Pile of Shingles

We are knee deep in the electrical phase right now .... and as part of that figuring out where everything might  go. One of those "might" items? TVs. My parents are of the mindset that you should just wire for them all the time because you might need them. I am of the mindset that I only want one tv in my house. I want the family to all have to watch the same tv and fight it out when someone wants to watch CSI and I want watch re-runs of "Will & Grace". That being said, I did some thinking about my aversion to TVs and the second issue that I also don't want to see them. I don't want to walk into a room and it be the first thing that I see. So after a walkthrough with the electrician I gave in and decided to wire for TVs in all the bedrooms. Whether they actually get used or not, who knows? But this way, we'll at least be setup for the off chance I let my imaginary, fake children have TVs. Small Bedroom You won't be able to see the tv when...

It feels redundant to say that "lots of things happened" at the house. That is pretty obvious at this point. Every day there is something different - but the thing is, the decisions are becoming real and permanent. It's pretty wild - and also a bit stressful. Sure, getting another electrical outlet added in 6 months would not be the end of the world - but some things feel like bigger deals. Like the back steps. What the kitchen island should look like. Whether the hand spray unit goes on the right or the left. But then there are really easy decisions, like what color to make the porch ceiling. The original plan was to try and save the old ceiling. I liked how wide the planks were - but I also liked saving $$$. Well, Jim called me one morning and said the ceiling couldn't be saved. The downside is obviously $$$ but the upsides are pretty great. One? It'll be new and healthy wood. Two? It will enable me to insulate the porch ceiling better - and therefore less...

After an embarrassing amount of over-thinking and research, I have finally made the tub decisions. It is a sense of relief and satisfaction that is probably not exclusive to just me. I feel like everyone in my life has been patiently listening to me talk about tubs, look at tubs, tell people that I'm going to plumbing stores, and then re-thinking everything. So, don't worry the days of stress sweats over bathtubs are over. I can't say the same for faucets - but we can officially cross bathtubs and shower valves off the list. When we last checked in, I was down to 3 tubs all made by Victoria + Albert. I was feeling pretty confident that Radford was going to be the winner.  The Victoria + Albert website has a handy dandy product finder so you can see some of these tubs in person. I have a real hard time buying anything that I haven't touched - especially something as large, expensive, and semi-permanent like a tub.   But here's how we got to the ultimate de...

I honestly thought I was being better about taking these pictures each week - but alas, not all of them have the same angles. The back of the house has undergone some equally dramatic changes but I know that I'm missing probably two months of pictures. The house was backed so close to the back of the lot that I couldn't see all the change that was happening. So what's happened in the front? changed the roof line added a 2nd floor deck added french door to the front porch Enjoy. ...

Consider this the official five month mark! When we were first getting construction quotes, the timeline ranged from 4-9 months... who knows where we will end up but it's been a busy five months so far. This wasn't the easiest week in the book. Lots of discussion around plumbing and electrical. The hardest part of it all is that I work nearly 2 hours from home most days - so I miss some of these ad-hoc discussions that happen on-site. As a result, I'm busy playing catchup and mediating at night when the work day is over. I am also very much over thinking about plumbing fixtures. I'm pretty happy with the tub decisions but even more pleased to just not have to think about it anymore. We will still have bathroom faucets, sinks, and vanities to determine soon... but whatever, it's progress. As work has begun to wrap-up on the exterior of the house, it looks more and more like a yard and less like a pile of old wood with windows. I have absolutely zero idea what ...

Just like many areas of this house, the hall bathroom has undergone several transformations to get where we are. And when you look at the floor plan changes.... you might just chuckle to yourself at the end result. Why? Because it's going to be exactly the same as it was for the first 70+ years of the house's life. Nothing is changing. To help understand why this is the case, I'll break down some of the thoughts for this room. Overview: this is the "family" bathroom. It's located on the 2nd floor with the access from the hallway. primary users? anybody but me :). I'll have access to the master bedroom. Ideally it is for whoever is sleeping in the upstairs 2nd and 3rd bedrooms.  utility is for regular daily activities (e.g. bathing / teeth brushing / etc). Nothing special like the downstairs bathroom . Other considerations: I'm always a fan of putting in bath tubs but especially in this case. I don't know any other way to clean kids b...

It feels like we are on a roll of super productive weeks. After those incredibly cold weeks in December and early January, things are happening... every.... day. Even on Saturdays. I'm telling myself it's because I'm such a joy to work with that people want to spend their Saturdays with me. The more realistic option is that the house renovation market is bursting and everyone wants their HVAC installed. That being said, I do hope that I'm a joy to work with. I think there is only one person right now who finds me challenging and honestly, I'll take those numbers. I fundamentally enjoy all the people working on the house now. They are patient with my questions and very welcoming. I never feel like I'm in the way. I equally love the moments when I'm wandering around the house alone at sunrise... and when I'm there in the middle of the day with country music playing and nail guns in the background. Music to my ears. On Sunday, I took a couple friends ...

Of the three bathrooms in the house, the downstairs bathroom is the one I can most clearly visualize coming together. Awhile back I wrote up some background on the space , but now it is time to introduce some of what is swirling around in my head. As previously stated, this bathroom is more than just a bathroom. It connects to the mudroom and the office. So - yes it is pretty important. It's the bathroom that will see the most amount of use. It needs to be pretty but also durable. While the shower part of it might not be the most used, when it is used it will be for atypical situations like after the beach (e.g. sand), guests staying the week, or bathing the dog that I don't have. Here's a rough breakdown of the different bathroom elements and the idea behind the decisions. While I feel pretty comfortable with the vision, the actual products are still a bit TBD. We recently locked down on the shower fixtures but nothing else has actually been purchased... What's...

... to picking a tub. After this week's moderate panic, I found some degree of clarity around what I'm potentially looking for. Unfortunately, it is probably not what my plumber wants - but he also said he doesn't care as long as I'm happy. To help share some of the crazy that has been inside my head / Pinterest boards / Instagram scouring, I've looked at the following brands: - Victoria + Albert - Kohler - American Standard - DXV - Maax But honestly, it really feels like I've looked at the entire internet of brands. The problem has been that I haven't even found anything that I liked. It wasn't that I found a tub that I love but it was too expensive. I just fundamentally hadn't found a single thing that made my heart skip a beat. I found tubs that I liked to "sit in" but not "look at" ... and unfortunately you really need both. Especially given the master bathroom configuration. So what did I do? Well really similar...