Now for Some Professional Pics

Sam Clausen recently hired Nathan Deremer to take photographs of our home. Nathan did a fantastic job and recently share his favorites on his web site. He even was able to capture a rainbow that appeared over our house that evening. You'll see we're still working on furnishings, but these photos are much more up to date than those we last posted and are much better for that matter. Thanks, Sam and Nathan!

All Moved In

The last six weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions: sad to say goodbye to our old neighborhood, excited about the new one, overwhelmed by to-do lists and humbled by the daily gift of waking up every morning to a sunrise over the water.

While we are still waiting on some furniture and return calls for the punch list, we are finally settled in -- and loving it. I know I have become much more of a homebody.

Click here for a Virtual Tour in photos (please know the house is still a work in progress; even since I took the photos, a few more pictures have been hung and the porches now have flowers).

If you are local, please join us the afternoon of April 17 for an open house!

Moving Target

The goal over the next few days is to get our certificate of occupancy, and the remaining tasks are prioritized as such. At the same time, the best and worst of our personalities are coming through. The pressure is on, and every day is critical. We've pushed back our moving date to the beginning of March and are hoping that target doesn't shift further.

Over the weekend, I was thrilled to see the transoms installed. My dear friend Tonya made all six of these custom glass pieces, and for as long as we live in this house, we will always think of her quiet, sweet spirit and her unshakable faith as she has pushed through life raising her daughters on her own.

Also this weekend, another significant sign that we are almost there: The mailbox was installed. Good thing, because we are starting the process to change our address. We are just days away.

Newly stained front door

Yes, you can screen in a porch with round columns!

Stairs, still awaiting more ballusters

So Close, Yet So Far

At one point, we optimistically thought we would be moving this week, but reality dictates a few more weeks. We are hoping to move the last few days of the month.

But we are all back in the house this week. The floors are done. They mostly are covered with paper for their protection, but in a few spots you can catch a glimpse, and they are gorgeous. Today, the hardwood floor crew dyed the the stairs as well as the countertops in Randy's office and on the entertainment center.

The electricians have been working to finish installing the lighting and electrical trim, the painters are hard at work, and the cleaners have arrived. It is a very busy place and will be even more so tomorrow. The goal now is to finish everything that needs to be completed before the inspection for our certificate of occupancy, which we hope to call in late next week.

Shut Out

The hardwood floors are being finished this week, so no one is allowed in the house. I may try to peek in tomorrow, though. Our project manager is estimating we will have about 8 to 10 days of work to complete after the floors are finished before we can get our occupancy permit. We are very close and are in a holding pattern on all fronts until the completion of the floors.

Over the weekend, I snapped a few pictures. The painters were able to paint all of the rooms before they were shut out. They do have a few spots to complete when everyone is able to get back in, but overall, the painting is about 98 percent completed.

Ceiling in dining room

Ceiling in sitting room

Mudroom

Porch bath

Front foyer

Entertainment center in great room

The Final Stretch

During the last couple of years, our family has gotten hooked on HGTV to the point where I recently overheard the girls playing "House Hunters" with their dollhouses. Of course, the climax of the home improvement shows is the "reveal," when the homeowner comes in to see what the show's designer and crew has done with the space. The homeowner's response is usually one of shock and delight. I know the feeling; I experience it every day I pay a visit to the job site and see the dramatic changes that are taking place.

I hesitate to use the term, "job site," these days because our project is quickly becoming a home. The painters have finished the upstairs and are working on the first floor, while the hardwood floor crew has begun sanding the floor on the second level. Our project manager is lining up the necessary crew to finish the outdoor kitchen and begin work on the screened-in porch. We caught a break earlier this week when we passed three inspections in one day: landscaping (to ensure we did not cut down trees credited in our "tree bank"), lot grading, and the buffer. The purpose of the latter is to ensure we have not encroached upon the wetland buffer established by the Army Corps of Engineers along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We own the property, but in keeping with regulations, we are not allowed to disturb the vegetation between the buffer line and the water.

By week's end, the hardwood floor crew will toss everyone out of the house so they can finish their work. They are expected to be on site through next week, finishing the floors as well as the stairs and a few side projects, like the front door and select countertops. Once they are out, we will be on the downhill run to finish this house. And we are close. The appliances are in, and a good portion of the lighting and plumbing fixtures are installed. While the last half of the month will be a mad dash, we are on target to move in by the end of February.

Porch bath fixtures

Bonus room painted and ready for floor finishing

Girls' bathroom

Grill for outdoor kitchen

What a Difference

Two changes to any home that make a drastic and quick impact are paint and landscaping. At this moment, the painters have moved from the trim on the interior of the house to the final coats on the ceilings. The walls will follow on their list later in the week. Every step in this process produces noticeable changes and inches us one step closer to completion.

Meanwhile on the outside of the house, the landscapers arrived Friday, and their efforts gave the outside of the house a dramatic face lift from its construction blahs. They installed    zoysia sod along with the bushes and a few trees. Our landscape designer opted to wait until closer to our move-in date to plant a few of the palms, the grapefruit and the live oak because we have had some freezes this winter. But the photos below can give you a good idea of the tremendous progress they made in one day.

I asked him to plant a variety of bushes that alternately would give year-long color and would be in keeping with the home's "timeless" charm. Quite honestly, I have no idea what all is in those beds; Randy and I just picked out what we liked at the nursery with guidance from the designer. But I do know we have some holly bushes, roses and hydrangeas.

The electricians have been working as they have been able and were out there again this morning, bright and early, to install speakers and lighting. I've included a few photos of their work outside.

So when in the move-in date? It looks like it will be the last week in February if we stay on track. This week is a big one, and several crews will be out there to get as much done as they can before the hardwood floor crew comes in early next week. They get the house for two weeks to sand and dye the hardwood floors, which cover the majority of the square footage in the house.

Back porch

Front porch

Bermuda shutters on the south side

Rain chain

Front landscaping

Back landscaping

More landscaping

Four Weeks?

While we saw much progress during the first two weeks of the new year, the countdown has begun. Will we really be in the house by mid-February? That's four weeks from now, and counting -- and much work needs to be done.

On the inside, the countertops are now installed, the painters are almost finishing priming and sanding the trim, and the cabinets have now been installed. On the exterior, most of the shutters were hung this week, the front door was installed, and the tile on the back porch was laid. We also saw the first lighting fixtures go up inside and out.

But the to-do list is long: painting, tile work, hardwood floors, and cabinets all must be completed, and appliances, plumbing fixtures and lighting must all be installed. Landscaping is scheduled to go in this week.

In the meantime, I have been working on the current house, getting it ready to sell. We list tomorrow, I hope! And I have many new photos to share:

Front door

Master tub, completed

Wainscoting on stairs

Ceiling fans and foyer light in great room

Correct granite in mudroom

Tile on back porch

Built-in in master bath

Shutters!

Before & After

Pool Bath - Before Paint

Pool Bath - After

Dining Room - Before Paint

Dining Room - After

Fireplace - Before Paint

Fireplace - After

Perspective

On Tuesday morning I walked into my dream mudroom to find the installers putting in the wrong granite. Actually, it's the right granite -- just the wrong finish. The paperwork was clear; I just didn't catch the mistake and am still pondering what to do. While many, many women around the world still wash clothes on a rock in a stream, I was holding back tears of disappointment over the granite countertops in my laundry room. It's really a shameful problem to have and illustrates a question that has been my constant companion during this experience: Why us? My only answer to this question comes from Luke 12:48b: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

For this reason, my daily visits to the house are becoming more emotional. I'm nervous about getting the details right, and at the same time, I am overwhelmed that this beautiful house is soon to become our home, that we will soon awake to the sound of mullets splashing in the water and sailboats passing by.

Randy, in the meantime, has diligently been building the closet built-ins, and he is almost finished -- just a bit of trim here and a few more shelves there. His designs have made excellent use of the space, and his work has impressed the painters, who are adding the finishing touches.


This week has brought much progress, as seen in the latest photos.

Homework/entertainment center in kids' loft

Bunk room with first coat of paint

Entertainment center in great room

Painted bead board ceiling in kitchen