I'm sure you thought you would never see another post since I haven't done any updates for four months, but I was reminded by Lawrence this evening that I need to let everyone know where we're at now, so here we go!
I'm happy to say that we are very close to completion on the inside of the house. There has been a flurry of activity, as well as a flurry of money going out for some big stuff. We now have all the new appliances purchased, delivered and installed in the kitchen. All stainless steel appliances include a big refrigerator, a huge gas stove with 4 big burners and a center elongated burner for a griddle in the middle, and a self-cleaning oven that also has convection. The dishwasher is in and very close to the large stainless steel sink with garbage disposal. The new tile supports all new solid wood cabinets, and the upper cabinets support a large microwave oven. The only thing missing are the countertops, which have been purchased and ordered and will be installed in about four weeks. The countertops are quartz from Spain and are being custom cut for us. The kitchen was repainted from blue to a pale yellow, the cabinets are oak, so they are fairly light in color, and of course the stainless appliances, so we decided to go chocolate brown on the countertops to even out the light and dark. I think it's going to look spectacular when it's all done.
When we bought the house, there was an small elevated wall behind the sink inside the opening leading into the living room. It was about eight inches tall, but not anymore. We decided to lower that wall so the countertops would extend out behind the sink towards the living room at the same level, and once past the opening they will have a curve. Perfect for setting up a buffet line or for eating at with stools. Lawrence cut out the wall and had to redirect plumbing and electrical to make it all work. He also installed a support system for the countertops with heavy lumber and braces. You could dance on the countertops and they won't budge....that's how robust the supports are!
All the tile is done in the laundry room, kitchen, both bathrooms, and the entryway. The only remaining tile work needed is the breakfast nook and a small patch that will be under the entertainment center along the huge living room wall. I decided on that because I don't like the entertainment center to be unstable sitting on carpet and padding. I want a firm base, and we'll have it.
Due to a hail storm that came through Houston a few weeks ago, we got a new roof! We needed one since the day we bought the house, and insurance paid for the whole thing, which I like. As is usual with everything we are doing to the house, it looks unlike anything the neighbors have. It's hard to explain the shingle pattern, but it's not just one color. There is a mix of light and dark, and it really pops. We also now have ridge vents to release hot air from the attic, and all new gutters. Lawrence installed two large rain barrels to collect rain from the gutter system, and he uses that water to take care of all the plants and trees we now have in the yard, which saves my water bill. Sadly, the hail also damaged the dogwood tree Lawrence planted in the front yard and it died. We're looking for a hearty replacement now.
Along with the kitchen cabinets, we also ordered vanities for the two bathrooms. The kitchen cabinets were in flat boxes and had to be assembled, but the bathroom vanities were one piece and complete, including granite tops with sinks, and they were very heavy. It took a forklift to get them into the back of the truck, and 3-4 grown men to get them off the truck and into the house. I have to say they are quite beautiful, and are not just cabinets, but actual pieces of fine furniture. Hand carved solid wood on sturdy legs, beautiful tops and sinks, and will look amazing when we install the new hardware on the sinks. In the guest bathroom we had to open up the wall to redirect all the plumbing for the sinks and to fit into the new vanity limited openings in the back. That set us back a couple of weeks. As with any large project, there are going to be delays, and we certainly have had our share.
So, here's what we still have to do to get moved in (not in exact order):
- Finish the tile in the breakfast nook
- Install plumbing to vanities in both bathrooms
- Install plumbing to dishwasher and sink in the kitchen
- Install hardware on both vanities
- Install hardware on both bathtubs
- Refinish both bathtubs to look new again
- Wait for countertops to be installed
- Make and install new shelving in the kitchen pantry
- Order and install all new carpet throughout the house
- Finish some base trim work
- Buy and install a new LED television in the living room (65" minimum)
- Start decorating walls and looking at new furniture for all the rooms
Later down the line I want to start installing my voice-over booth in the closet that is in the fourth bedroom, but will actually be our office. Also, sometime later this year when the weather cools off, I want to install a Bose ceiling speaker system in the living room (5 speakers), and an extra center-channel speaker in the kitchen so I can hear dialogue from the TV while I'm cooking.
Way down the line, we have had discussions of installing double-pane insulated windows all around, as well as a natural gas fed, whole-house backup generator system. We will also aggressively start work on the front and back yards once we get moved in.
I mentioned the house is a four bedroom house. There is the master bedroom, which is painted dark blue with white trim. Guest room #1, which is dark green with white trim, Guest room #2, which is dark red with white trim, and will possibly be turned into our photo studio for doing professional head shots and family portraits, and the fourth room which is our office and eventual voice studio. The office will have two desks and all the computers, printers, hard drives, large format photo printer, and everything else the modern home office would have.
The only deadline we are really under at this point is mid-October when Lawrence's parents come for a visit from Minnesota. We will definitely be in the house by then.
We look forward to having all our friends and family over to see what has taken us over a year and a half to complete, but even more forward to our new neighbors seeing the house for the first time. They have seen us go in and out all hours of the day and night, hearing saws cutting in the garage, hammering from inside the house, and probably wonder what has taken so long. They are about to find out, and I think we'll hear lots of "Holy Crap!!!" It will all be worth it at that moment.
Hopefully our next entry will announce that we have moved in and what it took do get that done. I'm sure it will be interesting.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
One Year Ago Today......
It's hard to believe, but one year ago today, on Valentine's Day of 2012, we closed on the new house and it became ours, and we haven't spent a night in it yet.
Also hard to believe is that we are still working on it a year later, and we still have a lot to do. Don't get me wrong...we have done a lot, but there is more to go. All the walls are textured and painted, all of the crown molding is in, most of the base molding is in, we just installed all new blinds in all the rooms, which really makes the place look great, and many other items completed. The main areas of concern right now are tile on the floors, then finish the baseboards, then carpet, as well as all the cabinets in the kitchen and both bathrooms, and new counter tops.
The only new appliance we have purchased, other then the washer and dryer when we first got the house, is a new microwave. We're still using the refrigerator that came with the house, but that will be replaced sometime in the future.
We had plans for Lawrence's parents flying down from Minnesota in June to see the house and vacation around Texas for a week, but we are holding off until maybe October. There's just too much to do, and we didn't want that close deadline looming over us.
As usual, Lawrence is doing all the work, and I help when I can. I commented the other day that he seems to get so much more done when I'm not there so he doesn't have to babysit me. When I am at work he sends me updates throughout the day as to what he has finished, and it amazes me what he can do by himself. I just slow him down. I think he's good with the arrangement.
Back to the tile and carpet for a second. We have decided it would be best if we hired someone to do the tile work instead of us. We have participated in demonstrations at Home Depot on how to lay tile, mix the mortar, do the grouting, etc. and in fact we have purchased a bunch of tile and everything to go with it, even a tile saw! The only thing we are missing is the hands-on knowledge and willingness to take that first step. Once the tile is down, it's down. There's no going back, and that's intimidating as hell. I'm currently getting bids for the work. I figured we saved so much money doing the work ourselves for a year, we can spend some of it to have the tile done right. We planned all along to have someone else do the carpet. We didn't even discuss doing it ourselves. We pulled up and threw out all of the old carpet a long time ago, so it's all concrete floors under our feet. We're so used to it now, it's gonna be weird to feel carpet under our feet one day.
On the funny side....we installed a huge heavy-duty wall mount system to hold our future new monstrous LED TV that will be mounted on the living room wall. We're thinking something between 65-80 inches of pure television bliss. In the meantime, we mounted a very small TV that's about 24 inches or so, and it looks like a postage stamp on that huge wall. It doesn't even cover the wall mount! It does the trick for now.
Once the inside is done, whenever that will be, Lawrence will start on the outside. I'm getting the feeling that our backyard is going to look something like an English castle garden. Trees, flowers, shrubs, birdbaths, bird feeders, bees everywhere, and Lawrence is talking about digging a small pond in the backyard with fish in it!
I guess I'll be in the poor house a while longer, but it's all worth it. It makes him happy.
Also hard to believe is that we are still working on it a year later, and we still have a lot to do. Don't get me wrong...we have done a lot, but there is more to go. All the walls are textured and painted, all of the crown molding is in, most of the base molding is in, we just installed all new blinds in all the rooms, which really makes the place look great, and many other items completed. The main areas of concern right now are tile on the floors, then finish the baseboards, then carpet, as well as all the cabinets in the kitchen and both bathrooms, and new counter tops.
The only new appliance we have purchased, other then the washer and dryer when we first got the house, is a new microwave. We're still using the refrigerator that came with the house, but that will be replaced sometime in the future.
We had plans for Lawrence's parents flying down from Minnesota in June to see the house and vacation around Texas for a week, but we are holding off until maybe October. There's just too much to do, and we didn't want that close deadline looming over us.
As usual, Lawrence is doing all the work, and I help when I can. I commented the other day that he seems to get so much more done when I'm not there so he doesn't have to babysit me. When I am at work he sends me updates throughout the day as to what he has finished, and it amazes me what he can do by himself. I just slow him down. I think he's good with the arrangement.
Back to the tile and carpet for a second. We have decided it would be best if we hired someone to do the tile work instead of us. We have participated in demonstrations at Home Depot on how to lay tile, mix the mortar, do the grouting, etc. and in fact we have purchased a bunch of tile and everything to go with it, even a tile saw! The only thing we are missing is the hands-on knowledge and willingness to take that first step. Once the tile is down, it's down. There's no going back, and that's intimidating as hell. I'm currently getting bids for the work. I figured we saved so much money doing the work ourselves for a year, we can spend some of it to have the tile done right. We planned all along to have someone else do the carpet. We didn't even discuss doing it ourselves. We pulled up and threw out all of the old carpet a long time ago, so it's all concrete floors under our feet. We're so used to it now, it's gonna be weird to feel carpet under our feet one day.
On the funny side....we installed a huge heavy-duty wall mount system to hold our future new monstrous LED TV that will be mounted on the living room wall. We're thinking something between 65-80 inches of pure television bliss. In the meantime, we mounted a very small TV that's about 24 inches or so, and it looks like a postage stamp on that huge wall. It doesn't even cover the wall mount! It does the trick for now.
Once the inside is done, whenever that will be, Lawrence will start on the outside. I'm getting the feeling that our backyard is going to look something like an English castle garden. Trees, flowers, shrubs, birdbaths, bird feeders, bees everywhere, and Lawrence is talking about digging a small pond in the backyard with fish in it!
I guess I'll be in the poor house a while longer, but it's all worth it. It makes him happy.
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