House on Hillsboro

OMG. The Stone.

 

 

 

I nearly fainted.  I laughed out loud.  It is more beautiful and perfect than I could have imagined.

First Floor Update

Um, I've fallen a bit behind with the blogging.  I really have nothing to say for myself except that it must have something to do with a computer that will not cooperate.  Or the fact that I have had 67 house decisions to make every single day.  Or that I have spent nearly all of my free time in home stores or plumbing warehouses or on the road somewhere in between.  Or that I went from walking over each evening and finding nothing to report to finding lots and lots of progress and feeling overwhelmed about what to photograph first in the quickly fading light of day. 

Or this sweet baby I am making.  (Second trimester!)

Or a particularly exciting recent development.

Or that school is out and glorious summer is here. 

But I am not complaining just explaining.  I am thrilled to death with the house and things have been going so well - house building and baby growing. 

Here's some of the latest:

 

The house is white and I love it! 

 

The roof is nearly complete.  They had to stop there near the middle to wait for the stone to arrive so that they could bring the chimney through the roof before laying the tin around it.

And finally,

 

it is here and waiting.  Rumor has it they will start laying it on Wednesday. 

 

Picture above:  pantry entrance

 

Picture above:  pantry looking left  The same shelves are on the right .

 

Picture above:  Here are the tile I chose for the kitchen and pantry floors after a very, very long search.  They are made to resemble the clay tiles in old Italian farmhouses.  The tile felt right but I could not for the life of me decide between the light or dark.  Then I had an idea.  I have always loved the old black and white checkered tile kitchens but would never be THAT bold but I could checker these two colors on the diagonal and have a similar, more subtle effect.  I will use the 3x6 wall tile for the back splash.

 

Picture above:  the dining room ceiling, still to be painted    Beautiful.

 

Picture above:  master bedroom ceiling

 

Picture above:  laundry room

 

Picture above:  Master Bath  In real life the paint isn't the least bit green (It's a really light cream) and the wallpaper is breathtaking and not at all pink (more gold).  I just couldn't capture it, Becca.  So sad.

Frank, however, is exactly like that in real life.

 

Picture above:  view into water closet   The floors are perfect.  I love them so.  I have decided to put them in the laundry room, too.

 

Picture above:  wallpaper detail   So sweet.  This wallpaper is the most delightful thing I have come over to find yet.  I am already regretting that I didn't have the time to find more wallpaper for Jack and Ava's bedrooms. 

 

Picture above:  vanity wall

I can't believe we have come this far. 

Porch Rails

 

Remember the porch rails that Ray mistakenly made perpendicular when the plans called for horizontal?  And remember how I told him that they were fine, then looked at the plans and decided that I actually liked them better the other way?

Well, I had decided to let it slide.  They were already in and I wasn't sure that it would matter enough to have it changed.  But then I saw my sister-in-law over Easter weekend and she made no bones about it - the rails HAD to be changed, for the sake of all that is good in the world, elsewise she couldn't bear to come visit. 

I couldn't have that.  She is my ONLY friend who I can talk homemade laundry detergent with.  Becca always changes the subject to Disneyland.

So, I told Ray that I did want them like the rendering after all and now we have this.

 

The fake supports still need to go.

So much better!  I owe you one, Melony!!

 

It looks much more substantial. 

 

Here are the rails on the back porch.  I am loving the super wide steps.

 

This is the only new development.  Sheetrock is quite a job but they seem to be nearly finished.  They have promised me that once that part is complete things will pick back up. 

Tubs/Showers

Sadly, things are going  v e r y   s l o w l y  now.  Alvin has only been working a half crew hanging and floating sheet rock because we are waiting for the right weather to do what we are really waiting on - stain the exterior, install the metal roof, and lay the stone.  I can not wait for all of that.

I walk over every afternoon with my camera in tow but everything looks about the same.  Finally today we had a little excitement.  The plumber had come and installed the kids bath tubs and fixtures.

 

Picture above:  Ava's bath.  And it works!

A confession:  These tubs were delivered on Monday.  I watched the truck pull in and saw them being unloaded and carried inside.  That evening I could not wait for the guys to leave so we could run over and see them, partly because Jack and Ava were so excited (we take our baths VERY seriously around here) and partly because I had never laid eyes on the tubs.  Alvin had ordered them himself.  I had not chose them - something I agreed to then worried about for two months.  I hadn't given him any direction at all beyond the color (white) because he had said that they are all basically the same but really they are not - something that occurred to me as we waited for them week after week after week.  If I had known it would take that long (Alvin says it was very unusual) I would have definitely went myself.

But I didn't and now here I was standing in Ava's bathroom ...crying.  Tears.  Embarrassing, I know but the tub was so small!  I seemed shallow and narrow and small.  And, yes, they are kids bathrooms but kids grow up!  Kids can be 6'3" - just ask JD.  That night I sent JD a pathetic email about the tragedy and went to bed.

But that was Monday and today I am back to normal.  Everything is okay.  Exchanging them is technically an option (though I never mentioned any of the saga to Alvin) but only in the most dire circumstances and this situation is not dire.  The tubs are a reasonable, normal size, made by an excellent manufacturer that will most certainly get the job done and save on electrical cost to boot.

Besides, downstairs there is the most fantastic tub in the universe should anyone need a serious bath and it just happened to come on Monday, too.  (More about that later.)

 

Picture above:  Jack's bath

The good news is that I love the Delta fixtures (so nice) AND we have one more shower to redeem them all.

 

Can you see it?

On the wall there?

 

It's the outdoor shower!

Not meant exactly for showering outdoors in the nuuuuuude, but for the prewash the kids, hubby, dogs, and okay, occasionally myself needs before entering the house.  No more hosing the kids (and, ahem, hubby) down with freezing cold water!  And for bathing dogs (which we do a lot) - what could be better?!  There is hot and cold water so you can use it year round.  No more Frank in the kids tub!  He's a cold weather weenie.  He has no coat. :(

This particular fixture isn't exactly what I had envisioned either.  I did pick it out myself but the options are extremely limited when you are buying in stock from a showroom, even one like Home Depot where this came from.  I wanted, maybe, a rubbed bronze finish with the old timey hot/cold knobs, but no.  The main problem was that it was plumbed for a two handle fixture and even after going to three places my only option was this or the plastic/crystal knobs.  No one stocks much in the way of two handle knobs because of the increasing popularity of the one handed control, which I think would look odd outside.  But I think it looks fine and it will blend in even better once the cedar is stained white.

We will have Alvin insert a little o-ring into the mortar in the rocks that will cover the cinder blocks below the cedar so we can connect a leash.  We also plan to plop a big Arkansas stone along the house below the shower.  Local stone yards sell them about four or five inches thick and in 2x3'ish or 3x4'ish slabs that are perfectly flat on top.  Too exciting!

 

And it works!

Porch Floor

One of the things I have been most anticipating is the installation of the porch floors and they are finally here!

 

They are white because they have been primed.  We will paint them. 

 

They are tongue and groove so nothing can collect between the slats nor can bugs or flies come up between them on the screened porch.

 

I walked over yesterday evening and was thrilled to see that they had nearly finished the front porch but later that night Ray called and asked ifI noticed that he had messed up.  He had made traditional perpendicular slats but if you look up to my banner up top you'll see that the plans called for horizontal rails.  I told him I had not noticed and that I didn't think that it made any difference to me.  He also said that this way can be best because with the horizontal rails the boards tend to bow and it is very obvious.

BUT after we hung up I pulled out my set of plans and I really like the horizontal rails more.  I think.  Do you?  I do know that I don't really care for the faux support pieces at the top of the center post.  I will have him remove them. 

 

But the floors sure are nice.

Still Here!

Blame JD.  He is so exhausting with his energy and ideas.  When he is home we are so busy it is nearly impossible to sleep, much less blog but can you blame him?  I apologize for not updating but at least I am consistently inconsistent.

BUT, although a lot of time has passed, nothing too visually exciting has been going on.  For the past few weeks, it has been all sheet rock, plumbing, wiring, and duct work so it seems like things have really slowed down but it is all necessary, important stuff.  It just doesn't make great pictures.

Here is the latest.

 

Picture above:  The finished window boxes.  I love them.

 

Picture above:  The view from the middle window.

 

Picture above:  Screened porch.  The plywood floors are temporary, of course.  The outer walls will be finished and screened and the kitchen wall to the left will be covered in stone. 

 

Picture above:  Exterior doors are in!  Front door.  I chose a solid wood style because I like to be able to cover all windows at night and didn't want to have to worry with awkward door window coverings.  Deciding what color to paint it will no doubt be one part thrilling and one part torture.

 

Picture above:  Kitchen door to screened porch.

 

Picture above:  Great room double door to back porch.

 

Picture above:  Laundry room door to back porch.  So, these doors - I worried to death that I wouldn't like them but I do!  I went with the enclosed blinds because I love a door with lots of glass but there are no good options for covering them.  The mechanism works so well.  You can raise and lower the blind and open and close them to any degree.  As to whether they hold up well, only time will tell.

 

Picture above:  In the evening, the light through the dining room windows is amazing.  By the time the sun sets it covers the entire great room floor and out through the french doors.

   

Picture above:  Ava's room.  Well, unless the baby is a boy.  Then we might have to make this the boy's room.

I'm pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Need a Woodpile

 

 

The screen porch just kills me. 

   

That is sheetrock in the doorway!

 

I have so much to say and no time to say it - but here are a few pictures!  There is so much going on.  This week the plumber, electrician, and the heating and cooling guy have all been out.  Meanwhile, the builders are continuing to work on the siding and today they started THE FIREPLACE! 

Tomorrow we are off to the big city to pick out all the bathtub faucets and master bath tub which I had no idea was coming so soon.  JD is coming.  This is our first 'house' trip to Lowe's where we HAVE to leave with something.  Oh, dear.

Siding & Breezeway Roof

 

Today they finished this portion of the siding on the master bedroom.  When my Dad and I (he's here with me now from Texas!) rounded the corner and saw this I gasped.  It looked so wonderful.  And finished.  Everything else is in such a state of half finished limbo.  The batten boards and framing around the windows made such a difference. 

The cedar siding will stop there on the left side of the bedroom and the stone will start and cover to the end of the white wrap by the front porch.  It will also cover the cinder blocks across the bottom.

So, today the builders, Daddy, AND JD, all tried to convince me to keep the siding natural and forgo the white stain.  I am still sticking with the stain.  Any thoughts?

 

 

Bedroom windows from the inside.

 

The breezeway is covered!

Carport and Siding and Windows Oh My

 

 

 

We will approach the garage from this way.  The first strip of metal roof is visible in the picture above and below.

 

Some cedar siding (it will be stained white) and the first two windows!

 

Great room windows from the inside.  And, um, two guineas.

 

The dining room window unit.  The windows were delivered Thursday.  I walked over after they left, dying to finally see them and when I did I was...disappointed.  They aren't wood windows!  And there were a few little spots where they finish has already been scratched revealing the aluminum underneath - the bronze is just a coating.  AND the middle grid bar looked too skinny and the worst part of that was that I, myself chose the 5/8" over the 1.5".

But now, three days later, I can honestly say I am fine with them, happy in fact.  They are perfectly decent windows within my budget and I think I am even liking the skinny divider.

And surely we can touch up the scratches?  Will they even bother me when I am lying in bed with JD watching the sun rise through that big, lovely window?

 

Master bedroom.

Doubtful.

Bits Here & There

 

1.  Car port roof

  

2.  Screen porch door frame

3.  Other little Oak

  

4.  Jack peeks out from Ava's closet

  

5.  Electrical work, notice the outlet near the floor and socket (?) for a light at the top, a particularly exciting find!  This is one of the window nooks in Jack's room.

  

6.  Some cedar siding has appeared 

When I walk over after they leave, I never know what I will find.  It is waaaay too fun.