A Real Yankee Fireplace!

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the fireplace was what got me motivated to get out and start building this house in the first place.  I was tired of looking at fake logs behind a fixed piece of glass that I had to flip a switch to start.  My first house in Ohio had a large Brick/masonry fireplace that took up an entire wall of the room - longways, and when that wall got heated up with about 6 good logs burning, it kept the whole place toasty no matter how cold it was outside.  So the very first requirement I had for my next house was that it had to have a REAL fireplace that could handle more than two Duraflame logs at a time.  I think I've succeeded.  As you can see by these first couple of pics, I'm now the proud owner of a good looking stone-hearth fireplace.  Most homes in this part of the country, even alot of custom builds, have "gas logs" instead because they're alot cheaper to "insert" and the winters are fairly mild.  But I've never much cared for them - even though I had them in the last two houses - after having that first "fire-wall".  Now, thanks to a FANTASTIC job on the stonework by Ken Carroll from GIZA Stone, this is the centerpiece of the whole interior of the Roadhouse. 

Other work on the interior has progressed well at the same time over the last few weeks.  While we're on the topic of stone, you can see from this next pic that the granite countertops have gone in with which I'm also quite pleased.  The granite slab used for them was called "Monte Carlo" granite, and all pieces were cut from the same single Italian slab of granite.  I think it blends well with the cabinets and tile backsplash.  Continuing with the stone theme I also went with a stone tile floor in the kitchen, with mosaic inlays in the breakfast area (can't see that in the pic).

On the outside, Blake and the guys at Panoramic Landscapes finished up the grounds with a fresh crop of Fescue sod.  INSTANT LAWN!  It really helps make the place start to approach a finished look and they also did a great job.  Notice, I don't give plugs for ALL my subcontractors - just the one's that really do a bang up job for me. We even had enough left over to do part of the backyard too, which really helps with drainage and runoff around the house.  The trick now, is to keep it sufficiently watered over the next several weeks to assure the sod takes root into the ground beneath it.  This is a great time of year to be nursing fresh sod in, but it still takes a bit of care and attention to make it work.


I have painters scheduled to show up this week and coat the place with a couple dozen gallons of Sherwin Williams' finest - well, mid-grade at least.  In writing the paint contract, Ed (Home)- wizely advised me to be sure to specify the grade of paint and MINUMUM 50 year caulking be used throughout the entire house to be sure it holds up for years to come. 

Next up, I have a bunch of fixtures on the way - lights, plumbing, etc. - which should be included in the next blog in a couple weeks.  After that, just minor details - gutters, shutters, screens, knobs, locks etc. to finish up.  Stay tuned - it won't be long now!

Fast and Furious October

Even though it's cooling off outside, once we got past the rain things really started heating up inside.  I've got a ton of activity going on finishing up this month and it's hard to keep up...both with the work AND the cash flow rolling out.  There are more trades/contractors in play now than ever before at the same time, requiring lots of coordination, and not to mention lots of cash.  I feel like I'm running my own personal economic stimulus package here, keeping half the county employed.  If you check the time of this post, I'm obviously not sleeping well at this point (also due to other stresses besides this project) and am looking forward to finishing it all up in the next 5 or 6 weeks.

As you can see from this recent photo, the outside is really starting to shape up, thanks to grading and some initial landscaping work.  We should have sod laid down in the front yard this week which will further serve to enhance the appearance.  Still need to put shutters up on the front windows, finish painting the exterior trim around the Bay window, stain the front door/sidelights, and install gutters and downspouts.  That will finish off the front exterior.   In the back, the two porch ceilings need to be stained and a finish coat of trim paint applied to most surfaces there, along with the screens for the screened-in porch.  I really like the look of the "Chippendale" railings on the deck, and plan to eventually paint them white, but not for a good 6-8 more months so the pressure-treated posts could dry out a bit.  I'm afraid we may have missed the window of opportunity for ideal timing on the grass seed in the back, but we'll see.

As for the rest of the activity, as I mentioned above it is extremely busy.  I've got most of the ceramic tile work completed but am waiting on the Granite countertops to be installed to finish up the ceramic backsplashes in the kitchen.  Still have a few outstanding issues with finishing up the kitchen cabinets and vanities in the bathrooms - lots of details to be concerned with there.  The trim carpenter has taken almost twice as long to complete his/their work than originally anticipated, and is being held up slightly by problems with materials/supplies being delivered that are damaged, warped, wrong, or otherwise problematic.  Although Builders-First-Source started out doing quite well supplying the job, they've really slipped down into marginally acceptable performance here near the end, causing numerous problems and delays to progress.  I've got the landscapers going hot-and-heavy on the exterior and a new stone mason coming in this week to finish the fireplace trim inside.  That will be a large piece of work to get behind me.  After that, it's on to painting the interior and the final plumbing (installing toilets, fixtures, and water heater(s)), electrical (light fixtures, switches, and appliances), and HVAC work.  I still have to purchase a ton of fixtures and hardware for the finishing, but shouldn't have a problem getting it there in time for them to do those installs.  Last will be sanding/staining the hardwoods, sealing the floor tile and grout, and then carpeting.   

 

I'm still not sure what to do with all the underbrush on the hill in front of the house, but at least it's been cut down now and you can actually see the house from the road.  By the next time I get around to posting, I should be pretty close to completion and have power hooked up inside the house to get some interior shots.