emerald city diaries

{wall sconces in master bedroom // vanity in master bathroom // clawfoot tub in kids’ bathroom}

{light fixture in master bedroom // downstairs hallway lights}

{dutch door for the laundry room & handles on the closet doors // bath fixtures waiting to be installed // living room is coming together}

{downstairs hallway looking towards master // upstairs hallway with new light & attic access}

{light fixture in entryway // front porch light fixture // stair hand railing}

this week at the house {& for the rest of the project!} is all about details. the electricians were in this weekend getting lighting fixtures installed, & outlets & covers installed. the interior paint is mostly finished with touch-ups needed, but that will probably not be totally done until after we have fully moved back in.

this week the plumber is in to install the bath fixtures &, fingers crossed, the electricians will be back to complete their work. at the end of the week the entryway floors & stairs will be fully finished & sealed.

we have been able to “move back in” to the main living space, though we aren’t yet living there full time. hopefully that will happen sometime this week! the new space is starting to come together though & hopefully we can really start on the nursery soon!

fingers crossed our completion is a bit earlier than more recently anticipated {maybe, next week??}

M

{paint touch up in kitchen // “moving back into the living room” // windows over the stairwell papered for painting // door painting in the office}

{paint touch up in the living room & readying the space to move back in // lots of cleaning happening – so. much. dust. // the new hardwood floor peeking thru // painting doors in the kids’ bathroom}

{entryway window // looking downstairs at the new paint // painting supplies including our handrails // door painting in the master bedroom}

{painting supplies – a better set-up than I use! // 38 week bump at the house // more doors}

in the first picture of the kitchen, the floor looks a little wonky because there are two plywood pieces in the floor – one over the old chimney space & the other over the old heating vent. there is currently linoleum in our kitchen & it would be more hassle than it is worth to try to patch these two small pieces. we have grand plans to do a kitchen remodel on that side of the kitchen, including new flooring {hopefully we will uncover old wood floor underneath the laminate!} at some point in the {near} future.

last week the interior painting started, including all of the new dry wall & trim, & the touch-ups of the upstairs space {living room, kitchen, hallway}. this work was technically supposed to be done by the end of last week so we could start moving back into our old space this weekend, but when we showed up at the house on saturday morning, the painters were there. & that repeated on sunday too. a bit of a bummer for us since the continued work prevented us from really being able to move back in. at this point we are shooting for a move-in at the end of this week. fingers crossed!

in better news, we are getting so close to the end of this remodel! tomorrow the electrician is supposed to be in to install the outlets & lighting fixtures. the plumber is scheduled for later in the week or early next week to install the bath fixtures. exterior painting touch-ups are also on the agenda, but not quite as imperative as that work doesn’t effect our ability to live in the space.

in the final countdown! how much longer do you think we have?

M

{window trim & picture rail in stairwell // trim in stairwell // stairs covered & ready for painting // sadie’s dog door installed // trim around doorway in entry // window trim & trim in stairwell}

{floors downstairs prepped for painting // master bath vanity waiting for installation // sadie’s dog crate & under the stairs closet // office window trim // hinges are up // down the hall towards our master bed & bath}

{floor & trim patching in the kitchen // trim patching in living room // doorway trim in living room // stair hand rails ready for installation & painting}

last week all of the millwork – trim – went in & it all looks great! we have pretty traditional craftsman style trim in the upstairs that we wanted to continue into the new space. the picture rail was continued into the entryway & stairwell, but not anywhere downstairs; it may be something we add to the master bedroom perhaps at some point in the future but since the ceilings are almost a foot lower downstairs, we decided to hold off on putting picture rail thru-out the new space. the hinges are also all installed & the doors are ready to be hung & just waiting for hardware.

this week we will have interior painters in, starting with touch up in the upstairs spaces – kitchen, living room – & continuing on to paint the new space. lots of people have asked about paint colors & then I think are a little disappointed in my answer. most of the new space – entryway, stairwell, laundry room, hallway, office, nursery, kids’ bath, & master bath – will all be simply white by benjamin moore. the master bedroom will be revere pewter by benjamin moore. under other circumstances {mostly not being almost due with baby!} I probably would have chosen an actual color palette to save aaron & me the work of later needing to paint any walls. however, I went with white because I knew it would be a safe choice & a good canvas for any future color. I do have color plans for the rest of the space, including painting the ceiling of the kids’ bath {like this} & painting stripes on the nursery ceiling, so no worries!

like I mentioned last week, we are going to start moving into the house slowly starting this weekend. I don’t know if we are more excited or nervous! there is so much stuff packed into our living room right now {though our contractor will clear out his stuff} & there is more stuff to fit in there, like the crib, dresser/changing table, & other baby necessities. if that doesn’t sound like a good nesting project {except for moving the really heavy stuff} I don’t know what is!

M

{gutters! // extra storage under the front stairs // east side fence // west side fence}

**I realize every picture shows the house a different color – the first one with the fence is the most accurate**

{floors in the upstairs entry & hallway // floor panel in closet under stairs // floors in entryway // stairs & landing // stairs & downstairs floor}

{penny tile in kids’ bath! // doors // subway tile & marble in master shower}

{master bath floor // master bath shower // subway tile}

this past week all of the flooring was basically completed – salvaged wood floors upstairs were stained & conditioned {first round}, stairs were completed with new fir – stained & conditioned, & tile in the bathrooms was grouted. it is looking so amazing!

up this week: hanging doors & installing millwork! for both of these elements we are trying to keep true to the original craftsman style in the house, & having 5 panel doors & simple, thick trim with quarter-round.

as for timeline {which is everyone’s question these days!}: we are planning on moving into the main level {living room, kitchen, bath, & bedroom} in a week & a half, & the entire project is slated to be finished sometime the week of august 18th. not ideal I know since baby lower is due on august 12th, but there really isn’t much we can do {trust me, I’ve asked!}. all of this finish work takes a lot of time! & for those of you wondering, nope, I won’t get to set up the nursery until after the house is done. that means setting up baby’s nursery furniture in the living room for now so that its ready to move downstairs as soon as we get the greenlight – anyone want to help?

M