Happy Holidays!

The front door is here and in the garage. Should be installed in the near future - weather needs to cooperate to make this happen. All is well. We still haven't forgotten the "reveal" - but, heck, we've been so busy! It's still on our radar and we'll have something before the end of 2011! :)

The Dust Bowl Endeth

We experienced our own dust bowl this year. With the back yard used for a construction staging and work area, the inevitable dust bowl came into being. Keeping the house and dogs clean became impossible. So, we were thrilled when we could finally re-sod the back yard and say goodbye to dirt.




The first thing we did after the sod was laid was to clean all rugs and floors. Normally, this kind of cleaning is drudgery - but this time it was joyous! Cleaning meant we have the house back to ourselves - life can ease back into the normal. Praise jesus!


No. We're not all done - but we're pretty darn close. The new front door still has to arrive and be installed...and the porch floor needs a final coat of paint...and we've added another item....an awning over the porch door...as matter of fact, Mr. Contractor was here today checking out the new back yard. It sounds like he'll punch these items out at one time.

We (Mir and I) still have some painting to do in the hallway. We hope to get it done before the end of the year but we're running out of weekends.

Time flies.

What light through yonder window breaks...could it be the light at the end of the tunnel?

Well, the deck is complete. Humans and dogs both love it. The porch floor is scheduled for final paint tomorrow. We're doing a test area first and if successful, the rest will be painted.

And that's about it folks. We won't have our new front door until probably the end of November or thereabout.

Can the final reveal be far off? Stay tuned.

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...

Friends, once again it has been a very busy and tiring last few weeks. As you can see from the image above, we cleared out our storage unit at the end of August. That meant many boxes were carried and many hours of unpacking. We are down to two boxes that need to be emptied and the inside of the house is almost back to normal. We still have the hallway to paint - but all in good time... all in good time.


Here is Sydney doing her usual QA - inspecting the wood that will be used to build our deck.


...and here is the deck in progress.


Looking good - still have railing and benches to install. Also, it will get dressed up a bit with shingle siding. Gonna be beautiful. With the new deck, the dogs are now really learning how to use the doggie door. Peanut is the expert. Boxer and Sydney are learning...a bit more slowly but we're confident that after another week or so they should be able to exit and enter at will.


To show you that we really are approaching the end of the odyssey - the lattice is now being built and installed.


There aren't enough words to express how happy we are with the final result. Phil's design plans were excellent and Mercer's (aka Mr. Contractor) execution and attention to detail has been tremendous. Doug's wood work and Adam's tiling have been top notch. We are getting just about everything we wanted. Make no mistake about it though, we are also much poorer than we've been in a long while. But this too shall pass.

Life is good.

Trimmed Out and Ready to Go...

The hallway door is trimmed and ready for prep and paint. Friends, we LOVE this door. Stress levels for both humans and doggies has dropped significantly now that we are able to implement our "two-door" rule between the female canines.


What's with the trailer, you say? Well, friends remember that one little item we spoke about eons ago - and even provided a custom drawing for?


It's time to start building that deck! We're so excited, we just can't hide it. We're about to lose control and....well, you know the rest of the words.

We're So Glad We Had This Time Together....

It's been a while, dear readers. Life is still hectic but we wanted to get something posted before you began to think that we've fallen off the face of the earth.

We've got new door knobs for the exterior rear doors and the laundry closet. The lock for the front door is yet to be decided on. We'll wait until the new front door is installed. Yes, friends, we still have a little ways to go with this remodel...more like fine tuning...but the big reno work is done.

This is a new door way as it appeared when it was first framed. And below is the hallway wall - you can see the plaster cracks and such. Note to would be painters: This is what happens when you have latex paint on top of a layer of oil based paint. It won't stick without applying primer (painting 101). Not to belie the point, but you can chalk this one up to the previous contractor.

Now the door is up and the hall has been re-plastered. It's very nice - just needs some paint and we're in business. The hall door is scheduled to be trimmed this week. There will be a transom above the door to allow for air flow. Why the hall door? Security. So, the two *itches can't get to each other. Our blood pressures have already dropped with the installation of this door.

The new bedroom is lovely. We still need to hang blinds and artwork - soon, real soon. Our shower door should arrive sometime within the next 10 days or so. We've also ordered some towel holders. Once all is here and installed we'll be ready for the reveal - so stay tuned.

Slowly, our stuff is coming back from storage. Hope to make a run this evening to pick up a few more things. It was a delight to finally have our dining table back in the house.

Our new porch and it's bug free zone has been a pleasure. It's a wonderful space. We've been enjoying most of our meals there.

We'll post more pictures when the door is finally trimmed. Thanks for stopping by - so long(ear tug).

Doorknobs Are Here!

The image got a little skewed but you can still see the beauty!

It's been an exciting day as our doorknobs arrived and installation began. We've chosen glass for rooms and porcelain for closets. It's amazing how a doorknob can change the ambience of a room.

The master bath is not yet ready for a reveal. We  just ordered the towel holders and what not yesterday. Sorry about the delay. But it'll be worth it - trust us!

Moving Right Along...

The porch floor is completely installed. Painting to begin end of week. Waiting on hardware (aka doorknobs!) for doors. Should be here at "end of week".

It could be a difficult weekend. Once the porch floor is painted we should leave it be for a week. The dogs and, particularly, their nails, shouldn't touch it. We'll try to be compliant but it ain't gonna be easy.

Screening in Progress

The screen is being installed as this is posted. One small panel left to do. Booya!

We're Baaaack!

Dear readers, what a month! We're slipping back into what we hope resembles a routine. Here's an update of what transpired while we were on hiatus:

- the hardwood floors are finished...and they look fantastic.
- the bathroom tiles are all in (floor and shower) and it turned out just as we had envisioned it.
- new door to the porch from the dinning room is in and all trimmed...again, fantastic!
- the porch is painted, bead board is up, all trim is in and the craftsmanship is spot on!
- also, the fan is up and the screens are scheduled to be installed very soon. Yippee!

Enough with the words just view the pictures:

The floor in the foyer, so what do you think...pretty nice, eh? Can't hardly tell this used to be the bedroom floor and the place where the old meets new is now level (or at least more level than before). Now, picture this for a front door...a custom wood door - in the craftsman style - with sidelights...ahhhh....


Oh yeah, forgot to mention, the wayward sink finally arrived! It's been installed and working. There are a couple of things left to finish up in the bathroom but it is very close to completion...but I digress. Oh sorry, no pictures of the bathroom, yet...if Mr. Contractor sticks to my timetable (of course, he may have his own), we will be showing you these pictures soon, maybe even as early as next week. So, please stay tuned.


The porch painted, the fan installed....just need the screens and the screen door and we are good to go!

...And when we say it's been quite a month - we mean it. We got back from vacation rested and relaxed. So rested, in fact, that we both got the bright idea to slap some paint in the den and the big dog room...it's not a big job, right?...rooms are small and it's SO rare to have these rooms sans furniture and dogs - so, we took advantage of the opportunity to give the rooms a much needed face lift. Now, we are both dog-tired but the rooms look great. Nothing like a coat of paint to make things look clean and fresh. We even got a compliment (and some pointers) from Mr. Contractor.




We've said this before but the final reveal is getting oh so much closer.

If you can't stand the heat...then get out of dodge...

It's been a hectic week. We're just now beginning to catch our breath. The week started with Doug pulling up the red oak in the foyer area and repairing the rotted wood.

The plan was to take the orginal pine flooring pulled up from our bedroom and install it in the foyer. Check...plan now executed. The very light wood you see is where we didn't have enough of the heart pine. Once it's sanded and finished it should blend in seamlessly.

We've spent the better part of the last several weeks moving items to storage, donating them to charity or sending those items beyond repair to the dump. This past weekend was particularly trying as our air conditioner broke. That's right folks - no cool air. The temperature in the house rose to 88 degrees. Yes, I even took a picture of the thermostat - should you need proof. Since all the floors are now being worked on, we have had to vacate the house. We've never liked leaving our little home but we we've never had it that uncomfortably hot! We placed Boxer and Sydney at the Bed 'N Biscuit on Saturday and headed to St. Augustine with Peanut in tow on Sunday.

Here's what the house looks like naked. Almost seems kind of spacious with all the furniture gone. Will we do this again? No. Not in my lifetime.

We are staying safe and cool in St. Augustine. Some friends have graciously allowed us to borrow their "beach" home for the week. We are forever grateful and are enjoying ourselves and having a very lovely time.

And the air conditioner? Mr. Contractor has arranged for it to be repaired. Thank you, sir! (I can hear him say "better put a Mer in front of that")

So, we we are on holiday and so is the blogging. We are here to relax and enjoy this beautiful coast.

Ciao.

"Patience, Grasshopper." - Kung Fu Master

"Patience, grasshopper." This has been our mantra these last few weeks as work continues. It does seem to move at a snail's pace - but then we are into the nitty gritty detail work that cannot be rushed.

"Do you girls realize that the tile you selected is irregularly shaped?", said Mr. Contractor. "It's gonna make the install more difficult." "Yes, Mr. Contractor, we know - that's part of it's beauty." "Just wanted to make sure..." Mr. Contractor is a stickler on the details.

The prep work done by Mr. Contractor and Adam on the shower walls was intriguing and methodical...a lot of leveling, mudding, and more leveling. So now Adam meticulously measures, cuts and places each tile one by one on the walls. We're not going to provide pictures of it. You'll have to wait until the "reveal".

Mean while, work on the porch and bedroom also continues...Doug has done an incredible job of trimming the doors, windows, floor, and installing the bead board....just beautiful.

As for us - we're still on the air bed. The house is a mess...we've given up worrying about it - we have this week to get everything moved off the floors so they can be refinished next week. Needless to say, we're a little bit tired...and stressed. The good? We've thrown off sentimentality and reduced the amount of stuff we own. If you're one of my sisters you'll want to avert your eyes for a moment. (whispering) I donated my two bridesmaid dresses to a local charity.

So, that's where we're at.

Ciao, baby.

Look Up! Look Up!

The porch ceiling is up! All that's left is to trim it and clear coat it. No paint on this ceiling - the wood is too beautiful to cover up.

Now on to chores...lots to do this weekend in preparation for the floor refinishing in two weeks.

No Shoes - Socks Only

A ground's eye view of our new floor in the bedroom. The porch floor probably won't be installed for a while since it's mostly used as a staging area right now.

I might have been off on my dates regarding the interior floor. I think it will be the week of the 21st that work will begin. Hoping the bedroom will ready for occupancy real soon - but it's hard to predict - the little details take time to do it right.

Ciao.

Stay Awake, Don't Fall Asleep...

Sleeping on a cloud? Not quite. We had the sofa bed hauled away to storage and picked up an air mattress from Target. Work is set to begin next week on the old interior floor and then sanding/refinishing the following week. All furniture MUST be off the floor, hence bye-bye sofa.

We consider the air bed to be a temporary solution to the larger issue of the fact that our waterbed has sunk and we need a new schooner. Not sure if we mentioned it before, but our waterbed cracked a joist - you'd think a seventy year old house would hold up better! Once the remodel is complete we'll begin our search for a new bed.

By the way, Mir didn't think anyone would recognize the musical reference in the title of this blog post. Anyone? (No googling!)

Oh, So Close...

Our lovely porch is ever closer to completion. The ceiling is scheduled to be installed very soon. I already know it's going to look great!


Sydney seems to approve. She's finally learned that you don't jump over the opening to chase a squirrel - she simply uses the stairs instead.


This pile of wood includes our bead board ceiling planks, our porch floor planks and some extra planks for the inside foyer floor in the event we run out of our original heart pine. We're replacing the oak in the foyer with the heart pine taken from the old bedroom - this way the entire house (except the new bedroom) will have the same flooring.


Mr. Contractor and staff installed the maple floors in the bedroom and we are extremely pleased with the outcome. They've been sanded and refinished. The refinishing people, Kephart, did a great job.

So, next week the closet guy is coming to install the shelving units. We'll be going back into the "mastress suite" by month's end - it will be nice to move our clothes from the foyer back to the bedroom where they belong.

Goodbye Old Water Heater

The old water heater was removed. This means that the space needed for the new deck is now available...and that the gas line needed for the future gas grill is now available. There's also a water line available - hmmm - maybe a wet bar? Things to think about.

Okay, this week the new floors in the bedroom are schedule to be sanded and refinished. We spent this afternoon clearing out the existing closet. It's amazing how much stuff you can store in a small closet. We did purge a lot but have decided to rent a storage unit this week and store our boxes there. Hopefully, we'll only need to rent it for a couple of months.

The latest on our sink is that it will be delivered the last week of June. Better late than never I suppose. Oh, yes, the shower pan was poured Friday. Sure would be nice to see some tile laid. The bead board is mostly up - and looks fantastic - thanks Doug!

We're getting antsy. Stay tuned.

Peach Has Been Poached

The beautiful peach has disappeared. Our best guess is that a raccoon poached it. I hope the raccoon ate the whole thing and didn't waste any. Very sad for us.

Lonesome Peach

This is our only survivng peach. The birds haven't gotten to it yet. Plans are to pick it within a day or so. We'll let you know how it tastes. Ciao.

Floors Going In

Our beautiful maple floors are being installed! Next week they'll be sanded and finished. Ooo la la!

Where's the Sink?

First of all, let me apologize for not posting this past week. Life gets busy sometimes and I'm not always able to turn on the computer.

We've had some potential bad news about our new sink. There was a mix up in the ordering process and we may have to wait another 8 weeks before it arrives. I am none too happy about this. Let me state that it was neither my fault nor Mr. Contractor's fault. It was a communication lapse between the party we purchased from and the manufacturer/distributor. I'm being patient right now allowing it to get worked out - but if it doesn't then someone is going to get a piece of my mind. Miriam thinks I'm blowing hot air, because I often do, but not this time. I want my sink dammit!


What you see above is the shower with the cement board installed. The floor has also been fitted with the board. Now, all we need is some tile put down and we'll be rocking.


Our new tankless water heater pictured above has been installed - it's not online yet but might be by the end of this week.

Below is the original inside door to the bedroom. We've removed the casing and are going to use it for the new door that's going into the hallway. This existing door will be trimmed just like the other new doors in the room - consistency is the buzz word here.


When, what to my wondering eyes should appear - but our new maple floor! What a lovely site. Should be installed next week! We're getting a little bit closer every day.

Where's my sink?!


I thought the original sub floor was interesting. This is how they did it back in the day (early 1940's).



Well, that's all for now, dear readers. It's early evening, but I'm awful tired. Can't be staying up past 11pm and get up at 6am - I'm too old for that. So, I think I'll go take a nap. See you soon.

Let There Be Light!

As you can see - the electricians were here today. We now have lights in the bedroom...and the closet...and the bathroom. The electricity is humming. Life is good.