We sold our little house on High Valley Road, and must be out by July 25. We have been working 12 hour days, 7 days a week to get things wrapped up at the new house. Susan has created a timeline of the tasks left to be done, and so far we are pretty much on schedule. Unfortunately we have run out of time, and despite our best efforts, some of the finish work will have to be done after we move in.
The hardwoods have all been installed and have received two of the three coats of finish, We then covered them with cardboard to protect them while we finish up the rest of the house. Randy is scheduled to put the final coat on this coming Tuesday.
While Randy was working on the hardwoods, I completed the installation of the heated tile floor in the master bathroom. I now understand why tile guys charge as much as they do for this kind of work. I don't know if my knees will ever be the same! The good news is that the floor looks pretty good and the heat coils work. I will now move on to installing tile backsplashes around the spa, sinks and kitchen counters.
Speaking of kitchen counters, George did his usual fantastic job installing the kitchen counters and cabinets. I then had my old friend Mike Bales come up and install the countertops. Fitting the sink and adding the hanging lights completed the job.
In order to get our certificate of occupancy, I had to come up with some kind of retaining walls along the west side of the house. The steep grade created a safety hazard by the upper deck and an the possibility of erosion along the foundation. My solution was to build a tiered retaining wall using railroad ties and rebar. There are three tiers and will include a set of steps leading from the upper deck when finished. So far I have used 34 railroad ties, and I still have to finish the stairs.
In the past week we have passed the final inspections for plumbing, electrical and HVAC, and have received approval for our certificate of occupancy. Hooray!
The carpets were installed the week before we moved in. Randy put the final coat on the hardwoods at the same time. When the floor had sufficiently dried, we began moving appliances and furniture into the house. It's really a neat feeling to occupy the house we dreamed about for so long.
Here is the completed kitchen area. I installed the tile backsplashes all around the counters and behind the stove. I'm trying to get used to the new layout, but still can't seem to find anything.
Susan and I wanted to find a neat old light for the front entry. We were discouraged at the prices of new fixtures, so searched eBay for an old one. The types we liked were bringing consistently high prices too, and we were unsuccessful in winning any until I spotted this one. The pictures on eBay were blurry and the angles were bad, so I guessed that not too many people would bid on it. I put in a bid, and to my amazement, I was the only bidder! So, for $24.95 plus shipping, we bought this turn of the century hanging schoolhouse light fixture. Once I applied a little Brasso and elbow grease, it transformed into a really pretty addition to our home. It's nice to hit a home run once in a while.
