Fa-Fa-Fireplace

The fireplace is set to be the focal point of our living space.  We forgot to tell the framer that we wanted a design change, so we ended up with a very basic chase block.  After a little stone was added, it looks like it was always meant to be in our home.  Now we wait for Mr. Winters to craft the mantel.

We weren't too happy to find a leaking roof during the snow melt and first rain of the spring

A quick tarp job held out the water until the chase install crew arrived.

Scratch coat is on. 

Time to place the stone

Almost finished

The mantle, which was reclaimed from the home we demoed, will be the finishing touch to our fireplace.

Prime Time

Now that the drywall is finished, we have the pleasure of priming and painting.  Jared invested in a used professional grade paint sprayer, so priming took no time at all.  We had 2 coats of primer on all ceilings and walls in a matter of 2 days.

Muscles is carrying the PPE for Jared.

Patching a scuff in the drywall

Alden came to visit before we started the day

Painting the bathroom ceiling

Beautiful day to open all the doors and windows while painting. 

Siding

We hired a crew of 2 fantastic men to side our house.  These guys were diligent and detailed oriented.  We are so pleased to have them as part of our building experience.  They made some cosmetic modifications to our original plans and helped locate an affordable stone company.  Now all we have to do is paint it. Any volunteers?!?

Scaffolding to get those hard to reach places

The back of the house is taking shape

Doing a test fitting on the front of the house

Wrapping around to the front

View from Tiffany Ln - can't wait to see the finished product

Joe working the scaffolding

The stone adds that extra touch of curb appeal

View from Radisson Rd. Now all we need are the porch posts completed.

Joe working on the porch details

Insulation and Drywall

Getting insulation proved to be difficult.  Our original contractor stopped returning phone calls 2 days before he was supposed to start the job.  We had to scramble to find a new contractor who wasn't already scheduled out 3 weeks.  Spray foam insulation needs an exterior ambient temperature above 35 degrees, so everyone's schedules were packed.  Thankfully, we found an excellent contractor who had an opening between jobs.  Here are some pictures of the action:

Light boxes are flash sealed in the attic

Exterior wall ready for next winter

Inspecting the work and the walking plank they put to reach the open area above the stairs

No birds or rodents getting in here

The drywall crew came in right behind the insulation crew.  These hanging crew worked so fast we could hardly get pictures of them.  The finisher was mostly a one man crew.  If we had to do it over again, we'd use a company that had a regular staff.  The man we used was very nice, responsive to our requests, and affordable.  However, he took 2 weeks to do a job that a larger firm would have completed in 3 days.

The ceilings are in - it looks so different

You can almost smell the food cooking in the kitchen

How the lumber yard marked our load of material

Putting on outside corners

Nifty mudding contraption

Hanging sheetrock

The living room