Day 207 -- A Better Beam

Okay, one of our biggest asthetic issues was the big fat beam that ended smack in the middle of our bedroom. What we decided to do was build it out to the door so it at least looks like it goes the full length of the room, then face it with wood so we could stain it to match the floor. Today, they started to put the alder on top of it.

They also faced the entryway bench with poplar which will look nicer when painted.

Day 205 -- A Home For My Boots

We have shoe shelving! We even have a bench to sit on while we put on our shoes! We left the bottom shelf large enough to allow for those knee-high boots that I adore. The rest of the shelves are spaced 1 foot apart to allow for ankle boots, combat boots and easy access to pairs that may be toward the back since they're kind of deep for shoe shelving. I think one more shelf will be put on the other side to allow for larger storage like blankets, comforters, sleeping bags (for when Brian has to sleep on the floor ;) ) etc. I like how the shelves match up with the benches to make one big surface (of course, I'm OCD like that...thanks Mom. Did you notice that I had them build the shelves on the left only out to the same distance that they are on the right?)


The bench in the bedroom got a new top today too. They just need to cut them, put the hinges on and attach the lids to the boxes and they'll be done with those. They also did some work on the bench on the landing. Not too bad so far. Maybe I'll put some beadboard or something behind it to make it look more substantial -- more like a booth instead of a bench. Not sure.

Also, in all my excitement about the Wow Wall yesterday, I totally forgot to mention that they started to build out the beam so they can cover it with alder and stain it the same color as the flooring.

P.S. They put in a 12 hour day yesterday and are pushing a 12 hour day today...They're animals!

Day 204 -- Storage And A *Wow* Wall

I came home this afternoon and they had completely finished the molding on the wall going upstairs. I love it!!! Once this wall is painted white, it is going to look amazing. I was on the phone leaving a voicemail for my contractor when I turned the corner and saw it. I was so excited, I totally lost my train of thought and left him a completely discombobulated message! For lack of a better description, I'm going to call it our Wow Wall. Here is the picture that I used as inspiration and here is what it looks like today:












Here's a look from the top of the stairs:


They also started on closet built-ins. Here is the beginning of the new shoe shelving as well as the bench under the window. There will be three lids that open along this bench to allow us to gain access to all that space under the eaves.

The bench in the dormer in the bedroom will be a little deeper than the one in the closet to give us even more storage space. I also came home to a nice surprise in that they were trimming the tree out back that was literally holding up the power lines coming into our house. With winter approaching that is a load off my mind. Now about that tilting power pole....

Day 200 -- Back to Badger

I have been discouraged as of late. For a while, I was okay with little progress. I just wanted a quiet house without anyone working in it for a while. Now I think I'm nesting. Our new arrival is due in 4 months. I'm starting to panic. We need a room fit for a baby boy finished by March 25th. (For those of you who didn't know -- I'm pregnant. Yippee!) So I thought I better get cracking on having someone finish this thing. And if anyone could bring me out of this discouraging slump, I knew it would be Badger and Co. They finished almost every window casing today. The only one left is the one in the master bath which isn't a priority anyway. I got home from work and there were 3 guys working away upstairs. They didn't leave until 9. I think I have mentioned this before, but I'll do it again. Most people I'm sure would be annoyed with people working on their house until 9. I, on the other hand, find the cacophony of nailers, chop saws, compressors and hammers to be a perfect symphony that sounds like only one thing: progress. And it is beautiful. I am continually impressed with the level of professionalism and the work ethic of Badger and his people. When I walked in, I noticed that they had put paper over the new hardwood floors as to not damage them....not even the painter did that. They are always friendly, they clean up after themselves, and as I said before, they are always working hard. Thanks Badger for reinvigorating me. I was counting on you and you delivered.

Here is the kids bathroom and the hall window:

And the kids rooms:

The master closet and the master bedroom (notice the trim had to be angled on the dormer windows to allow for the ceiling):

And here is a close up of what the casing looks like. It is very simple. It matches very closely the baseboards that we put in the main floor (which will be put upstairs as well). Good choice Brian. They eventually will be painted white to match the windows in the rest of the house.

Day 198 -- Stairs.....Still

These stairs may prove to be the bane of my renovation existence. I just hope that someday before I die they will be done. They are mostly done. There are still a couple risers that need to be placed and trim will go on each stair just below the tread. Maybe by Thanksgiving??? I have decided not to hold my breath.

These are the stairs going up to the second level. And a shot looking down while standing on them.

The stairs going down to the landing were started today and they finished putting the flooring on the landing, which will need a coat of finish at some point.

Day 190 -- More Stairs

The stairs are going up. Slowly, but surely. They were supposed to be done by this morning, but it's looking more like Monday now. They will be beautiful when they're done, though.

Fat Charlie asked in the last post how much is left to do. There is a LOT left to do. The goal is to get the bedrooms upstairs done by Christmas. In order to do that, we need flooring, baseboards and window casing, doors and some paint. The next milestone would be to get the small bath done by end of February. Right now it is an empty, sheetrocked room with plumbing roughed in. The last step will be to do the master bath. We may run out of money by then and will need to do that as we can later on. It will be a long process. But I think it will be worth it.

Day 188 -- And She's Buying A Stairway To...

Okay, it's not heaven, it's the basement. But the point is it's our basement. They put the treads and risers on the staircase going downstairs today. I'm hoping for the rest to be done tomorrow, but by the looks of things, I'm guessing it will be Thursday. I do love the look. Walnut on white.

Day 187 -- Stairskirts

Well, this weekend was way more productive that I thought it would be. I was hoping we'd get the three bedrooms primed and the hall upstairs and closet would be our stretch goals. Not only did we accomplish all of that, we also painted the ceilings, painted the risers and skirtboards for the stairs, primed the hallway going downstairs and part of the downstairs ceiling, and, to my amazement, we were able to paint the entire master bedroom and closet! We chose a nice tan color. It's kind of hard to see in the low light, but hopefully against the white of the door, you get the picture. [Editor's note: When I say 'we' I really mean my mom and dad. They were amazing! I cannot believe how much they were able to accomplish this weekend. Thanks so much, Mom for your awesome painting skills :) and Dad for your incredible way with a spraygun! Don't know what I would do without you. -- Probably sleep on the floor forever.]

The reason we wanted to paint the risers and skirtboards this weekend was because I had someone coming to start on the stairs this morning. We figured it would be much easier to paint the risers and skirtboards while they were not part of a finished staircase. We'll have to touch them up, of course, but all in all, we're hoping it will save us some time and headache. Here you can see the skirtboards up on the staircase going downstairs as well as the staircase going upstairs. Tomorrow they should finish with the skirtboard going down to the landing and they'll start installing treads and risers. I am so excited for the steps to go in. I think now that the wall is primed, it will make the main floor look almost finished! The stairs should be done by Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. More to come...

Day 185 -- Primed and Ready

Thanks to my awesome parents, all the bedrooms and the master bath got primed today, plus the stairway/hallway and kitchen area. Don't know what we'd do without them. We rented a spray gun and it made pretty short work of it. We got back from Lowes at around 11:30 and were finished by 5:30 (with some Papa John's in there too). It looks great!!! We still have the downstairs hallway and some risers and skirtboards to paint, but a TON was done today!!!
Here is the stairway/hallway and the kitchen area:

Here are the two small bedrooms:


Here is the master bedroom and the closet:

Day 183 -- Slow as Molasses in January

Well, as you can see, we still don't have stairs. We have had some scheduling difficulties. The stairs will hopefully go in on starting Monday and will hopefully finish up on Wednesday. Hopefully.

They put the flooring in on the landing today. Not a lot of progress, but progress all the same. Someday I will have a finished upstairs. Someday I will sleep in a bed instead of a mattress on the floor. Someday. :)