Moving On

We may pick up the posts again at a latter date. Perhaps when we put in more landscaping or make major improvements to the place. There is still much being done here and much to do, but for now we've turned our attentions to other things, other than this blog.

We love it here. We have a hard time leaving for any length of time, even to go grocery shopping. When I woke up in my bed here for the first time, after visualizing the master bedroom, and watching it being built, I felt as if I was home from the very first morning. It is exactly what we wanted. We've been here over 6 months and I'd have a hard time describing anything we would have changed.

This house is the home office of Double Dog Publishing where we create websites for small business, Melinda paints and illustrates and I try to stay out of trouble.

Thank you.

Almost there

We're getting closer to being settled in. A couple more years and we'll be there. I hope. But for now, here's where we stand with still more to unpack and figure out what to do with it all.

The gallery/entry/living room. I hang my most recent paintings there.


















The office. My computer. Bryan's computer. My mobile studio.


















Guest bedroom. If you stay the night, you'll sleep here.


















The wood stove is supposed to heat the whole house.


















The great room as it stands now. Still lots to put away or throw out.


















Looking out onto the back porch and towards the great room.


















Dining room.


















The kitchen.

Cardboard Canyon

Everything is moved over. Well a few things are still at my mother's house but I'll get those in the next week or two. So what we have is a cardboard canyon of boxes. We've knocked out a bunch so far and probably finish emptying them this week. Then we move on to terracing around the house.

Here's how the master bedroom is shaping up. Still more to do in there but at this point it's comfortable.



The master bath is close to being final. The curtains will change and some art will go on the walls. Soon enough.

Finis!

We're finished. Enough to close. There are a million more things we intend to do - some short term, some long term. Next will be terracing and landscaping. Then tiling the porches.


Here are 2 of the finished bathrooms.


Two rockers on the west porch. Bo is watching for deer. He would like to run with them.

Move-in draws near

Over the weekend the woodstove went in, the A/C was completed, the exterior painting was finished. The front door is in and the fridge was delivered, though not installed yet.


Bryan's favorite - the cooktop and vent hood - are installed. You can see the countertop that was also installed on Saturday.


Still to do is staining the cabinets, finish up tiling and baseboards.

Home stretch

We've had one toilet for almost a week. A second one is now in. We have one functional sink. (I wish the plumber would stick with it longer when he comes out but he does a little and leaves.)



The first laminate floor is in. Why laminate instead of wood? Bo. Laminate will take abuse that wood will not.



The oven is in and functional. We heated a frozen dinner the other night.



I bit the bullet and hired a painter to finish the outside. He's making great progress and it's a load off us.

More staining in my future

The cabinets are in. The doors will be here in 2 weeks. I have a ton more staining to do. The kitchen has filled up.




The tiling is almost complete. Now we tile the kitchen and utility room.

More tile, some stain

Bryan is tiling every day. We're working towards finishing up room by room, starting with the entry.
Below is the gallery, looking towards the front door.


The master bath floor is close to completion. It must be finished before we can move the tub in place.

I stained the first cabinet last night.

!LIGHTS!

The electricians have been at it for the last 2 days and we now have lights.

Front porch

Looking in to kitchen

Entry/gallery

More progress...

The septic tank went in yesterday. We were fortunate that the installers wanted to circle their equipment around the back and come out the other side of the house, which meant some trees would have to come down to make a small driveway to the back.



We brought home half the cabinets today.

Window trim has started.

Cabinets

We're closer to getting cabinets. We got first glance at them this past weekend. We will pick up the upper ones this weekend and start to stain.

the islandcabinets are stacked 2 high and 2 deep in the work room

Bo still loves it

And now for the doors and trim ...

Bryan and his dad have started installing doors and trim. I think it will take them just 2 days. Then I get to prime and paint the doors and trim. Hooray.

Also here's a shot of the table and chairs we bought. Seating for 8 when the table is opened up.

Working on trim

I started back on the exterior paint today, focussing on the trim. In this photo, you can see what the trim will look like, bearing in mind that only the window and door trim is painted.



Also we've been getting afternoon visits from a starving Australian Shepherd that recently had puppies. The neighbors don't know her. I think she wants to adopt us. UPDATE: We were duped by a dog. The Aussie has a home around the corner. She is employed as an outdoor watchdog. I guess she got bored and hungry.

Tada!

We finished painting the inside today. Tomorrow we will do touchup as the light changes and spots become noticeable. Then floor prep starts with occasional jabs at painting the outside.

Stephen has been working on clearing up the construction debris and is almost done. Here's his latest burn pile.

May the paint roll fast

One week and 27 gallons (yes, 27 gallons!) later, we have begun to paint. We're probably close to half done, thanks to the friends who helped this weekend. We won't be applying as much paint as primer, but it will be close. Every room is needing just a little more than a gallon. And the master bedroom is about a 4' square short of taking 2 gallons. I will buy a third later this week.

Top to bottom: entry, guest room, master bath, master bed, office.