Window Painting

Much to our surprise (chagrin, amazement, irritation), we noticed that the outside of the new dormer was not painted when it was built last November. We thought it had, but the builder used treated white wood-- not painted. And that treatment was flaking off. So, with the possible last few days¨ of warmth and sun, Will and I scraped, chaulked, and painted the dormer.


It was a gloriously warm autumn day, so the primer and chaulk dried quickly, we were able to get a coat of exterior paint on within the same day. Back-breaking work, as we hung out the windows, twisted all around us to reach all the corners of the dormer. Thank goodness I have been doing pilates for months now! It came in handy with this home improvement.


Painting the dormer then inspired Will to tackle some of the windows lower down that were in desperate need of attention: the basement window, the back of the tv room, one outside our former bedroom, and some on the front of the house. Basically, the ones that face the most weather, be it wind, rain, or sun.

We certainly feel good to have this bit of work done before the cold weather sets in. But, now, I need to stretch my back into child's pose for a few hours to counteract the back-bending of the dormer painting (sound of grunting as I bend forward...)

100% Done

The new windows are installed! Front (with grilles) and back (without grilles) and man, what a difference! I honestly didn't think that new windows would make that much of a difference, but they certainly do. The back ones let in so much more light without the grilles and the french casement windows that used to be there.

And the front windows look so clean and fresh. You can tell from the street only because it is so obvious that this is new window in comparison to the older ones. It hasn't really changed the look of the house at all-- it does seem to stress that we need to paint the rest of the windows or replace them. That, however, will take a while.


The storage cubby holes have been fixed up with pre-made kitchen cabinets that slid into the hole. Mike made it look so easy, that we added one on the other side....
...we just need to get some trim to frame it.
So, we are done. And the room is perfect. We can't believe just *how* good it looks. Holdfast DC did an amazing job!! Thanks Big B!

Stacked, Not Made

Will announced to me that he made our bed:


He explained that he doesn't like the king-size pillows, so he gave them all to me. Um, okay. Thanks, but, I don't think that this really counts as bed made, so much as pillows stacked.

The Missing Pieces

Our new windows have arrived and are await installation. These two bits are the missing pieces for a complete room. Then the renovation will be 100% complete and 1000% awesome.

They will slide in as one unit-- one for the front of the house (with grilles) and one for the back (without grilles, to let in more light). Both sets are casement windows, so, for example, we wills till be able to open up the window and walk out onto the back roof to, say, for instance, watch fireworks. Only the new ones won't be french door-like windows and will be able to stay closed. Oh, and, unlike the current windows, these come with a screen to keep out the bugs.

The Penultimate Reveal of the Third Floor

Welcome to the Third Floor Master Suite! We have it almost 100% done-- we are still in need of the new windows in the front and back of the house and we need the sconces above the bathroom mirrors. Both sets of missing pieces are either en route or about to be.

We have slept up there for about a week now and it is lovely, though a *bit* hot when the temperatures outside are ridiculous, like now (105º F today!) We have most of the furniture in that we want. There might be one more dresser/table and a really comfortable reading chair to obtain at some point. We need to think about window coverings, especially in the bathroom.

With the a huge number of guests over the 4th of July weekend, Will and I were blissfully unaware of the crying babies or wake ups in the middle of night while up in our hide-away.

We have a need for some window seat cushions, but we have moved in plants!

Here is our lovely king bed and new linens. The mattress is really quite comfortable and we are losing each other in the spaciousness of the bed. I can finally sleep through the night!

We are also in need of some decorations on the wall and we have a special Sylvia request. She doesn't know it yet, but we would like her to make a silver mobile to hang in the peak of the ceiling. We have taken a poll, and we all agree that would be quite nice to have.

The towels in the bathroom look quite nice with the cream and lava color tiles. The shower is amazing. We are getting used to not having our toes underneath the sinks.

Our dual-flush square toilet with a surprise bonus of a soft-close lid (no more slamming of the toilet seat in the night!) is quite something. And it is not as bizarre as I thought it would be to sit on a square loo.

We went to the Container Store and contained our clothes. We managed to fit *all* of our clothes into the space. We still need to sort out the shoe closet (where the stained glass door is), however.
This is my corner-- I have to be careful not to hit my head on the angled roof. I have done it several times already. One day I will get used to it. I have a light back in there so I can see my clothes better. The mesh drawers are very fancy and they slide in and out with great ease. Plus they hold a lot!



Will and I are discovering items of clothing that we had forgotten about-- almost like going shopping but better because you already own it!

All in all, we lay in bed, gaze around at the transformation, and are in awe of the work that Big B and the Two Mikes did. It is something to behold and you really should come for a visit--after all, you have lived through the renovation via the blog. Best to come witness it in person! Especially since we have a whole floor of guest rooms waiting for guests. And you can be sure, that up in our enclave, we will not hear you at all.

Carpet Laid! Bed Unfurled!

FINALLY, the silver dollar plush carpet arrived and was installed today. Third time is the charm. And what a charm it is:
It completely makes the bedroom and closet. Stirling instantly laid down and rolled all over it! I think she approves. The small punch list and the window replacements are the only thing left and then the room is 100% complete and 1000% better than we ever imagined.

It is so soft under your toes and makes that room quite snug and quiet. In short, it is a perfect master bedroom.

And every bedroom needs a bed. Recall the heavy box:

Will and I moved it up in preparation of today. The mattress needs a few days to 'grow' to its king size after being shrunk into the box. I pulled out the mattress, hardly bigger than Stirling:
And as soon I cut the plastic, it started sucking in air. I laid it where it will eventually go-- we still need to construct the bedframe--to give you and me an idea of the size.

Stirling has already staked out her place on the bed.


We have linens, the bedframe, and dresser. You will have to wait for the final reveal!

94% Finished

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are almost done with the attic. All of the big stuff has been done, we have a small punch list (which includes new windows, which will be in shortly, and the two lights above the sinks in the bathroom), and we just waiting on the carpet. Yes, it was supposed to be installed today. They brought the wrong color: sand dollar beige is not the same as silver dollar gray. They are coming back on Wednesday.

In the meantime, you will to enjoy these photos of the master suite at 94% completion.

looking towards the walk-in closet:

looking towards the sitting area & bathroom:

looking towards the back of the house, standing in front of the closet:

access panel on the stairwell (still needs some finishing work):

looking in the closet, to the front of the house:

the back corner of the closet:

the bathroom:

the shower, still not tested as we need a drain cover:

the throne:

I Got a New Toy!

A Wide Angle Lens! for only $7.50. Wait, that is wrong-- let me be completely honest. It was $7.39 but $4.99 for shipping. Yes, I realize that the shipping cost is more than half the lens... still, I HAVE A NEW TOY! And how awesome is my wide angle lens? Well, let's explore a favorite subject of mine: the attic!



Minus the peep-hole effect, it is very cool. I think I get an extra 3 cm on either side of the frame. And that = awesome. ;)

Detail on the Trim Work

The Mikes have done it again: they have managed to make a really funky wall with unsightly seams look really slick with the way that they have configured the bits of trim work. Tomorrow it will be painted but this gives you an idea of how many pieces of trim it took to cover up this ledge in the middle of the wall: 4 pieces on the wall and two on the stairs.

And where the angles meet, the join is really, well, professional!

This is also in the stairwell. It makes a huge difference having baseboards! The carpet comes on Monday, so that nasty burgundy stuff will soon disappear.
Bathroom update: the deflector glass is in the shower! No water for 72 hours, therefore no showering in there ...yet. The sealant on the wall is drying, but the glass is really awesome.

The edges are really nicely done and the glass is about quarter-inch thick. I can't wait for 72 hours-- I want to test the shower head!

Gardy Loo!

The toilet is in place and almost functioning-- still no water in the bowl, but those are minor details.


And speaking of details: the shower head, shower handle, and light cover are in place:
The window seat now is a proper seat:
Here's a better view:

The trim is up in the stairwell:


More and more it is looking like a finished room! By the end of the month, we will be on the third level.

Relocation

The vanity has been properly relocated to the appropriate height and it looks great-- wait, what is wrong with the sink on the right? BAH! It won't fit into the pre-cut hole once the faucet is in place! There is some notch on the bottom of the sink that won't sit flush with the counter top, though it looks identical to the one on the left. *Sigh* So, no plumbing yet. The company, Sinks Faucets and More, has been a real pleasure to work with and they are having the manufacturer ships us the correct sink today. It should be here no later than Wednesday.

So, since the Two Mikes couldn't do plumbing, they grouted the shower!
The grout is a tobacco brown and will dry much darker than what you see here. The second photo is the shower ceiling. Once the grout is done, on goes the shower head, the shower handle, the light cap, and the shower drain. Still waiting on that deflector glass though.

And they put up more trimming, along the stairwell and in the closet. The stairwell is proving to a be a challenge as the top half of the wall is wall board and the bottom is plaster and in the middle (where the bottom of the trim is now) a really bad seam where the two meet. In fact, you can see how the two types of wall meet if you look at what looks like a black dividing line going across the wall, just a bit underneath the light in the ceiling. The best option is to trim it, and I think that actually makes the space look rather interesting.