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!"