Home Projects, etc...

Grading the Yard and Grass Seeded

2009-09-30T20:14:00.002-04:00

Well, we finally have the grading of the yard done, and I was able to get a good part of it seeded before the last couple of rains. So, we are really, really getting close now!

Today, one of the neighbors from across the street was out in our yard, so I decided to go out and take some pictures... Ok, so it is a llama, but it does live across the street...

Anyway, you can see the yard is in much better shape than before...

Our "Neighbor" through the front window...

Again -- through the side window...

From the driveway across the front of the house (llama friend still in the yard)

Deck side of house...

Back behind the house -- there used to be three piles of dirt back there...

From the driveway out front...

Llama in the driveway...

From across the road...

Visitor out by the road...

Finally -- Counter Top Completed!

2009-08-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

Well, after some problems that we had to have fixed, we were able to get the counter top completed today, and it really looks great! Here are several pictures... Have to wait to finish connecting the plumbing just to be sure we don't disturb anything before it dries completely.

Master Vanity Top

Master Vanity Sink

Kitchen Island from Dining Room -- Note the "bar" or "quarter table" sticking out on the left... The hole on the backsplash is for an outlet.

The kitchen sink...

The stovetop -- the interchangable bays are removed...

The "quarter table" -- room for three bar stools. Same height as the counter.

Holes are for outlets...

This is what the faucet will look like...

More done in the library...

Shelf over top of the kitchen door (from the dining room)...

Counter Top and Vanity Top -- In Progress

2009-08-22T22:44:00.001-04:00

We finally have the counter tops and vanity tops partially installed, but they were unable to complete it on Friday. So, it should be finished either Monday or Tuesday of next week.

We also had to build something for the quarter table on the back side of the island to sit on. It isn't finished, but it is coming along. I didn't realize until the counter guys were here on Friday that we needed to have such a sturdy frame for it to set on, but since they couldn't finish on Friday anyway, I had the weekend to work on this. We have to stain the boards that will show, and I can add stained boards around the 2x4s later so it will look nice...

And, Dawn has worked this weekend on unpacking her books in the library, and so here are a couple of pictures of her bookshelves...

Island Counter -- Kitchen Sink is taped while the silicon hardens.

Backsplash and mantle top is also not installed yet.

Frame where quarter table will go -- same black granite...

Master Vanity -- sinks aren't in yet, backsplash isn't installed yet.

Finally Home!

2009-08-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

Well, we have had our official Certificate of Occupancy for a few weeks now, and we are getting settled in -- finally! Here are a bunch of pictures of the house furnished (even if still full of boxes in places)...

Dawn's Nook

Kitchen Hutch

Kitchen Cabinet / Counter

Laundry Room / Door to Deck (From Kitchen)

Buffet in Dining Room

Dining Room Wall -- Shelf with Pictures, Nooks on the Left and Right

(Couch will go in the Library Someday)

Nook with Buffet

Living Room Couch

Living Room from Behind Couch

From Living Room Looking into Entry Way (left) and Dining Room (right)

Entry Way (left side) Looking into Kitchen

Boxes, etc, in Family Room

Hall Vanity

Hall Vanity Floor

Dining Room -- Looking across into Kitchen

Dining Room -- Nooks, etc.

Master Bedroom

Master Bath Whirlpool

Master Bath Whirlpool / Window / Shelf

Master Closet (Hers)

Master Closet (His)

Master Vanity Cabinets (Sinks not yet Installed)

Building Authority Final Inspection

2009-07-28T23:35:00.000-04:00

We have reached a major milestone this week! Pending the final inspection on the plumbing (which is done by the health district in this county), we will have our Certificate of Occupancy!

Still have several little things to finish up, but nothing more that is required to satisfy the Building Authority.

We have made progress on the panels that go around the whirlpool -- they should be done this week, except for maybe painting them.

We have to put up the curtain rods which will be trivial.

We have to take the windows out of each window so we can finish staining them.

We need to have some finish grading done in the yard (looks more like a jungle right now -- can't mow it the way it is).

We are waiting on the kitchen countertop and master vanity top. That should be done in a week or two. We are also still waiting on our cabinet makers to come back and finish the trim on the cabinets. They had to have a saw repaired which created a delay. I need to call them or go see them...

Home Improvement in Tennessee...

2009-07-23T22:18:00.000-04:00

This may not be a TV episode, but a lot of improvements have been made to our home in Knoxville... Our pastor there has been a very busy man and has made a lot of progress!

My wife took lots of pictures, and I'll just post them here...

Shutters -- Finally...

2009-07-20T10:57:00.000-04:00

So, today, I had a few minutes to kill, and decided to please my wife by putting up the shutters out front... It really gives it a nice, finished look, and she is indeed pleased :)

Vent Pipe and Deck Skirting

2009-07-18T17:55:00.001-04:00

Well, the work is definitely starting to slow down here as we near completion... There is still more to do, and today we were able to make a little more progress.

We now have just one more of the boards to put around the deck as skirting, and that part will be finished -- well, with the exception of gluing the decorative railing top down. Trivial job once I get to it... Maybe yet today -- who knows...

And, we found out that a metal roof with 6-12 pitch is very difficult to scale, and so my dare-devil son volunteered. We threw a rope over the top and he tied it around himself (trying to keep from strangulating himself), and he went up, drilled the hole with a hole saw. Then, after I put the vent pipe through, he put the boot over the pipe and caulked it, and then screwed the boot down in several places. So, now to wait for rain and see if it leaks... I should note that we had one partially used clear caulk, but it was clogging up, and simply would not squeeze out. So, we decided to go ahead and switch to a new one which was white. We had no more clear, and the clouds were quite ominous, so we didn't feel we could afford to wait.

So, right now, it looks a little like Big Bird landed on our vent pipe... There is a nice size white splotch that he had trouble trying to clean up without it just smearing even worse... As long as it doesn't leak -- that's the main thing! Sorry, but I'm just not going to put any pictures of Big Bird's mess on the internet! You'll just have to come visit if you really want to see it ;)

Stairway Details...

2009-07-14T20:44:00.000-04:00

We are getting close to being finished with the building of our home, but things seem to continue dragging out... My immediate goal is to get pass our final inspection and get our Certificate of Occupancy. There are only a couple of details holding us back (as far as I know) -- the banister on the stairway, a few unfinished electrical outlets, and the vent pipe still needs to be put through the roof. The outlets can be finished easily or just a blank plate put over them (until they can be done later), and the vent pipe won't take long to finish -- once I get up on the roof and cut a hole (finally got the hole saw to do this).

So over the weekend, I turned my attention to the stairway and the details associated with it. It goes up into the attic, and there were no walls up there on the sides, so I needed to add some walls on both sides of the hole. They are framed and drywalled on one side, so that should be ok. Then, one side of the stairway was opened, and needed a handrail, and so I had to figure out exactly how I was going to put that up, satisfying the details of the code. So, I now have most of that done -- not quite complete yet. I need to install the newel at the bottom and finish the balusters on the side at the top -- most of them are on, but there is still a hole at the top.

I decided to take a 2x4, rip it down to a 2x2 (1.5x1.5 actually), and then use the router to round off the corners, and then use it as the banister. That really worked great, and I have talked with a builder friend who actually suggested that I do this -- since this is just an attic stairway and not in the living area where a quality finished look is not really necessary.

Here are some pictures -- I am working on putting drywall in that storage room, but I mainly needed to get the drywall on the walls above the stairs. The drywall looks a bit like patchwork because I'm having to fit it in behind the stairway, and the walls are 9' -- I don't have any more of the 54" pieces like they used in the house...

When It Rains, It Pours!

2009-07-13T09:01:00.000-04:00

And it definitely poured Saturday morning! More on that later...

Made some good progress on the stairway handrail this weekend. It isn't finished yet, but at least I know what I'm going to do. This stairway is in the storage room leading to the attic, so it doesn't have to be finished quite like an interior stairway.

I plan to actually use a 2x4 for the rail itself, ripped down to a 2x2 (actually 1.5 x 1.5 inches), and then rounding the corners off. I will use a 4x4 as a newel at the bottom for the rail to end at.

Then when it was about time to wind down for the night, we discovered that the sump pump float switch had gotten stuck, and the heavy rain had flooded the basement floor -- about 4 inches, maybe a little more.

There was a lot of stuff down there, but a lot of it was up off the ground far enough to not get wet. There were some things that were ruined, and that is a pain, but the water heater, the well pump, and the radiant heat water tank were all up off the ground far enough to not be affected.

We ended up spending a good part of Sunday afternoon bringing things upstairs and cleaning them off the best we could -- us with mud all over us, too...

So, we made some real progress this weekend, but we had to take some of our time to just deal with another one of those frustrations that happens in life...

HVAC Finished / Deck Rail Finished

2009-07-09T22:30:00.000-04:00

The Wenig's were here for the last two days, and they have completed the installation and testing of the HVAC system -- the register covers, bathroom fans, and thermostats were the main things they had to finish.

Meanwhile, I worked out on the deck and front porch the last day and a half finishing the handrail all the way around... The only thing not done on the handrail is gluing the top decorative piece down. They are fit pretty tightly, so they aren't falling off, but they do need to be glued.

And, then I also need to finish the skirting around the deck, but that is mainly cosmetic, and my goal right now is getting the Certificate of Occupancy...

Here are some pictures... Almost forgot to mention that I put up the house number on the front the other day -- it looks pretty nice, too...

Cooktop...

2009-07-06T12:34:00.000-04:00

Well, today, I have worked on making sure the cooktop is going to work with the cabinet (wasn't sure because of some miscommunication). So, I cut the hole in the plywood temporary "countertop", and we have the stovetop setting in place now. No electric or vent hooked up yet, but for an idea of what it will look like...

Here are two pictures...

Oven, Dishwasher, and Warming Drawer Installed and Working!

2009-07-05T23:27:00.000-04:00

We were able to get the Oven / Microwave Combination, the Dishwasher, and the Warming Drawer all installed this weekend. They look pretty nice with the black fronts and the dark cherry cabinets... We're just waiting on the countertop now which will also be black quartz with sparkles in it...

Here are some pictures...

Cabinets Progress...

2009-07-03T16:30:00.000-04:00

We still have some work to do, but we have the cabinets well under way. There are some unplanned adjustments, but nothing too drastic...

Here are some pictures of the kitchen, one of the shelf on the dining room wall, and a couple of the master vanity cabinets. You'll see that we temporarily put plywood on the cabinets since the countertop will take some time.

Cleaning -- Awaiting Cabinets!

2009-06-27T20:25:00.000-04:00

We (or should I say, my wife) worked hard today to get the tools, sawdust, etc, etc, cleaned out of the house today, and then cleaned and mopped and waxed the floor -- or about half of the house anyway.

So, here are several pictures now that the floor is clean and waxed -- with the complementing dark trim...

The Living Room -- light coming in the North side in the evening...

Kitchen -- can't wait till the cabinets cover the island framing!

Family Room...

Hallway...

Half Bath...

Dining Room...

Window Sills and Trim -- Just About Done!

2009-06-25T22:04:00.000-04:00

Today, I was able to get all the window sills, and all of the trim -- except for two small pieces on each of the windows that go underneath the sill to keep the end of the bottom trim piece from showing... Here are a couple of pictures showing one of the windows I did today, and a closeup of the bottom -- and then a picture of one of the windows I finished last week...

Family Room window I did today -- unfinished bottom...

Closeup of the bottom...

Closeup of the completed Kitchen window...

And, here are several pictures I found on my wife's camera... She probably wanted me to post these yesterday or the day before...

One of the porch lights...

The French Doors into the Family Room -- note the baseboard...

This is for the baseboard -- not the boxes :)

This was about three quarters of the baseboard... Window sills are on the left...

Washer and Dryer are working... Yea!

Kitchen with baseboard and finished window...

Hall baseboard, and door trim...

We chose to put in two 30" sinks -- same model number, but DIFFERENCE backsplash sizes

You can see the backsplashes better below...

The hall shower / bathtub...

The baseboard in one of the bedrooms -- the door on the right is a closet door.

The Living Room baseboard (before the window sills and trim were done)...

Baseboard Done!

2009-06-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I have worked on baseboard the last three days, a nd I was able to get it completed today. For the most part, it looks really nice. There are always places where things happen -- wallboard is bulges, concrete has a hill or a dip, or I made some minor error -- cut a board just a little short. Most of the problems are either in closets or in corners that won't be seen much. There nine splices altogether, but they are almost all in places where people won't see them.

On the bright side, I had only a small pile of scrap pieces -- I was able to use most of them up as I went. I have six uncut pieces of baseboard left! I do have the storage room that I could put baseboard in and the computer server room. These rooms are not finished yet (no wallboard, spackle, paint, etc). I do have wallboard left that I can do some or all of those rooms, and if/when I do, I can use the baseboard I have left.

Next, I'll be moving on to the remaining windows. I have done two of them, and I have eleven remaining. These should not take all that much time, but there are some precision cuts where I have to notch out the sills where they will rest against the wallboard. These are extended jambs, and so the sill extends in about an inch to the window itself.

There are some other odds and ends that I've been addressing also. I worked on the removable panels that will go around the whirlpool. The ones behind the whirlpool -- in the master bedroom -- are done, but the ones in the bathroom on the front side of the whirlpool are not finished yet. I have one of them done enough to test fit, and I'm working on sanding it down so it fits better before we paint it. It is basically a piece of wallboard framed using 1x2s. We plan to paint the whole thing the color of the bathroom walls. The top will slide up behind a piece of trim, and drop down behind the baseboard that I have going around the whirlpool.

We are anticipating the kitchen and master bathroom cabinets being installed this weekend, but our communication with the Amish has been difficult...

Tune in again, and maybe I'll have some pictures of windows and baseboard along with the door trim, etc...

Door Trim Finished!

2009-06-20T15:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I have finished the trim around all the doors inside the house! I didn't get any for the storage room for garage, so if / when we decide to finish that out, we'll have to get it ourselves, and probably paint it instead of staining it.

Anyway, we are pretty pleased with the way it looks so far. Next, I'll tackle the baseboard. I have done most of the master bedroom baseboard, so I have an idea of what I'm in for. I really dread it, but I know it won't be as bad as it seems once I get started.

Then, after the baseboard, I'll work on the windows -- sills and trim.

We have also put on most of the door knobs and all the bedroom closet shelves and rods are up. So, we are definitely making good progress...

We have the vanities for the hall bath. We decided to use two 30" vanities for now to save money as that can be upgraded later. They are white, and so they match the wall plates. We have interesting colors, but the dark wood contrasted with the light paints and white really looks nice.

Trim and Window Sills

2009-06-17T21:17:00.000-04:00

Well, today has been a pretty good day. I am improving in getting the corners of the doors and windows to line up pretty well. We are anticipating getting the kitchen cabinets within the next few days, and so we wanted to get the windows and doors in the kitchen trimmed so we don't have to work around the cabinets...

So, today, we finished the door trim in the master bathroom, master bedroom, office, and library. Then, we did the doors in the laundry room / pantry and the kitchen. And, we braved the window sills and trim around the windows.

I followed the advice of Owen Yoder who did the finishing of our doors and trim, and it all seemed to work out pretty well...

These four pictures are attempts to capture the kitchen window that will be over the counter -- between the refrigerator and freezer. The lighting just was not working...

From the laundry room looking into the kitchen (where the cabinets will soon be ;)

One of the pocket doors -- not sure which one.

Pantry looking into the kitchen again.

Kitchen window again.

From the library, looking through the cased opening into the office.

The door from the library into the dining room -- office is to the right.

The double kitchen window. The windows themselves are not yet finished -- we will take them out and do them on a rainy day...

Kitchen window again.

Door Trim, Baseboard, and Wainscoting

2009-06-16T22:22:00.000-04:00

In order to make the walls in the master bedroom look a little more "complete", I decided spend today working on finishing the wainscoting on the wall backed up to the bathroom whirlpool. We did this because we needed to leave access to the underside of the whirlpool, and having a piece of wainscoting that slides up behind the chair rail and then drops down behind the baseboard was a really nice way to hide the fact that these panels are removable.

In order to do this, I had to first put up the trim around the doors that border the wainscoting so that the exact sizes of the panels, the chair rail, and the baseboard could be determined. Then, I had to put up the panels, followed by the chair rail (made specially to fit the panels up behind), and finally, the baseboard.

With baby blue walls and white wainscoting (not to mention the dark trim), the finished product looks sort of like a beach house... It is really looking nice!

We also put the sink and toilet into the half bath (should I say powder room), and that is looking pretty nice also.

While I was working, my wife went around and put in light bulbs. The electric cooperative was nice to provide us with the energy efficient lights we needed since it is a new construction.

My wife was gracious enough to provide us with some pictures again today...

Far side of master bedroom -- French doors open to the deck (left) and the pocket door on the right goes into the bathroom... The whirlpool is behind that wall.

Same wall, bathroom door is closed, and the closet door is opened.

Powder room sink...

Sconces on the master bedroom wall -- the bed will be centered between them with the switch conveniently located on His side ;)

Access panel removed -- underside of the whirlpool exposed.

Progress on Door Trim

2009-06-15T23:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I was able to get the inside of all 6 closets (3 kids bedroom closets, entry closet, linen closet, and master closet) trimmed today, and it doesn't look too bad either.

I then got brave, and started in the master bedroom -- did the bathroom frame and the French doors that lead out to the deck. My real motivation was to get the doors done where I'm putting wainscoting, so I can get that done next. It will be nice to have all the walls in the master bedroom finished, and in the process, I'm also getting the trim done.

I have not yet braved a window sill and trim, but that will be coming soon... I have to notch out the sills to fit in where the extension jamb was -- took that out so the sill could fit all the way to the window frame to make it a little stronger.

No pictures tonight -- it's dark, and my wife doesn't seem to trust me with her camera... I wonder why...

Maybe pictures tomorrow!

Finished Interior Doors and Started Trim

2009-06-14T21:56:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I have posted, and really, much progress has been made. We have 99% of the electrical completed -- lights, outlets, etc. There are a few things not working, but I think they just didn't put a breaker in for a few things.

My parents came to visit a little more than a week and a half ago, and we planed and sanded the window frames down to be flush with the wallboard, so that will make the trim work a lot easier. The house wasn't quite to the point where they could actually stay overnight here, so they stayed in a motel.

My brother, Terry, came to help me put in the interior doors at the end of this past week, and we were able to get all the doors set, and two of the five pocket doors cased in. After he left yesterday, I was able to finish the pocket door casing, and also put in all 5 of the cased openings (we like the open feel)...

Today, I decided to try some of the trim around the inside of the closet doors, and I was able to get three of them done. Let's just say, I'm not a pro at trim, but it looks respectable. There are a few cracks showing, and I'm not sure I want to do all the doors that are visible all the time. I'm sure I'll get better as I go, so maybe I'll just do it anyway... My wife and I have decided that we're not going to be as picky as we may normally be...

I am currently unable find my camera, so my wife took some pictures with her camera... If you think there are too many, you'll have to blame her ;)

Looking from the dining room into the family room...

Looking from the dining room into the living room...

From the laundry room door looking across the kitchen toward the road...

From the kitchen looking at the coat closet in the entry way...

One of the seven ceiling fans...

The master bedroom (wainscoting not yet finished)...

Master bedroom looking toward the bathroom, with the closet door opened (on the right)...

Same as above, but with the pocket door of the bathroom vanity mostly closed...

One side of the closet in the master bedroom -- my clothes are starting to get dusty down in the basement!

The family room light...

The closet doors in one of the kids bedrooms -- others below ;)

The linen closet doors in the hall bath (pocket door partially showing leads to the toilet / bath area)...

Same as above -- looking from the hallway...

From the living room -- looking at the entry way on the left, and the dining room on the right (there I am -- typing my blog)...

Chandelier in the dining room...

One of the many sconce lights (we like these a lot)...

Family room French doors (looking across the messy table)...

Is that enough pictures for one day? Thank you, Sweetheart, for taking pictures today :)

Let There Be Light!

2009-06-01T14:26:00.000-04:00

Well, our electricians are here today, and we finally have some light! Here are just a couple of pictures of the hallway -- one with the lights off and one with them on...

It obviously gives it a whole new look -- the beginning of the "finished" look... Cabinets, doors, and trim will obviously bring the whole thing together... Sounds easy in one little sentence, but the doors and trim will obviously take some time and effort...

Painting -- Almost Finsihed!

2009-05-25T13:08:00.000-04:00

To all my patient peeps -- and those not so patient (you know who you are ;)

Here are some pictures of the finished rooms -- I'll put a little caption with each -- very difficult to get good perspective inside the house (especially with a broken LCD screen so I can't see the pic before taking it).

Guess?

In the dining room -- looking into the Family Room (and the Living Room is at the right edge of the picture).

The front Entry Way (looking in from the Living Room)...

In the Kitchen -- looking into the Laundry Room.

In the Library -- looking into the Office (work in progress)

Master Bathroom.

Breanna's Bedroom.

Kendrick's Bedroom.

Bradley's Bedroom (the White Room for the men in White Coats).

The long Hallway. The only Hallway.

The garage -- actually, the workshop side of the garage (not painting it right now).

My Name is Mud...

2009-05-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

Well, this morning, we were able to finish getting the paper on the floor, and the guys got here to do the tape and first coat of mud.

I hope they are as efficient as the drywall guys were... So, finally, I get to a lull in the time and effort I have to put in -- at least for a couple of weeks.

We will be taking a trip back to Tennessee this weekend to get a load of boxes and furniture. Life is never dull!

Hopefully, I'll have some pictures of the house with walls partially finished later tonight.