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.