This House Just Keeps Getting Better and Better

Today Brian installed shelves in the old coat closet in the living room. With the new, larger coat closet in the mudroom (and since we rarely use our front door) I was ready to give the closet a new responsibility. Toys. That's right, we have a toy closet now and I love it. I don't want to hide the fact that we have children but I also don't want to have toys "put away" in the corner of the living room. Now the upstairs toys have a real place to go.

Day 156: DONE!

On Monday the lock box was removed and we received the final bill with all the credits and extra things we added. We are DONE!

Now, I know that I haven't been very good about blogging in the last month, but frankly there hasn't been a lot to say. We reached, "substantial completion" a month ago.

The cabinet doors are now all installed and the stained glass is amazing! I know you can't see it very well in the picture so you'll just have to trust us.

The porch/landing/deck was recently completed as well. Now we can use our back door.

Here is a better shot at the stained glass, but I still feel like it's much prettier in person. Due to our blog neglect, our faithful readers have been spared (or denied depending on how much whining you'd like to read about our microwave curse) the continuing drama with the microwave. This is a shot of microwave #2. After two tries of trying to fix microwave #1 and Sears canceling try #3 because the parts were back ordered, Brian got involved and invested more time with managers on the phone than I would of had patience for. In the end, his perseverance with automated messaging and years of experience in customer service got us a brand new microwave. I found this all rather interesting in terms of cost of services and warranties. Obviously, the microwave was under warranty so none of this nonsense cost us anything other than irritation. Every time the repair guy came out to fix it we got a receipt with how much the part would be if he had them and how much his time was worth. In the end over $500 was spent on the stupid microwave that couldn't be fixed. We didn't pay nearly that much for the original one.

I LOVE the hardware. I'm so pleased that I didn't back down and buy hardware before I was ready and had the guts to go and cancel a large order when I changed my mind. We are every pleased and especially like the long handles. I think it looks much better than two small ones on either end of the drawer, which was the original plan.

A few weeks ago Brian and I had a funny, but serious, conversation about how it was going to feel when we were really done. This is what we came up with: It feels like we are ending a relationship that was good. The best piece of advice that we received was this (and it came from another contractor):

"Any company can come up a good design and use quality materials. Costs should be relatively similar between companies. What should play heavily into your final decision is, who do you feel comfortable with in your house?"

I couldn't agree more. Incidentally, we didn't go with the guy who said this. The people at OAR practically became members of the family. The boys knew them and recognized their trucks. The workers seemed to know where everything was in the house and garage. At some point I stopped going to meet them at the door when they came to work. They had keys, they could let themselves in. While I made sure I was dressed everyday before anyone came to work, make-up was optional. In fact, I have taken two sick days this year and both days Rick has let himself in the house while I was sleeping. It didn't even phase me. I wasn't even embarrassed I was wear sweats. We got very comfortable with these people!

Our relationship with the OAR Group is over. It was great and I'd recommend them without hesitation to anyone who is looking at remodeling or adding on. They weren't the cheapest company we interviewed but we sure felt comfortable with them in our house.

So, while we will maintain Ranch Renaissance, it will now focus on smaller projects. Here is our short list of things that need to be done:

1. shelves for cubbies in the mudroom
2. area rug for living room and runner for hallway
3. new toilet for big bathroom
4. do something about the grout and faucet in the bathroom
5. outside landscaping
6. paint bedroom and get curtains
7. old exterior wall framed and made to look nicer
8. install old cabinets (the nice ones my dad made) in the family room for DVD/video game storage
9. tentative...new appliances. The white ones just aren't working for me.

Thanks for your interest in our big project. It's been an experience we've enjoyed sharing with all of you!

Day 137 - Cars Are In The Garage!

After 120 days of parking outside, our vehicles are tucked neatly away in the garage. We would have been able to park a few days ago but a certain phenomena happened this summer. I believe it had something to do with the Law of Empty Spaces. Shortly after the pile of lumber arrived and we could no longer get into our garage, every single toy, piece of garden equipment and just random crap found it's way into the large vacant spots where our vehicles once were. It's amazing how much space all of our summer toys take up! Ordinarily, our garage is a real life game of Tetris that results is plenty of space for the toys, equipment, vehicles and the rest of the crap out there. We now have it cleaned out and re-organized. Welcome home mini-van and car!

Today the bathroom was finished and our stain glass cabinet doors were installed. We also got the call that our door hardware is in. I'm planning on picking it up Friday afternoon. Maybe next week it will get installed,

Day 127: The Ranch Plays Host to Family

Tonight we hosted my parents, brother, aunt, uncle, two cousins and one soon to be cousin-in-law (is that what you'd call them?) for dinner. Patrick was in town for just the weekend so we all got together for dinner.There really are six people around the table and plenty of people to move around (just a crummy picture). The boys got a little table this weekend. It's actually the same one that Patrick and I had when we were little. Brian and I have began a quest to find little chairs for it.

It was awesome. Of course the company was great; I always really enjoy getting together with this side of the family. Our house was awesome. My mom, aunt and I were able to hang out in the kitchen and get dinner ready without tripping over one another. Everyone else was downstairs being entertained by the boys. People could have been in the living room but chose not to be. Six were able to sit around the kitchen table, four at the card table and the boys sat at the kids' table. It just felt good to be able to have 10 adults and two children in the house and NOT feel crowded. I never would have said that 127 days ago.

Me, cousin Eric and Brian. While we still needed a card table to seat everyone, we all sat in the kitchen. No one in the living room or in the basement!

We are on the home stretch now, here's the list of things left to be done (as best I can think of):
1. HVAC...sometime this week
2. Bathroom tile
3. Railing on back porch
4. Installation of hardware (10-14 days my order will be in)
5. Fix very small water leak in basement

Here are things that we want to get done:
1. Get microwave fixed
2. Area rug for living room
3. Shelves for cubbies in mudroom
4. Bench or chair for mudroom
5. Landscaping outside...will do next spring. I have the plans and it's going to be a beautiful butterfly garden.
6. Really, are houses ever done?

On Day 125, We Reached "Substantial Completion"

According to our contract substantial completion means that the new space can be used for it's intended purpose. On Friday the back splash was completed and our stove moved back into the house from it's summer home in the garage (I predict it won't be much longer before we are highly motivated to get new appliances so we can get rid of the white). We celebrated by heating up a frozen pizza for dinner.

Since last week when I ordered the pulls for the cabinet I've had a little sick feeling about them. The price just seemed crazy high but Brian was okay with it so I was trying not to get too antsy about it. Once our dishwasher was installed I decided that what I ordered really wasn't what I wanted to today I went back to inquire if I had any options in regards to the other order (which was for $510...or so I thought). They canceled the order with no problems and it turns out the amount wasn't even close. My real bill would have been $220 something!

Having gone through this once before, I had a little more knowledge about what I wanted. A very nice woman named Sue helped me this time and provided catalogs and a price sheet to take with me. Then, she started to figure out some amounts and I noticed I was getting a substantial discount...the coveted, "builder's discount." I love this discount! To sum up, the new handles will be in 10-14 days. Our stain glass will be in any day and sometime next week our little deck/stairs in the back will be completed and the bathroom will be done too.

In other news...our addition is going to be featured in M Magazine! How cool is that?

Day 123: The Microwave Saga Continues

What is it with us and microwaves?

Last night Brian was heating something up and the *new* microwave just died. It's like there isn't any electricity going to it. Oh but there is, the outlet was checked today. The Sears repair guy will be here on Tuesday afternoon.

Our slate back splash was started today, the gas lines were installed and upgraded so as not to "starve" our appliances of fuel and the dumpster has left the property! As soon as the stove gets installed and we put everything away we can move the cars back into the garage. WOO-HOO, just in time for frost in the morning. (btw, it's cold now. The temp has dropped 40+ degrees since the blistering heat on Sunday. Too bad Brian's marathon wasn't this week!)

Yesterday, I met with a landscape designer for the backyard. She designed a butterfly garden and has incorporated plant material that will provide some blooms all spring, summer and fall. I'm pleased and look forward to moving forward with my yard in the spring.

Other than that, I don't think there's too much more to report other than I want my house back, which I think you all already knew.

Day 118

Friday was Day 118 and this is where we are now. A working sink but no garbage disposal yet. It doesn't even matter right now...I didn't do dishes in the bathtub all weekend. What a great feeling that was!
After all the fretting about sinks, this is the one we got. It's a solid surface product, that can be installed above counter tops (which we needed) called SwanStone. I think we are going to be VERY happy with it.

On Friday the carpenter took our glass doors off so we could go shopping for glass and get it installed. I'm sure Rick will be pleased I picked something out but will be annoyed that it's going to have to be ordered (he will be happy to hear that I FINALLY picked out and ordered the cabinet hardware). Here is a sheet of the glass I picked out. While my china dishes are very pretty, I don't feel like I need to display them which is why we didn't go with clear glass. Since I don't intend on having the light on inside the cabinets I made my decision on what glass looked pretty without light behind it. I think this is going to look awesome. Brian is going to place the order on Tuesday and hopefully we'll have it by next weekend.