All the Trimmings...

...we trimmed the tree AND trimmed the windows last week. We had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and Ryan got a nice break from the house. Here are some of the latest pictures of the progress. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!


The fireplace all spiffed up!



We finally grouted the slate floor in the mudroom. This was the most challenging tile floor in the house, but was definitely worth it!



Window trim and cabinet hardware in the kitchen!


More window trim

And, just in case you didn't get enough of the kitchen...here's another shot!

From the kitchen looking into the hearth room. I feel justified in calling it the hearth room now that the fireplace is installed. Notice the trim on the windows!

And more trim.

Ryan even installed a couple of interior doors in the mudroom.

And it wouldn't be a blog post if I didn't sneak in a picture of my tub...with the trimmed windows!

And still more window trim.

The Devil is in the Details

So I'm finally understanding the meaning of this phrase as we go through the list of final items that need to be completed on the house. Wow...there are a lot of details! At this point, we have all of the tile and stone flooring done, and only the mudroom left to grout. The fireplace facade is done...yes, Ryan and I discovered our inner masons and went to town! The finish electrical and finish plumbing is actually really finished now...I think! And we have working lights, working heat, and working plumbing! We sent the porta-potty packing! I'm sure there are other things that we've checked off the list that I just can't think of right now...so here are some photos of recent accomplishments!

Brody (in an outfit he picked out himself - yes, even the pink sunglasses) helped Ryan lay the slate floor tiles in the mudroom.


And then acted more like his mother and took a break!


I think they did a pretty good job! The floor is finished now, just don't have a picture yet. As long as I can grout it well, I think it will be my favorite floor in the house.


The plumbers came back and installed all of the fixtures...this is Bro's bathroom. Apparently he told his class yesterday that he has his very own bathroom at the new house with his very own big, big tub. I'm hoping he isn't confusing my big, big tub for his...I love him to pieces, but I will fight him for it!!

Ryan, with his plumber hat on, installed all the toilets.

Master bathroom sink & faucet.

Master bath view from the bedroom.

My big, big tub!

Kitchen sink and faucet. It's an interesting little faucet. It came with the sink and is very nice, but it's not very intuitive to use. Pretty to look at though.

Kitchen sink and faucet from a different view - I love this sink.

Kitchen from a distance...the only thing missing now is the island...and window trim...and the toe kick on the cabinets. OK so a few things are missing!

OK...so here is the fireplace. Ryan worked his tail off on this and it came out amazing. I actually did help with this and so I like to say that we did it together even though it is really Ryan who deserves most of the credit. It was so hard and so fun - like a giant puzzle to put together.

This is pre-stone with only the scratch coat on.

Setting the first piece - no going back now!

Seriously slow going...

Setting the keystone and trim stones!

Halfway!!

And after I fast forward through a lot of cursing...Ryan sets the last piece! This was just before midnight on Tuesday night. There was no sleeping until it was done!

Close up of the puzzle!

View from the kitchen.

A very happy Ryan pointing to the last piece in place. Whew! This came out even better than I pictured it. I can't wait to sit in front of the fire in the (hopefully) near future and admire this major accomplishment. It took a few days and had a pretty big learning curve, but I'm so happy now that we did it ourselves.

Happy Holidays!

Between life and building the house, sending out Christmas cards is a bit of a stretch this year. Instead, here is a festive video of Brody from his Christmas concert at school. The other songs were sung much better than this one, but he was so darn cute during it that I chose to send this along! Feel free to turn the volume off!

We hope everyone has a wonderful, healthy, safe, and peaceful holiday season!

Love, Ryan, Jillian & Brody

Like a Rolling Stone...

Actually it's nothing like a rolling stone...more like very, very flat stone. Regardless, the granite and slate countertops are being installed today! Here are some preliminary photos that were taken early this morning when the truck arrived and they put the pieces in place. They still need to be secured and have the backsplashes put on, but it already looks SO good. We spent so long trying to pick out the countertops and I am very happy with the result. Ryan and I were giddy when we saw them.

This is Jan's kitchen. The photo doesn't do it justice. The light coming through the window and the reflection off the countertop made it hard to get a good picture. It is stunning in person though! It perfectly compliments the wall color and the cabinets. She hasn't seen it yet and I can't wait to see the expression on her face when she does! It is BEAUTIFUL!


This is our kitchen. We LOVE it! It is a honed granite, called Nordic Black, and it looks a lot like soapstone. It is absolutely perfect in the kitchen and is exactly what I pictured in my head. It feels like butter under your hands and is just really simple and beautiful!


This picture does not do it justice...the backsplash still needs to be installed.


Here is a close up of the counter. It has these flecks that fit together like puzzle pieces and white veining. It makes it look like a heathered charcoal color. Can you tell I am mesmerized by this countertop?!!


Here is Brody's bathroom. We went with a really native looking piece of granite in here with lots of garnet flecks that reminds me of my Grammy Janet every time I see it!


Close up of Bro's bathroom - see the little red garnets! I love them!


Once the trim is up this bathroom will be done (well almost done, the plumbers still need to hook up the water!) Ryan and I installed the tile earlier in the week. I think we did a pretty good job!


Closer look at our tiling job!


This is the master bath vanity. It is a clefted slate (I think that's what they call it). The slate is basically sheared off of itself and you are left with a natural texture. It is (yep, I'm gonna say it again) BEAUTIFUL!


Here is the tile in the master bath. We were told that it is a honed marble, but then our neighbor who helped us install it told us that he thinks it's a limestone. Since he owns a granite company and is an expert tiler, we believe him. Whatever it is, it's awesome and has a buttery feel to it. We will grout it this weekend.


Standing back...here is a look at the master bath!


And here are the tiles that we plan to use for the backsplash! These really are a honed marble - it even says so on the box! They are rustic looking subway tiles. These tiles will eventually be around the tub too, but we're going to save that for a weekend project after we're in the house. I figure we'll be tiling pros at that point after 4 bathrooms, the laundry room, and mudroom!