Shaping Up ... the interior is coming together this week with most of the cabinets now installed. Take a peek and see the progress.

I'm going to be so bold as to have a count down 'til move in. Dh needs to make his travel arrangements very soon ... so I'm going to trust our builder that the home will be ready by the end of February. Over the next two weeks much of the final interior appointments are scheduled to be finished up. This coming week the cabinets get installed in the rooms that have flooring completed. The trim molding and painting of said trim will take about two weeks to finish. Once the cabinets are installed in the kitchen (tomorrow - Monday - 1/22/07), then the template can be made for the counter tops (they should take about ten days to make and install). The most important item I'd like completed is the banister rail in the foyer ... currently there is just a "drop off" down to the basement ... this limits my time inspecting the progress to when Nathan is in school (AM) ... and it's better to inspect in the afternoon to see the day's progress after the workers have quit for the day. The front porch steps and steps leading up from inside the garage to the house also need to be done. Once we do make the move, the builder has some outside projects that have to wait until spring ... i.e. concrete patios that need the ground cleared of snow ... and dried out and some exterior trim that needs painting. We had quite a bit of snow Friday night and the temps have been in the twenties and thirties (a warm spell from last week). Being that this project got started 11 weeks behind schedule, I'm pleased with the progress. We're in the home stretch of the race.

The inside walls are finished being painted. Ann wanted to know why the plaster wall texture looks uneven and like her grandma's walls :) She prefers the orange peel finish ... but I like the rustic texture of the hand applied plaster. My pictures (digital) are a bit hazy due to poor lighting inside ... and such bright outside light streaming through the windows. The bathroom, kitchen, and dining room floors are installed and look gorgeous. Next week the wood floors get installed. Tomorrow the trim molding and inside doors will begin to be installed ... and let's not forget that the electrician will begin putting in all the plugs and switches. The big decision yesterday was almond or white switch/plug plates. I've opted for white (glad that decision is over :) The garage walls should be getting taped and textured soon. Today I've been searching for a rustic log for the fireplace mantel in the basement ... I think the example shown is what will be ordered. It's made from white cedar and is similar to what dh mentioned he liked. This morning I had the nerve to go shopping for living room couches. Hope dh approves ... he did mention leather. I'm picky about leather and prefer the type that looks better with age, scratches, spills, etc. A less processed leather that is pretty indestructible with kids and ages well after time and use. It's been a busy but productive week. Looking like our home instead of just a bunch of pencil drawings on napkins

Photos: sofa and love seat ... same style but a wee bit lighter leather. Log mantels in showroom. Great room after being painted.

Yesterday the siding was completed. The only outside surface not covered is soon to be sporting a nice rock skirt below the garage windows. The plastering is completed inside and the "old world" plaster finish on the main floor looks fantastic. Even the "orange peel" finish in the other rooms is actually nice ... not too heavy of an application. Today the painter begins his magic of transforming the colorless walls into warm and inviting rooms.

A winter wonderland greeted me as I peeked in on the work at the new home. Today the workers had applied a top finish to the basement's stained concrete floor ... next step is a nice polishing ... looking good! We have part of the siding up ... the entire back side is done ... now they're working around to the front.

Photos top to bottom: Front with partial siding up ... taken a few days ago; dining room, new garage doors; evening time; neighbor's cabin (across the street from me).

This past week all of the drywall was installed and the litter strewn floors were cleaned. No more peeking through the wall studs :) Both garage doors were also installed. Dh's "barn"(garage) is nearly complete! Next week work begins on the outside with the installation of our siding; ceiling insullation is to be "blown" in the attic; carpet and other flooring materials are to be measured; rock for the hearth ordered; tile for the masterbath shower and kitchen backsplash ordered; drywall to be taped ... bullnose corners installed ... and skip troweling the texture on the wall and ceiling surface; and the interior doors and hardware need to be ordered. It will be a busy week to say the least.

Photos (top to bottom) Bonus room (guest/office) above garage; storage area (with tub) in basement; sunny day; basement family room showing fireplace; Ann's bedroom bay window with newly installed cedar shingles.

Yesterday, DH and I popped on over to the new home. It was an exciting day as quite a bit of the dry-wall had been put up on the walls. Now the interior is taking shape and the rooms are being defined. Hubby has dubbed his garage, The Barn, as it's about the size of one (1150 sq feet) with a 13 foot ceiling. He really liked the surprise of finding a gas heater/fireplace down in the basement. This was his Christmas present from me to him. Tomorrow, we're off to select the exterior rock trim and rock for behind the great room stove and the front of basement fireplace. What am I doing?? Posting and my daughter is getting married in two more hours???? Better run.

I actually found a few moments to drive out to our new home. The wall insullation is in and the latest round of county inspections has been completed. Next ... the front door and interior French doors need to be stained and finished along with installing the drywall. Dh will be here to help select the stain colors which will be a big help. Another week closer to our move-in countdown. Things are really coming along. I'm so glad we got the driveway gravel down before all of the snow! The Lord is opening little windows and slots of time to get work done in and around the weather He dishes out. Oh, how thrilled dh is to finally be up and inspecting the progress. He has not seen or walked through the house yet.

Over the past two weeks most of the interior electrical work has been done. We have wires here, there, and everywhere! Before the workers begin sheetrocking, I 'd like to take photos of the walls just in case we ever need to make a repair or remember what's behind the drywall. Now the exterior doors are installed, including the trimwork. Our circle drive has been graded again and has a nice layer of gravel ... this will help hold it together during the winter; with all the rain we've had, things were getting pretty soupy. With the electritcal workers we have another mess of wood shavings, etc. Monday I met with the builder and the lighting supplier to place the final order. Dh will hopefully be pleased with the choices and locations of outlets. He's coming up in a few more weeks and should see a gigantic change as we had just barely poured the concrete footings on his last visit.

I ordered two of the foreground chandeliers for our foyer.

With the exception of the front steps leading to the porch, the framers are finished ... they even cleaned up their MESS inside. There were empty pop and coffee containers everywhere, along with tons of sawdust (no, not the pooch)! The piece of machinery in front of the garage windows is being used to build a basalt rock retaining wall for the porch step landing. There will be the same rocks used in the back for a low... but rather long retaining wall. The interior walls are marked for the whole-house vacuum system. Thursday and Friday the actual electric and gas meters were installed on the outside garage wall. ... I guess this coming week more electrical and duct work will be done and probably the beginning of sheet rocking the inside walls. This picture was taken Thursday when we had a light dusting of snow. Since then, the temps have warmed up and our snow has turned to rain. We've dubbed our home the Mangy Moose Lodge!

My Sunday drive found some more work done at the new home. Window trim, soffits, copper roof, front porch floor and support beam are done. This coming week the framers should finish up with the stairs leading up to the porch and a few other minor items. My daughter, Ann's, baywindow bedroom has a deeper than normal closet to later accomodate a mainfloor laundry room ... it's now had the plumbing roughed-in. Everything is moving right along. We had snow flurries and sleet today ... with some snow showers expected tonight.

We have windows!! (a nice surprise today)

ROOF IS UP ... I'm so happy, so very happy ! Last week it rained inside my new home ... the roof was not completely covering the top of the house. There was water everywhere ... but by the following day, it was 90% dried out ... Now it can rain all it wants, as long as the wind doesn't blow rain sideways through the window openings. The color is called mission brown ... so is my basement floor color (um). Two bathtubs have been "installed", the rough-in plumbing for the entire house is about completed, and the bonus room above the garage now has a framed end wall, flooring, stairs, and the bathroom. Here's a few pictures I took today.

Walls, roof trusses, stairs ... beginning to take shape. Tomorrow (Friday) I'm off to pick out bathroom and kitchen tile and countertops.

Photos: 10/12/06 of new home under construction ... furry friend ?? Just a visitor that my kids thought I should have brought home!

This past week interior walls, doors, windows and one of two stairways were framed. Plus 80% of the exterior walls were covered over, and they started building the front porch. Ann's closet was expanded a bit to eventually convert to a main floor laundry room, and I gave up a corner cabinet of the kitchen to put in another very convenient doorway (before, there was just one way in and one way out). Next week we should start on the second floor above the garage and the roof trusses. Progress is sweet.

Photo: Ann standing near the storageroom door near walkout basement, 10/6/06