one hour

What a difference an hour makes!  When we arrived at the house this morning, the bright blue skies and warm summer sun gave promises of a beautiful day.  We, however, knew a major storm front would be rolling through later that afternoon and after one hour exploring the house, the clouds started rolling in.  This was a fantastic opportunity to see the siding and stone in different light.  I happened to get pictures upon arrival and departure, not because I was consciously thinking about the light but because I am a shutterbug and couldn't help myself.  For those of you contemplating Silver Mist siding, Almond trim, Black shutters, and/or Aspen field stone, enjoy the happy accident!

Silver Mist siding & Aspen field stone on a bright/sunny day

Silver Mist siding & Aspen field stone on an overcast day

The stonework is almost complete - there are a few patches left to do, as well as the mortar - but it is coming along beautifully.  What you can't see very well is that a black metal roof has replaced the shingles on the porch and that the columns are square!  I don't know why this excites me so, perhaps it is because I am not fond of cylindrical columns.  These porch supports will eventually be painted almond to match the rest of the trim; the door will be black before the end of the month.  A nice red would also look great here and give it a nice splash of color.

view from the study. scaffolding not included

The dip in the driveway does concern me a bit because it means water will pool there (see dirt  below).  While I'm grateful that the driveway does not slope directly into the garage, this area will become an ice patch in winter.  Per plat, we were expecting a 3.5% slope away from the house.  I suppose they dug a wee too much and the house is sitting lower than expected.  This is only the base coat of asphalt so I'll be keeping tabs on this spot but I fear a drainage channel may be needed--not ideal if we have to personally pay for this.  I did find a pretty grate cover though.

Speaking of water pooling, if we need to dig up the driveway for the channel, I may also consider connecting the downspout from the garage.  Based on the angles, it looks as though the roof run off is going to accumulate into a small gutter.  If a waterfall doesn't occur, there's still going to be a fair quantity of water flowing here.  ...topics for the home inspection team.

The trades were back in the house and are *almost* done!  There are a few lights that need to go in and the plumber is waiting to finish the powder room (the tile was laid on Friday but still needs to be grouted).  This means everywhere else, there are faucets, shower trim, and toilets -- and more importantly, water!  The remainder of the drawer pulls and the shower surround are still on the to-do list.

powder room tile

with shower trim

master bath floor and wee bit of the shower

 

Along with the floor tiles in the powder room, the kitchen backsplash is also up (sans grout).  The diagonal definitely gives it some flair.  As much as a I want some colored glass tile, we opted for a neutral background -- I can spice up the kitchen with accessories and paint without having to worry about retiling if I want switch up the color palette.  Let us pause and admire the craftsmanship...

 

braces were installed :(

The garbage disposal, microwave, and stove are hooked up and the dishwasher is hanging out in the morning room.  The fridge, washer, and dryer will be installed after closing.

The hardwood floors and carpet were also installed!  It looks as though the carpet was in (Tuesday) before the steps and rails were stained, which will likely receive a coat of polyurethane next week.  After that, there will definitely be some touch-up painting.

family room w/ carpet

family room again w/ lots of light

kitchen hardwood meets family room carpet

second floor

attic (with appropriate carpet padding)

If you recall from my previous post, it was a bit warm in the attic.  Now that all vents are open and all access doors are closed, it was actually cool and comfortable up there today.  The basement too was at a nice temperature, even with the vents closed.  The HVAC system appears to have very little air leakage from the unit itself (though did feel a little in one spot) and the output from the registers was nice (didn't measure the cfm though).  Speaking of the basement, the walls are now insulated.  Though not the most attractive, it sure does help reflect light ... and does a good job masking the motion sensor.  ;)  Should take a few seconds to uncover it.

under the family room (future media room)

censored ...

It looks as though it's going to be a tight squeeze with the red cabinet in the foyer so I may need to find a new home for it.  If that's the case, I'll have to search for a nice bench or save some pennies for a tansu step chest.  The red cabinet will then migrate to the morning room.

alternate location for red cabinet