Little Things

These are not the most dramatic photos in the world, but they all represent some very practical and necessary steps in getting the house ready! The air conditioning units are in place. I'm only showing the one on the third floor, but the first floor unit and the outdoor part of the system are in place as well.
























All of the closets have their shelves installed now. Here is the pantry:
























The remaining plumbing work has been completed. Here is the garden tub from my bathroom:


















The driveway is done--it will look a lot nicer when it has been cleaned after construction!




















And finally, the garage door opener!



















I also noticed that all of the light switches and most of the electric outlet covers are in place. I'm leaving on a trip this Saturday, and by the time I get back, I'll bet the house will be almost done.

Plumbing and Stonework

They have been busy for the past two days! The sidewalk has been installed all of the way around the building.























The plumbers have installed all of the sinks and toilets. Above you can see the half bath on the second story of the house, with its pedestal sink. Below is one of the full baths on the third floor. I didn't photograph the other two bathrooms because the painters were at work in both of them, but I could see that they were both done and looked good.
























The kitchen is really coming together fast! I really like the faucet that they chose for the sink. I had mistakenly thought I was getting one of the ones where the detachable sprayer comes out of the main faucet, but as you can see they are two separate pieces, which I prefer.



















Outside, things are really looking good. I'm not sure what color the shutters are supposed to be, and I keep forgetting to ask. I am hoping that what you see in the photo below is just primer. I don't think it is a very good contrast to the color of the walls. If it is the real color, well, I'll get used to it! You can see the brand new sidewalk, too.























And the stonework is underway for our driveway. I am very happy with all the progress!

Granite Countertops

The most exciting development this week is that the granite counter-tops were installed in the kitchen and the three full baths. (The half bath will have a pedestal sink instead.) You can also see that they installed the stainless steel microwave oven. The dishwasher arrived as well, but when I was in the house this afternoon it was still in the box. I'll bet they will install it tomorrow, though.



















Here is a view of the bar area as well.























Both of the staircases have permanent railings now, and most of the woodwork has been installed. I was surprised that they install it first and paint it afterwards---I thought it would be the other way around.
























Well, someday I will have a place with a real hot tub, but for now, the garden tub in the third floor master bedroom will be just fine. You can see that they have installed the towel racks and things. It is really interesting to see which details are done earlier and which ones wait until later. I figured stuff like towel racks would be almost last to be installed.























The doors arrived, and here you can see them lined up in the garage. All of the doors were installed this afternoon.




















Pretty exciting stuff! I am ready to move! We are having a yard sale on Saturday to clear out some of the clutter before the big move, and we will use the proceeds from the sale to purchase ceiling fans for all of the bedrooms.

Tile and Cabinetry

While I was away on my trip, Centex was working like mad on the townhouse! I will have additional photos later, but for now, here is what I saw when I made a quick walk-thru this morning:

The kitchen cabinets are installed! They are a very dark brown color. We will add stainless steel knobs after we move in. All of the tile work is done, as well, but it is covered with paper to protect it.




































This is the shower in the master bedroom on the third floor:






















This is the shower in the other full bath on the third floor. You can also see the cabinet at left:























This is the shower in the master bedroom on the first floor, with the cabinet at right:























This is the completed tile on the balcony. Because of the odd angle, it looks as if the balcony is at ground level, but it's actually about 14 feet off the ground:






















And here is the interior trim waiting to be installed:

Painting Complete...For Now

As you may remember, I am playing a game in which I sell unwanted furniture from my current house, storage unit, and in a couple of cases things I pick up by the side of the road, on Craigslist. Then I put the money in an envelope, and slowly but surely buy new stuff on Craigslist for the new house. Having sold two of the ugliest couches in the world yesterday, I earned enough to buy two sets of ladder shelving for the alcove in the kitchen....just like they have in the model home, I have to admit. My shelves are darker to more closely match the cabinets. Here is what one set looks like:




















Meanwhile, they completed painting the inside and outside of the house, at least for now. Of course later they will have to do touch-ups, trim, etc. It is really starting to look good, though.















I have signed up for my home-owners insurance and set the Closing appointment for Wednesday, September 2nd at 3pm. We should have the keys to the house two months from today!















I am leaving for Los Angeles and Seattle on Monday and will be gone for two weeks, during which they expect to install cabinets, tile, and the garage door! Pretty exciting! Jesse is going to take photos which I'll post when I get home.