M & J Altomare

We are getting closer to a move in

2011-08-08T20:30:00.000-04:00

It has been hectic, slow and rainy. We've had many severe thunderstorms and rain. This isn't good for hydroseed on any kind of a slope. So last week the lanscapers were back to fix the damages from the rains and reseed. Of course, that night there were heavy rains again and the hydroseed didn't stay in place. We've also got some spots that need more dirt. So they have been busy. We now have straw paths on the "lawn". They'll be back to reseed again on Wednesday, after the rains tomorrow.

They have been moving along on the last things in the house. Last Friday, they finished all the things on our punch list on the inside of the house and finished painting the inside of the garage.

Here are some pictures of the basement:

Here are some pics of the 1st floor. Kitchen, master bed and bath, sunroom, laundry and office.

I'll get some pictures tomorrow of the outside, if it doesn't rain.

It's Been Awhile

2011-07-26T00:45:00.001-04:00

Ok, it's after midnight and I can't sleep. Lot's of things are continuing, but doesn't quite feel like we are getting things finished.

I don't have any new pictures, but need to take some in the morning and post progress.

We had lots of rain this week (torrential downpours). The gutters worked great, but the new grass areas had lots of pools of water. So we had the landscaper back out to survey and once things dry out, we'll do some adjustments.

The best news was that the electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections all were done and we passed. Then the building inspection was done late Friday and another pass. So we can pick up our certificate of occupancy in the morning from the township. Great News!

We still have a few small items to complete on the electrical side of things. One of the garage lights (giant garage lights that Mike wanted) hasn't come in yet. The whole house surge protector still needs to be put in, with so many electronics in everything (washer/dryer/fridge/oven/cooktop) and the massive storms we've had this week, we think this was a wise decision.

The paint is done except for touchups in the interior. But the touch ups have taken a lot longer than I'd like. The we need to have the garage interior painted. Then more touchup on the exterior. I never thought painting could be so time consuming.

Ivan got the interior railings completed and installed. Just need to have paint and stain done. There is that paint time again. They are looking great and I'll have some pictures minus paint tomorrow.

He worked today on getting the crown molding on the cabinets, along with the skins and end door panels. I didn't get a chance to see them done today, so I'll get pictures in the morning too.

Oh, I almost forgot, he got the deck and railings installed last week. It looks great. Now we just need to get the gate built so Cocoa can go on the deck and we don't have to worry about her taking off after the geese, deer or to just go take a swim.

We were suppose to close on the mortgage this afternoon and that didn't happen. Got the paper work about 11 this morning and they wanted details on the cost, by each trade person, along with a release that they each had been paid. I had most of the releases and email them. Then I filled out the cost sheets and took it to the closing. Of course that opened more questions. So needless to say we didn't close. I came home with several assignments, get the remaining releases and provide them credit card statements (or individual receipts) saying how much we spent out of pocket. So I had to email them 6 months of two different credit card statements to show what we have spent, along with the remaining releases. They got about 18 attachments with about 60 pages of detail. I can't imagine that anyone will really go through them all, but they have them now.

Of course the cost detail that they wanted wasn't in the same excel spreadsheet format that I had, so I redid the details in their sheet. If anyone is doing this in the future, I have a great sheet from Chicago Title that they might want to have from the start. I imagine that most title companies have the same type of sheet, so this might be a good start for someone.

So I still have a few trades with a few items outstanding, so I can't provide them with all the releases they need. So that is a separate mess. Now you know why I can't sleep tonight. They have rescheduled the closing for tomorrow, no wait that is today now, at 4:30. So cross your fingers.

Well in a few hours I'll head over to the house and get some pictures to share on the progress. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some sleep before then.

Lots of Activity

2011-07-15T23:52:00.000-04:00

Things are really moving along. This week we had gutters put in, this probably means that we'll hit a dry spell and not have rain for awhile.

The electricians started on their final work Thursday. The landscapers are almost done, just a few small pieces remain. The painting is done everywhere, but the garage. Mike and I moved trash to a dumpster (our 4th dumpster) all day today. Ivan worked on the railings most of the day. He finished up building the railing and moved on to the priming it when we headed out this afternoon. He plans to be back tomorrow (yes Saturday) to work on the deck. Some of the interior and closet doors were also hung today.

So here are a few landscape pictures. They put in the sprinklers, edging, rocks and grass sprayed in this week.

Mike and I are now out looking at plants. It's a good time to buy the perennials, shrubs and trees, as our favorite stores (Home Depot, Lowes & Menards) are having great sales. I found some plants for $1. YEAH!!!

This is a Nine Bark tree in the front corner of the house.

Here are a few Dapple Willow shrubs that we got in the "sad plant" area for a $1. We think they'll make it back with some food and water.

These are a plant called Tamarisk. It is light and airy looking with some purple tips all over. It is very soft.

We got some very small plants that should grow quickly so maybe next year they'll look bigger.

I think these three are my favorite plants so far. They are pink Hydrangeas that continually flower all summer. I can't wait till they adjust and start flowering more.

Ok, this is a bare spot. We need to find some very low plants so it doesn't interfere with the view from the bedroom, block the light into the bedroom or keep the windows from opening. I hope to find some sale shrubs or ground cover over the next few weeks. Anybody have any good suggestions??????

In here I put some hostas that I had taken out of the old house and planted at the road last fall. They made it through the winter and I just moved them behind the garage yesterday. I just hope the deer don't take a liking to them.

We need to get a tree or grasses for the area to the left of the door. Any suggestions????

Now onto some inside pictures. The electricians worked on the first floor getting in fixtures. This is the family entry, we used the same light in the front entry.

This is the half bath light

And here is the half bath vanity. I didn't want a pedestal sink, but the room is tiny. I was thrilled to find this compact vanity. It fit perfectly.

Here is the master bath with the lights installed. They look great, now I just need to find some mirrors. I was thinking about buying the basic mirrors from Ikea and then adding some of the door trim around them. They'll match and be reasonable.

Here are the shower doors. They look great, I can hardly wait to take a shower. Of course, we'll need the water turned on first. The plumber doesn't come till Monday. Won't be long now.

Here's the kitchen. The lights got installed this week, along with the oven. The fridge is just sitting there waiting for the plumber to hook up the water for ice. The cooktop is in place, but waiting for the electricians to come back and finish up on Monday.

Just another pic of the oven.

This is the railing that Ivan is making for the stairs. When done, it will be painted white and have a hickory railing on the top. He's had a few challenges, but comes up with options for each. So it is taking a bit longer than he planned. But it is looking great. Can't wait until it is done.

Here are the gutter guys we used. They were great. They came about 8am, had all the tools and tons of ladders. They were very efficient and I loved that they came with their own trash can and picked up all their trash. So if you need gutters call Rice's Continuous Gutters from Kalamazoo.

Here is the sunroom. The cieling fan is causing me grief. I don't like the shape of the blades or the color. The color is reddish and the other side of the blades is dark brown. So I'm thinking of having the electricians change it out to a brushed nickel fan with light blades. All the lights in the kitchen are the bronze color, but the appliances are all stainless. So I think the fan will look good in the nickel. Have to decide by Monday when the electrician is back.

Doug thinks we'll be done by Friday. I'm not so sure. The electricians will be back on Monday to finish the electric. The plumber will be here on Monday to finish the plumbing. The furnace guy will be here Monday to finish the furnace. Ivan is working on the deck tomorrow, finishing the railing on Monday and then spend the rest of the week on touch up painting, hang the rest of the doors, adjust the cabinet doors, add end panels and skins to the cabinets and start the punch list items. I think that the rest of the guys will be working on trimming and painting the garage interior. And of course lots of clean up.

We hope to have the electrical, plumbing, mechanical and occupancy inspections next week.

I'm seeing a move in our future. It will be great to get our stuff out of Patti's garage and basement, as well as our storage unit still in Dearborn. I'm sure Patti will be thrilled to get our stuff out too, then she can use her garage for a novel thing, like parking her car.

Counter Tops are Here

2011-07-11T12:10:00.000-04:00

Painting was started this past week and they are working on finishing the paint on the first floor this week.

The counter tops were delivered and installed last Thursday. The island weights about 700-800 pounds and was quite trick to get off the truck, into the house and on the cabinets.

Here is the island and the counter on the sink wall.

Here's the laundry room and family entry countertops.

Then the moved into the master bath for countertops and sinks.

More updates to come later. They are continuing to paint.

The landscapers started moving dirt around last week and are working on getting the sprinklers installed. But today it is stormy and no outside work is happening.

Stair Treads are finally in

2011-07-03T18:33:00.000-04:00

This past week had lots of activity, but not much completion. Although we now have, as Patti says, a runway for a driveway. A lot of concrete was poured and has now sat for a week, Mike parked the truck at the end of the drive to be sure no visitors drove on his new cement.

Here are the stair treads. They are solid hickory and I ordered them from the internet. Ivan was a bit skeptical of them when I told him the price and that I was getting them from the internet. But once he saw them and did the install, he was quite please with how they worked out. We got them from https://www.hardwood-lumber.com/index.html They are in Ohio. Here are the pics, so far with the treads installed, but no painting done yet.

Here are the stairs, although the picture doesn't do them justice.

They spend a good part of the week covering and taping things. They also set up a painting booth in the garage. Here's a few of those pictures, not much exciting.

Here's the paint booth.

We talked to lots of people last week about grass, sprinklers, dirt, plants, etc. Of course these are all the things we didn't plan for in the budget. We decided on Scott's Landscaping and they are starting this week, we hope the weather cooperates.

We also talked to Home Depot and Lowes about carpeting this week too. We are waiting for a call to get measured for carpeting this week.

COUNTERTOPS are coming too this week. They are scheduled for Thursday. Can't wait. We may see the shower door this week too.

Ivan will start the painting this week too. Should be lots to post and keep everyone up to date.

$2.99 for Gas and more updates

2011-06-23T20:50:00.000-04:00

Mike and I headed out to get some dinner at one of our usual places and came across gas for $2.99 for gas. Of course we got in line. As we were in line (2 cars in front of us) they changed the sign to $3.45. We decided to wait and take the chance. As the guy in front of us is pumping they came on the speaker and said the price would go up to $3.45 in 3 minutes. We were thrilled, but the guy behind us in the motor home had his fingers crossed. We pulled up and hurried pumping hoping the guy behind us would get the $2.99 too, then headed to Hawks' Nest for dinner. About 10 minutes later the couple in the motor home came in and said thanks for hurrying, they too got the $2.99 price and were very happy. We found out from the restaurant that they lower the gas price for 15 minutes on the day after the Detroit Tigers win. So hopefully, we'll run across this again. Here's a sign we'd all like to see more often.

Back to house updates. This week has been all about weather. The concrete guys have been dodging storms, threats of storms and rain showers. They got the pad in front of the drive way all prepared and ready for cement then had to call it a day because all the concrete in the area was headed to a big job in South Haven. They came back on Tuesday and poured the pad. Then they started preparing the porch on the lake side under the deck, the front porch and the porch and walk outside of Mike's work room and the laundry entry. Part way through the prep, they had to go into full cover mode and get the drive pad covered and protected from the oncoming storms that popped up. I surely would not want the job, it is a gamble with the weather we've had over the last few weeks. So here are some pics of the drive pad, front porch, lakeside porch and back porch/walk.

Here is the driveway pad in front of the garage.

This is the front porch, it is exposed aggregate (rough cement with stones showing)


This is part of the patio under	the deck on the lake side.

Here's the prep ready for tomorrows pour on the driveway. There is still a lot of drive to prep and then pour tomorrow They hope to finish tomorrow, but not sure if the weather will cooperate.

Back inside the trim work continues. Ivan is going to work on the hardwood flooring on the landing, the stairs and the railing. He is building everything, so it will take some time. Hopefully will be done this week. Hopefully everything will be ready for paint next week.

Grading happens and First Floor CleanUp

2011-06-19T19:52:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd add a few pictures of the grading that happened this week. Above the front loader is moving out front to start work and get rid of the massive cherry tree stump. We really didn't want to take it down, but it was causing drainage issues, so it had to come down.

Here's the finished grade. We have the cement contractor coming out on Monday to start work. He'll do more final grade after he gets the porches poured.

The countertop people were out this week to measure for countertops. They won't be done for 3-4 weeks. We had the decking delivered too.

Had a few people to give us quotes on the gutters and need to make that decision this week.

Later this week, we may begin to see paint going up. I'm guessing that it will be next week, as there are still lots of small things to get done and out of the way before the paint starts.

I pulled up the cardboard and paper that was on the wood floor and did the first cleaning of the floor. There was so much sand, dirt, dust and just about everything else on the floor. It is looking good. This week they are going to trim out the windows, doors and floor. They also be hanging the interior doors. They started trim and door hanging in the basement last week.

This is the sunroom with a clean floor.

Here is the kitchen and I can't wait until we can get the appliances in and cook something. Eating out has gotten old.

Here is the fireplace. The stone is done and we talked with Ivan about what we want for a mantle. We are looking for a simple mantle. Ivan is going to build it for us, but that will come later.

Here is the front entry with the clean floor.

Here's my little office. It gets great sun. Now I need to figure out and find a desk and file cabinet.

Siding is done

2011-06-11T08:08:00.000-04:00

We had a great siding crew, Scotty's Siding. They started on Wednesday in 95 degree heat, worked Thursday in 70 degree high temp and finished on Friday in the rain. Nothing beats getting a great crew. They showed up with all the right tools, even their own trash cans for clean up. We had originally wanted to have the cement board siding for it's longevity, looks and no need to paint, but cost overruled and we have the vinyl. It is a Carolina Beaded 6.5" and looks great. Here are the pics of the completed job, even a crew picture.

Fireplace and Siding Continue

2011-06-09T20:16:00.000-04:00

Today was so much cooler here, low 70's, down from the high 90's yesterday. So a treat for the siding team.

They continued to work on the siding.

Today they started and finished the stone on the fireplace. It is so good to see something start and finish on the same day. Kevin, of Cosy Warm Fireplace, did a great job in putting up the stone. Here is a pic of the finished stone. Of course, we still need to decide on a mantel. One more decision.

Kraftmaid Kitchen Cabinets Starting

2011-06-08T11:34:00.001-04:00

It was a busy start this week. We picked the Kraftmaid Huntington door style maple wood painted white.

Ivan built the oven cabinet (which looks huge in the pics by itself) on Saturday, so we would be all set to start hanging cabinets today.

We started with the kitchen window wall and then moved to the wall that will have the cooktop. Progress went quickly, of course, Ivan probably had more help than he wanted, but I think it went well. Patti and I unpacked cabinets as they were needed and carried them into the kitchen, then Mike and Ivan hung them and installed them.

This is the refrigerator cabinet. Small problem with the way the cabinet is built when we add a cabinet on top, the door sizes don't match and it look "off". So Ivan worked with Stan (our Pierson Gibbs rep) on a solution. They came up with ordering doors for the lower cabinet in the same size as the upper cabinet and using some different hinges. That will work great and look great.

Of course Ivan was the one with the brains for cutting plumbing and HVAC pieces out of the cabinets. When Patti, Mike and I left on Monday, Ivan stayed and put together the island.

Here's the island. Mike and Ivan are talking about the exact location for it.

Tuesday, we started with the master bathroom. We hit a small HVAC obstacle, but Ivan had a couple of solution and we decided on one and moved forward. After lunch we hung the laundry room wall cabinets.

Laundry room wall cabinets. I still need to decide on my washer and dryer.

Ivan has a wedding this weekend, so he will be off the rest of the week, but before he left he ran my HDMI cable for the TV above the fireplace. He had to go into the attic in the 90 degree heat, too hot, then his battery runs out, so he has to come out of the attic (cool off) then go back up to finish. He ran the cable so the stone guy can come do the fireplace Thursday. While Ivan is gone, Matt is going to continue with the interior trim.

Scott's Siding started the siding today. It looks so different. I can't wait to see a big section done.

Baby Visitor Today

2011-06-04T18:25:00.000-04:00

Today we did some running around for house items, fans, lights, sink and stuff. As we took stuff in the house and sat down, Cocoa starts barking at the doorwall. Here is a video (unfortunately, not too clear) of her find:

And one still shot.

Busy Week.

2011-06-04T06:14:00.000-04:00

Cabinets and Flooring and Paint Oh My! For the young folks, that's from the Wizard of Oz, lions and tigers and bears Oh My!

It was a very busy week. As we are nearing the completion, things are happening. It is also the time that the budget can skyrocket. It's all those visual things that you want to spend money on and upgrade. These two "old" retirees are working on trying to keep that in check. No place to go get more money, unless anyone wants to sponsor a room, like the stadiums. Maybe Staples would want to sponsor the office, we'd hang a nice little plaque above the door in their honor. What do you think????

Back to the progress, on all the dry days, we had painters doing the exterior trim and there are just a few tall spots left to finish.

The cabinets were delivered on Thursday. There are a lot of boxes, but of course they ship them with the doors off and in their own box then every piece of trim come in its own box. So we are going to have plenty of cardboard this week to trash.

Some flooring has been done, COMPLETED. The master bath, shower and closet have all been tiled and grouted. The basement bath is done too. The family entry/laundry/powder room/pantry have all been tiled, grouted, DONE. Yeah, more off the done list.

The hardwood flooring got started on Thursday afternoon, more progress yesterday, finishing the kitchen and family room. Monday they will work on the master bedroom and office.

Today Ivan is coming to set some kitchen cabinets, of course, he has to start with the oven cabinet in the corner. Getting that right is the key to all the cabinets working correct, being level and square.

Here are the pics:

Master Closet tiling complete and grouted.

Master shower tiled and grouted. Waiting to get an estimate for the door on Monday.

Here is Ivan working on the ever so important, first row of the Hardwood.

Progress on the flooring in the kitchen.

The kitchen is done and they moved in the oven cabinet, since Ivan is working on it tomorrow and needed help getting it into the house.

More of the kitchen floor progress.

The sunroom and kitchen are done. They are continuing work into the family room.

More of the sunroom. Thanks to the sun for the cooperation this week. I'm sure this will be our favorite place. Other than the kitchen, because we haven't had a kitchen for a few months.

Here is the family room done, except for a small corner by the side of the fireplace.

More business for next week. We have the painters finishing the peak outside. Shower door estimates. Decide on countertops. HVAC coming to complete a few things. Cabinets set in the kitchen, family entry/laundry and master bath. The interior trim will get started too. And the siders will get started on Wednesday.

I'll try to get pics posted throughout the week.

Tiling is Beginning

2011-05-24T20:27:00.000-04:00

Just a few updates so far this week. The tiling has begun in the master shower and the family entry/bath area. The master shower tiling is about 3/4 done.

We've had beautiful weather so far this week, so the exterior caulking was started yesterday and finished today. They started painting the exterior trim today. The framers were suppose to be back yesterday, but have been under the weather, so hopefully they'll be back tomorrow. They still need to get the exterior soffits and a bit more trim installed. Then it will be on to the siding.

Got the air conditioning working Saturday and the sump pump going today. So it can finally start to acclimate the hardwood.

We went to get all the paint for the house yesterday at Home Depot. They were having a promo with Behr to get a rebate for $5 per gallon or $20 for a 5 gallon bucket of paint. So off we went to get 68 gallons of paint. When we were getting ready to check out, they asked if we had a pro account for additional discounts. We didn't, but now we do. So more savings off the paint. Before we checked out we were chatting with an older couple as they were buying paint and they asked the HD person if the veteran discount for Memorial Weekend had started, Yeah!!!, it started so there was another 10% off on the paint. Love to save money.

Next week the interior doors will be delivered. Then late in the week the kitchen cabinets will be delivered along with the interior trim.

So here are just a few pics of the tiling going on:

Basement Bath

Laundry room entry

1/2 Bath tile floor

Pantry Closet tiling

Master shower tiling

More master shower tiling

We Have Electricity

2011-05-18T16:07:00.001-04:00

It's been a bit since the last update. Last week we had the electric company and the gas company out to put in service.

The electric company had up to 5 BIG trucks out with several guys trenching, digging, laying line and putting in a new transformer. We were too far from the current transformers to use them, so we now have our own. That's nice for getting electricity to the house, but bad for the budget. This was an over budget item, but can't live without that electricity. So as of late last week we have electricity. Our electricians came right after the electric company left and wired some temporary lights and outlets. THANKS to Russcher Electric for a great job so far. Looking forward to getting to the end.

We also had the gas company out last week. They had a couple of trucks and had to run the line under the highway to get service to our house. A couple of guys and a day and a half for that job to get done. Of course we had to have one problem with getting the utilities in, they hit the septic field. The nice new septic field, so had to have the septic guys back out to do repairs on the field. But that all got done by week end. Now we are waiting to get the pressure tests done and any issues fixed (yes we have a small problem at the fireplace that is being fixed as I type). Hopefully, we will be able to have the furnace running by the end of the week. That would help, since this has been such rainy and damp weather to get things dried out in the house. The basement bath still is not dry from the drywall that was hung and mudded two weeks ago.

We had the hardwood flooring and all the tile for the basement bath, family entry area and the master bath floor and shower delivered last Monday. The garage is getting full of materials again. The siding was delivered and is sitting in the driveway.

The exterior trim was finished this week and hopefully it will be a bit warmer so the trim can be painted. Once the trim is painted we will be able to get the siding hung.

Ivan layed the cement board down for the tile areas and is hoping to get the waterproofing done on the shower walls tomorrow. Then will start to lay the tile floors.

So here are some pictures of the happenings going on over the last couple of weeks:


Here are a few of the utility trucks installing service last week. Of course, there is Mike in the middle of the action, in his shorts and red jacket.

The basement bath with fresh cement board on the floor, waiting for tile. The tile may be starting tomorrow.

The closet in the basement bath.

This is one of the spare bedrooms in the basement.

Another of the bedrooms in the basement.

The basement area that will have a patio out the doors.

The cement board was layed down today and is marked by paint cans to not walk on the fresh boards. Tile will be going down this week.

This is the family entry that had to have some self leveling cement put in today. So that the concrete floor and the wood sub floor could be even for the tile flooring. Once that drys, hopefully in a few days, the tile can be laid.

The deck framing has been done, but we need to decide on what kind of deck boards we want to have. We know we want some composite, no maintenance. There are so many, we just need to make a decision and then order.

The sun room and kitchen all primed and waiting for flooring, then paint and cabinets. The cabinets were ordered, just waiting for delivery.

Here is the fireplace. We met with the stone guy last week and he is ordering the stone and hopefully will get in installed soon.

Oops, small problem with the fireplace, a leak that needed to be fixed. It is fixed now, but we need to get the drywall fixed now. Always something, hopefully they will all be small things.

The front doors waiting to get a driveway, that is way down the line for now. So we'll have lots of sand and dirt for now.

Okay, imagine this sometime in the near future this will be a kitchen. The guys have made comments that they can't believe how many cabinets we'll have. Can never have too much space.

This will be the place for our bed. Can't wait to get that done, but it will be some time.

More cement board that was put in today, this is the master closet and bath. Maybe tile tomorrow.

This is the sun room, it's just waiting for sun.

This is the siding, it can't be installed until the exterior trim is painted. The trim can't be painted until the nights warm up to mid 50's. Who would have thought that wouldn't be happening in mid-May.

Here is the hardwood that was delivered this week. Solid hickory in 5" width.

Here is the tile and hard wood flooring waiting to be installed.

Lots Happening Behind the Scenes

2011-05-06T08:46:00.000-04:00

We've been making decisions and getting things ordered. We've ordered the hardwood for the kitchen, living room, master bedroom and office. The tile for the master bath and closet was ordered. We need a skinny vanity for the 1/2 bath, because I don't like pedestal sinks (yucky to clean behind), found one and ordered that. All of this is in and will be delivered early next week. The appliances I bought on sale in February and they'll be delivered mid May. We ordered the kitchen and master bath cabinets last week and they'll be 4-6 weeks before they arrive.

We are suppose to get the gas installed early next week, then we can have the electric company out to check and make sure we are ready for them to lay the electric line. These two have been a pain, since they both charge an arm and leg if you want to do things before April 15. So we waited, along with everyone else, so the schedules are busy. Hopefully, we'll get electric soon.

The drywaller is done and was cleaning up earlier this week. The walls are being primed now.

We are going to head up to Allegan on Sunday. Just a few decisions left, then it's wait for delivery and installation. Things are looking good and hopefully we'll have a home by late June. We'll update with pics next week.

I added a few gadgets to the side of the blog as reminders to myself. The one I added today talks about how to organize a kitchen. Some good tips, but of course I'll forget by the time the kitchen is installed, so this is my saving spot.

We are back in Allegan.

2011-04-21T20:11:00.000-04:00

We headed back to Allegan today to work on the clearing needed for the electric company and gas company to lay their services. Of course it is suppose to rain all day tomorrow, won't that be a lot of fun. But we got here and saw a lot of progress so here are some pictures:

Drywall work happening in the garage.

More work in the garage.

This is the pantry closet.

This is the 1/2 bath in the laundry area.

This is the electric for the half bath light over the sink. Of course the plumber put the pipe dead center on the wall. So Brent, our Fabulous Electrician, came up with a plan to get a electric box in the center of the wall. Yeah!!! Brent.

This is the entry from the side yard into the laundry room and 1/2 bath.

Looking at the sun room from the kitchen.

This is the corner of the kitchen that the oven will be. We should be ordering our cabinets early next week.

This is looking from the living room to the garage entry door. On the left will be pantry cabinets and a bench by the door.

This is the family room and fireplace. I wasn't sure if raising the hearth would crowd the room, but I'm glad I did it. It looks great.

Here is another view of the fireplace and raised hearth.

This is a window on the stair wall going to the basement.

Front entry door.

This is my small office.

Looking from the office into the master bedroom and hall.

Master bedroom, I can't believe how much light. Anyone who saw our Cobb house knows how much light we DID NOT have in any of our rooms. This will be such a treat.

Master bedroom looking into the master bath.

Door from the master bedroom onto the deck.

They started putting in the deck frame today. Mike and I really need to decide what deck boards we are going to use, like soon,.

Drywall is here

2011-04-17T18:20:00.000-04:00

We are just back from a trip from Illinois to Allegan, and a quick day trip to Warren. On Friday the Septic guy started digging the septic field and put the extra dirt in the driveway area. Early Friday the basement insulation was delivered along with the deck framing material. Late Friday the drywall was delivered and Saturday they started installing. So we have a slew of new pictures of progress. Here they are:

Deck framing materials delivered

Dirt from the septic field was moved to fill the drive.

Drywall is waiting to be hung in the great room.

Garage walls have been insulated and waiting for the drywall to go in.

Drywall waiting to be installed in the kitchen.

Electric panel installed.

Fireplace installed.

Sunroom insulated.

Ivan ready to start insulating the basement walls.

The master closet was insulated and is the first room with drywall on the walls and cieling. We are on our way.

Matt cutting pieces for the basement wall insulation.

Mike's room with insulation.

Septic Field ready.

Septic Field dug out.

Kitchen Organization Ideas

2011-04-13T09:10:00.004-04:00

This week they are putting in the insulation and then the drywall starts. So as we wait, I'm browsing the web on how to organize the kitchen STUFF. I anyone who knows us knows that Mike has STUFF and I don't like to have stuff cluttering the kitchen. So here are some neat kitchen organization things I might be using.

I especially like the way they do the lids for pots and pans and the storage of the casserole dishes. Since we will have mostly drawers and not many upper cabinets, I hope to be able to use some of these ideas.

12 Great Ideas for Organization In the Kitchen

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Find Home Improvement Professionals- For Example:

New York Architect · New York Interior Designer · San Francisco Contractor · Los Angeles Landscaping ·

Inspections Done

2011-04-05T06:37:00.000-04:00

We had the inspections for the Electric, Plumbing and Heating/Cooling done last week and everything is good to go. The framer was coming yesterday and today to do some last punch list items.

We are waiting for the fireplace to come in, we ordered it a few weeks ago from Cosy Warm Fireplace & Patio in Holland, thinking that a local company would be good. But some delays are occuring, they aren't scheduled to get the fireplace until late this week, so the install won't be till mid next week at best. We have the insulation scheduled for late this week and the drywall to start mid next week, so things are moving along, slow but still moving along.

Of course we can't have a new build without some drama, ours started last week. The HVAC guy decided he doesn't want to finish the job. Luckily, his contract is with Pierson Gibbs, not directly with us, so Pierson Gibbs will be working with him and the legal issues involved. I'm sure they will get us HVAC one way or another. Of course, Mike is the worry wart, so until it is resolved, he will worry.

So hear are a few unexciting pictures of plumbing, wiring and HVAC.

So Much Going On

2011-03-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since our last post. So many things have been happening, I'll try to get everyone up to date.

We closed on the Dearborn house last Wednesday. Picked up a moving truck Friday night, had two movers over Saturday morning and loaded the truck. Mike drove the truck and Cocoa and I followed in the Vue. We got to Patti's house in Allegan about 6 and Patti got here about 7. We went out for a quick dinner and then all crashed. Saturday morning two more movers came and unloaded everything into Patti's garage and basement. We headed back to Dearborn to pick up a few things and drop off the keys at the realtor. When we walked in with the keys, the new owners walked in behind us to pick up the key. They are a nice young couple, who will hopefully enjoy the house for many years. It's hard to believe I had the house for 3 years before Mike, so a total of 27 years in that house. So good bye to that chapter of our life and on to the next one.

So now onto the new house. The trades, Electric, Plumbing and Heating/Cooling are in the house doing their things. We hope to have them all completed and ready for the inspections by Monday. Following are a couple of pictures of the doors that were put in in the Great Room, Laundry Room Entry and Front Doors.

The doors are finally in on the lake side of the house

This is the laundry room entry door. I wasn't sure it was worth the extra cost to have the tall door, but it sure looks good with the sun shinning in. Can't wait to see it with the walls, floors, cabinets and washer/dryer. You know that gypsies don't have washers and dryers, so the thought of having them at my disposal is a wishful thought.

Here is the door from the master bedroom to the deck. This was a last minute addition to the plan. So glad we did it, it looks great and the sun cooperated for the picture.

Basement bath tub is in.

Here's an exciting picture, the HVAC runs are getting put installed.

We hitched a ride back to Dearborn on Monday to pick up the car and turn in the keys for the house. Mike is sleeping on the van floor and Cocoa has the comfy seat for her nap.

Here are Mike and Cocoa sleeping on the way back from lunch after we helped unload the truck.

Here are the front doors. They look great and you can see through the house out the deck doors and to the lake.

Doug stopped by Patti's this afternoon and we talked about the schedules and he thinks we may be in late May. I'm not holding my breath, but early June would be good.

In the mean time, we are staying at Patti's in Allegan. Of course, her house is waiting for flooring, painting, trim work, bathrooms completed, kitchen, etc..... But it's a place to sleep close to the build. We're off later this week to Urbana, IL.

My Outdoor Shower and Exterior Doors

2011-03-02T08:27:00.000-05:00

Not too much new looking this past weekend, but here are a few pictures of the garage exterior doors and my outdoor shower. We're headed back tomorrow and plumbing and HVAC are working today, so we should see more visible progress.

I've always wanted an outdoor shower, but ours got cut early in the budget. We found this sitting in the snow for the basement bath.

The is the back garage door.

This is the entry door from the garage to the house.

This is the garage entry door on the front of the house.

Garage entry door from the outstide.

This is Mike's workroom door to the outside world.

Yesterday we had the appraisal for the Dearborn house. Hopefully, by week end we'll know that all is well with the buyers financing. Then we set the close date and go. Today I'm starting to pack.

Windows are going IN

2011-02-20T06:42:00.000-05:00

We had a great drive over to the house yesterday. The sun was shining and traffic was light. Of course, sunshine is great, until you get to a dirt driveway with thawing. This equals mud. Oh well, can't get to spring without thawing and mud.

The windows are almost all in. I need to get the exact location for the kitchen window to go over the sink. But I need to determine the exact location of the sink first. I'm getting there, we walked through kitchen things with Jan. Hopefully we can get together soon to finalize that kitchen. But I need to decide on washer/dryer, to finalize the laundry plan. So many decisions.

This week Mike and I have been TRYING to decide on garage doors, fireplace, kitchen plan, lighting plans..... Now you know why I'm updating this at 6AM on a Sunday morning. Sleep is not always happening. Of course, Mike and Cocoa are sound asleep after a bird hunt over by the new house yesterday, they are both pooped.

We also have more reasons to not sleep. We have a contract on our Dearborn house and will be closing mid-March. Yes that is just a few weeks away. Who would have thought in this economy we would sell the house so quick. It was only on the market for a week and we had two offers. Thanks to our agent, Allison Fishwick for a great job.

So now we are working on where will we sleep for the next few months. They are making great progress, but not quite that good.

Okay, back to the pictures. The camera battery went out, so the pics are from the cell phone.


This is the garage. They have it closed off and are running heat in here to get the ground to thaw, so they can pour some concrete.

This is in the garage looking to where Mike's work room and the laundry will be.

This is the view from the west neighbors.

Coming up the drive to the house. The lake is in the background.

Here is the lake front view. It's hard to believe that last weekend there was over a foot of snow. Windows are looking good.

This is the lakefront bedroom in the lower level.

This is the other bedroom in the lower level on the right. On the left is the walk out area to the lake.

This is the family room in the lower level.

This will be the great room. Once the doors are in to the deck it will be great!!

Last but not least, I think this will be my favorite place, the sun room. And today there was cooperation, there was great sun.

Just a few updates on the lower level

2011-02-11T19:07:00.002-05:00

We made it over to the house today. It was cold, although warmer than the last few days, but sunny, which always helps.

Here are a few pictures from the lower level today. Okay, I changed them, but they still show up on their side. So for now you just have to turn your head.

The is the upper stairs going to the lower level.

Another head turner!!! This is the framing for the master shower. The seat will be tiled. Although there are a few things that need to be changed/corrected in here.

These are the bottom half of the stairs to the lower level.

This is the wall for one of the bedrooms in the lower level. It looks really dark because they have all the window opening covered to keep out the cold and snow.


Okay, another head turner. This is the other bedroom in the lower level, you can see some light in this room, the window covering is not on tight enough.

Let's all hope for a warm up, so they can finish the shingling early next week. Then they will start to work on the exterior trim. Things are still moving along well.

Shingling is Happening

2011-02-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

So we haven't made the trip over to Allegan in the past two weeks. We've been busy putting our house on the market. We have had some showings as well as some repeat visitors. It is a pain to always be ready to head out of the house and take Cocoa somewhere. Of course it usually is scheduled for dinner time. Cocoa loves it, Sonic has become our new dinner spot, since it is too cold to leave Cocoa in the car while we go in somewhere to have dinner. She loves the tots and the cheese bites.

So Doug has been kind enough to get us a few more pictures as the shingles are going up. We hope to get over there this Friday. So here they are:

1/28/11 Progress Continues

2011-01-29T09:20:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures the builder sent over. I'm not sure when we started that Doug knew he would need to be a photographer, along with a builder. I wonder if they teach that in building school. The first picture is from over the river on the road. Nice Picture Doug!!

Here's a view from over the bridge on the other side of the lake. Nice picture, can hardly wait to get the boat and dock in the water. Speaking of boats, our just came in, so they will keep it in storage until it warms up, maybe May????

This is coming down the driveway. Looking good, all the sheeting is done and it is covered, no more snow on the floor.

Here are Willie and Colter trying to get Tim to play.

Here's the back of the garage all wrapped up.

They are taking sheeting into the rafters.

Nice way to move supplies. Sure beats hand moving supplies.

1/25/11

2011-01-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

We got to head over the Allegan today to check on the progress. Thankfully, the weather cooperated and the road were good. With the warmer temps (20's and 30's) and the snow on the ground = foggy roads.

The well is in and work on connecting to the house is happening today. The basement concrete is in with the plumbing for the basement bath in. The trusses and sheeting are on the house, trusses are up in the garage and today they are doing the sheeting.

Today we also ordered the windows. So things are still moving along. Here come the pics.

This is the lake side of the house. The left side on the main level is the master bedroom. The center area is the great room and the right side is the sunroom. The kitchen is behind the sunroom, but it is all open.

The well is in and here they are putting the line from the well to the house.

Looking through the wall into the master bedroom.

This is looking into the sunroom from the great room.

This is looking from the master bedroom hall through the great room and into the kitchen.

Here are the guys loading the sheeting onto the roof of the garage. It sure beats taking them up the ladder one at a time.

Easy way to move the sheets.

Sheeting going up on the garage.

Now we are in the basement. Here is the well.

Here is a bedroom in the lower level. Doug and I are standing in a sitting area.

This is another bedroom that looks out to the lake.

Here shows the concrete floor that was poured last week.

The well piping being trenched in.

Another view of the lake side of the house.

1/21/11 WE HAVE A ROOF

2011-01-21T13:18:00.001-05:00

We have a roof. There has been lots of visible progress these past few days. The basement plumbing was put in and we are waiting this afternoon for the inspection. Once we get the OK on the inspection, the cement flatwork will "happen" in the basement.

Last week HD (Home Depot) has a special on the interior doors we wanted, Jeld Wen Santa Fe. If you bought hollow core doors, you were upgraded to the solid core for free. We like FREE. We were going to go with the solid core doors, so this was a great savings. Stan at PG said great deal, go for it. He reviewed our HD door order and we said go. Of course this will be the one time that HD gets our order in on time, next week. We certainly aren't anywhere near needing our interior doors, but for a free upgrade we'll put them off on the delivery for as long as we can.

So yesterday a new HD paper comes out. This time they have a bunch of "special buys" on bath vanities. So this morning, Mike and I head to HD to check out the "deals". Of course we find a vanity for the 1/2 bath, $549 for $199, and a 36" vanity for the lower level bath, $499 for $199. We love savings.

So now I have to be sure to watch all the HD, Lowes and Menards flyers. But we don't get the Menard's, so I'll have to sign up for theirs by email.

Joan, our kitchen designer, is working on those plans and elevations. Once she gets them to me, I'll post.

This is the entry from the garage into the laundry/mud room.

Progress is moving along. We have a roof. Great that much less snow to go into the house. The sun is shining, but it is cold.

Here is a view of the front of the house and looking past to the lake.

Here is Tim Master of Everything. Go Tim Go!!!! He doesn't even look cold, wait maybe he is frozen in place.

Here is another view of the garage and front entry.

1/18/11

2011-01-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

Here are the trusses. They were delivered yesterday and hopefully they start installing them tomorrow.

Here's the garage, I guess it is big enough to hold a car, since that is way bigger than our car.

2011-01-14T18:42:00.002-05:00

01/14/2011

It's been about a week and a half since we've been to the build. There has been good progress. Here are some updated pics.

View out the front door down what will be the drive way.

This is the master bedroom, the bed will go under the three small windows.

This is the master closet.

This window is above the potty. The walls enclose the shower, although they need to make a change here, the wall is too tall, we'll have the top half in glass.

This is the "missing" kitchen wall. We are still deciding on the exact size and location of the windows.

This is my small office.

12-29-10 Framing Begins

2010-12-29T22:20:00.000-05:00

12-13-10 Foundation

2010-12-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

Here are the foundation pics from today

Excavation and Footings

2010-12-08T20:05:00.000-05:00


We've only been working for the last two weeks and lots of progress is showing. Tomorrow we go the the building center to start to make decisions. Roofing, windows, doors, hardware..... So many decisions to be made.

Snow in the drive and workers on site

Drive with snow

Footings


Lake view and some dirt

Cement for footings

More footings

Some more footings

More dirt

Cement truck

Footing work being done.

Floor Plans

2010-12-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

Main Floor Plans

Elevations

Lower Level

12-04-10 Clearing Has Occurred

2010-12-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

Our driveway starts at the end of this small road.

Our driveway

Cocoa playing in the snow

Cocoa and I at the start of the driveway

Driveway headed to the house site

House site

Equipment

More equipment

Our two neighbors

View of the lake

Another view

More driveway

Driveway before it turns to the lake