Starting the Transition....

Well, the guys didn't show again today to finish cleaning the windows, so I am assuming that we will have to finish the "clean up".  We did quite a bit of cleaning on Friday.  Some of our furniture was delivered.  The window guy is supposed to be here tomorrow to repair the 2 windows that aren't working properly.  We won't move in until we have our post construction "closing" with the bank and builder on Thursday.  Until then, we will start transitioning to the house.  We are taking things over there bit by bit, but the real "moving" will have to be after Thursday.  So...with that being said...the house is pretty much finished...so there is really nothing to "blog" concerning the construction of the house.  It has been quite an experience...one I hope we will never have to do again.  It was exciting, frustrating, and emotionally draining.  It was exciting and fun to make creative choices and have them build what we want, but it was also overwhelming!  I think that we did a pretty good job "keeping it together" considering the whole ordeal.  And, we are happy with our creative choices.  The house is absolutely beautiful...it was all worth it!  The contractor and crew did a great job and I would highly recommend them.  There were issues that came up, but they always handled them promptly and tried to satisfy our needs and get things corrected.   I won't be blogging daily now that the house is finished.  I need to spend my "after work hours" getting moved into the house...I will post pics every few days as I get the house furnished and decorated....Thanks for sharing our "house building" experience with us!  Can't wait for all to see our "Oak Haven Dreamhouse"!

A Quiet Day....

No one showed up here today.  We thought they would be back to finish cleaning the stickers and goop off of the windows but no one showed.  So we don't know if we will be responsible for finishing that part of it, or if they will come Monday to complete things.  Michael and I spent the day cleaning at the house.  We cleaned dirt, drywall dust, sawdust, goop, and other things from the floor, cabinets, drawers, etc.   The window guy will be here on Tuesday to repair the 2 windows.  Other than that, I believe they are finished!   We should have our official "closing" next Thursday.  Then, they will hand us the keys!  Then...the work really begins!  We plan to have an "open house" after we get some things moved in and settled.  Can't wait for everyone to see it!!!!

Getting Close.....

They are sooo close to being finished with the house that I can't stand it!  I am ready to move in!  They came out today and cleaned windows, picked up around the yard, took care of some of our concerns, and checked things off of our "to do" list.  We still have a couple of windows that aren't working properly so we are waiting on the window guy to repair them.  The wood floor is looking so beautiful now that they have pulled up the protective paper from around the rooms.  Everything is so beautiful!  We are so blessed...I get so teary-eyed walking around the house and admiring it's beauty...we will certainly make many, many memories in this wonderful home!....

This and That...The "Other" is Done!

Things are winding down out here...Yea!  The guys were back today to install the appliances, finish the stone fireplace hearth, clean a bit, finish some trim work, etc.  They are getting things completed step by step.  There are now just a couple of things that need taking care of.  We have a couple of windows that aren't working properly and we have some caulking that needs to be completed in a bathroom.  The electricians need to come back one more time and re-wire our porch fan and light.  Other than that....I think things are getting close to finished!  They are coming back tomorrow to clean and pick up around the yard, etc.  We are loving our appliances.  It will be so nice to have a washer and dryer in the house and not have to walk to the shop to do the laundry (which Michael does).  Our new dryer even has a screen that says "Welcome"!  Oh my!  That is pretty fancy!

This, That, and the Other...Part 5

The painters finished their last minute touch-ups today.  They are done.  We did find a couple of things that they didn't get done...but I guess it's too late now?  The guys finished the screened porch today.  It looks really good.  Can't wait to spend some time there, watching the lake dry up!  The guys still have a few things to do to finish up, but it's almost done!  Can't wait to get over there and spread out again....

This, That, and the Other, Part 4

The painters came today to start their finish "touch up" work.  They will have to come back tomorrow to finish because there was quite a bit to do.  The electricians came back today to re-do a few things.  A couple of guys started installing the screened porch panels today.  They should finish that tomorrow.  There is still quite a list of "fix its" to do...but it is getting done, day by day.  Our "babies" are noticing that we are starting to spend more time over there...so they should transition to the "new house" pretty well!  I think they love it as much as we do (actually...they love being close to us...so they are going to love us living in "their yard" now!)

This, That, and the Other...Part 3...

The crew was back today to complete the shoe molding.  They installed the glass panels in the kitchen cabinets.  They installed the stove and dishwasher.  They cleaned a bit...and did...this, that, and the other.  The plumbers were back to complete their work....install faucets and  install the garbage disposal. The toilets now work and water is working throughout the house.   The air conditioner guys came and got the other air conditioner unit working.  The painters should be here Monday to re-paint several areas and touch things up.  The crew should be finishing up by the middle of next week.  Today was supposed to be move-in day, but I was expecting a delay of a few days.  I'd rather wait and have everything done right....so we wait!...

This, That, and the Other..Part 2...

The crew got alot done today.  They continued installing the shoe molding around the house.  They hung towel rods, mirrors, and such.  The began prepping to install the appliances.  The electricians were here again to hang vanity lights, install the doorbell (it's so cute...see the "leaf" by the door?), and work on various other things. The duct guys were here again to finish duct work.  Now the air guys have to come to finish hooking up the other unit.  The plumbers were here to install the clawfoot tub plumbing.  It is beautiful!!!   The toilets are installed, as well as some of the water faucets, etc.  The sheetrock guys were here again, re-doing several things.  Things are a mess again, but the painters will come and re-paint as needed.  Things are moving right along....

This, That, and the Other....

Lots going on today.  The finish crew was installing the shoe-molding throughout the house.  The electricians were here for more of their work.  The duct guys got most of the duct work done.  They will be back tomorrow to finish.  It is getting "cooler" in the house now.  The dry wall crew was here to correct a few things.  The flooring guy came back to correct a high spot in the wood flooring they installed this week.  The contractor came again and Michael gave him "my list" of "things to do".   I think he (the contractor) was making fun of how picky I am!  Imagine that!  They told me to make a list...I guess they didn't expect a 5 page list.  Oops?!  The plumbers are supposed to be here tomorrow to install the clawfoot tub...so much going on...can't wait to get it completed!

Flooring Complete!...

The wood flooring crew continued their flooring installation today.  They did a great job and finished!  I can't believe it.  It is absolutely gorgeous!!!  The gutter guy was back and finished his gutter work.  The builder/contractor came out today to make their "punch list".  The walked around and made a list of what else needs to be done.  Of course, I have my own punch list.  Thank goodness, the contractor is as particular as I am...that is pretty particular!!!  The duct crew should be here this week to install the airconditioner ducts.  It should have been done before the wood flooring was installed, but they were on vacation.  Now..I'm so afraid that their ladders are going to scratch our new floors.  Let's keep our fingers crossed!
It's awesome to see everything coming together during these last stages.  Still quite a bit to do from several "crews"..but they should whip it out in no time flat!

Flooring Continues....

Well....things are moving right along.  The wood flooring crew continues to lay the flooring throughout the house.  It looks so beautiful.  They said they would be finished midday Tuesday, but I can't see that happening. They have quite a bit left to do.  The tile guy finished tiling and grouting the front porch.  It looks great!  The "Gutter Guy" is here today to install the gutters.  He should finish up on Tuesday.  They still have to screen the back porch, install the appliances, and work on their "punch list"...which means finishing up this, that, and the other.  The electricians, plumbers, and air conditioners guys still have work to do, then the painter will come back and finilize touch-ups.  We still don't think they will be finished with everything by this Friday, Sept 16th as scheduled, but it should be soon after that!  Yea!...ready to get moved in before "fireplace weather"!

Wood Flooring....

The crew came today to begin installing the wood floor.  It is beautiful and is a perfect match to the front door.  The painter did a great job at picking a stain color for the door to match the flooring.  It is all coming together.  The tile guy was also here to work on the front porch.  He got a little done, but had to stop due to the "traffic" in/out of the house from the other crew.  So, he worked on the storage room tile floor.  Can't wait to see more wood flooring installed tomorrow.  That's about all that went on today.  There are several things that need to be done, but I guess they are waiting until the flooring is complete. Yesterday the paint crew tried to patch the holes that the electrical crew made throughout the house.  There are some pretty rough looking spots along the walls unfortunately.  I knew when I saw the multiple holes in the walls, that things wouldn't look "just right" when patched.  Hopefully, they can work on it more, cause it's just not looking so good?!

Grouting The Tile....

The painters worked on Saturday to paint the chimney.  They worked almost all day and came close to finishing until they heard thunder...so down came the ladders off of the metal roof.  The rain then came...nice slow rain.  Don't know if any of the paint washed down the roof...hopefully not.  They were back today to antique the fireplace mantel and built-in shelves.  I'm glad we made the decision to have them come back and antique them.  The mantel looks better with the antique color against the stone.  They did some touch up work today and said they would be back on the 15th to finalize any other touch up work since the house is supposed to be finished on the 16th!  Our appliances arrived from Lowe's yesterday.  The guys will install them after the flooring is done in the kitchen area.  The floor guy is supposed to start installing the wood floor tomorrow.  The tile guy was back today and grouted the kitchen backsplash and laundry room floor.  The grout color was perfect!  It all looks so beautiful!  The air guys were supposed to do the duct work this week so we would have air conditioning, but his duct guys are on vacation for a week, so he came Saturday and installed something "temporary" to get some air flow inside the house until his duct guys are back next week.  So...the house is cooler, but so is the outdoor temperature!  We sat on the porches and enjoyed the cooler weather over the weekend.  The porches are going to be well-used!!

More Tiling.....

The tile guy was back today to finish laying the laundry room/mudroom tiled floor.  He also finished tiling the kitchen backsplashes....they look great and will look even better when they are grouted.  The painters completed most of the exterior painting.  They still have the chimney to do.  We don't know how they plan to get to it....it's quite high!  I believe that's all they have left to do with the exterior.  They still need to glaze the greatroom cabinets.  The cabinet guy was back today to put in the pegboard and pegs for our "dishes drawer".  He straightened the cabinet doors a bit and touched up a couple of things.  The master shower door was delivered and installed today.  It is frameless....you almost can't see it!  We have a "finish date" of September 16th...hopefully that will be the date!

Lights Are On....

The electricians were back today for more of their work.  Unfortunately, they are having trouble getting some "juice flowing" to some areas.  They actually made multiple holes into the walls to find the issues.  I know that it's the way things are done...but it sure is sickening to get your walls all painted and pretty and then watch them destroyed with holes.  It will all be fixed, but it is stressful to watch the destruction!  The air conditioners were installed today...but no duct work done yet...so the house will be hot until the middle of next week when they install the air ducts.  The tile guy finished laying the tile in the laundry room and started working on the kitchen backsplash.  The backsplash is going to be beautiful!  Hopefully, he will be back tomorrow to lay the mudroom tile floor and finish the backsplash.  The painters continue their exterior painting.  The electrical crew hung the back porch ceiling fans and exterior lights....beautiful!