A spring, a wedding, and the end of the year....

December 30th:
 On Christmas Eve day Chris Fuller called to tell us about a problem with the house...a high humidity level was noted when it was time to start laying wood flooring that brought floor installation to a screeching halt. An investigation found that there was an underground spring under the house, we have a crawl space under our house with a gravel floor, which we opted for to save money- gravel is cheaper than concrete. Now a concrete floor will have to be poured, Chris has the area ready for the concrete, the trucks will be here next week.

Christmas Day arrived with me all stuffed up and feeling lousy.  I took some cold medicine, I should have known better, because I can't handle cold medicine...soon I was sound asleep for several hours...I even slept through Chris trying out his new amplifier.  I woke up, made dinner, did laundry, and finished getting ready to drive to Columbus, Ohio the next morning to my nephew John's wedding on the 27th.

This is what I quilled for John and his wife- to- be, Katie.  It is all paper except the veil and the pearls.  I attached the card and the real gift to the bottom...see the birds in the tree behind the groom, they are holding a heart. 

Sunday morning, December 26th, Chris and I head for Columbus..Rod stayed home to go to work and look after the pets, since we'll be gone for two nights. Chris and I arrived in Columbus, I'm feeling better, we attended the wedding the next afternoon, and left for home Tuesday morning.  No one is here when we got home, I went to the house and saw the tile on the floor of the master bath had been grouted.  I was gone all day Wednesday running errands, I don't think anyone worked on the house on Wednesday.

Thursday- today- the office cabinets arrived and Chris installed them.. On the left, under the window is where the desktop and the computer will be.  On the right where the pieces of wood are leaning against the wall is where a 4' long foot work table will be.

Also arriving today was the cabinet for the master bathroom, Rich installed that and the master bath baseboards, which Chris is pointing out in the second picture below.

Next week will be a big one, probably will have lots of pictures to post. 

The cement truck will be here on Tuesday I think, after a few days of curing Chris hopes the humidity level will drop down where it should be and the flooring can start again.

The last of the trim will arrive, which is the arches for the windows in the living area, and hopefully the mantle too.

The glass block guy is supposed to be here on Tuesday to install a glass block wall in the master bathroom shower.

The furniture is scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday, it will have to be stored in the garage until the floors are done.

The kitchen countertops will also be installed next week, and I suppose the office countertop measurements will be taken. 

That's a lot in a week.

I can hardly wait.

flooring and an oven

December 22nd:








Master bath

Later in the day the tile in the master bath is done, a glass block wall needs to be built in the shower, that contractor is a real stinker.  He was here on the 10th of November and took measurements, but impossible to contact since then, we may have to find another contractor, either way we're 5 weeks behind on the glass block wall.  This is the only bad experience I've had with a contractor, this guy is not one of Chris Fuller's men, I met this contractor at a home show last February.  All Chris's guys have been great...

This is the tile in the office and hall to the master bedroom...umm, it's really dirty, but I took a picture anyhow. The floor in the foreground is where the living area begins, that will be wood.  The master bedroom floor will also be wood, I think that they will begin laying that tomorrow, or next time they come to work here.

The ovens are installed

random pictures

December 18th:

Today I wandered around with my camera....

The arched span will be over the range top,to the right will be the fridge, to the left will be double wall ovens.  Farther left, and around the corner will be the microwave hanging over the baker's counter.

The kitchen from another angle, looking toward the garage.  The white door is the garage door, you can see a little bit of the dog door, and the wood doors are the coat closet.

The antique Birds Eye Maple dresser I bought for the bathroom vanity.  It had a lovely mirror that attached to the back, but Chris (Crouse) had a little accident one day and the glass was broken.  The frame is fine, and I hope to one day have a new mirror made for it and mount it on the wall behind the sink. 

In memory of Mikito..

                                                 
                                                                                     December 16, 2001
                                                                                     Mikito, beloved one..





Brrr..it's really cold!

December 14th:

Yesterday the flooring guys were here and laid the tile in the 2nd bathroom, it's not grouted yet and the color isn't entirely true because of the camera flash.  Chris was working on installing the vessel sink on the vanity, which is one of the antique dressers that I bought in the fall. Sadly, the refinishing job I did on the dressers ( or anything else I refinished) didn't come out well, it has bubbles in the varnish that can be felt if you rub your hand over it, and seen if you look at it just so.... I plan to do the top over again in the spring.  I have one pic to post, I'll add more later today when I brave the weather and walk down the driveway to the house and take some more.  Everyone came to work today, and the weather is so nasty!  Windy, eleven degree's, lake effect snow warning... Chris and his crew are here, and the flooring guys too,  the appliances are scheduled for delivery today, I wonder if they'll make it and where they will park to unload when they get here!



Tile in second bathroom.

P.S.
Appliance delivery didn't happen today... roads to bad they said. 

Flooring and cabinets

December 10th:

                                                             Utility room

Snow, flooring, snow, interior doors, snow, snow, snow...

December 8th:

Today Rich came to work, Chris Fuller is sick and won't be here today.  Then, in a flurry of activity, the flooring guy arrived with the tile and laid some sort of sub floor down while he was here.  While that truck was being unloaded, the trim guy arrived with the interior doors, while that was being unloaded the cabinet designer arrived to look things over.  Then, they all left at almost the same time, just as they had arrived, and now it's just Rich again.

So, Harley and I went to have a look at the doors.  They are finished so lovely, Ryan Herschberger did a wonderful job, they are as smooth as a baby's behind!  I can't wait to see what the trim looks like.  We had him use some rough cut Maple that has been stacked in our barn for 20 plus years (how old are you Joe Horst? The trees were cut down the week that I went to stay with your mom right after you were born, so the cut wood is as old as you).

This is the master bath door and the color of the trim in the master bedroom, everything in the master bedroom is darker than the rest of the house.

This is the closet door by my office, all the interior doors except the master bedroom look like this.

Snow Day..

December 6th:

Two feet of snow on the ground,
plus another foot on the way,
equals,

zero people working on the house...

Sad day..

Kitchen cabinets..

December 3rd:

This is Rich, I think he's working on the cabinet that will have the floor vac thingy in it.  It's not really called a "thingy", the real name escapes me.  It's connected to the central vac system, Rich is installing it beneath my baker's counter so when I sweep up crumbs from baking I use my foot to pull the little door open, that activates the vacuum and I sweep the crumbs toward the door and they get sucked in.  You could install these wherever you want one, I got this as a free gift when I bought the vacuum system and thought the kitchen would be a good place for it. 

At the other end of the kitchen is Chris Fuller, who looked away when he saw me taking a picture...

Was Santa here?...

December 2nd:

Woo-hoo! Kitchen cabinets were delivered today!  Boy was I surprised when I stepped inside and saw all these boxes!!   I'm sure glad I don't have to unpack them.

update

November 30th:

Not much to report, and nothing to take a picture of...the painting is being finished and light switches getting installed.  Yesterday Chris Fuller and I had a discussion involving closet shelving and what I wanted done with that, and I realized there are still two places to buy light fixtures for, the master bedroom closet and the sconces over the mantel.

Ryan Herschberger, the guy that's milling the wood for the trim, called today to say he'd start bringing things over on Friday the 3rd, as he got them finished.  Inside doors and casings will be first.

The flooring will probably be started next week with the tile work being the first thing that contractor will do.

I'm waiting to hear from the glass block guy who will be installing a wall in the master bathroom.

In the meantime I'm trying to juggle finances to include the the normal monthly bills, the added expense of the new house items that don't fall into any category on the spec. sheet, a wedding, and the holidays... 

I just finished putting together a budget for the last month of 2010, and now I have to make phone calls to take care of some business- a job I hate!  Then I'll be free to finish decorating the Christmas tree, the only decorating I plan to do this year...The rest of the week I'll be butchering the two deer that Chris shot yesterday, and canning,freezing,and drying the meat.

I'll post again when I have some pictures to add!

more paint pictures

November 26th:



Looking in from the breezeway at the living area with the kitchen on the right..more of the area is painted than the pictures on the last post.  I think they have to sand, then one more coat to go!

Chris's room, this color is called "Interface Tan", but it doesn't look tan at all...still at least one more coat to go in this room, maybe two.

second bathroom,same color as Chris's room

looking out of the master bedroom door, down the hallway toward the lving room, with the office on the right.

Master bedroom, doesn't look quite so pink now that the whole wall is painted. That also may be because the lighting is different in this picture.



Painting, lighting, and sidewalks...

November 23rd:

There have been many times during the planning of this house when I've experienced anxiety caused by all the decisions involved, after all, I want to get it right, I don't want to experience regret..  And for me,the decisions to be made have been extremely intense from the very beginning, Chris Fuller has been such a big help to me, but some things are just up to me to decide.  One really big issue has been the lighting, just can't make up my mind!  Now everything that has just been ideas in my head for such a long time is starting to take shape with the rooms being painted and the lighting being installed.  And soon I'll have the experience of seeing things installed like... cabinets and counter tops, the flooring and trim...oh my!  I feel the anxiety building!
I bought the lights online about 6 weeks ago, I really liked them and really wanted them to work in the house...but, that doesn't mean that they would.  There was a near disaster when I received the pendant lights that hang over the island in the kitchen and realized that the measurements that were on the web page were incorrect.  The measurements were written as 53" High x16"x9"Diameter, but they are actually 16" diameter, a huge 7" larger in diameter than I expected.  I didn't want to send the lights back because, except for the size they turned out to be, I really liked them!  So, instead I started moving the lights around (in my head) and made a few changes, and I think it worked out well... Yesterday I walked into the house and saw, not only the paint colors on the walls, but the lighting was being installed.  I think my heart missed a few beats, I was afraid to walk around and look at them!  The lights are pulled up close to the ceiling to keep them safely out of the way, and covered with plastic to keep them clean, but I can get the idea...and I guess I like them!  I think I do?!?  I guess...

Not all the lights are installed yet, there are two ceiling fans for the living room, and the light for the master bedroom and Chris's room.  I didn't think to take a picture of the second bathroom and Chris's room, they are painted the same color...and it's...umm...unusual.  Chris chose those colors, the master bedroom color is called "Dusty Rose", but it seems very pink now that I see it on the walls...Rod is aghast that he has to sleep in a pink bedroom!  Ok, consider yourselves warned...here are the pictures!




Bill painting the kitchen, this is the color that's in the whole living area

Another view of the kitchen and "those" lights.  Very dusty at that moment.







Part of the office on the left, the hallway, and the door to the master bedroom.





Dustin painting the master bedroom.

 Another view of the troublesome lights, they will be lowered later when the carpenters are done working.

The sidewalk to the front door before the finish work was done.



I think I'm losing it...

November 18th:
The time between rising and bedtime goes by in a flash..I do so much in one day that I can't even remember everything that I did.  Multi-tasking is a must...
This week:
flooring choices- finalized!
Trim stain color- finalized! 
Toilets chosen and ordered!
Umm..I did so many other things, but... can't remember what they were at this moment!

The maintainence required light came on in my van a few days ago and I realized that an oil change was almost 2000 miles overdue...ooops!
Wednesday I went to get doughnuts for the builders, while passing a service station I saw a sign that had the words "Inspection Due" on it.  I had such a feeling come over me, my eyes slowly looked to the left at the inspection sticker on my windshield, and I saw the date 10/10...oh man, I've been driving around with expired inspection for 3 weeks!  Getting an appointment at the Toyota service department is like trying to get an appointment with a doctor/specialist.  I groveled, I begged, I made myself out to be an air-head, a ninny (that's for you Deb!), and got an appointment at the crack of dawn five days away...in the meantime I'll only travel under the cover of darkness, maybe I can avoid getting a fine..

The furnace and duct work are installed, and so is the central vac.  All outside work is done except building the stairs.  The cement guy who will pour the sidewalk is supposed to come tomorrow.  The ceilings were textured today, they look great!  The propane tank was delivered today but it's so muddy that they didn't set it up, they said they'd try next week. Tomorrow the garage door gets installed. Next week they hope to get all the interior painting done.  Then the holiday will slow things down a bit.  I've heard talk about installing shelving, then the interior doors and trim should be ready to install.  Then the kitchen cabinets should be "in" and ready to be installed too.  The appliances are already "in" and waiting to be delivered.  That's all supposed to happen this month?!?!

These are the only pictures I have to show you right now.

Sam and his crew, they are the drywallers (is that a word?)



Sam...one really nice guy. 



Toilets, toilets, toilets...

I would never have thought there could be so much to consider when selecting a toilet..

There are toilets that fit into a corner,
there are toilets that hang on the wall. 
There are toilets that are low profile,
or toilets with no tank at all.

Okay, okay I'm not going to turn this whole post into a Dr. Seuss moment, but I'm telling you...there's a lot to consider.  And the cost of a toilet can get pretty crazy, I've seen some that were $3000.00 and more.  Kind of silly when you consider what you're going to use it for...

It seems that I haven't made any decisions for this house without first doing a lot of research and reading those online reviews, why would toilets be any different?  After reading any reviews on toilets that I could find I realized that the style of the toilet meant nothing to me compared to how environmentally friendly they are and the amount of water that it uses to flush..

The terms "dual flush" and "water sense" are now part of my vocabulary, potty mouth you might say... a toilet that would be great, but I can't afford is made by Caroma, called the Sydney Smart 270 Dual Flush Toilet.  This toilet can save 1,000 gallons of water per person a year compared to regular flushing toilets!  Caroma even makes a toilet that has a faucet and sink built into the top of the tank, when you flush the toilet "fresh, clean" water comes out the faucet and you wash your hands with it.  That water then goes into the tank where it's stored for the next flush!!  Someone had their thinking cap on with that one!

So, choose a toilet lady!  As the saying goes- in so many words- and seems so fitting at this moment, make a choice or get off the pot!

God has provided good weather for the guys to do the outside work, and I think that things have moved along fairly smoothly as construction jobs go, but I wonder if the guys are all tired of the commute here and if the fun wore off some time ago!  They would never admit to that, they are all very polite to me and never complain... 
And me???  I'm tired of shopping and spending money...

Stop laughing!

A Tribute to Socks - A Very Cool Cat...

Socks had to inspect everything that happened around here...

November 13th:
Yesterday morning Socks left us...she was very, very sick so I gave the ok to end her suffering.  That's how she entered my life too, as a very sick young cat. 
In the summer of 2001,the summer that my mother died, I had spent a week visiting with my dad in Ohio while Chris enjoyed the week at a summer camp nearby.  On Saturday I had loaded my van with stuff dad had given me, and planned to leave for home on Sunday after attending church with dad.  The van was full, with only enough space left for Chris and I to sit in.  On Sunday morning I was standing at the kitchen sink washing a few dishes when I heard a small squeaky sound that sounded like "me, you". There's a window above the kitchen sink, and on the other side of the window was a black and white, teeny- tiny little cat, that even at a glance I could tell was in very bad shape.  She was very persistent, she looked straight at me and kept saying, "me-you".  Chris and his cousin Donna took her around to the neighbors to make sure that she didn't belong to anyone, I tried to find a home for her there in Ohio...but, nothing worked out, she was right...it was going to be "me-you". I called Rod to ask if he cared if I brought home another animal that needed saved, to add to our already full house of critters, and being the generous man that he is he said yes. Chris and Donna named her Socks, and I looked for something for her to ride in on the 3 1/2 hr. trip home to PA.  All I could find at my dad's was a huge box that a computer had come in.  I then had to re-pack the entire van so that this box would fit into the seat beside Chris.  That would not even have been necessary because Socks collapsed and slept soundly all the way home.  Within a few days of being at home Socks became very, very sick and I spent a small fortune at the vets to make her well again.  We will never regret having her as our family member these past 9 years, she was one cool cat, always up to something, and always making us laugh!  There will be many times when something will happen to remind us of Socks stories, some will be daily reminders:

When I take the dogs on their daily walk on the trail through the woods Socks would always come along, this earned her one of her nicknames, "Ima"- for "Ima dog".  I suspect that she wasn't joining in the walk because of me, but because she loves our Akita so much, and wants to be with him.  Either way, my daily walks always included a little black and white cat following along.  And no matter how many cats have come into our home, Socks never cared for them like she has loved the dogs.

Another nickname Socks had earned was "Socks-in-a- box", because she loved boxes, and sometimes within moments of a box being set on the floor, she was inside of it, and sometimes they wouldn't even have to be on the floor...  No matter what type of box it was, she'd climb into it and check it out, sometimes staying for a nap.  So, she loved Christmas time, when the boxes of ornaments would be around.  It can be quite startling to open the flaps of a box and there's a sleeping cat inside!

  I know this blog is supposed to be about our house, and in a way it is... because of my being so preoccupied with the house and all that was going on I made a mistake and I did not notice that Socks was sick, so I couldn't even tell the vet exactly when she had become ill.  She went to sleep forever, in my arms, at 9:30 a.m Friday, and I think I'll always feel terrible that I didn't see that she was sick and wonder if I might have been able to save her, like I did 9 years ago when she first introduced herself to me with her pitiful little "Me-You"...

This post is a tribute to Socks...she was a very cool cat...

Socks napping under Mikito's tail

loving Mikito

Catching up..

November 8, 2010



railing being installed




door to the crawlspace




frost on the shingle's!!

November 12, 2010

It's been a busy week..the drywall crew are still at it, they are mudding now, I think they'll be here for one more week.  Chris and his guys have been installing stuff, like the furnace and duct work, the siding is done, the gutters have been installed, and the outside lights are on too.  Tom the excavator has been working at making things look nice around the house.  I've had a big week that involved putting a lot of miles on the van..but now the flooring has been picked out, as well as the appliances.  I've met with the glass block guy, and the trim guy, and today I finally made a decision on what type of countertops for the kitchen, bar, and office (and I went for the money savers), and I also chose paint colors for the entire house.  Tonight I picked out a kitchen faucet, a door handle set for the entry door, and also a doorbell.  Tomorrow night I'll choose the toilets...amazing how many decisions are required!!!!  The weather has been just lovely all week and I've enjoyed the beautiful sunsets every evening from the new house, it's as if God is giving me a preview... here's a few more pictures I took today.