The Home Stretch/Light at the End of the Tunnel/etc.

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I posted anything new to this blog! Much has happened in this 30+day hiatus! Most of the stone work has been completed on the exterior. Stone is still to be installed on the chimney outdoors and on the two fireplace facades as well as the face of the bar between the kitchen and the great room. We have hardwood floors (hickory) throughout the main level of the house now! The photo was taken in what will be my office...it was the only space not covered with cardboard for protection so you get the best idea of what the floors look like from this vantage point!

We also have kitchen cabinets -- well, most of the kitchen cabinets. Hopps Woodworks has done an outstanding job on the cabinets. They are red oak with some Arts & Crafts details...and these photos don't really do them justice. We have lots of special touches. There are built-in spice cabinets on either side of the range hood within very easy reach. That's an indulgence we've never had...spices have been stashed in drawers, in wall racks, etc., but never neatly tucked away right next to where they are needed! There is a very cool sliding pantry that will be built-in to the wall just behind the refrigerator. It's an outstanding use of what was fairly useless space before. There is a special cabinet built for the microwave which operates like a drawer. The microwave will slide out and food can be placed in from the top. A huge space saver in my efficient little kitchen! And the shelf is in place for our big beautiful white porcelain farmhouse apron sink. There will be a wine fridge at the end of the island tucked inside a cabinet. And there's a cabinet that opens to the dining area where we can store liquor and bar items!

The built-in entertainment center has been installed, as well. As soon as tile floors are done (by next week) all bathroom vanities can also be installed. We're working on picking out counter-tops right now along with light fixtures and bathroom hardware. Even door hardware will be a challenge.

Our garage doors arrived damaged and had to be sent back. Temporary doors were installed instead so the garage is secure. The openers are unbelievably quiet...and we even have a keypad on the exterior so we can get in with a code! I know...most of you have probably had those for years, but this is our first real foray into the modern era!

By early next week we should have heat! The propane tank was delivered after many delays (trucks breaking down, freak snow storms, etc.) and is situated in a giant hole in the ground designed to minimize damage should it blow-up! Gas should be connected to the house shortly and heat will be available for folks continuing work indoors.

The devil is in the details...and he's knocking at our door right now! Lots of decisions to be made over the next few weeks. And, meanwhile, we continue to market our current home. It's no fun living in a place that has to stay clean all the time! We've had lots of activity, some pretty serious interest, but NO OFFERS thus far. Hopefully we'll sell it sometime in February so we don't have that looming over our heads!

Stay tuned!

Happy New Year!
Quite a lot to report since the last post! We have a screen-room on the side porch. It's not your grandpa's screen-porch. It's a "system" that is made of maintenance-free aluminum framing and screen panels that make it easy to replace damaged screen (anyone who has been around dog noses and screens know exactly what I'm talking about).

Stone work on the foundation was started just before New Year's Eve...and continued through today---New Year's Day! After a very pleasant holiday brunch with good friends, we visited the house and were surprised to find four young men feverishly putting up stone!

And, trim carpentry on the interior is underway. There is really nice crown molding in kitchen, dining room, hallway and office. And, several of the windows have been trimmed-out, as well. Wire mesh has been put on the fireplaces in preparation for stone. Cabinets are under construction and will be ready when the floors are installed.

Decisions this week will be tough...interior paint colors, finalizing flooring, etc. We've started looking at lighting fixtures on-line...that opens up a whole new world of excitement AND challenge.

Stay tuned...the adventure will be winding down before you know it and then we'll get on with the business of LIVING in the mountains!

"PRIME" Time

Seems like yesterday we were excited by the first swath of the bulldozer through the pristine wilderness we'll soon call home. Then there was a big hole in the ground that became a walk-out basement. When framing began we were almost ecstatic!

Now 90% of the exterior is finished! As soon as the water line is run from the well to the house so the stone will be installed. When the railing is put on the deck and the screening is put on the porch, the only thing remaining will be landscaping.

We're inside now...and just in time. We just had the second measurable snowfall of the year which is two more than we experienced all last winter. Interior stuff has gone very quickly. Not only is the sheetrock on the walls, it is finished and PRIMER has been applied to the entire main level. The ceilings throughout the main level are primed AND painted.

We're in the final stage of selecting all the flooring...a bit behind schedule, I might add! The first quote was breath-taking...and NOT in a good way...so we had to drop back and punt. The only other major decisions will involve light fixtures...and then there will be a long list of "minor" decisions.

Enjoy updated photos above and I'll try to update the blog a little more often. Happy Ho Ho, Everyone!

GIVING THANKS

There is so much for which I am thankful this year that it's tough to begin to enumerate it all. First of all, another year has come and nearly gone and the people I love are all relatively healthy and happy. My family in Knoxville, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York and points beyond are all faring better than most in this screwy economy. We are so thankful for our friends near and far who enrich our lives even when we don't see them nearly often enough. One of the gifts we've been given as a result of moving around a bit to chase job opportunities is that we have friends in all corners of the US (and a few beyond the borders). You know who you are and please know how blessed we feel to have you in our lives.

In June of next year we'll have our first grandchild and we're more than just a little excited about that! We got to see the little guy waving his arms on a recent ultrasound...and what a strong little heartbeat he has. No, we're not sure he's a "he", but my gut thinks so. Doesn't really matter...either way he/she will be the most spoiled, adored child ever to grace the earth.

And, while Thomas and Cheri will be raising their first baby, OUR baby will be tying the knot. In about a year and a half, we will welcome a new son-in-law to the fold. He's already met the "Fockers" and hasn't run screaming into the night yet. Erica and William (or "Cooper" as he's affectionately known by me) will be married in May of 2011. Alexis is still loving life in sunny southern California and was a little taken aback by the rain we got on her visit home for the Thanksgiving.

And...the house...

The house is coming along very quickly and feels more and more like OUR home every day. This week the bulk of the sheetrock was hung on the main (upper) level. Almost all the siding and trim has been finished on the exterior. We're waiting for the final little bit of siding, the garage doors and the stone for the foundation and columns and then all attention shifts to the interior.

My favorite t-shirt says: "I wasn't born in the mountains...but I got here as fast as I could!" Can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Somehow, having a front door makes the new house seem a whole lot more like a "home". That's the thing we'll open for guests, although most of you will probably use the side door and come through the mudroom like family. That's where we'll hang a wreath at Christmas time. That's where the welcome mat will be!

In addition to the new front door LOTS has happened since my last posting. Most of the siding is in place on the front of the house. In addition to the Bunglehouse Grey covering much of the exterior, we've now added the accent color, Roycroft Bronze Green, to the high peaks. If I do say so myself, I think the Arts & Crafts color combo is quite becoming! The peaks are covered with faux (Hardie board) shakes which is a nice contrast to the lap siding.

Both the interior and exterior fireplaces are in position. The big deck on the back of the house is framed and ready for decking. Most of the plumbing and electrical work has been completed. I am extremely excited about our shower. Showers are now called "vertical spas" and mine has four body sprays, a shower head, a hand-held shower AND a 12" rain head mounted overhead right in the center! If I can find a waterproof laptop, I may start working from the shower when we move!

The central vacuum has been installed. I don't know what we'll do with the Dyson when we move...I feel like we're cheating on it!

We have made a few big choices recently. The floors will be mostly a distressed hickory...awesome! We brought home the sample and tucked it under various pieces of furniture and lived with it for a week. Love it. We selected tile for the mud room and the guest bath...also awesome. Still LOTS of decisions ahead, but that should be the fun part, right?

I'll try to get more photos posted soon...things are changing so quickly right now I can't keep up with the progress!

From Raw Wood to Bunglehouse Green!

It's been a banner week for construction. The siding has started going up and portions of it have already been painted. We're going with several choices from the Sherwin-Williams Arts & Crafts Collection. The body of the house will be "Bunglehouse Grey" which is more green than grey. The Trim color is called "Vellum" and is a yellowish off-white. And the accent color that will be painted on the faux cedar shakes at some of the high points on the front of the house will be "Roycroft Bronze Green"...a dark tealish green. The TREK material has been laid on what will be the screen porch and breezeway. Much of the wiring has been completed. Fan/light combos have been installed in bathrooms. Plumbing for the upstairs has begun. The fireplace and kitchen bar areas have been framed. We made a few big changes to the original floor plan. The rec room in the basement has increased in size by about 80 square feet and there is a nook under the stairs where we will have a "refreshment" center for guests. I spent a little time selecting faucets and we shopped for stone for the foundation walls. One of the most fun things was looking at fixtures for the "vertical spa". I've been out of touch for a while, apparently, and still mistakingly called this a "shower". But that really doesn't touch what it will be! It's more like a carwash for humans. There will be four body sprays, one shower head, one hand-held shower and a 12" rain head overhead in the center. Choosing locations for various light fixtures was fun and a little stressful. Lots more decisions coming down the pike and all at a time when I've got a busy travel calendar ahead...stay tuned!

Putting a Lid on It!

Despite 5 straight days of steady rain, the past week brought lots of milestones:

* shingles on the roof!

* stairs in the stairwell!

* showers in the 3 guest bath rooms!

We also got two more exterior doors installed and lots more framing on the interior. The framing for the fireplace in the great room is in so a fireplace cannot be far behind. We've made decisions about the decking material, the exterior colors and the kitchen appliances.

And on the "other" home front, we got just about everything marked off our list in preparation of putting the house on the market.

Stay tuned! This is bound to be a busy week...