Homeless, again

Once again, we have found ourselves pseudo-homeless. This seems to happen to us a lot when planning to move. The timing just never quite lines up exactly. Of course, this time we get to be "between homes" with a very active 11 month-old and an over-anxious dog. In the past, it always worked out...eventually, so I have faith that this one will too.

This time we had to be out of our rental by the end of June, so throughout the week, before and after work each day, we incrementally moved all of our belongings into the bedrooms of our own house - the parts the were fully complete. July 1st rolled around and our house was not finished and livable, so we headed to New York to visit the fam for a while and hopefully give the workers a bit more time to pull it all together.

The risky part about this is that without us there checking up on daily progress (ahem, micromanaging... and yes, we feel it helps), things just might not happen. Or, of course, they might happen, but in a not-the-way-we-intended way.

So what has happened and what remains? The stair guy has been working at pace that Anthony politely describes as 'quite un-feverish' for the past few weeks to complete was has become (according to the stair guy) a very unique set of steps. This has resulted in piles of debris, saws, tools, compressors, cords, and cups that have covered the entire main floor.

The large amount of tools, saws, etc. required to complete the stair trim.

The side entryway was also done. Of course, in typical construction fashion the decking material we used on the front porch four months ago is now no longer made and was not to be found anywhere so we had to settle for a slightly different product (sigh).

The new side/mudroom entry deck.

The rest of the electrical work was finished. The faucets and tub/shower trim were all connected, and the earlier water leak resolved without much issue.

The glitch that did occur was that the wrong bath/shower trim was still installed, despite our efforts back in March to correct our trim order from an earlier mistake! We're beginning to wonder if they're just trying to wear us down. While I realize this is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, as we'd been here before with the builder, it made it all the more frustrating to have to ask once again to have the mistake fixed.

Towards the end of the week, the stair guy(s) finally wrapped up their work and cleaned up their mess, leaving a nice clean set of stairs and clear floor. It was great to see the 'almost' finished product.

The stairs to the basement, finally!

View of the stairs and kitchen from the living-room area.

We realized our refrigerator is pretty small. Plenty of room to grow...

Natalie enjoying the clean, clear main floor for the first time.

So, now we're ready for the floor guy to come back and finish up the connecting areas. All the doorknobs are in the house ready to be installed. Some trim work needs to be finished and a few things, like some uneven dry wall work in the upstairs bathroom, need to be fixed.

The big hold-up however seems to be that the plumber cannot get the boiler to work. The current plan is to have the company rep. come out on Wednesday to take a look at it. Hopefully then we can check that off.

The boiler, mixing valve, and indirect water heater complex, currently at rest as the boiler will not start. Who really needs hot water?

-J

At Least I hope It's the Drywallers

7:00 this morning I watched the workers pull up and climb through the window to start work. One guy was armed with a 2-liter of Mountain Dew and a Red Bull, so I expect the job to go quickly. Zippy's extra anxious because they also brought a little dog with them today.

- J

Daily Reflections

I feel like every time I visit the house I stand in awe of the day's accomplishments. Sometimes big, sometimes small, these raw changes transform the space into something that I either never really thought I'd actually see (which often results in a "Jodes, you won't believe what...") or that I didn't expect to see (which often results in a "John, I'm confused why...").

This past week and a half has garnered many of each type of response:

Saturday/Sunday: This is the basement window along the south side of the house. Insulating the basement became a bit more involved toward the back of the house. 3" of rigid foam exists behind and between the 2x3 studs where they back up to the concrete foundation. Above this, cellulose was blown in behind a mess into the 2x6 studs of the outside wall. Remember that there is an inch of rigid foam on the exterior of the above-ground sections well.

Monday: You are looking at the ceiling of the main floor. 6" of fiberglass provides sound-proofing between levels. The insulated supply lines for the upper zone of radiant heating is visible as well.

Tuesday: As quality insulation was a big part of our hopes for the house, we've tried to use blown-in cellulose where ever possible on the exterior walls. It works better per unit R value than fiberglass (it's all about the installation). This caused some communication issues when something else was placed there instead. The area along the outer wall where the floor joists are supported was one of those places. However after talking with John, he had the sub pull it out and pour foam instead (shown here in the yellow color).

By now most of the cellulose has been put in the master bedroom outer wall, up to the ceiling, dampening out most of the noise.

Another look at one of the forward bedrooms and upstairs bathroom with insulation.

Wednesday: The main level is now quiet as a tomb. Although I suspect that it will not stop Jody from tap dancing again.

Thursday: More sound proofing for the interior walls on the top floor. You used to be able to see through to the back windows from the stairs, and walk through all the walls but alas, no more!

Friday: Oh my gosh!(Okay, maybe I said something else...) Today they not only delivered all the blueboard and plaster but they put it up in half of the 2nd floor. This front bedroom is completely finished, as is most of the bathroom.

A view from the outside corner of the same room. The closet/stage is almost ready to go.

The drywallers have left their jar of peanut butter, jar of jelly and loaf of bread upstairs, so I know they'll be back soon.

- A