Days 87-92 - Like watching paint dry

Oh, we're so close ... it's right there, within view ... but yet, we ... aren't .... there .... yet. It's so close that for the first time in this project, I feel like I'm waiting. For this whole time, since the project started in late June, I never really felt that impatient. Everything was "ongoing" and I didn't get too caught up in wondering when it would be done. But now, I know what has to be finished, and it isn't all that much - so it's just the waiting and watching. Like watching paint dry.

Which is appropriate, since this last week has been filled with a lot of ... painting. Painting is not easy to live through - they're everywhere, prepping, sanding, painting ceilings, trim, then finally the walls. I know I already mentioned this, but our living space is still getting smaller (didn't think it was possible!) before it gets bigger. For this past week, the kids have been back in their bedroom, but Tim and I have been camping out in the basement. Wish I thought it was as "fun" as the kids did the week before!

When I last wrote, we were out of the house for the weekend while they finished the wood floors on the first floor. Well, we returned home Monday morning and caught a glimpse of the gleaming finish just as they were laying down the red rosin paper.

Lusvi covering newly finished old floor in living room

New floor in office/guest bedroom

All under wraps

And on Tuesday, there was another big milestone:

Now you see it ...

Now you don't!

This is sort of like one of those "What's the difference" pictures in magazines - everyone notice the storage container in the driveway is GONE?! We were able to move all of our stuff into the garage and have that lovely hunk of metal hauled away - gotta get to this driveway before the ground freezes.

Also accomplished this week - LOTS of plumbing hookups and electrical connections. We've got working sinks upstairs and flushing toilets. We've got HEAT (phew, just in time - temps have dipped into 30s!). We've got lights! Here are a few examples:

Overhead drum pendant in master bedroom

Ceiling fan/light in Carys' room

But back to that painting. I do have a few shots of our freshly painted bedroom ...

Benjamin Moore "Pale Oak" in bedroom - all dressed up with some lighting and a new door. Oh, and check out the w/d in their new home on 2nd floor!

In the spotlight ...

Here we are at night:

Days 84-86 - Floored

Our adventures in flooring continue ... the kids spent the rest of the week "camping" in the basement. Carys loves it and thinks it's the greatest thing. The new floors on the second floor were done and cured by Thursday morning - so nice and shiny!! We all snuck up to look at them before they put down the red rosin paper to protect the floors while they finish the painting and plumbing and electrical work.

Meanwhile, the guys continued to work on installing the wood flooring on the first floor. They blended it all in where the wall used to divide the living room from the old first floor bedroom - this area is now part living room, part hallway.

Ready for sanding and coating

Tim and I had our same "bedroom" in the dining room up until Saturday morning, when we had to clear out of there so they could sand the dining room floors along with the other first floor rooms on Saturday. Oh, that was fun - packing that up. We had left the hutch and sideboard alone during the project, with all those highly breakable glassware and dishes inside. But now it had to get carefully packed and/or relocated. After a late Friday night and an early Saturday morning - plus some extra muscle from Carlos and Lusvi to move furniture - the place was ready to go for first floor finishing.

Won't be cooking this weekend!

Also on Saturday morning, the granite guys showed up to install the granite counter top for the vanity. Very exciting! Been so curious to see this come in!

One sink in, one to go ...

By noon on Saturday, we skipped on out of there - time to escape the smell of the polyurethane and the logistical issues of not being able to actually walk to any of the bathrooms or fit in the kitchen, not to mention not having a great spot to sleep. Ah, the little things. So, another getaway - this time to the Hamptons (er ... ah ... the Hampton Inn, that is). Nice comfy spot to watch the Red Sox beat the Tigers in Game 6 to win the American League Championship! And guess who is a proud member of the "I stayed up for the whole thing" club??

"Take a picture of the bags under my eyes, Mom!"

Days 81-83 - On the floor

As we inch closer to the finish line, I have to admit that tonight, I feel further away than ever. It's all about perception, and even though everything is built and sealed up and filled in - we have temporarily lost some of the little bit of house we've been clinging to during construction. What's happening is the floors are being done, which means that wherever there are wood floors, we can't be there. Bob's doing the finishing in two phases, so we only have to be out of the house for a few days - he was actually able to do it in a way that we wouldn't have to leave at all, but I decided it would be better to get our physical selves out of this house (and try to preserve what is left of our sanity!).

So tonight, the kids - evicted from their bedroom upstairs - are camping out in the basement. They look pretty cozy, though - kids are the best at turning inconveniences into adventures! Nice of them to remind me of this ...

Some glimpses of the work on the floors:

Sanding machine ready to go in front bedroom

Guys "feathering in" new wood flooring to blend with old in living room

And, while all this is going on inside, looks like some blades of grass are sprouting out back!

Thanks for watering every day, Tim!

Days 75-80 - Taking out the trash

This was a momentous week in the project - the dumpster is gone!

Picking up the last load

That thing has decorated our front yard since June - so nice to see it gone. The guys immediately went to work cleaning up the site, moving out any tools and materials that would no longer be needed. This is a huge step - as you can see from the changes in the front of the house over last week. Between the clean up and finishing the last bits of siding by the garage and mudroom entrance, it no longer looks like a construction site!

Here's the house on Monday

And here it is on Wednesday - all cleaned up!

Starting on Friday, Byron and Ervin were here to start laying down wood flooring upstairs. I love seeing the floors go in - now, it is really looking like a home. The smell of the wood permeates the house, in a good way.

And, all week long, Carlos, Leo and Lusvi continued painting - the colors are going on, and so far so good. As I mentioned, I spent many days stressing over paint color selection, so I've been anxiously awaiting the reality of seeing those colors on the walls.

Pink Cadillac for a pink-loving girl

Days 66-68 - Lay it down

Time to tile! A bit of a challenge coming up with our tile choices - we wanted to try to stay within our tile allowance, by balancing out a slightly more expensive tile in the bathroom with a slightly less expensive tile in the mudroom. Would have worked, too, except that the bathroom square footage (especially when you add the shower walls and ceiling) come to more than the mudroom. Ah well, we came close!

Lusvi and Carlos and Leo are laying down the tile. Last week, they put down the Durock (the cement board that goes underneath the tile), and started on the laundry closet, shower and bathroom floor.

Laundry closet on 2nd floor

Durock in bathroom

"Stacked" 12 x 24 tiles in shower - with corner bench 

Lusvi finishing up bathroom floor 

While Lusvi was tiling on Saturday, Byron and Ervin were working as well - putting in trim and doors on second floor.

Closet in Carys' room

Love the shadows from the big window

Starting to look like a real house!

Days 63-67 - Sideways

OK, so what's with the long breaks between blog posts lately? I know, I know. Let me just say that last week was totally consumed by paint color selection. This is embarrassingly ridiculous. I have not sweat many of the bigger decisions of this project - and yet, I was completely stressed out by trying to choose interior paint colors. I just don't trust that I have any skills in this area - and even though paint color can always be changed, let's be realistic here. After going through all this work this summer, do we really think I am going to impulsively repaint any of these rooms? Nope.

The good news is ... a) we have finalized our paint colors, and b) we are at the point in this project when they are painting the walls! That is awesome - we appear to be getting really close to wrapping this thing up! But I digress. More on paint and painting later.

Last week, Byron and the guys put the Hardie siding on the kitchen side of the house. This was the second of two "old sides" (the part of the house that did not get renovated). They replaced the trim around the windows, added trim around the corners of the house, and started rebuilding the deck/stairs off the kitchen door.

Hi Byron!

Outside view

Siding is up

Steps in progress

And another shot of the back, showing the completed soffit and siding, tying in the old roof line with the new roof line - well done, guys!

Days 60-62 - On the side

While the plaster is drying inside, Bob's guys have been busy outside the house. Byron and Ervin finished stripping the old shingles off the remaining two sides of the house, and they demoed the old deck and stairs by the kitchen door.

Back, stripped down

Hello, Byron! Replacing the window sill ...

Halfway there

Done!

Here's the before shot of the side:

Watch those steps

No sweat for Byron!

And here they are in the front yard? (on the way to the dumpster!)

Byron and Ervin stripping the shingles

Now this side is ready for the Hardie plank

Meanwhile, they've also been painting all the trim on the exterior, which often means balancing at the top of a very tall ladder while holding a paint brush in one hand ....

Help! No fear of heights here!