OK, OK... Upstairs!

The GrandPrince's birthday party got me going on a project, too.  Princess Sassy pretty much begged for the 'doors' to the pantry and hall closets to be sewn.  I'm glad she did, even though it meant being up until 2 or 3 AM the morning of party day.  --It's about the only project I can put in the "accomplished" column for the last few months.

 By the way, this is what the island will look like someday...I hope!

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Catching You Up Inside

The breezeway interior is last on the list for completion.  It is, meanwhile, it serves as construction storage and workspace.   Hubby did just finish the baseboard and door trim.

There are 2 small rooms, a half bath, the main floor laundry room we'd moved from inside the sewing room, and room for a potting counter flush with the sill of the deep window.

Small room #1: extra pantry storage

Small room #2: hot water heater and
seasonal storage

Main floor laundry

Half bath, right... Did I ever show you
this awesome sink?  It is reclaimed and
re-galvanized.  Good for the potting just
across the aisle, and for dog bathing.

Half bath, left

My potting area and boxed window from the inside.

It's not much yet, but it will be so helpful when fully in use.

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I Know You've Been Waiting

I'm betting some of you have been hoping for an update on the garage addition.  As I said yesterday, it's still sadly far from finished.  --I often envy those who actually have time to sit on the porch and read a book on a weekend with nothing hanging over their heads, instead of being buried in the years' long to-do list of the Terminal DIYer. The skills and abilities are sure nice to have, but I'd like to see something FINISHED, and live to enjoy it. :-)

My window for my potting area in the breezeway was boxed out.

Anyway, there have been changes inside and out since the last time I shared the progress on this project with you.  









Between his 2 1/2 summer jobs, and while I was gallivanting around the state watching baseball or visiting my dad, Hubby worked away on the kitchen, the siding, and the corbels/brackets over the garage doors.  

It's looking great.  I'd hoped we'd have it painted to match the house by now, but since October isn't the best time to start, I'll look forward to that in spring or summer.  I can't wait to be able to drive in the driveway and have our house all match!

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How Quickly They Forget!

Of course, having the party in the new space above the garage spurred some progress, ahead of time, on yet to be finished tasks.  (To this day, there are still plenty)

One evening, Hubby was working away on the kitchen area island, and, of course, the GrandPrince was interested in what he was doing, and in the tools and hardware.  "Pop" (what Hubby prefers to be called, since that's what he called his own, beloved grandfather), always the shop teacher, saw an opportunity to share his passion for woodworking and construction with the little guy.  He was apparently forgetting, perhaps, after the years since our kiddos' toddler years, that babies have a couple of instant reactions to getting their hands on new things...

...into the mouth, or see how they fly!

Princess Sassy caught the priceless exchange.  She was only sorry she missed taking a photo of the driver bit sticking straight up out of the impaled vinyl floor.  She was glad her sometimes finicky dad had been the cause of the first 'owie' in the new place.  :-)  Phew!  Pressure's off.  haha

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I Might Need my Sunglasses...

...the light at the end of the tunnel is getting so bright!

The carpet is in...

the bedroom:

and the living room:

And other things are coming together, too!

Garage Addition Update - Paint and Flooring

Breezeway/mud room area.
Right side: Seeding counter under the window, and
we moved the main floor laundry to the walled
off space behind.
Left side, from front: Half bath, utility storage (hot water
heater), and additional pantry storage

Did you imagine that the little family has been tucked up in their special space for awhile now?  Nope.  But there is substantial progress inside, and a light at the end of the tunnel.  Just how long is that tunnel?  That's always the question.  Hopefully, not too long now.

Garage exit, stairway, and "Mini Split"
heating unit

Princess Sassy and I decided on the set of paint colors: walls, millwork, and cabinets.  We LOVE the wall color, Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray.  Just in the center of taupe and gray.

We had SW Nuance chosen for the trim, and SW Gray Matters picked out for the cabinets.  The island will be a somewhat bright, deep color for fun and contrast (keeping that to myself for now).  But I went upstairs today to double-check the color swatches with the wall color in natural lighting, and I'm second-guessing both the trim and the cabinet colors.  The trim looks like it might be too dreary, and maybe a touch green, which I sure don't want.  The cabinets might be too dark, forcing the island darker or much brighter than we want to get the desired contrast.


So anyway, the walls and ceilings are painted, and as of this week, the vinyl flooring is in upstairs and in the breezeway. 

Bathroom.  Princess Sassy wanted to change up the paint
in here for a little more freshness and fun

 We chose a medium shade of wood-look vinyl for the kitchenette area, bathroom, and hallways in the upper level, and a gray, tile look vinyl for the breezeway.  They look great.







The princess and I thought the carpet would go in immediately after the vinyl, and we could start moving things in.  Boy, we were wrong.  

Kitchen area with shallow pantry on the right, opening to the hall

 - Before the carpet, we need baseboard, which needs to be carefully installed, then have the nail holes filled, sanded, and the woodwork painted in place.

 - Before that, the interior doors need to be hung and cased.

 - Before THAT, the interior doors need to be painted.

Full circle... we're back to me, and the trim color choice!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

We're having some dishwasher leaking trouble again... times 2!  The one on the right has been sitting out like that since December, and the left one joined it last week.  Aargh!!!

More on that, and getting to that light at the end of the garage addition tunnel, as things develop.

Knees, Garages, ...Apples? Oh, My

The "Apple of my Eye" has surgery on his knee today, so I'm writing quickly this morning.

 He actually damaged his Medial Meniscus,
which is the backward C shape on the right.
The 'top view' image is shaped sort of like an apple,
don't you think?  ;-)
Image Source

He damaged his meniscus and they'll clean it up (shave it... Youch!) through arthroscopic means this afternoon in the Big City.

He most likely injured it due to the repeated bending required to do the concrete work in front of our new garage addition.  --The new garage addition I haven't shown you in way too long, because, frankly, I didn't think it had progressed enough to share.  

This is what it looked like last I showed you in early June.

But in looking back, it has changed some. (For prior posts about our addition, check here)







The wiring is complete, the heating system is in, and, as of last week, we have passed our electrical inspection and have the framing inspection scheduled.  After that comes insulation, another inspection, and then that major piece of progress:  DRYWALL!  That step signals the beginning of the end to me, and so many of us are eagerly awaiting the moment when the Steadfast family can stretch into larger digs.  The 9 x 10 "library" is just too small for 3!

I love this angled section, and the nice porch Hubby built for it.

I told you I might sort of cheat to get apples mentioned within other topics, but I didn't think it would be so soon!  Back to apples tomorrow... I have a recipe to share.

Don't forget to check out other 31-day blog topics at The Nesting Place.

31 Days at The Nesting Place

Uh-oh...

Princess Sassy is looking like this these days...

Last week, actually

And the countdown-to-Baby chain is getting short!















But the garage space?  Not quite what you'd call ready and waiting.  


The siding guys I thought were coming (and finishing) in March, actually started closer to May, and their schedule is hit and miss.  

It really did look just like this the day we visited
Northwest Door,
but I found this image here

We have beautiful new (aluminum) carriage-style garage doors, manufactured locally by Northwest Door.   We were able to visit the factory where they were made and get a close up look at our options.  

These doors have a powder-coated finish that has an amazingly real-looking, faux wood pattern. These were not inexpensive, but they are very high quality, and just the wooden, carriage-door look Hubby dreamed of, without any of the upkeep required by wood. Even though our front door is Douglas Fir and they offer a fir option, we chose the deeper colored "Dark Cherry" finish, because our front door is already darkened past the color of the fir sample, and the southern exposure on the garage doors would make them look even lighter.

Hubby devised a roof detail to bring better focus to them, and to add interest to the tall front of the garage.  

The interior is mostly framed, with a bit more to go where we want to drop the ceilings in the hallway.  


I'm installing outlet and switch boxes, so wiring can start.

We'd planned to heat this space with a picturesque, but also practical, gas stove.  But our most recent big decision is to use a "mini split" heat pump instead.  It will mount on the wall, near the ceiling.  These are ductless

image source

and will cost about half the price of the gas stove, plus the benefit of also providing air conditioning when needed.  They are supposed to be extremely efficient and quiet.



Poor Hubby has spent almost every spare moment of the last 20 months, working away, and the nesting princess is getting antsy. We're back to the building construction phrase this control-freak, deadline-oriented, soon-to-be grandma hates: "It'll be done when it gets done."  ;-)