Construction: Days 62-65

We have a driveway!

We have sidewalks!

Entry way with lights.  You can see the tile selection.

Kitchen has been grouted.  I love love love the final product of the backsplash.

under cabinet lighting!  

I think I may change out the plug covers for oil rubbed bronze in the kitchen.  The white just screams "I'm cheap".  However, I AM cheap... so that might have to wait a little while before I'm ready to drop the money at the store for face plates.  

Backyard has been leveled and they are going to start putting in the sprinkler system and sod.  

Master Bath.

Oh, and I will be getting the drawer stack in the middle.  There will be a small dip in the center... which is weird... but whatever.  That is not a battle I'm going to fight.  I'm getting my drawers and I'll figure out how to work with the lower height in the middle. 

Shower surround installed (it looks black... but it's ORB like the rest of the accessories.  Also, you can see the hinges are still silver - they will also all be replaced to match ORB.  

Guest Bath.

I really need to start shopping for mirrors!

Holy cannoli, people.  We move in two weeks.  There is so much to do!  The house doesn't seem nearly done enough to move in 15 days.  They said carpet goes in on Tuesday, which will make it feel a lot more 'finished', I'm guessing.  Regardless, I'm so incredibly excited!  

Any decorating ideas?  Any color inspiration from the readers?  With furniture we will (slowly) be purchasing just about everything brand new - so I'd love some help with design ideas so I have a really clear picture of the direction I'm headed.  I can already foresee us painting the bathrooms and kitchens fairly soon because they're painted with flat paint (not a semi-gloss like all bathrooms/kitchens should be...).  I think a semi gloss will be a lot easier to clean in wet areas, as well. 

This house will be a never ending project!!

Construction: Days 59-61

So far, this visit has been the most exciting.  It's amazing to see our choices coming to life.  The Husband and I are no interior decorators, but I think it looks pretty great, if-i-do-say-so-myself.   We purposely made some pretty "safe" choices in regards to the decor of the home.  

My feelings are that the base should be fairly neutral (within my taste) for re-sell purposes.  I want a home I love, but I also want a home that will sell, if necessary.  Thankfully, my (limited) 'style' pretty much falls in line with those needs.  

Exterior on May 23rd.

(the front door still needs to be stained, garage doors installed, light installed, landscaping...)

...and my pride and joy.  the backsplash.

This looks better than I could have imagined.  It's tumbled travertine 4x4 tiles, set on the diagonal.  

(no grout installed yet.  The grout will pretty much "match" the color tiles)

This is the other side of the kitchen (to the left of the fridge).  You can see the under cabinet lighting was also installed.  I really think it will "set off" the backsplash.  

 View from the family room

(the granite has plastic wrap on it)

This is the planning area between the dining room and kitchen (across from the laundry room).

Master Bath counter tops.  They are white 'cultured marble'. (with a film over them right now)

The center section won't have a top on it for a few weeks due to a mistake made on their part with the center part of the cabinets.  They installed a "knee space" (for a vanity chair), when I thought it would be a drawer stack.  Thankfully, they agreed to make the switch - but it may not come in until after we close.  

This is what they will look like.  

 Guest bath.  Same counter tops, same film. 

 And the back of the house.  Bricking is complete.  

They dumped all that dirt to start leveling out the landscape.  

Next week we will be getting sidewalks and a driveway!

Packing.

Packing has started. 

I finally got The Husband into the guest room to help me clean out all the nonsense we have in that extra room.  The Husband is a sentimental one.  It's cute, sometimes.  When you find yourself packing his 6th grade color wheel he turned in for his final project... it's obnoxious.  He can't bare to throw things away because every.single.thing holds a special memory.  

Example:  Pogs.

Remember Pogs, in oh... 7th grade?  Yea, the cardboard circles with cartoons on the front.  Uh huh, The Husband can't bare to throw them away because he remembers being proud of them sixteen YEARS ago.  

Any time we move, The Husband and I have a come-to-baby-jesus conversation that generally entails me threatening to throw everything he owns in the trash the next time he goes to work.  Sunday's conversation went much better, though.  I pried the Pogs out of his fingers with very little fight, and the color wheel even went into the trash voluntarily.  We got his "memory boxes" paired down to two large Rubbermaid tubs.  Success.  

Here's some photos of our current guest room, packing in progress:

That is EIGHT boxes right there.  I packed every single one.  They are heavy as hell.  Those books that made The Husband extra smart, are extra heavy.  

Guest Closet looking mighty bare.  

Bookshelves emptied.  

...and dusty.  gah.ross.

Our huge stockpile of free boxes.  These boxes will be apart of every weekend and free evening for the next three weeks.  

yes, that is an empty toilet paper roll on the floor.  My dog thinks they are the most fun toy ever.  They're free and keep him entertained for at least two minutes... so go ahead and judge.  I'm okay with that.  

more photos from day 58

I went back to the house tonight with The Husband because I was so stinkin' excited about the changes.  The workers were busy after I left and there was even more exciting things to see!

Textured Glass on front door.

Oil Rubbed Bronze fixtures!

Vents Installed

Toilets! 

Granite Complete

 more ORB fixtures

Construction: Days 56-58

GRANITE!!

(Santa Cecilia is the pattern)

FLOOR TILES!!

MORE GRANITE!!

FIREPLACE TILES!

(minus grout - so it won't be so dark between the tiles)

 FRONT DOOR!!

(that hasn't been stained yet... and will have different hardware)

BRICKING COMPLETE!!

Originally, we all agreed on a June 2nd close date.  That is not going to happen due to the delays from soil testing.  The builders have now estimated we will close at some point between June 8th and June 15th.

Our lock extension expires on June 8th - so I know they are going to finish as quickly as possible, as they have to pay a fee for each day they go past the 8th.  

Our lease at our current apartment ends on June 19th (a Sunday).  This creates a problem - because I REFUSE to move out of an apartment without an employee going through the apartment and confirming the (lack of) damage.  This ensures we won't receive a fat bill a few weeks later for damage past normal wear and tear.  However, they are closed on Sunday... and close at 2pm on Saturdays.

So, that means we have to be 100% out of the apartment, with it cleaned and ready to show by 2pm on the 17th.  If we move on the 15th (after closing), that leaves us 1.5 days to move.

The Husband doesn't want to hire movers... so this is going to be a tiiiiiiight move.  I'm still trying to convince him of the "value" in movers.  Thankfully, I still have a few weeks to convince him.  

So, worse case scenario... we are moving in TWENTY SIX DAYS!

Construction: Days 52-55, with photo mania

Be forewarned, there is about to be a whole lotta pictures.
Every time I go into the house lately there are major things happening!

Exterior on May 16th.
(there is a line in the grout colors because the brick is really dusty... it won't look like that for long.)  The grout is still drying over the front door and the garage - so the grout will lighten to match the left side of the house over the next 4 days or so.  

Planning Area (between the kitchen and dining room... passthrough looks into the foyer).

The passthrough is supposed to have a granite slab there, not wood.

Don't you worry this bitch conscientious home buyer has already emailed them regarding the mistake...

Kitchen cabinets.  I am in love.  They are "knotty alder" with a deep brown, with a hint of reddish, stain.  I seriously love them.  

More kitchen, looking into the family room.  Oh, and yes, that is paint on the walls.  

This photo makes the tiles look fugly.  But they're not.  I had horrible lighting and had to use the flash.  

The beginnings of a fireplace.  It will be tiled and painted very soon. 

Master Bathtub.  I wanna get nekkid and enjoy that tub asap.  The tile that surrounds the tub is the same color that will be in the entry way and kitchen.  

Master Shower.  Doors to come. 

Master Bathroom vanity. 

I am really upset about this stupid vanity.  That "knee space" in the center (for a vanity chair) is NOT what I was expecting.  The model home and a spec home that we toured both had drawers in that center place.  In my opinion, drawers are WAY more functional than a spot for a chair.  

Also, I specifically asked them not to install the wall-o-mirrors so I could hang individual mirrors over the two sinks.  Now it's going to look like I'm the crazy lady that put a vanity in front of an empty wall.

Apparently the center drawers are an upgrade that I thought was standard and they never mentioned it.  

Not cool.

I'm not really accepting this is the way it's going to be.  I have several very clear emails (including photographs of what we were shown) with my realtor CCed on them.  She's going to call tomorrow and get some answers.  I hope she is on their ass like stank on poo.  

Another view of the master bathroom.  This is a pretty accurate color (on my computer) of the wall color throughout the house.  That small cabinet is a cool feature to store towels, shampoos, and all that other stuff that uglies up a bathroom.  

They haven't quite finished bricking the back of the house.  

Cooper visited his new home for the first time yesterday.  He was clearly unimpressed.  But you just wait, Coop-dogg.... this place is gonna be awesome.