Kitchen and Bathroom Counter Tops and Tiles

The house really starts to feel like a home once the cabinets go in and, during the last week, the delivery of counter tops and tiles further added to that feeling. The granite counter top for the kitchen came from a company in Salem and Julia and I had already been up there a few times to make our selection. Here's the slab we chose which is called Bordeaux River:

And here it is shown on the central island in the kitchen. The layout design was done by Ricky (of the Marble Center) to show off the large scale patterns within the rock slab to best effect, and, although it's a bit hard to see from this photograph, we were very pleased with the result:

Richard also began to install the back-splash tiles on the kitchen wall. We have selected a lovely pastel green hand-made tile which, it turns out, is made in Exeter, England by the Winchester Tile Company and supplied by a company in Boston. Here's how it looks so far with the spacers still in place and before any of the grout is applied:

I have to say they look absolutely brilliant and, still unfinished, here's how they look from a bit further back (the space is where the cooker and microwave will go):

Meanwhile, upstairs in the laundry room, the counter top and sink and back-splash has been installed:

Brian has also begun installing the porcelain 16 x 16 floor tiles which look even better than we expected:

In the second bathroom, the floor has also been prepared to receive the tiles. The sub floor is a cement resin board (called Hardiebacker) that is very resistant to moisture because it has no paper backing and doesn't contain gypsum. Therefore it is ideal for wet environments such as bathrooms, showers, and laundries and provides a very stable platform for the tiles:

Here's the cabinet counter top in the second bathroom complete with decorative back-splash that matches the floor tiles (the same tiles as used in the laundry).

In the master bathroom, the floor also has a layer of hardiebacker:

However, in addition Julia and I decided to include the luxury of underfloor heating. The underfloor heating is in the form of a pad that rolls out like a carpet and includes a thermostat controlled electric filament running through it. Two separate pads were required:

On top of the underfloor heating, Brian will install the travertine stone tiles which should do a good job of propagating the heat:

The shower and tub area looks like a scene out of Psycho, but in fact the red colour is an additional waterproofing layer over the top of the Hardiebacker cement board over which the tiles will be mounted.

The electrician, Roger, has been installing some of the electrical fixtures and here's a selection in the following order: ceiling fan in the master bedroom, ceiling fan in the guest bedroom, lamp in the dining area, front outside light:

That's all folks...

Rainwater Drains, Side Entrance and Sewer Line

With three weeks to go before we move in, the pressure is on and progress continues both outside and in.
Richard and Clay used a shovel with a teeny bit of help from the backhoe (JCB for those of you in the UK) to excavate a trench for the sewer line:

And here they are gluing it together. I have the impression that building air-fix models as a kid is a good apprenticeship for this kind of work.

The rainwater drain for taking the roof water and directing it back out to the street was also on the agenda. Here's the down-pipe collection system at the back of the house which routes the roof run-off to the rear NE corner:

The water is collected into a large plastic reservoir:

It's about 50 gallons or so:

And then the water is pumped back out to the street via the upper, horizontal 3 inch pipe shown here. The second larger pipe, to which the 3 inch upper pipe is tethered, routes rainwater from the down pipes on the front of the house into the same plastic reservoir. This is rather convoluted, but it is the consequence of the house being a little bit below street level and it saves having more than one pump.

Once all the pipes were in place along the side of the house, it was time to fill in against the retaining wall to create the side entrance path. Begin with a couple of dumper trucks of rock gravel:

Here's where it needs to go:

We wondered if Molly might be able to pull the gravel compaction machine, but she was too interested in the squirrels. You wil also notice that the fence posts were installed prior to the gravel fill:

And now we have a level, side-entrance pathway. Unfortunately Molly remains in suspense about how she is going to get into the garage through the side door which remains elusively 3-4 feet above the pathway:

And, probably, so are you dear reader...
That's all for now!

Casings, Trim, Cabinets, Closets, Stairs, and Painting

The house was a hive of activity this week as the April closing date approaches and there is still plenty to do. The window casings, sills, doors and window trim, stairs, and cabinets were all in play and needed to be completed before the interior decorators showed up to begin painting the inside.

Here's Molly inspecting the trim material and locations:

And here's another stack ready to go including the shelving for the closets:

First the window casings were installed including the sills and here's how they look at that stage:

Then the trim is applied to the outside:

Here's Richard applying the trim to the pantry door in the kitchen:

More maple cabinets were delivered this week and installed in the master bathroom, 2nd bathroom room and the downstairs half-bath. The cabinets will have a rustic slate laminate counter top that goes well with the maple colour/texture.

The laundry room has white cabinets and the counter top will be a plainer soapstone laminate:

The shelving for the closets was also completed. Here's the closet for the master which is bigger than my boyhood bedroom:

Here's Richard working on the stairs which involved installing the tread, risers, baluster, newel post, handrails and trim.

Nice job Richard!
And then the painters moved in:

First the cabinets and floors had to be protected and the windows masked off, and then the primer could be applied. Here's the kitchen:

The doors were all removed and placed, concertina style, in the middle of the room to better facilitate painting:

The paint is sprayed on to create a smooth finish, particularly desirable for the trim and doors. This results in a fine white mist permeating the house and is why all the painters wore protective gear and breathing masks; I just tried to hold my breath!

For those of you following the decision process, we opted for the slightly greener beige over the slightly redder beige for the final main wall colour. If you want to see the two options again, take a look at the previous post.

While the painters moved inside, Brian moved outside and began the slow, laborious process of filling in the spaces around the external foundations in preparation for the porch and deck to be be built along with Molly's play area. The proximity of the trees at the back of the house results in the rock filler having to be deposited the old fashioned way with a wheelbarrow and shovel:

Brian is digging the hole where the water pump will be that will take the roof run-off water back up to the street. Again this is to protect the oak trees from excessive water run-off. It's a good job we like the trees because they have created quite a bit more work.

Once they are done with the back, Brian and team will need to begin filling the moat protecting the front door so the porch can be built. At that point we will be able to dispense with the drawbridge:

That's all for now!

Floors, Doors and Cabinets

Richard, Clay and Brian really cranked it up this week on the internal carpentry associated with installing hardwood floors, doors and cabinets.
Here is a stack of red oak and rolls of underlay for the downstairs hardwood floor:

Richard suggested putting in a decorative feature at the entry way and here is Molly inspecting the outline:

And here is the result which creates a nice feature to welcome people to the house. The darker wood surround is mahogany and contrasts well with the red oak. I think the downstairs floor is looking great already and we are looking forward to seeing it finished:

Here's how the corridor (aka bowling alley) was looking while Clay continued to work his way systematically towards the rear of the house:

Here's Richard completing the section of floor in what will be the pantry:

Here's the kitchen and back door area nearing completion:

5:00pm and time for a beer!

Meanwhile, upstairs in Julia's studio, Brian is making good progress with the hickory hardwood floor:

The Hickory is finished and sealed at the factory which is why the surface already appears more polished than the red oak downstairs.

And here's Brian positioning and nailing the pieces into place and I have to say the result is looking great! Kudos to Richard for suggesting the hickory.

The cabinets also arrived this week and here they are stacked up in the garage:

Here's Clay unpacking and checking the cabinets for size and quality. Unfortunately we had a little bit of damage to one and incorrect sizing on another, so Richard is having to get those replaced/fixed. Clay is very tall so he doesn't fit on the picture.

Here's someone not so tall who does:

And then, most importantly, Julia was called in to give her blessing to the size and location of the kitchen island which she is shown discussing with Diane and Richard:

Brian has also been working on door installation. They come complete in the frames and so the installation process involves installing the door frames using cedar shims to get the spacing accurate and aligning the door to ensure it hangs correctly. Here's doors galore hanging out in the study awaiting installation; the style of internal door is called 'Coventry':

Here's Brian with the cedar shims still visible. Once the door is set correctly, then Brian seals the gaps with an insulating foam sealant. This is more for stability and sound proofing than insulation and is a nice extra touch.

A clearer view of the cedar shims. Once the door is set, the shims are trimmed (of course)!

The door furniture has also arrived - it's amazing how many door handles are required in a single house. The finish is oil rubbed bronze and can be seen below:

For various reasons the side garage door is over five feet off the ground and poses an interesting challenge for access. Luckily the local gym is selling off some old rope ladders and this seems like a good application for them:

Believe it or not, I am standing up!

Innovative suggestions for how to overcome this problem are welcome...

And finally, the big decision on internal house colour. Here's Jon with the two final candidates which look pretty much the same in the photo. The one to the left of the small black hole in the wall (electrical socket to be) is more of a greenish beige and on the right of the small black hole a slightly redder beige with both set against some of the samples for carpet, tile, cupboard door, floor materials and so on:

Excited to know the decision? Watch this space...