Change Log for Monday, May 18th through Monday, May 25th

I was visiting family for the better part of last week, and Matt was quite busy with work, so not all that much got done until the weekend.  However, the tile guys finished the downstairs bath and it looks great.  One of these days I will actually remember the camera and I’ll post some pictures.  The tile guys are now done with all three bathrooms and we hope to have them back shortly after we move in (and scrounge up the money) so they can do a backsplash in the kitchen for us.

Over the weekend we did quite a bit – well, Matt did most of it, really, I did a lot of work outside.  Here’s a summary of what I can remember.  Oh, and the move-in list has been updated too.

• Picked up and installed the counter for the kids’ bath
• Cut and installed a”temporary” counter for the master bath, put one coat of sealer on the counter
• Installed the sinks in the kids’ bath
• Installed the rest of the newel posts and the majority of the bannister and balusters.  There is just one little section to go on the railing! 
• I touched up the paint and scrubbed the downstairs bath, and Matt laid the linoleum.  It looks good, but he’s ready to hire the rest of this job out (yippee!)
• I finished sorting and moving the rest of the scrap pile
• Matt installed the underlayment in the master bath
• I installed one of the exterior plugs, then realized that the remaining two GFIs I need must have been used somewhere else in the house.  Back to the electrical store for me tomorrow…
• Matt worked on the oak flooring on the landing

Change Log for Wednesday, May 13th – Sunday, May 17th, 2009

Well, so much for keeping on top of this!

Over the past couple days I cleaned, tidied, and vacuumed upstairs to get ready to lay more flooring.  We received the underlay for the bathrooms, and found that our linoleum flooring may require heat welding to do the seams.  (yikes!)  I drilled holes for the dowels in 73 balusters.  I ordered the rest of the plumbing fixtures.  I contacted a person who does stairs, and had him out to give us a quote for finishing up the stairs. I contacted the propane company and gave them the go ahead to set the tank and hook it all up.

Matt primarily worked on the railing upstairs, but also spent a little time today and yesterday knocking a few things off the list.  I’ve updated the move-in list if anyone else is keeping track.

Change Log for Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

I worked for a little while on the small section of flooring upstairs by the master bedroom, but found it slow going.  It seems like it should be easy, but we’re trying to be frugal in our use of pieces so it takes a lot of work to find the right pieces to fit in that space.  We want to make sure we have enough of this flooring to do the whole space, and since it is recycled flooring from Matt’s grandparents’ house we can’t exactly get more of it!  

Matt, my father-in-law, and I filled in the propane trench, so as soon as the new tanks become available, we’ll be able to get the propane installed.  We have finalized our plumbing too, and I tried to order that today but wasn’t able to get in touch with my contact person.  I also made an appointment for tomorrow to meet with someone about doing the finish work on the stairs.  I tracked down the underlayment for the upstairs bathrooms and that will be coming later this week.

And as I type this Matt is trying to get the newel posts set.  

OK, all caught up!

Change Log for Monday, May 11th, 2009

Matt installed some of the shower trim in the Master bath (ooh, shiny!) and reinstalled the light fixture in the entry.  Unfortunately the beam isn’t flat on the bottom, so the light fixture is a little out of true.  We’re hoping that some shims will help.

Matt and I also met with a mortgage person, got a lot of information, filled out an application for a mortgage.  So long as the appraisal comes out decently, we’re in good shape.  But given the current real estate market, that is definitely some cause for concern.  But the interest rates certainly are amazing right now!

We also picked up all our linoleum flooring.  Now I just need to track down some underlayment for the upstairs bathrooms, and I can get started on that.

Change Log for Sunday, May 10th, 2009

Since it was Mother’s Day and there wasn’t anything pressing that I needed to work on in the house, I opted to work in the garden while Matt sanded the floor upstairs and started laying out the railing.  

Change Log for Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Matt worked on flooring and got the main long run finished.  Yay!  

I ran some errands and did some smaller stuff, none of which I can particularly remember.  And this is why I should be doing these entries more regularly…

Change Log for Friday, May 8th, 2009

More flooring upstairs.  At least I’m getting a little faster at it…

The linoleum flooring for the bathrooms, utility, mudroom and pantry also arrived today.  

Change Log for Thursday, May 7, 2009

I picked up the plumbing pieces for the master bathroom shower and got some miscellaneous things at the hardware store.  I tried to order the counter for the master bathroom, but found that the person who had given me the quote did it incorrectly and the real cost is more than double the original quote.  So, we’re back to square one on the master bathroom counter.  I picked up some formica samples, but I didn’t find anything particularly appealing.  We may do sealed plywood temporarily and then do a concrete countertop in there after all.

The tile guys finished working on the master bathroom and it looks great.  The downstairs bath is all ready to go once the tile comes in.  They should be back on Thursday of next week to finish up that bathroom and will probably be done on Friday.  I am so glad we subbed all this out, even if it is costing a fair amount.  Tile is a lot of work, and it is very important that it is done correctly! 

I went down to the house to work on the flooring in the afternoon, but Nathan didn’t nap like he usually does so I ended up not being able to do it.  I’m hoping to get to work on it some more this afternoon if I can get Nathan to do his usual nap.  

Change Log for Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

The tile guys are still working away and Matt worked on the flooring upstairs.  We’re over half-way there!

Change log for May 5th, 2009

Matt and I both laid some flooring today.  I’m starting to wish we had wider planks.  It is slow going, but at least progress is being made.  The tile is really looking nice though – I am so glad we hired this out.  They are doing a wonderful job.  If anyone around here needs tile work done, I definitely would recommend them.