Even though it seemed that the framing was taking forever, there were so many decisions being made that now the house is progressing very quickly. As the photos show, we now have a complete roof (woo hoo!!) and the windows are being installed. Patrick and I have been working hard to keep the subfloor and construction materials dry by cleaning up the site frequently and standing the wood up against the walls so the floor won't stay wet too long, so it'll be very, very nice to have a roof, windows, and doors.
One thing that's been great about the framing coming to an end is that we can now see where our front porch and back deck will be. Looking at the third photo in the list, that entire eave space will be our L-shaped deck. After having seven to eight months of cold weather in Vermont, we're looking forward to enjoying some outside time on the spacious deck.
For those of you reading from Vermont and New Hampshire, Patrick reminded me yesterday that at this time last year, this is exactly what we were doing in Manchester (this explains the weird, out-of-place final photo). We were replacing the roof, windows, removing the vinyl siding, and repairing the cedar siding underneath. Remember the lovely green paint beneath the vinyl and how it became pockmarked with white during repair? I think the whole town thought we were nuts.
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So, what else is going on? Well, we've finally selected the kitchen cabinetry!! It was waaay more difficult than I expected it to be--largely because of budget. If everything were truly custom, there would've been no real issues, but as custom means big $$$, we had problems. We've finally found a design I love and I believe the cabinetry will very nice.
The bathrooms, too, have been problematic. Fitting a design into a pre-determined size is not very easy, especially when you're as particular about the design as I am. The kids' bathroom ended up being the easiest, though that wasn't simple and I'm still working out stain details b/c what I want isn't available in the door style I picked. The guest bath is finally near-perfect, but it astonishes me that making a nice toe kick that runs the full extension versus 1/3 extension could add $400 to the price. How is that possible?
Now, the master bath. Oh, boy, talk about difficult. The width for the master bath vanity is 80 inches, which seems huge, right? Apparently not. We decided to go ahead and get dual sinks b/c that seems to be what everyone wants, though we really could care less. Spitting toothpaste in each other's hair during the morning rush has never occurred and we've always shared the space nicely. But, because we are realists and don't expect to live here forever, we're taking into account what other people might want. So, fitting two distinct sink chests with drawers into 80 inches is not possible. At least not in a style that I like and that's compatible with the rest of the house design. So it's a double vanity, most of which I find hideous and without any pretense of function or style. I've tried four different cabinet makers/installers and have not hit upon a solution yet. I'm getting close and remain cautiously optimistic, but it's been weeks and weeks of looking and drawing and reworking, and still we don't have a design.
However, all others areas of construction are moving along nicely now. The HVAC crew showed up today to begin working on installing the geothermal system. The plumber, electrician, and audio/security tech all come this week or next. The GC estimates that we'll begin blowing insulation during the first week of October. After that, it's time for the drywall!
Now I need to select plumbing fixtures and flooring. We're thinking about bamboo on the main floor and cork on the sub-level. Both are rapidly renewable resources and relatively inexpensive. Dare I think we may come under budget on this? If we do, that'll help cover the certain overages in the plumbing department! I'll keep you posted.
