House Project update...We're done! (Well, almost)

Ok, I know, I'm really behind on the whole blogging thing. Lame, lame, lame.

So - on Friday, November 16th we moved back into our home - yeah! It's official - we are done with the house project. Well, that is if you alter your definition of "done". We are "mostly done", which is better than being "almost done" and not quite as good as being "all done". We have a punchlist of items that still need to be completed, and they'll probably be finished in no time. Or by mid summer. Either way.

Done!

The move back in went without any major complications. However, there were several issues that we've already had to deal with in the new house - like - the brand new ovens didn't work quite right and we needed them serviced (already). I think they basically needed a "re-boot". We also discovered a leak in the boy's bathroom shower - which damaged the kitchen ceiling slightly. Our phone mysteriously died for two days. And one of our garage doors seems to open every time my neighbor changes channels on his TV. The list goes on. Our contractor is making good on all these little gotchas. I'm sure that fact that we still owe him $20,000 probably helps expedite things. That's one of the reasons I insisted on back-loading the milestone payments in the contract. That $20k will be a great motivator.



We love the way the kitchen came out - and the boys love having an island with stools to sit on when they eat. One of Julie's dreams has been fulfilled. Check. Now I just need to find a baby grand piano for the living room and I'll have made significant progress on Julie's wish list. Or I'll just be broke.

New kitchen, new island, bar stools - check, check, check. Now, if we could only get the kids to sit down and eat.

On moving day we had help from Ria and Veronica. Ria was our previous nanny - Veronica is our current nanny. They were a huge help and without them I think we'd still be putting things away. The boys loved seeing Ria again.

Ria and Veronica were a huge help on moving day.

The happy family on move day. The kids all had some Coke, and getting them to sit still for this picture was like herding cats.

We've already done a fair amount of entertaining - Don and Jan came to visit us for Thanksgiving. Don't worry Jan, I promised I wouldn't say anything about you setting the fire alarms off when you were cooking. So I won't.

Kelly and Amy also came to visit us - along with some of their friends. And our friends Rob and Barb and their kids came to visit too. We're finding that the kitchen is the gathering place, that's where everyone wants to hang out. That's also where the booze is, but I'm not drawing any conclusions here.


We still have many boxes to unpack - I'm going with the 6 month rule. If we haven't unpacked it in 6 months then we clearly don't need it and it gets tossed. I've discovered that I love to un-clutter and get rid of stuff I don't use or need anymore. It's a little endorphin rush.

Brothers!

House project update

A lot has happened since the last post. We picked out an exterior paint color, and then almost unpicked it once it was up. We had paint remorse. After looking at it for a few days we decided we like it. The garage doors are finished, the front door has been stained and sealed and they have started working on the new patio in the backyard.

Inside all the sheetrocking is complete and all of the walls have been primed. The electrical finish work has started, the new hardwood floors are in place, the kitchen cabinets are installed and the new appliances are in. We are now waiting for the new granite countertops. The bathrooms are just about done there's still some minor tile work to do and the countertops for the bathrooms still need to be installed.

So, what's left? There's still some tile work that needs to be completed in the kitchen and bathrooms. They need to install the kitchen and bathroom countertops, finish the trim work, install the alarm, finish the audio install, final plumbing hook ups, sand and finish the hardwood floors, install the new stair rails and paint the interior. Oh, and landscaping too.

And about a million other small things. We have a tentative move date for 11/16. We'll see, there still is so much to do.

Jason's first day of pre-school

Jason and Ryan pose for a pic before school.

Today was Jason's first day of pre-school. He was pretty excited, he had his backpack on long before it was time to go. I think watching us take his big brothers to school has gotten him in the right frame of mind. When I picked him up at the end of the day, the teacher said he did just fine. Some of the other kids were crying and raising a holy fit, not my boy!

House Project Update

I've been slacking off and not updating my blog as much as I'd like to. Life is funny like that, keeping me busy with all kinds of shit that I don't really want to do. Well, here goes.

The front entrance has been completed, the new columns are in place and the new front door has been installed. We shit-canned the planned arches on the front porch because, in the words of Jerry - the lead carpenter on the job - "they looked gay". Well, I don't know if they were gay or not - not that there's anything wrong with that mind you - we just didn't like the way they looked. So, we killed 'em. The front porch and steps have been put in place by the mason, so no more moat!

We've also gotten the inspections for electrical, plumbing and framing - so that means it's on to insulation. The insulation was installed and inspected and we then raced on to sheetrocking. And since I'm a lazy ass I didn't take any pictures since the insulation was put in place, you'll just have to use your imagination. It looks like this, only there's sheetrock on the walls.

If you squint a little you can see the sheetrock.

Well today (9/11) I stopped by the house to check on the progress and all the sheetrock is up and taped and spackled. Lot's of progress. The next major milestone is the install of the hardwood floors and the stair hand rails. We thought we were going to be able to just patch the stair rails, but wouldn't you know it, since we've change so much of the house we now have to follow the "new" code standard for rail height. Our existing stair rails were two inches too short so they all had to be ripped out and will need to be replaced by new ones. Of course.

We finally picked out granite for the kitchen and we decided on silestone for the bathrooms and Julie has finalized the tiles for the kitchens and baths.

Up next is the delivery and install of the kitchen cabinets. Somewhere along the line we have to paint the interior and exterior of the house. Oh, did I mention that they've started to install the cedar shingles? Well, they have. I love the look of the plain unpainted cedar shingles, I'm half tempted to strip the whole house down and have them put up fresh shingles. Mind you, I'm only half tempted and that half of me is an idiot.

Meanwhile, the bank account is looking a tad spartan these days, so any and all contributions to the Billings Foundation will be graciously accepted (and immediately forwarded on to Ethan my contractor, aka: The guy that has all my money).

Betcha can't wait 'till you do your own house project! It's so much fun!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day Weekend we headed up to Cape Code to spend the weekend with Kim and Jim and their three boys.

They boys had a blast playing at the beach. They loved to ride the "floaties" and catch minnows with their nets.

Here's Cory, the Great White Hunter!

This was my best attempt at catching a photo of all three of them together. It's next to impossible to get all three of them looking at the camera, smiling and not making a face, looking the wrong way or sticking their tongues out. In fact, I think it might violate some of the laws of physics. Or the third law of thermodynamics. I think Wile E. Coyote had an easier time catching the Road Runner.

I only got this picture under threat of violence. Anyway, all the other parents had a great time watching and listening to me try to heard my pack of wild boys together and all smile pretty for the camera. I'm glad I was entertaining.

Afterwards, I went back to the house and self medicated with the help of some beer. Lot's of beer.

August 21st, 2007 - House project update

It's been a while since I updated the blog on the status of the house project, so here goes. The roof is finally completed and the big blue tarp is off the house.

No more big blue tarp!

The new garage doors have been installed and the chimney has been rebuilt to the new height also.

The new front entrance is still a work in progress, so in the meantime, we have a nice little moat. I'm thinking about keeping the moat, it's a nice throwback feature. Maybe I'll stock it with ill tempered seabass.

Jason crossing the moat. With his blankey, of course.

Inside the work has transitioned to the HVAC installation, which is just about done, and the plumbing and electrical rough-ins. We did a walk though with the electrician on Monday going over the light, outlet and switch location in each room. We've decided to have an alarm installed and have the bottom floor wired for audio. So that should be happening this week. The kitchen cabinets are on schedule for delivery the first week of September.

Ethan, our GC, is very pleased with the progress and thinks we are on schedule. The next milestone is the install of the sheetrock. That will surely make things look different.

If you've ever run a large house project renovation, or built a new house, you know that it certainly is an experience. There are decisions to make just about every day. We still haven't picked out the countertops. Oh boy! Luckily Julie and I are on the same page about most things, so that makes the process easier. Except for the countertops, I like the darker stuff and Julie doesn't. So we'll probably compromise and get what Julie likes.

If everything stays on schedule and goes well, we should be back in our house in early November. We'll see...