Finished?

Well, I don't think a house is ever finished, but it's darn close. We had the front porch painted, which was long over due, but looks better. Today we had a long day of yard work to get it looking better outside. When we were in Nashville the Bramwells divided some of their day lilies and gave us some, which was great! We thought there would be 6 plants, but we divided them again to get 12 so we planted all of those. We spread over 20 bags of mulch and I finally convinced Matt that the Hokie flag should come down until August. Here's the latest...

1.) From the road. On the right, we added flagstone because everything we've planted in that spot gets trampled.

2.) From the back...

3.) Close up of the front. Can't wait until the day lilies bloom.

4.) No, this isn't an add for direct TV (I hate that dish there, I'm going to get it moved to the roof). We spread mulch all along the back and planted some (you guessed it... day lilies)

Happy Spring!

HOME in time for the holidays...

First of all, sorry for the delay in posting the "final" pics. We were able to move in the first weekend in November.

Merry Christmas!!

1.) Front view. Eventually we'll paint the front porch but there was question as to whether it should be painted or stained.
2.) Kitchen view number one. The pocket door on the left goes to the mudroom .

3.) Kitchen view two. We can see the Charlotte skyline through the window on the right. It's pretty neat.

4.) Here's the den and Christmas tree!!

5.) Dining room. The window goes to the back yard.

6.) Powder room

7.) Master bedroom view one.

8.) Master view two...

9.) Stairs

10.) Bedroom two

11.) Bedroom 2 again. Really good view of downtown from windows up here.

12.) Bedroom three

14.) Upstairs bath

15.) Upstairs bath again

16.) Bedroom 4 - affectionately call the "man room"

17). encore on the "man room," in case you didn't get enough

"Darn Close"

So, I think that's the first line that Matt and I exchange when we walk into the house. It's certainly not untrue, but we've been saying it for a LONG time.

Last week we passed our plumbing and electrical inspections. We had a little trouble with mechanical, but we're giving it another shot on Wednesday. Our final structural inspection is scheduled for Thursday. If we have learned a thing during this process, we know that those dates could change...

My parents have come to help, and Mom came again without Dad. Matt's parents are here now helping! Courtney is invaluable!

Here are the latest in photos...

1.) This is the stairway (obviously) The light, handrail and carpet are new since the last post.

2.) Here's a view of the man room. We've started moving stuff in, but have been instructed to stop until we get our final inspection.

3.) Here's a view of the upstairs bath.

4.) Here's the front bedroom.

5.) And the powder room

6.) Master bedroom

7.) Master bath.

8.) Master bath again. The mirror fit by an act of God. It's something I picked up off the shelf, but it turned out okay.

Maybe we'll be living there a week from now... Fingers crossed!

Is it really OCTOBER??

When this project started on April Fool's Day... baseball season had not yet begun and here we are 162 games later. We never predicted that the Braves would make the playoffs or that we wouldn't be home by now, but such is life. We were practically certain that we would be moving on the hottest day of the year. It is cold in Charlotte.

So, it's been a while between posts and it's because we've been REALLY busy with wrapping things up! Also, we've been having a great time climbing in and out of the house through the windows.

The floors were finished last week, which meant that we couldn't get into the house to paint unless we came in through the windows. This wasn't too bad on the first floor, but to paint up stairs, we had to climb a ladder that was propped up on the front porch roof. This was perilous to say the least. Also, it is important to note that the floors took an extra day to dry due to rain, which made ladder climbing interesting!

It feels like we're so close, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Here are a few snap shots of the state of the state...

We're hoping to move some stuff in this weekend, but time will tell.

1.) Here's a shot of the great room. The floors have been finished. They look great and smell terrible. The ceiling fan is where the living area will be and the chandelier will be over the dining room table. I think that my favorite thing about this room so far is the ceiling color.

2.) Here's a shot of the kitchen. Faucet is installed, but water doesn't come out yet. Hole is where dishwasher will be. Back splash is in and grouted and there are counters that we love!

3.) Another shot of the kitchen. Shows that fridge is there and plugged in, but power isn't on yet. Note, world's smallest microwave. Don't let the trim kit fool you!

4.) This is the tub surround in the upstairs bath. It's looking good. It's white subway style tiles all the way to the ceiling and the accent is very slender travertine and glass tiles. Maybe a little hip for my usual taste, but it's fun.

Hopefully, I'll have more to post later this week. The next big thing is that the carpet is being installed on Thursday. Stay tuned.

BUSY!

I've fallen off of the band wagon as it relates to "blogging." We've been so busy. Painting is consuming our lives. We're soooo close though. These pictures are out of date, but better than nothing.

We're kicked out until Friday because the floors are being finished and I'm a painting machine. Matt's becoming a professional bachelor party attendee. I'll get a paint brush in his hand one of these days.

Here are some shots of things that we've done lately. I will try to post again over the weekend. I can't make any promises. Luckily, my sister has been a huge help and mom and dad are coming this weekend to help.

1.) Here's the den looking into the kitchen. Noteworthy items... fridge and pendant lights.


2.) Main room... I painted the ceiling and look a fan!

3.) Front porch columns and lights...

Where did the gray house go?

So, it's been a long road, but we're finally on the home stretch. We're talking about a move in date of October 1st. Time will tell, but we're pretty close. These pictures were taken before we worked all weekend, so I'll update again later this week with the latest. For now, here's what we have.

1.) Kitchen cabinets. Here's the "pantry." The hole is for the microwave.

2.) Here's the vanity in the master bath.

3.) View of the kitchen overall.

4.) Outside view, painted over the gray primer!

This week, we're hoping for all of the exposed wood where the house meets roof to be covered. The electrician is back on the scene. The template for the counters has been done and we might have countertops toward the end of the week. We'll be painting again this weekend.

Getting closer...

Here are some shots of the latest progress...

We can't wait to move in!


1.) Our bathroom. Tile has been laid.
2.) Cabinets arrived. Installation is going on today and tomorrow.

3.) They've installed interior doors.

4.) Upstairs bath. Floor has been tiled.

5.) Main room. Look at hardwood floors. Kitchen is on right. There is a little paint around the door, but just a first coat. Thanks to Court for her help!

6.) Hardwood detail on stairs.