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!