Where we are: Week 10

This is what it looks like now:

Walls, floors and lights.  It's getting there.

Sid is not so sure...

He doesn't like the camera.  Not at all.

Approaching Week 10 & More Decisions

It's an every day occurrence in my life.  I finally got the tile ordered.  I took the slate back for the laundry room and found out that the tile I ordered from Lowe's for the powder room was back ordered for 6 weeks.  Anyway, canceled everything and went to a tile store.  The p.r. tile was actually cheaper there and it's the same thing.  And I can get it Wednesday.

This is what I picked for the laundry area:

Yes, that is my foot in it.  And even though it (the tile, not my foot) looks like slate, it's really porcelain.  And it looks like it's bumpy but it's not so it'll be easier to clean.  I hope.  I think I'm going to use darker grout though.  More gray=less dirt.

All of my hard wood floors are in.  It'll be interesting to see it finished with stain and stuff.  From what I hear, the cabinets will be here at the end of next week.  That's something to look forward to.  I can't wait to see what they look like.  All of the appliances are waiting in the warehouse and my lighting should be here in the next couple of weeks. 

I still have to get a lot of plumbing stuff ordered.  It's making me nuts.  The choices are overwhelming and I don't want to buy something crappy but I also don't want to pay $500 for a kitchen faucet.  I think I just have to bite the bullet and order it and be done.  That's my plan for today or tomorrow. 

Things to buy

I spent hours at Lowe's on Friday.  Why?  Because I needed tile and faucets and a garbage disposal and a hot water dispenser.  Oh, and some lights.

I chose a slate tile for the laundry room but of course after I carried 5 boxes of it to the car and brought it home I decided that it didn't really look like the display sample they had grouted.  It was far too bumpy so I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or not.  If I don't, I'm making Frank come with me to return it.  The boxes weigh a ton. I ended up buying the hexagon tiles for the powder room so that will be pretty. 

I also had to buy a new ceiling fan because the other one is so hideously ugly it can't be in the lovely room anymore.  And that's saying something because the one in my golden yellow bedroom is pink.  Dusty rose to be exact (it used to match the dusty rose carpet and ugly rose wallpaper...all of which are gone).  Someday I'll replace that one too.  I also got a new outside light for the back door.  Nothing fancy but nice.

Someday I'll post a run down on how ugly my house was when we moved in.  Dark green carpet, drop ceilings all throughout the downstairs and really ugly wall paper everywhere.  I mean every single room.  But that's a post for another day.

Countertops Selected! (Finally)

After much torture and many visits to granite yards, I've finally gone ahead and chosen the countertops.  We went yesterday and I brought home samples and I still liked it when I got up this morning.  Very unusual for me.  I've already bought and returned floor tile twice since I liked it one day and not the next.  Very fickle!

Anyway, I'm getting honed absolute black for the perimeter counters.  It looks like this:

This is river white and it's for the island:

I really wanted marble for the island but didn't want to deal with the etching and staining that goes along with it.  Anyway, the cabinets are quarter sawn white oak stained a medium color with a bit of a reddish under tone and the island is stained black so I think this will look nice.  I think my mother disagrees but I figure I have to look at it a lot more than she does.  Actually, she just doesn't like the black ones, she does like the river white.  I wanted soapstone on the perimeters but it's too soft and I'm not willing to deal with that.  Some that I saw you could scratch with your thumb nail.  I would prefer not to have chips and stuff all over the place.

Overall, this is such a stressful decision to make.  The cost makes it very unlikely that I'll be able to change it any time soon.

Anyway, another decision I can check off of my list.  Yippee!

Done with week 7...

I'm afraid I'm starting to lose it.  I honestly don't know how much more of this basement kitchen thing I can stand. 







See how my head is tilted?  That's how I have to walk in the basement so I don't clock myself on a pipe.  It's actually getting really painful but there's not much I can do about it.

Anyway, we are getting floors put in and who knows what will happen next.   I hope the cabinets will be ready to install when they need it.  I'm going tomorrow to finally make a decision about granite or marble countertops.  It's all so expensive and permanent.  If I don't like it, I won't be changing it any time soon so I'm getting a little paralyzed by the process.

Also, word to the wise.  If you ever decide to do something like this, make sure you budget a lot extra (like 15% or so) because stuff comes up all the time.  Things you want, things you have to do and a million other things as well.

I'm off to take some advil.  Maybe it will help.

Yippee!

We have walls!!  Wanna see?

We also have wood flooring sitting in the middle of everything.  It almost looks like a real room now.  I'm really very excited but I know we have a long way to go.

My dh and I were talking about why it seems like we have been at this for so long.  We started moving stuff and packing things right after Christmas because we thought things were going to start the second week of January but then it got pushed back two weeks.  That's why.  It's really been a long time of upheaval but it will all be worth it.

I need to pick a hot water dispenser, garbage disposal, a faucet and a few more things in the next few days.  It's killing me.  The choices are making me nuts.  Plus I tend to read far more reviews than I probably should which only muddies the waters further.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  I'm sure I'll have something to say.

We Survived Week 6

It just keeps going.  I spent 3 hours with the electrician and the rest of the gang discussing placement of recessed lights and switches and outlets.  It really took that long.  I never really thought about all of that stuff before.  I really just want to be able to turn on the lights when I walk in a room.  We actually do have all of the electrical work done so you can turn on lights in there now.  I just ordered the fixtures that I need.  I hope they get here in time.  I bought all period reproduction lighting from rejuvination.com.  They are really pretty.

I recently started shopping for countertops too.  That's an ordeal.  It seems the more choices I have in front of me, the more confused I get.  I think I've finally narrowed it down though.  Now I just have to choose a fabricator.  Anyway, I also need tile for the laundry area and the powder room.  Since my house is old, I'm thinking of going with this mosaic tile for the powder room.  I'll probably regret it when I have to clean it.

This is what I want for the laundry area but I'm having a hard time finding exactly what I like when I actually see it.

I brought some tile home last weekend but by the next day I hated all of it.  Who knows what I'll end up with.

I'm still bashing my head in every day in the basement.  It's awesome.

Maybe I'll have walls when I go home today.  I can dream, can't I?