Day - 100 and something

Ok, well I am not sure what day we are on but that is ok. Vanessa and I had a new baby boy 2 weeks ago so I am just now coming out of what I call the newborn fog. Since then My Dad (mostly) and I finished tiling the shower and it looks very professional. Special thank you to Levi for use of his saw for about a week; that has to be worth some brownies or some other treat Vanessa can bake up. Now all it [the shower] needs are some valves, shower heads and curtain (for now) and we can test it out. The big progress that has been happening over the last few weeks has been the Stair Tower hand rail and the red oak floor finishing. The OCI guys have completed the hand rail installation with the exception of the top piece which is currently being stained by Jeff using "Jeff's Mix" stain. Now for the floors. First comes the sanding (not as much dust as you would think), then the staining then the polyurethane (multiple coats). Also the inside trim painting was completed. We hit a snag after the first coat of polyurethane... it just wouldn't dry. The good thing is we realized that the furnace was not completely installed so the A/C guys did that in a couple of hours and we turned on the heat to help the polyurethane cure. It did finally cure and the delay was mostly because of a few cold and rainy days in a row. Yesterday the second coat was applied, and now with that dry, we can get on with other things tomorrow. The plumbing fixtures arrived today and were unloaded into the car shelter. I brought the smaller fixtures inside so we could take a look at the finishes and make sure our lighting choices were correct.

Day - 110 Tiles, lots of tiles

This blog post is dedicated to the tile shower my Dad and I have been installing over the past week.

Early in the design phase of this renovation I thought it would be cool to do my own tile work. After nearly completing the tile work in a 3x5 shower I still think it's pretty cool. I also think that it is a lot more work than I initially thought. I don't recommend this job for someone who has never experienced laying tile, but I had my dad, so it was a breeze. Well if you refer to a breeze as working all day long for 2 Saturdays and most nights in between as fun. Anyway it is turning out great and all I have left is to grout the top third of the two end walls and then some clean up. The things I learned about tiling were to make sure you have a really good tile saw (thanks Levi) and take your time. You just cannot get to far ahead of yourself because most of the cuts will be a little different.

Elsewhere in the renovation... Rick the Stonemason finished up the fireplace this week. Laying the stone for this project was a tedious task that took about a week including the hearth. I am amazed by the beauty and timelessness of this project and I wouldn't change a thing. From the color and size of the rocks to the 130 year old beam that makes up the mantel, this feature is definitely one of my favorite parts of the renovation. Our floors also received their first sanding on Friday and Saturday and the flooring company has plans to come back on Monday to finish the sanding and then start with staining and finishing early next week. Matt, our cabinet guy installed the owners suite vanity and cabinets for the kitchenette on Friday. This guy is fast and his work is good. I especially like the stain/paint color and glazing he and Vanessa picked out for the vanity. This new piece of furniture looks like an antique. To save money and time we ordered a vanity online for the downstairs bath. Most aspects of the project were completed by local tradesmen but were were running out of time and money so this was just easier. It ships as one piece and we can just add a faucet and drop it in place.

The OCI guys constructed the railing in the stair tower this week. It is a true work of art. Except for the stained handrail it has been painted and is complete. This railing is a trademark Trey Cole design, it is timeless, craftsman and unique.

My dad also helped me by buying and installing glass in a custom window that will go high on the wall in the owners suite bath. The final tasks have started and I am beginning to see an end to this project. We still have a few big tasks like painting walls and staining floors, but we are in the home stretch ahead of schedule. Soon we will will tear down the construction wall in the dining room and start enjoying twice this space in this old house.