Another week in the Mount Hope construction zone...

Another productive week at our house!  Here are a few more pictures to document our remodel journey…

The refrigerator/freezer is finally installed and functioning!  This was a bit of a challenge…the fridge was delivered but the delivery guys weren’t equipped to set it up.  So thankfully two of our contractors were here and helped get it out of the boxes and set up, leaving the trim kit for John to attach. So that evening as John tackled this job we quickly realized a problem…when the store sent over the specs of the fridge, they didn’t include measurements for the trim kit.  This was a problem because the cabinet that was built to fit around the fridge/freezer wasn’t big enough to fit the trim kit.  So instead of being able to fill the new fridge, we had to figure out how to tackle this new glitch.  After some discussion, we all decided the best idea was to knock out the plaster behind the fridge to buy us an inch of space.  It’s amazing the difference 1” makes – who would have thought? So after making yet another mess in the kitchen, the fridge/freezer are in and filled – and they are awesome. I never thought we’d all be so excited about a refrigerator!  

The wood floors upstairs were stripped, stained and are finished!  Andy did a fantastic job and we are really happy with how they turned out.  Now on to the stairway…after it’s done we can get the kids’ rooms painted and set up.  They are ready!

Along with the floors, the kids’ bathroom is almost complete.  Concrete counters are in, toilet and sinks installed, and all but the grout is done on the tile.  The shower door will go in last after they refinish the tub next week.   It’s nice to know we’ll have another bathroom soon!

More lighting was installed this week as well. The front room entry light is beautiful (although I’m thinking it will look better after we make another trip to the hardware store for more light bulbs!) and the kitchen is much brighter with under the counter lighting and recessed lights over the fridge cabinet.  Lights are up in our bathroom and the kids’ bath.

Bell Glass & Mirror brought out all the bathroom mirrors, the master shower door and a BIG mirror for the workout center!  A very patient electrician spent some extra time moving light fixtures in the master so the mirrors would fit correctly J.  And even though John isn’t thrilled with the fact that the master shower door needed to be installed with a left-handed door, I personally think it’s great! 

Our friends the Forester's flew to Wichita this week to share in the construction chaos, and even joined in.  We finally decided we didn't need the cool (okay, freezing cold) breeze blowing in around the deck door, so Dave helped install some weather stripping.  It was so chilly it took a blow dryer to help solidify it in place!  I never knew he had such other talents than just being a great dentist!

Rockin' the Remodel...

Everyone needs times of renewal in their lives and this morning it occurred to me that this remodel is like a time of renewal.  Not just "renewing" the house and making it our home, but a renewing of my spirit of thankfulness.  When everything is in its place (whenever that might be!) I have no doubt that all 5 of us will be more thankful for bathrooms, showers with doors, rooms with beds, towels that match, a fridge that works properly, lights in all rooms, drawers & closets for clothes, a place to workout (okay, I'll be most thankful for that one), a good oven, more than 5 plates to eat on, a kitchen table to gather at, etc.  There are so many things we take for granted and it is my prayer that we will continue to be humbly thankful for the basic necessities of life and not always be looking for more.

A few more pieces fit into the big puzzle last week which is great considering we have guests arriving on Thursday! I did tell them we might not have the accommodations of a comfy hotel, but the customer service is impeccable :).  Thankfully they are the flexible, go with the flow type...

We were able to move enough boxes around to get the dining room set up.  We'll still be adding a chair rail and a textured area but for now we at least have a place to sit down together!

Kitchen appliances installed! A slight challenge with the fridge/freezer...the carpenters didn't allow enough space for the trim kit.  And on the new oven...another challenge here in that we'll have to have something built behind the stovetop since there's now a 3-4 inch gap between the oven and the wall.  So we will tackle those situations this week. The trim carpenters just love working on this project...it's the one they will be able to talk about at all their other jobs - I can just hear them now saying, "well, this isn't as bad as that Niemann remodel" :).

New microwave/convection oven combo.  I really need to read the instruction manual on this one.  It took me about 5 minutes to figure out how to cook bacon in it this morning.  Yes, even I cook bacon :).  Although I'm looking forward to a new dishwasher since the one that was here was on it's last few cycles, cleaning out behind it when Scott pulled it out was pretty nasty.  I think it could have qualified for that show "Dirtiest Jobs"!

Having light is great!  The electricians came and put up a lot of the lighting and moved around ceiling fans, including the hearth room, kitchen and entry.

 Kids vanity was installed - love the concrete countertops!  Master was put in as well. 

Last but not least, wood floors were stripped - what a job!  Today and tomorrow they will be stained and sealed, ready to walk on by Thursday.  Can't wait to see them done!

Update from the Construction Zone...

A few more things took shape around here last week! 

A) They textured and finished all the upstairs walls that were sheet rocked and patched, so they are ready to paint. The kids picked out their paint colors so we are set to get some color rolling (no pun intended!).  Boring picture, I know.

B) The hearth room has a warmer feeling now that it is painted...kind of hard to get a real feel for the room with all the "stuff" in it but you get an idea.

C) The workout center is almost completely painted and since the heating unit is installed I have been able to workout and train in there which has been awesome...and it will be particularly handy tomorrow morning since the overnight low will be in the 20's. Brrrr!!  Our painter has a few new things to add to her resume...like rodent chaser (yes, a rather large wood rat made its way into the garage) and reptile evader (garter snake in the outside bathroom where she cleans her brushes).  I think I might have to find a new painter if I don't start doing some pre-painting scouting.

D) Window trim is in the works.

E) Wood floors were patched where needed and are ready for stripping/staining.

F.) The kids' bathroom floor was tiled on Friday, and the shower is getting tiled today.  I stained the cabinet as well, so their bathroom is starting to take shape.  Hopefully all the cabinet and drawer fronts will be finished this week so they can be stained and added to complete that project. 

We are looking forward to another week of activity around here.  :)

More from Mount Hope...

I love driving home from taking the kids to school and seeing multiple trucks in the driveway!  It means there's a lot going on inside and the more dust I see the better. Working to keep our eyes on the prize!

We all get excited about different things getting completed in the house, but I have to say John has been the most excited about the pond being dug.  The kids are pretty pumped about fishing in the spring - after all the rain we've had this week we could just about stock it right now :).

 






All the old windows were taken out and new, double-pane windows were installed.  What a change in the look of the house, and what a help it will be with keeping a more consistent temperature in here - not to mention a lower electricity bill!

Carpet is going in the living room and on one of the staircases today!!  It will certainly be nice to quit worrying about stepping on carpet nails as we walk through the house for sure.  After the guys are finished nailing it all down, finishing the paint trim will make that room feel a little more inviting.  It's been bare floor and boxes for weeks!

I stained the kids' bathroom vanities this week and the doors/cabinet fronts are being built.  Chad finished the linen cabinet/laundry pullout so that's next on the staining list.  The concrete tops are being built next week, and the plan is for tile to be laid as well. We opted to tear the existing wood floor out and do tile - wood in a kids bathroom?  NOT!

Other things this week...the concrete top for the master bathroom vanity is almost finished and will be installed on Sunday afternoon!  I'm vying for the plumber to get here Monday so we can get the sinks functioning.  Right now we all shower in the master and then go downstairs to the half bath where there is a sink to brush our teeth.  It's an adventure.