Category Archives: Home Improvement

Well, somehow its been nearly five months since I’ve posted an update about the new house. (The house we’ve now been living in for nearly that long.) We’ve been so busy (mostly with work) I might not have noticed, except … Continue reading →

Just over a week ago, on Friday, March 31, 2017, we received the certificate of occupancy for our new house. (*lets out a huge sigh of relief*). This last week, the painters showed up for the final touch up, and … Continue reading →

Here is a little update on House 2.0: The wood floors were finished a couple of weeks ago. They look great, although the process was not without some minor damage to existing trim work, posts, and kitchen cabinets: The wood … Continue reading →

The end of construction is finally in sight for House 2.0. The list of items required to get the CO is getting pretty short. Once the wood floors are finished (sanded and poly), I can have the appliances delivered and … Continue reading →

Progress on the house continues slowly along: The wood stove was installed this week. I’m really looking forward to trying that out. My much delayed bathroom cabinets were completed and installed. They were made by the same local cabinet guy … Continue reading →

We’re indulging in a little smugness. It feels good to be right:) What follows is an explanation of the HVAC system in our new house, and the success that comes from doing some actual engineering design, as opposed to blindly … Continue reading →

For those who are asking about updates: I haven’t updated on the house because there hasn’t been much to share. Progress has been very slow. We figure no one was at the house at all for five out of the … Continue reading →

The kitchen counters were installed yesterday! The pics below don’t really do them justice, partially because they are covered in dust and I haven’t cleaned them. The kitchen counters are soapstone. For those not familiar, it is a natural stone … Continue reading →

House construction is moving along nicely: Exterior painting finally happened. The crew did not mess around, and was done in 2-3 days. We’re both very happy with the results. The kitchen cabinets are installed! I am absolutely delighted, the cabinets … Continue reading →

Happily, work on the house is picking back up again after another slow down in October; essentially nothing happened on the house for over two weeks. Here are some pics of some masonry work in progress on the front porch, … Continue reading →

House construction as of this week: Wood floors are installed, including stair treads, and are ready to be finished Tile flooring is installed, still needs grout Trim carpentry has started, and they are making remarkably fast progress. We’re very happy … Continue reading →

Updates in house construction – Drywall finishing was completed faster than I thought it would take. They did a really nice job too: Some finish grading around the house to drain the water better, and to prepare for the driveway, … Continue reading →

It only took two days for the drywall crew to hang the entire house this week. I’m sure finishing will take a bit longer.  Its exciting to get to this step, the house is starting to look just as we … Continue reading →

Lots of progress on the house this week –  We passed the electrical, plumbing, HVAC, framing, and septic inspections. Rough systems are done!  That meant the insulation crew could start. They only needed two days, since most of the house … Continue reading →

While there has been an occasional burst of activity on the house construction, recently there hasn’t been much progress. Over the last three weeks, our chimney for the wood stove was installed, a minor amount of plumbing and HVAC was … Continue reading →

This week in house construction: The roof is finished! Hopefully now there will be no more leaks when it rains. Its just a black metal roof, but I’m pleased with the installation and how it looks. The electrical contractors made … Continue reading →

House construction moved along a bit this week: the siding installation continued, and HVAC installation began. The showers are also as complete as they can get until fixtures and final finishes are installed in the bathrooms. We’ve been pleased with … Continue reading →

House construction slowed down the last three weeks as the framing and other contractors finished up, and the next set of contractors lined up and added our house to their schedules. Construction picked up again this week, as the siding … Continue reading →

As the post title says, house construction progress for this week includes: more interior framing (mostly interior doors, and modifying access under the garage stairs), the start of some plumbing, and construction of the front porch. The plumbers were on … Continue reading →

House construction update for this week: Most of the interior framing is done, and all of the windows are in. The exterior door from the office and the french doors to the screen porch are in, and we have stairs … Continue reading →