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

Inside & Out

During the last half of December, our crews have been tripping over each other inside and outside of the house and are heading into the final stretch to complete this project. I've heard an old adage spoken two different ways, and whether God is in the details or if it's the devil, certainly the challenge now is to get those details right. A quarter-inch here and a color choice there has a chain reaction that is often unforeseen when the decision first presents itself.

For one, the biscuit-colored farmhouse sink that I picked out last spring from a square-inch sample will not work with the white cabinets. Anyone in the market for a farmhouse sink? It's going on Craig's List. A new white sink has already arrived, and this mistake is one that I accept but certainly hope is isolated. It was an expensive one.

When we returned after our Christmas travels, we were pleased to find the progress made on the home, but much work has yet to be done. Most of the trim carpentry is completed, the pavers are in, and countertops have been installed in the bathrooms. Our project manager  returns to the job site today, and the goal is now to keep the crews working toward a February completion. In the meantime, we are working to get our current home ready to list, and Randy is diligently building and installing the closet shelving. In all of the busyness of our lives right now, though, we do have to stop and pinch ourselves that we are going to live in this house. It's surreal to us. I have lots of new photos to share.

Fireplace in sitting room

Shelving by Randy in my closet

Tub in master bath

Stained bead board in Randy's office

Stairs, notice the not-yet "secret door" on the right

Staircase

Stained bead board in great room coffers

Marble countertop on a master bath vanity

Dining room

Bunk room

Wainscoting panels in foyer

Paver sidewalk

Driveway

Getting There

Barring any unforeseen problems, we are approximately two months away from moving into our new home. Target: early to mid-February.  In these final weeks, Randy is busy building the closet shelving, I have finalized lighting choices, and we have a pretty good start to a landscaping plan.

The hardwood floors are in -- although they will need to be finished when we get a little further along. The cabinet maker is installing the cabinets, the stair carpenter is working to get the stairs completed, the trim carpenter continues to plug along, and the tile work continues inside and out. The painters have returned to start caulking the trim so they can resume working inside.

In the meantime, I've learned why special touches like sconces and bead board are so disdained by builders and that my husband and my project manager -- brothers, mind you -- have very different opinions about the most comfortable height for televisions.

Admittedly, we are a little nervous leaving this project for our Christmas trip. Every day raises questions about more details, and the details are now going to be visible for a long time to come. But we are grateful we have a good crew of guys out there. Here are some of the  latest photos:

Front porch

Kitchen, sink side

Kitchen, cooktop side

Randy's office

Back side of house -- finally completed!

Bonus room

Mudroom, sink side

Mudroom, cubby side

staircase

Almost Home

Yesterday, we took our Christmas card pictures out at the new house. Not the most idyllic holiday setting, but the backdrop says everything about what we've been doing this year, and it's one step closer for us to claim it as our new home. We included our project manager this year because he's been so key in our getting to this point. Here's a sneak peek:

Floored

Master bathroom tile -- Italian marble

Great room -- heart pine

Kitchen - beadboard ceiling

Garage side of house

Dining room columns

Jackie/Jill bathroom

Our wonderful crew continues to work on the flooring -- both tile and hardwood. Also, the painters have almost finished the exterior of the house, and the trim carpenter is plugging along. Here are a few photos of their progress.

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Busy Block

With three houses under construction, our little cul-de-sac is lined daily with a variety of construction trucks and loaded with workers. We have met our soon-to-be neighbors and are looking forward to sharing our end of the street with these families.

Progress on our house continues. The trim carpenter has arrived and has a good start on the crown molding, and tile installers have begun work on the master bathroom. This photo is the back of the shower.

Tomorrow is a bittersweet day as it will be our last with Aaron and his crew. They will be finishing the last of the siding and trim on the back of the house. We are sending them off with a cookout.

The painters will be back next week to work on the exterior and interior, and prep work for the hardwood floors should be completed.