June 25th - Part 3 of 3 (Bathroom backsplashes)

The bathroom backsplashes are going in as well. Here is Georgia's bathroom. The backsplash matches the accent tile in the shower and around the tub.


This is the bonus room/Daves' bathroom. Again, the backsplash matches the accent tile in the shower.

This is the hall bath. This picture was taken before it was finished - there are another two rows of tile so the finished backsplash is 4" high.

There is a backsplash in the princess bath as well but we didn't take a picture of that one. You'll have to come see it in person!

June 25th - Part 2 of 3 (Kitchen backsplash)

The kitchen backsplash is in and looks great! The colors are perfect - they complement the countertops and cabinets as well as the stone surround of the fireplace.


A small design element above the stovetop.

This is the area across from the main backsplash.

The backsplash in the butler's pantry.

June 25th - Part 1 of 3 (Front door and shutters)

The front door has been painted black and most of the shutters are on. There will be shutters on the top left window as well.


We have house numbers!

June 18th - Part 4 of 4 (Grading and mailbox)

Most of the grading of the lot has been completed. Here is the backyard from the driveway.


This shot shows the slight slope of the yard toward the house. You can also see the low area that serves as the runoff path from our neighbor's backyard and the back of one side of our house.

The right side of the house (as viewed front the front) and the front, left side (shown here) drain toward the street.

One of the things we have been mildly complaining about throughout the process has been the flimsy mailboxes installed in front of each house. We were told they were temporary and here's the proof - permanent mailboxes that look nice and sturdy. Ours is 8545 - the boxes are on our side of the street and just beyond our next door neighbor's house.

June 18th - Part 3 of 4 (Appliances)

Appliances being provided by the builder have arrived and most have been installed. Here is the gas stovetop and the vent hood. We upgraded the vent hood and may have gotten more than we bargained for - it has four fan levels and on the top two levels you can hardly hear!


Here is the electric oven / convection microwave combination unit. The wood surrounding the unit was custom stained and doesn't match the cabinets (it looks worse in person) so we've asked them to re-stain it.

The dishwasher is the quietest we could order - very important since the kitchen is open to the family room.

We didn't order the refrigerator or washer/dryers from the builder but instead bought them at Sears. They're scheduled to be installed the day after we close. The fridge is a Samsung french door model that has a "cool-zone" drawer you can set for different temps depending on what you're keeping cool. We'll mostly use it for water and soda so we don't have to open the fridge doors to get at those items but just slide out the drawer.

June 18th - Part 2 of 4 (Carpet)

The carpet is in! Since the first floor is all hardwood, only the stairs and second floor have carpet. The style is called frise - "fabric having the pile in uncut loops or in a combination of cut and uncut loops." First shot is the front stairs...


Next is the second floor hall...

Georgia's bedroom...

And the bonus room / Daves' bedroom.

The stairs to the basement are also carpeted.

June 18th - Part 1 of 4 (Driveway and garage doors)

As you can see, they've put in the driveway. Here is Dave and Georgia looking at the area where we'll be putting in arborvitae to serve as a screen for the patio they're standing on.


As you can also see, the driveway is pretty narrow. We were supposed to have a 10.67 foot wide driveway, but it only ended up being 8.5 feet wide due to the house being placing further to one side than we expected. We're not thrilled, especially considering how tight the space is around the fireplace bumpout, but we're negotiating a couple of concrete pillars so we can protect the fireplace from snowplows and accidents due to an icy driveway.

The garage doors were installed just before the driveway went in. If you look closely at the single door there is a dent in the bottom right. They're going to replace the bottom panel.

Here's another shot after the driveway was installed. You can see the "rooster tail" that will allow us to back out of the garage and go forward down the driveway.