OK, so the walls/ceilings have been cleaned of all drywall dust and our designer angels (thank you Raul and Amadeu!) helped us choose our colors for the entire house.  And we were able to take advantage of a 40% off sale on paint!  But since the nights are getting much cooler/damper, we are waiting until our heating system is up and running before we begin painting. 

So in the meantime, we have become the proud and very thankful recipients of some beautiful, solid oak, hardwood flooring (thank you Trish and Warren!!).  We have received two truck loads of it already and today Sheelagh and I spent the day cutting off the ends of the nails with our new grinders :) This is what it looked like at the beginning of the afternoon

here's what it looked like removing the ends of the nails

and here's what it all looked like at the end of the day

The first load that was delivered came just before we were expecting our first rain (of course) so we moved it into the house without removing the nails.  Tomorrow we tackle that.

Drywall phase is ... finished!!

The drywall is finished!  Now comes the daunting task of sealing, priming, painting, and even more challenging ... choosing colors!  The good news is that we don't have to worry about getting paint on the floor or trim and the only furniture we have to work around is the stove that is sitting in the middle of the kitchen.  Let the fun begin!!!

It's Drywall Time!!!

It's a little hard to believe but drywall installation has finally started!  The guys have only been on the job 1 day and already a good portion of the first floor is done.  Of course, they're just hanging the drywall - the taping and mudding will take some time.  Here's what I came home to yesterday.

The top photo is standing on the stairs looking thru living room to dining/kitchen area.  Next is the guest bedroom/closet.  Then the downstairs bathroom.  And finally our third "bedroom" off of the kitchen which we'll use as pantry/laundry.  (I know, an odd combination but so are we and it works ;)

The place is a mess with chalk dust EVERYWHERE but it's progress!!!  Stay tuned!

Oh How Time Flies!

It's hard to believe that its been almost 2 years since our last post!!  Wow, time certainly does fly by when you're sitting in your new home sipping cocktails and admiring the view ... but we wouldn't know about that since we're still working on the place!

Don't believe us?  Here are a few photos of our latest installment - the sprinkler system

Doesn't look like much but this "little" project took us over 5 months to complete.  The actual installation only took a couple of weeks (thank you TJ!).  It was getting it designed, approved and buying the materials that was the biggest challenge.  Did you know that it easier to buy a firearm than it is to buy the equipment needed to install a sprinkler system?  Yup.  You need a license to purchase the CPVC pipe (basically orange PVC) used for installing an indoor sprinkler system.  Even though the fire inspector has to test and sign off on the project validating that it was installed/is working properly, you need a license to even PURCHASE the equipment!  And the answer we received when we asked "Why?" ... "to preserve the industry".  So I may just have to get myself the training required to obtain a license to purchase this stuff if only to be able to help the next DIYer!

Anyway, rough plumbing is in, the gas lines are in, the rough electrical is in, and HVAC is about 90% finished (the remaining 10% comes after drywall is up).  The call is in to the insulation people so we can get the ceilings sprayed and we're thinking of having a Batting BBQ.  What's that you ask?  We're looking for adventure seekers to help us install the batting insulation in the walls followed by a BBQ/Beer Bash!  Interested?  Let us know and we'll keep you posted on the details!  Once the insulation is in ... it's drywall time!  (Don't worry, we're not asking for volunteers for that but if you know of a good drywaller, let us know).

Stay tuned ... I promise it won't take another 2 years before I post again :)

Well, it took a bit more than we had anticipated (I think that will be the title of our book when we're all done with this) but the house is finally painted ... almost.  Since we had rented the hydraulic lift our main focus was on the second story of the house and we can happily say that that is complete.  (A special thanks to our color guru, Colleen for guiding us around the color wheel!).  All we have left are the windows/doors on the first floor and installing the trim to the lower portion of the house.  As exhausted as we were, we actually enjoyed doing it - like Sheelagh said every day "we GET to do this"!!  The past 6 years have been a labor of love and even with the aches and pains and frustrations we know that we are SO fortunate to have this opportunity.  And we've had LOTS of help and support along the way  which is what keeps us going!  (A special thank you to our guardian angel and biggest supporter, Denise - we wouldn't be where we are today without you.) As we finish up the painting, our focus returns to plumbing, electricity and HVAC.    Stay tuned ..

We're a couple of days behind on the prep work for painting the house (thank you kidney stone - NOT!) but now we're back on track.  We're still in the process of putting the trim around the windows and caulking every crevice imaginable but we should be able to finish that tomorrow.  Then we need to prime the bare wood (window sills and eaves) and cover all windows and doors with plastic.  And, oh yeah, spray the sawdust/dirt off with the compressor hose ... and then we should be able to actually apply some color!  Here's a photo of Sheelagh and her sister Denise installing trim on the window at the top of the stairs in the master bedroom.  We rented the lift to save ourselves from having to move scaffolding and/or ladders around the house - smartest decision yet!!  (Thanks Denise, for filling in for me while I gave birth to my 4th stone!)

Sorry again for the delay in updates.  We've been crazy busy trying to coordinate the next phases (plumbing and electricity) as well as put up the trim and prep the house for painting which we're planning on doing Labor day weekend (for those that live in the area and love to paint you can take that as a subtle hint ;)   So far the most difficult part is choosing colors!  Anyway, here's a few photos of where we're at as of today.