no more dumpster diving!

We took a little break from checking on the house.  We were getting impatient and not much was happening.

When we returned to the lot on July 22nd, one big change had happened.

They moved our dumpster!  For the first time in a few months, I can take a picture of the whole front of the house, without crazy maneuvering.

Excited to see a porch, driveway, some stone, and a little landscaping eventually!

As we walked into the house, we noticed even more changes...

Our attic ladder and door was added..

And we had doors!

 Trim was installed as well -  casing around the dining room entry.  Crown on the ceilings..

I just love crown molding.. and judge's paneling..

The whole week was all about the trim.. baseboards were added, along with the handrails on the stairs.

 The kitchen is just begging for some cabinets..

 More judge's paneling for the dining room..

 And I love the detail work on our column in the center!

That extra touch was a nice surprise.

The whole week was spent on trim though, and as of Friday, July 24th - it still wasn't finished being caulked or painted.

I'm not quite sure what to expect next, but I don't see us making everything come together in time.  Maybe adding the finishing touches on a house works a lot faster than I'm expecting.

Either way.. to cure my impatience and to end on a positive note.. here is Loki in a bag.

Dumpster removal, doors, and trim - days 186-188 of our build

just a-door-able...

I was disappointed when I toured the house on July 17th, until I took a moment to look down. 

Markings on the floors mean we're prepping for doors!

It's hard to see through all the drywall dust, but the doors and their swing were marked through most of the house.

Three days later (yes.. this pace for progress is killing me.  I have no idea how they plan to be finished by our tentative closing date.) we have doors delivered!

 Massive double closet doors for our guest bedroom

And plenty of doors and trim just waiting to be installed.

Adam and I are growing increasingly antsy to move in, and time spent in our studio is feeling more and more cramped.  Over the weekend (between door marking and delivery) the heat was just too much to take.  Our little portable air conditioner in the studio could not keep up.  It was too hot, we were fussy, and needed to get out of the house.

Thankfully we aren't too far from a little waterfront dining...

We drove up to Lake Martin to spend the evening and enjoyed the lake and sunset while waiting for our table to be ready.

I think it cured some of our anxiety and make a great little escape for the night.

Doors are delivered and things are moving slow - days 181 - 184 of our build

a muddy dusty mess...

The past few days at the house can be summed up in a few words.

Mud.

Dust.

Drywall.

Let's tour, shall we?

The basement is nice and mudded.  We are so glad that we opened up the wall down there.  It makes the space feel much more airy.

The game room with one of the best views of the house.  Hello, trees!

We had a bit of a snafu earlier with the stairs, but now I love the way they turned out.  I think it's a nice detail for the space.

Now that this is walled in, it's kinda scary at night with no lights.  Like the stairs of DOOM!

On July 13th, our master still didn't have all the drywall installed.

But at least the ceiling is pretty!

And here we see our current decor theme of buckets and scaffolding...

Looking from the dining room across to the living room.

Mud, wires, plumbing, buckets, and scaffolding.. what else could a girl ask for?

The garage, I think.  They all start to look alike right now.

Finally on July 15, we have drywall in the master.  Not sure of the reason for the delay, but I'm glad it's done!

Look ma, no more visible insulation!

I look forward to many lazy mornings spent in here.  And maybe without the dumpster in the yard...

Drywall continues -  days 177 - 179 of our build.

rendered speechless..

On July 6th, I received a very exciting email from our builder.  

He was sending over the renderings for our cabinets for final approval before they went to be constructed. 

(Granted, he did send the wrong draft to us first (typical).. but that was remedied later that day.)

Needless to say, the simple line drawings left me giddy. Like squealing and clapping giddy.

Thankfully Adam didn't find me to be too obnoxious.

This is our "feature" wall - where we'll have the range hood, back splash, and cooktop.  I am already in lurve with those massive drawers beneath the cooktop!

This wall will house my double oven and our fridge.  Note the tiny drawer below the oven that will be perfect for cookie sheets!  I can not wait to bake in this kitchen!

The island will have the dishwasher, pull-out trash, and granite sink.  

I know it doesn't seem like a ton of storage, but I have a pretty good sized pantry that I plan on keeping most of our kitchen items in.

Plus, at the whopping height of 4'11" -  I can really only use part of the cabinets anyway.

And yes, I will be investing in a step stool to help me reach a little further.  I'm currently drooling over this one on Amazon. It makes me think of my book-hunting days as a young nerd in the library.

Isn't it a cutie?

So, let me ask, dear readers... what do you store in the very tippy top cabinets of your kitchen? How do you reach?

gable-gate: resolved

After work on Thursday, July 9th -  we stopped by the lot and got a great surprise!  The gable has been painted!

It's right this time.. the right size and finally looks cohesive with the rest of the house.

 The window trim needs to be cleaned up, but the painter was still working so I'm sure it will be perfect soon.

 If you look inside the garage, you can see they've started mudding the drywall.

It already looks so much more finished!

 I can't wait to see the trim in here and once again -  the sunlight in here is amazing!

The base of the island is finished too. I'm so excited to see the cabinetry in here.

I'm still not sure how the post in the center of the room will be finished out.. maybe with trim?

Hopefully we'll see some paint in here soon.. I hope the color turns out well.

More drywall is complete -  day 173 of our build.

not a drywall in the house..

Actually.. no.. lots of drywall in the house!  It's Wednesday, July 8th, and we have walls!  I have to admit, walking in it was really weird to not see through the studs across the house.  Instead we have actual rooms.. with actual walls..

The garage still seems pretty big,

But my laundry room seems much smaller now that it's not open to five other spaces.

 Not to complain, I think it will be a perfect fit for my washer and dryer and still have room to spare.

 Looking through the kitchen to the breakfast nook, it's cool to see how the space is going to be laid out.  Especially when I see how much natural light comes in through the windows.

 I am just smitten with the way the living room and deck are coming together.  I can imagine lots of fun times in this space.

 I've always wanted a formal dining room, and I think once the remaining drywall is cut from the windows, this space will be flooded with light as well.

 Hard to tell, but this is a shot of the high ceilings in the entry and the alcove by my office.

 Looking from the front door through to the kitchen and living room.

 A shot of the entryway and dining room from the porch.

There's still some work to be done in the dining room, and my island  will need to be drywalled as well.

But oh, how I love the ceiling in our master bedroom.  I am smitten.

Drywall continues -  day 172 of our build