10 Weeks

After 10 weeks, for all practical purposes, the house is done. Now, there are still some things that need to be taken care of, but the house is inhabitable. Over the past few days the septic system was completed. While I do have pictures of the process they're not very exciting. Versus these, which are very exciting in showing the giant dirt patch that is our front yard. This is the view of the leach field from the front porch. It's 150 feet long by 50 feet wide. The septic tank is buried behind that in the back yard.

The view from the road. Seriously- the leach field is huge. And the yard looks entirely too big. Thank goodness the boys are getting old enough to mow!

The bathrooms have been put together. I do, however, have to buy more light bulbs.

The closet guys finally came. This is the coat closet.

Inside the master bedroom closet. There are double shelves running along the long wall, with a single high shelf along both of the short walls.

This is the master bathroom linen closet. The one in the boys' hallway is also set up like this.

And the best shelving of all- the pantry. LOVE the pantry!

The water softener was installed today.

Like I said- ready. But not really. Over the weekend we went through the house with post-it notes to mark anything that needed to be corrected/fixed. We knew there was going to be touch-up work with the paint, so most of them are paint issues. However, (there's always a however) there is one kind of major issue.

Last Friday Kasey called to update us on what was going on. He told us he wasn't happy with the ceiling- if you really look at it you can see the seams in the drywall. The mud absorbed the water in the plaster faster than the drywall sheets so it's uneven. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. He discussed a few options to fix it and told us to check it out over the weekend as we were post-it-ing (Remember- my blog, my words.).

After really looking at the ceiling I could see what he was talking about. It's not obvious, but once I saw it it was all I noticed. In the smaller rooms you can't see it, but the lines are apparent with the longer stretches in the entry and kitchen/family room. There are a few things they're going to try, but it it comes down to it they'll scrape off all the plaster and start over. I'll keep you posted.

To end on a high note, here are some additional shots.

I did manage to get enough light bulbs for the outside lights. Also- the dirt was
backfilled at the front of the house. This was done before the open house, but I forgot to show you.

The post it note on the floor is where the outlet will be.

The kids have been having a ball. I've cut off the scooters, so they made 'carpet angels.'

I seem to have a lot of 'action' shots like this one. Kids.

Seeing the Light...

...at the end of the tunnel. This weekend we went through the house with a packet of post-it notes to mark spots that needed touching up. A friend walked through with me so I could have a fresh pair of eyes looking also. I'm sure the painters are going to love me!

I also figured out where the electricians are to put the floor outlet, and I finished up the lights. After seeing them all over Pinterest and the blogosphere I decided to paint a chandelier for the dining room. I found this at a garage sale for $10. The seller wanted $15, but I drive a hard bargain. This is our big brass lovely the day we bought it.

Today I finally had the time to break out the paint. Not the clever use of a shepherd's hook! And yes, that's a farm wagon in the background. There's a John Deere tractor behind that. One thing I'm really looking forward to at the new house is a farming implement-free yard. Anyway...

The boys "helped" me tape and paint.

I think I'll give it one more coat, maybe a matte protective coat. And then I need to work on the covers, which are pretty unique.

I've never seen ones that have the cap on the top and bottom.

Here's an interesting little fun fact: I found an identical painted chandelier on Etsy for $295. If any of you would like to pay me anywhere near that I'll come hang it in your house myself.

$295? People amaze me.

Great Way to End the Week

This was a fine day, indeed. The septic crew started yesterday, and really made headway today. If all goes well the septic system should be complete by the end of next week.

The floors are all in, and look great. The laundry room floor is going to hide dirt really well!

Laundry room

Loving the look in the family room!

The carpet in the boys' rooms, the master, the LR & DR.

The kitchen crown molding is up, as is the correct refrigerator cabinet. The pantry door was corrected to swing the right way, but the lumberyard didn't have the correct one in stock, so this one's a placeholder.

There's a very real possibility that the house will be complete by the end of next week. Now there's getting ready for the move. Going to be an interesting summer!

Floored!

Today was all about the flooring. So far so good!

When we picked it I was a little concerned it might be too dark, but I think it looks really good so far. The house really does get quite a bit of natural light, which helps. Okay, the pic on the right isn't light, but it was also with no flash.

We carried it all through the hallways, but went for a lighter look in the boys' bathroom. To be honest I have no idea what we picked for our bathroom or the laundry. I'm guessing that one's kind of dark to help hide whatever the boys drag in. Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow!


























In other news,no closets yet. But I finally got through to the septic installer! He was a day away from being replaced. They're supposed to be here either Friday or Monday. In theory the septic system will be in by the end of next week. Here's hoping!

I also wanted to talk about the pantry. Yes, it is hinged on the left side, so the door swings toward the kitchen instead of away, which would make more sense. I figured it was one of those things we overlooked during the planning, and it wouldn't be that big a deal. If it drove me crazy I'd just have B change it. He would be thrilled.

Anyway, I looked at our blueprints, and it shows door opening the correct way. So I texted Kasey, who said he'd look into it and get back to me. He checked the blueprints we signed off on, which were different than the prints we had. All I can figure is that when the final prints were drawn up that was switched. We did flip the floor plan, so I see how it could happen. When we did the final approval we missed it. But Kasey is going to fix it, even though we signed off on it. This is just another example of the outstanding customer service we've had with WH.

Prepping for Flooring

Checked in tonight, and found that the floors had been prepped. Maybe tomorrow we'll have some kind of flooring?

Apparently the finish carpenters were in, because the incorrect cabinet above the refrigerator was taken down.  Once that's replaced they'll add the crown molding around the cabinets.

No closets again today. The good thing is you can see that the insides were painted a nice ivory color. At some point I'm going to paint the coat closet green, but this will do nicely for all the others.

I touched up the one spot I missed in the laundry room. If the photo above were a little closer you'd see it at the bottom of the short wall. I also cleaned off the island. By cleaning I mean I put all of the manuals and extra screws, etc. in one of the island drawers. That totally counts. The extra lights are in the van, waiting to be returned. And, as promised, the under cabinet lights we used are these.

Seeing Green

Well, the closet guy didn't show, but the electricians did. I under bought light bulbs and over bought the under cabinet lights, but everything got installed. Just so you don't make the same mistake I did, these are Xenon, which our electrician recommended. I had such a hard time finding lights that could be hardwired, not plugged in. These particular lights, found at Lowe's, could go either way, which is a good thing as I have one little sections between the fridge & pantry I thought wouldn't need light. If I change my mind I'll just buy one to plug in. All of the packaging is at the house so I'm not sure of the brand, but I'll add a link soon.

These are very low profile, so they can't be seen.

We added an outlet to the end of the island, which will make it a lot more functional. I need to do something about that bright white cover, though. Please excuse the mess on the island. Those are my lighting leftovers. You can also see the underlayment all over the floor. Maybe this means flooring is next?

At some point the plumbers were in, because the kitchen faucet was installed. I lucked into this ORB model on clearance at Menards for around $50. I'm keeping an eye out for bathroom faucets so I can eventually replace those with ORB also.

And now, the moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for...the green laundry room!

The view from inside the powder room.

The view standing at the garage door.

Just in case you're wondering, that is indeed a chandelier. I'm hoping a chandelier will add a touch of glamour to doing laundry.

A note about the painting: It was a complete pain. 9 foot ceilings are a great idea until you need to paint those tall walls. And, in true procrastinator fashion, I didn't start until the boys went to bed (they wanted to "help") which was around 9. It took long enough that I had no desire to touch the closets. B will be happy about that.

Honestly, the whole process wasn't that bad, but made me glad I had our painters tackle the rest of the house. I had shoulder surgery a year ago and it never occurred to me that all that rolling and brushing might not be the best idea. This morning I could barely move my arm. As a result I'll find someone to paint the boys' bathroom. The good news is that I really like the green. Since the room doesn't have a window I wanted something bright and cheery. Check and check.

Let there be lights!

Disclaimer: It's late and I just finished painting the first coat in the laundry room. Am extremely tired, so this may not make much sense. You've been warned. =0)

The painters were supposed to be at the house M-W, but finished up T, so I wasn't expecting much of anything Wednesday. I figured I'd have plenty of time to paint the laundry room and possibly the boys' bathroom. Neither of those things happened. I got a call bright and early from B that the electricians were at the house and needed the light fixtures, which we had stashed in our garage, mudroom, and even in the back of one of our cars. There were a lot of boxes. So I made a mad dash to load them all up, drive them down, unload and explain what went where.

In the quest for under-cabinet lighting I had asked two different Menards employees what I should get. They told me different things, so I bought two complete sets of lighting. According to my electrician neither was correct, so off to Menards I went. Then Lowes, who actually had what I needed. By the time I got back in the afternoon the electricians had the fans and all of the lighting that I had ready installed. Whatever I don't have by Friday B can install. It pays to have a handy husband!

These are the island lights. I think I told you before that I found these at Lowes for $9. It was a ridiculous clearance deal. I have the coordinating chandelier ($14)  ready for the dinette when we figure out where we want it.

These are the outside lights. They're seeded glass. Not too traditional, but I really like them.

At some point the HVAC guys were there, because the AC was installed. We really need to figure out the drainage from the dehumidifier.

It's obviously working.

I really want to find a way to use the water for our(future) garden. Maybe run a hose to a rain barrel? Need to investigate. If you have any ideas I'd like to hear them!

Tomorrow the electricians are back to finish things up and the closet guy is coming to install the shelves. And I'll also show you the laundry, which is now Lime Sorbet. Bet you can't wait!

3-0

When the boys got home we walked down to see what had been done today. And I'm very pleased (and relieved) to tell you we are 3 for 3 with paint! WOOHOO!

Even though this is a lowly cell phone pic, it shows all three colors and that sharp white trim. I know this will shock you, but I LOVE IT! It's a great shade- blue with a touch of slate, so it's not too sweet.

As soon as I get batteries for my camera I'll take some better pics, including how the counter tops look against the blue.

The banister is done, and looks great.

One of the only rooms left to paint is the boys' bathroom, which will coordinate with their shower curtain. They wanted a camo bathroom, but I just couldn't do it. They then suggested hunting, which I also nixed. So we compromised with fishing. Cute fishing.

Besides being adorable, the shower curtain also works because I'm going to use that lime green in the laundry room, which is the other room left. I also think I'm going to paint the closets like this one. But no pink. Lime green. Awesome. Or blinding. Possibly both.

And don't tell B, but at some point he's going to come home and see a little something like this:

Someday.