over how expensive they are. At this point, I’m thinking I want to wait on this choice for as long as possible and see how other expenses are shaking out first.

I priced closet organizers. To paraphrase Scarlett O’Hara, with God as my witness, I’ll never have unorganized shoes again. Don’t even get me started on the hall closet.

I also looked at mailboxes and posts and even house numbers. Seemingly trivial, but still important to me. Yes, I really am that picky.

Then again, I am so organized that I’m already thinking about where I’m going to hang art. I’ve even planned a bench and an auxiliary coat rack I’m going to build for the foyer. (I am pretty handy with tools and pretty much never need medical care afterward.)

So that’s what’s going on this week.

Decisions, decisions

This part of the construction process is seemingly quiet. There doesn’t appear to be much going on, as there’s nothing going on over at the construction site.

It’s too soon to get the construction permit from the city, but we still believe that we’ll break ground in a little over two weeks. The builder has also filed the application to have the meter hooked up for water and sewer as quickly as possible. There’s some urgency to this, as we just found out a couple of weeks ago that the fees will triple on July 1st — going from around $2,000 to $6,000.

In the meantime, Pete and the builder are meeting with different local companies to get bids on the HVAC system. The plumber and electrician are also on the list, although I believe the builder may already have taken care of those.

Now on to the fun stuff (for me) …

We have a lot of decisions to make about finishing details inside the house.  Cabinets, lights, paint colors, and so much more.  I have an opinion on pretty much everything, including the outlet and light switch covers.  We’ve been shopping and researching for months and have started to make some decisions.

First off, we finally chose our kitchen cabinets, which involved a lot of thought.  We’re going with birch cabinets that are very sleek, with no moldings or ornamentation of any kind. We’ll have an almost unbelievable amount of storage space in the kitchen, including an 8′ long peninsula and wall cabinets that will go all the way to the ceiling (9′ tall). Oh yeah, and the 5′ x 10′ pantry. Mustn’t forget to mention that little bit of Nirvana.

We’re still debating different counters, including Fireslate and a good quality laminate. Fireslate is a counter that is used in labs and is very durable. It looks like slate, but costs less. The laminate we’re looking at is a dark gray/almost black. It looks really good with our cabinets. The up side is that it’s a fraction of the cost of Fireslate. The down side is that we cannot get a piece of it large enough for the peninsula (3′ x 8′). We’ve thought about using laminate everywhere except the peninsula and then using Fireslate there, but I need to do a side-by-side comparison of how the two materials would look in the same room. Picky, I know, but for a project like this, we have to be.

We’ve also chosen almost all of the light fixtures. We’ve found most of the lights for the kitchen, including over the peninsula, but not over the table. We’ve also chosen lights for the foyer, living room, study, and children’s toy room (very fun!). We’re putting sleek chrome ceiling fans in the bedrooms.  What remains is some task lighting (pantry, laundry, etc.), sconces for the halls, and lights for two of the bathrooms. I know what I want and have good candidates for most places, but want to search a bit more before deciding.

We’re still working on paint colors but think that we have most of it decided. The exterior of the house will be grey and we’re thinking about cobalt blue for the front door. Inside, most of the rooms will be a creamy white. The girls are still planning their bedrooms but right now the older one is leaning toward lavender and the younger one prefers pale pink. Their bathroom and ours will be some shade of pale blue, but I’m waiting to pick out tile before I decide on the paint.

Ah yes, the bathrooms… We chose a sleek glossy red cabinet for the half bath on the first floor. Very sexy. Upstairs, the two bathrooms will have glossy white cabinets with glass and chrome doors. The hall bathroom will have some sort of mosaic glass tile for the tub surround, and I’ve ordered several samples. We’re leaning toward mixed blues, but just haven’t decided which ones yet.  We haven’t picked out tile for the master shower yet.  Well, that’s not true.  We picked out some but then got an estimate for the project and decided we’d look around at other options.  We might use the fun tiles for the floor of the shower and then basic white subway tiles for the walls.

So that’s where things stand for now.  We’ll post again when we have more to share.