Jim, I’ll choose date number one. Sounds like it has all the right move-ins.
Okay, so that was a horrible play on words referencing the TV show, The Dating Game. You know what is worse than that play on words, the waiting game John and I are enduring. Every passing day is one day closer, yet move-in day seems so very far away when there’s not even a estimated date. It’s so frustrating, we’ve stopped asking the question, “when do you think we might be able to close on the house.”
Like the weather of January 2013, the weather of January 2014 is wreaking havoc on the final aspects of completing the house. Inside things are going along fairly well. Painting is completed except for the final visit to touch up/repair things other subs may have messed up. Flooring is completed except for carpeting, which will be one of the very last items completed. Aside from the hardwood flooring, I really, really like the mudroom floor. I’m not fond of the laundry room or pantry flooring – the sample looked so much better than the laid floor. Hopefully, when the house is finally completed, it will be my only regret in choice. Bathroom vanity tops are in. Faucets are in two of the three bathrooms. Shower and tub heads and faucets are in all three bathrooms. The utility sink has been installed in the laundry room and the gas line was pulled for the stovetop. Speakers for the sound systems have been installed. John and I shopped for and found suitable fabric for use as speaker fabric on the door for the entertainment center cabinet that will house the subwoofer. With care and concern for *screwing it up*, I installed the fabric on the two end cabinet doors (they have to match, of course). The litmus test for success was that John gave me two thumbs up on my installation work. Exterior doors are weather stripped. The front door looks beautiful painted Raisin Torte, a strong blackened red color. Interior door knobs and stops are in place.
Fabric on End Doors of Entertainment Center
Mudroom Floor
Out of doors, the back porch has been screened. The cement has been poured for both the garage and the carport along with their aprons. The carport trusses went up this past Friday and the roof sheathing to the garage and carport also was completed. Lights were installed in the breezeway and electrical lines were pulled to John’s brewery and the generator. Plumbing also was pulled to the brewery.
Screen Porch Construction
Carport Trusses
Back Yard View of House, Garage, and Carport
The work that remains is significant, but not significant in amount. The fly in the ointment in completing the work is weather. Before this week, the ground has been sloppy mud with quite a few puddles scattered about. This week the ground has been frozen unless there was repeated traffic as there was at the back porch during screening installation when it then turns again to mud. If the ground continues to be frozen, the builder may take a chance on grading the property. I’m not a gambler, but at this stage in the game, I’m kind of hoping the builder is.
In the meantime, both of us visit Stella quite a lot, together and separately. We sweep the paper protecting the floors (can’t stand the sound of dirt between my shoes and paper), we check to make sure subs haven’t left lights on or doors open or the thermostat temp set too high, and we change the HVAC air flow filters, good golly those things get filthy. When I visit by myself, I walk the house round and round, likely walking close to a mile. I love being there and have to force myself to leave. I get back to the rental by the hair of my chinny chin chin to prepare dinner for the night. Of late we’ve been eating a lot of soup. With a nice loaf of artisan sourdough bread, a large pot of soup will last us three or more meals, enabling me to spend more time at Stella’s.
John and I have had it up to and well beyond “here” with the waiting game. We’re chomping at the bit for the right date with the right move-in. Groan, I had to make a bad play on words just once more.