So ... my next job is to translate this:
... into organizational bliss on our closet shelves. I'll be sure and post the after pictures! lol. I feel like I'm on a TLC show!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Channeling my inner Martha ...
Yay for progress. We can check off half of item 1 on our list from the previous post. Peter and I spent the evening building this:
So ... my next job is to translate this:
... into organizational bliss on our closet shelves. I'll be sure and post the after pictures! lol. I feel like I'm on a TLC show!
So ... my next job is to translate this:
... into organizational bliss on our closet shelves. I'll be sure and post the after pictures! lol. I feel like I'm on a TLC show!
Frantic and Frenzied
Well, we knew this day was coming ... the bank called today and it's time for another visit from our friendly appraiser.
For those who aren't aware, while we're building the house, the bank requires an independent appraiser to visit the site every three months to ensure that work is progressing. This appraiser is also the one who holds our fate in our hands - she determines when we've hit the magical "milestones", at which points the bank releases a certain percentage of our construction loan to us. The milestones were explained to us as such: Draw 1 occurs when the house is basically weather-tight (i.e. roof on and windows and doors in); Draw 2 occurs when the drywalling is (basically) complete; and Draw 3 occurs when the house is 97% complete.
To date we've received Draws 1 & 2 and are anxiously working toward that magical Draw 3. Draw 3 is magical because once it is received we can convert our construction loan into an honest-to-goodness mortgage! Most people would not be as excited about signing mortgage papers, but after basically carrying around a huge line of credit for 18 months, we are more than ready to get those papers signed and settle into a fairly predictable repayment schedule.
The appraiser last visited us in August (I know - the bank has been lenient on the 3 months thing, which we appreciate). At that time she said we were 93% complete ... so close! After that report, the bank (have we mentioned we're big fans of our bank?? CIBC in case anyone's wondering) actually gave us a little "advance" on Draw 3, so the amount we're waiting to get from them isn't significant, it's the mortgage itself we want to get settled. Anyway, at that point we had not fully completed the hardwood. The kitchen area was not tiled. Many of our cupboards were not yet built or installed (no upper cupboards or the tall unit with the oven). We had no trim in the house, and I don't believe the downstairs bath had a door. The nursery was not crack-filled or painted.
Peter asked the bank if we could have another 2 weeks before the appraiser comes. In those 2 weeks we hope to:
For those who aren't aware, while we're building the house, the bank requires an independent appraiser to visit the site every three months to ensure that work is progressing. This appraiser is also the one who holds our fate in our hands - she determines when we've hit the magical "milestones", at which points the bank releases a certain percentage of our construction loan to us. The milestones were explained to us as such: Draw 1 occurs when the house is basically weather-tight (i.e. roof on and windows and doors in); Draw 2 occurs when the drywalling is (basically) complete; and Draw 3 occurs when the house is 97% complete.
To date we've received Draws 1 & 2 and are anxiously working toward that magical Draw 3. Draw 3 is magical because once it is received we can convert our construction loan into an honest-to-goodness mortgage! Most people would not be as excited about signing mortgage papers, but after basically carrying around a huge line of credit for 18 months, we are more than ready to get those papers signed and settle into a fairly predictable repayment schedule.
The appraiser last visited us in August (I know - the bank has been lenient on the 3 months thing, which we appreciate). At that time she said we were 93% complete ... so close! After that report, the bank (have we mentioned we're big fans of our bank?? CIBC in case anyone's wondering) actually gave us a little "advance" on Draw 3, so the amount we're waiting to get from them isn't significant, it's the mortgage itself we want to get settled. Anyway, at that point we had not fully completed the hardwood. The kitchen area was not tiled. Many of our cupboards were not yet built or installed (no upper cupboards or the tall unit with the oven). We had no trim in the house, and I don't believe the downstairs bath had a door. The nursery was not crack-filled or painted.
Peter asked the bank if we could have another 2 weeks before the appraiser comes. In those 2 weeks we hope to:
- Finish the shelves in the office closet and clean up that room and the yellow bedroom!! I know this doesn't really make the house more finished, but it will certainly make a better impression.
- Finish installing and get at least a coat of paint on all the window casing and trim.
- Install the door to the electrical room and finish trim downstairs (interior door and baseboards left).
- Paint the nursery closet (it's primed and will be painted white, so it won't make a big difference - just nice to get it out of the way)
- Drawers and cupboard doors in kitchen.
- Bar counter - this one is a biggie I think, as it's one of the first things you see when you come in the door.
- Two closets not painted (one basically crack-filled, one not).
- Closet doors not installed in bedrooms.
- Shadow-striping and chair rail in upstairs hallway (I don't think this one is a big deal, since those things are optional).
- Door and baseboard trim throughout upstairs.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Panels and painting and trim, oh my!
Wow - 2 posts in a week. Don't die of shock!
In my last post I forgot to mention that Peter built his first raised panel over the Christmas break! It looks so professional - he should go into business. It still needs to be sanded and stained.
Saturday Peter and I went to pick up our piano. However, I did manage to paint the nursery as well. I bought the paint a long time ago and was a bit concerned it wouldn't be appropriate for Baby M's room. I am very pleased with the colour, though!
Other than painting the nursery we didn't get much done this weekend. Last night Peter got a second coat of crack-fill on the master bedroom closet. He also measured and calculated what we needed to trim the rest of the house. Today he picked up the rest of the trim that we need at Home Depot at lunch. When I came home, this is what I found:
Looks like we have our work cut out for us!
In my last post I forgot to mention that Peter built his first raised panel over the Christmas break! It looks so professional - he should go into business. It still needs to be sanded and stained.
Saturday Peter and I went to pick up our piano. However, I did manage to paint the nursery as well. I bought the paint a long time ago and was a bit concerned it wouldn't be appropriate for Baby M's room. I am very pleased with the colour, though!
Other than painting the nursery we didn't get much done this weekend. Last night Peter got a second coat of crack-fill on the master bedroom closet. He also measured and calculated what we needed to trim the rest of the house. Today he picked up the rest of the trim that we need at Home Depot at lunch. When I came home, this is what I found:
Looks like we have our work cut out for us!
Friday, January 19, 2007
Finally an update!
I'm finally ready to sit down and give an update on house progress over the past few months, including a few pictures :)
So ... let's see. The last update was showing the window trim on the main floor. I am still plodding away at caulking and painting those. It seems to take forever for each window, but it looks so good when it's (almost) done:
Peter has also built the returns (sills) for all the upstairs windows. The window in our bathroom is installed with the trim and caulked with one coat of paint. Two other windows have a coat of paint on the returns but are not installed with the trim yet. There is no hurry to get them installed as I'm still working on the downstairs ones.
Over the holidays Peter built and installed the rest of the kitchen cupboards, along with our microwave / vent hood combo (notice the pregnant belly sticking out there!):
Also over the holidays Peter installed the trim around the exterior days. They still need to have their corners finished, be caulked, and painted, but they look pretty smart just as they are:
The final thing we've been working on is the nursery! Yay! I don't have any pictures yet, but Peter has finished crack-filling the room and I got the primer on this week. The goal for the weekend is to get the ceiling painted and the first coat on the walls. I would also like to get two more windows caulked. We'll see.
Have a great weekend!
So ... let's see. The last update was showing the window trim on the main floor. I am still plodding away at caulking and painting those. It seems to take forever for each window, but it looks so good when it's (almost) done:
Peter has also built the returns (sills) for all the upstairs windows. The window in our bathroom is installed with the trim and caulked with one coat of paint. Two other windows have a coat of paint on the returns but are not installed with the trim yet. There is no hurry to get them installed as I'm still working on the downstairs ones.
Over the holidays Peter built and installed the rest of the kitchen cupboards, along with our microwave / vent hood combo (notice the pregnant belly sticking out there!):
Also over the holidays Peter installed the trim around the exterior days. They still need to have their corners finished, be caulked, and painted, but they look pretty smart just as they are:
The final thing we've been working on is the nursery! Yay! I don't have any pictures yet, but Peter has finished crack-filling the room and I got the primer on this week. The goal for the weekend is to get the ceiling painted and the first coat on the walls. I would also like to get two more windows caulked. We'll see.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, January 05, 2007
Quick note ...
Happy New Year!
Sorry for the lack of posts! There has been lots of progress on the house thanks to Peter over the last 6 weeks or so. He got the rest of our cupboards on the wall, installed our microwave / vent hood combo thing, is currently building the window returns for upstairs, and finished crack-filling the nursery ... Good thing, since we're going to need that room in about 5 months! We are expecting our first little one on June 9th. We are very excited!
As a result of this turn of events I have started a blog just to blather on about whatever comes into my head, which is most often cross-stitch, baby stuff, flylady / housekeeping stuff, and to do lists. Anyway, if you're interested in those mundane things you can pop over to here.
I will try and take some pictures of Peter's progress over the weekend and put them up.
GO CANADA GO!!!
Sorry for the lack of posts! There has been lots of progress on the house thanks to Peter over the last 6 weeks or so. He got the rest of our cupboards on the wall, installed our microwave / vent hood combo thing, is currently building the window returns for upstairs, and finished crack-filling the nursery ... Good thing, since we're going to need that room in about 5 months! We are expecting our first little one on June 9th. We are very excited!
As a result of this turn of events I have started a blog just to blather on about whatever comes into my head, which is most often cross-stitch, baby stuff, flylady / housekeeping stuff, and to do lists. Anyway, if you're interested in those mundane things you can pop over to here.
I will try and take some pictures of Peter's progress over the weekend and put them up.
GO CANADA GO!!!
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