Baluster and Stain

Steve completed the Baluster yesterday on the stairs and in the upstairs hallway. They really complete the style of the house. The white paint and stained wood balusters was just the right balance of both.

The house was busy again today with painters, they were trying to complete the final touches inside, and stain the cement porches outside. Yesterday we chose the samples of stain from a test strip Steve prepared. We chose a darker stain for the back porch and a lighter stain for the front porch. The front porch stain had not dried before we left this afternoon. The back porch had dried, but not enough to apply the sealing coat. I will have to post the completed pictures of the porches tomorrow.

The mirrors and glass are scheduled to be installed tomorrow. Not much more now!

Encouragement

Steve and Frank finished cutting trim for the baseboards downstairs, then moved on to making shelves for the storage area in the garage.
We met with Johnny McDonald the painter today. He wanted to walk through the house with us room by room to finalise our paint color selections. He completed the work on the stained cabinets today and will start painting tomorrow.
We had hoped to have a small meal together at the house on Thanksgiving with Paul's family, but with all the paint fumes and the weather turning cold that day we decided it was best to cancel those plans.
My sweet friend Kathryn wrote us an encouraging email today, she said "Next yr, God Willing, your home will be filled with all the wonderful smells you want - turkey, dressing, cranberries, pumpkin pie, hot rolls...yum. So close...hold on! moving day's around the corner. Thank you Kathryn, you made my day!

Pantry

Today we were in town most of the day at Sherwin Williams. We met with the painter to select stain and paint for cabinetry and trim. We also picked up all the lighting for the house at Lowe's.

With all the crown molding completed Steve and Frank have started on the base board trim and pantry shelves. I was reluctant to post these pictures of the pantry because it is difficult to take good pictures of such a small space, with bad lighting.

The pantry is located under the staircase which will explain why the peg board on the back wall is cut at an angle. The peg board is to hold large frying pans and other large items, like those colanders that never fit under a cupboard. The pantry shelves continue up to the ceiling for added storage.

Steve thought we could make good use of the large space back under the stairs with a deeper shelf unit to hold larger appliances, the ones I don't use everyday, crock pot, etc. I asked Frank for a couple of dividers on the first shelf to house cookie sheets and muffin tins. I liked this feature in Rita's pantry. In our former home I stacked them on top of each other and every time I needed a cookie sheet I had to lift out the whole stack of cookie sheets (heavy) to get to the one I wanted to use. But in Rita's pantry I just walked in and pull out the one I needed, so easy and organized too! Later this evening Frank added a trim molding around the storage box which is not pictured, the trim completed the unit very nicely.

Trim & Tile

Steve has done a beautiful job with the crown molding throughout the house. He completed all the crown molding work today. He hired Frank to help him complete the window trim work today. Their wood working talent added the perfect detail to every room of the house.

The bathroom shower tile started going up yesterday. The tile men are just as talented as Steve and Frank. We really didn't tell them what to do, they just seem to know how showers should look using the tile we selected. We were not certain how high, or low the tile chair rail should be installed. Before we arrived they had installed all of the accent pieces of chair rail. When we saw the finished product we agreed it was just the perfect height. The tile is a 13 inch floor tile and matches the floor tile, which is a larger 18 inch tile.

They completed setting the master bath shower, the second bath tub tile and started on the downstairs small shower before they left today. Tomorrow they will add the shelves in the showers then start grouting them. Great progess today.

Before and After

Steve continues building the wood trim around the windows and doors. Above is a before and after picture taken from the third bedroom for comparison. We think he is very talented.

Steve set up his work area on the balcony. With the windy weather this week all his cuttings blow right off, no clean up! He started on the crown molding in the hall way today, which is looking very nice.

Trim and Design

Elizabeth and I were trying to hold back our little dogs who were anxious to go outside. They were not the least bit interested in admiring the first beautifully trimmed sliding door. It was really too windy and cold last night to let them out on the balcony. The weather has turned in West Texas, it has become a windy crisp chilly fall.

To be certain of our paint selections we decided to call in a little help. Ken Phillips, a local designer came out to the house this morning to give us a hand. Our builder had recommended we speak to Ken regarding our concerns. In preparation I painted many pieces of dry wall samples before Ken arrived. He liked all the sample colors we had selected and said they would work very well. He listened intently to Elizabeth's concerns regarding her room colors. He decided to take a set of our house plans then asked us to meet with him again next week to hear more of his thoughts and ideas.

Trimmed Windows

The builder has started the trim around the windows. I love the finish product, he is a talented wood worker. It looks like he chose to start upstairs in the master bedroom and will work his way downstairs.

We enjoy when friends and family stop in to see the progress on the house. Paul's brother Dan and wife Debbie, Kobi and Molly stopped by for an updated tour. They had lots of nice compliments.

Wood Trim

While the men were hard at work applying the dry wall upstairs today, we met with the builder downstairs. He asked us to meet with him this morning to select the style of doors we wanted for the house . He also brought many samples of wood trim work, many of these were samples he made himself.
We discussed different wood trim styles around the doors and windows. Which rooms should have crown moldings and those which should not. Steve pointed out the ceilings downstairs are high enough for the crown molding we liked, but not a good idea upstairs because the ceilings are lower. Steve had wonderful ideas which made our selections an easy task this morning.