Perfect day for alfresco dining

Maybe not, but if it weren't raining and 30ish, we could eat our first dinner outside.

Our kitchen table is finally here!

10 weeks later, our kitchen table has finally arrived. We searched high and low for a small antique square or rectangular quartersawn oak table to match the antique chairs we just had recovered, to no avail. We finally caved and decided to have one custom made. It took forever, but just like the cabinets, it was worth the wait. The table is perfect for the space and the graining in the wood is gorgeous. The table is 36"x48", which is the size we will normally keep it at, but it has two leaves also and can expand to 6' long so we can seat 6 with the two extra chairs we have stashed upstairs. Here is a good shot that shows the table top with the antique chairs. The stain color perfectly matches!



And here are a couple shots of the table in the space.







The other exciting thing that happened yesterday is that our pantry doors were finally installed. When we finally pass final electrical, we can hang the pendant light in the pantry again.



Baby steps... The house continues to come together. We are looking to our first dinner tonight in the kitchen where we can enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Guest Bedrooms

We been working on furnishing and decorating the guest bedrooms so that friends and family are comfortable when they visit. The first bedroom is almost done. I think that all that is missing are some nice black and white family pictures in chunky brown frames.





We are still waiting for some furniture for the second bedroom. Here is what it looks like currently.





Side tables are on order. We went with a slim telephone table on which we can store lots of nice reading material for the guests.



I'm still thinking about lights for the bedside. What I'd really like are one of these for each side, but shipping on the light is outlandish, so I'm "thinking" on it.

Are you done when you hang pictures?

We are definitely getting "there", at least. We now have window treatments in two rooms and are really happy with them so far. They include the master bathroom



and the TV room



Another huge job completed is that all the low voltage outlets and fixtures have been installed. We now have music in almost every room on the main floor and are able to listen to up to 4 different sources at once. Right now, that includes an MP3 input, XM radio or stored music off my office desktop and digital music from our cable box. Here is a picture of the amp with controls the living room and deck.



Several rooms have wall speakers, like the living room and master bedroom because of the vaulted ceilings



The rest of the rooms have ceiling speakers



The speakers are also up in the TV room and everything is working great



Finally, I dug our some of our artwork yesterday and hung it. It definitely made the house feel more like our home.

We have grass!

Finally looking "complete", at least on the outside. Today we got sod and the beach was cleaned up. It is so nice to not be leaving in a mud pit anymore.

Fireplace windows installed

Finally, one of the first things chosen for the house has been installed. The leaded glass windows which I purchased off ebay and which were rebuilt by my father were stained and installed this morning. They make the room look so much more complete and fill in the "holes" on the side of the fireplace.

It is really hard to get a picture in the current light, but hopefully the evening it will be better.





My father also built this doorbell cover. These were crazy expensive online and he did a great job!



Our dishwasher and garbage disposal were also installed this morning and are performing their inaugural wash! Happy days.

Lots of plants

The landscapers worked like mad today and on Monday, they only have to put in the mulch. If everything goes well, we should have grass by Tuesday evening! There are a lot of plants. I hope it is a low maintenance garden!

Here is the planting in front of my office. A serviceberry anchors the left hand side with some hibiscus.



And the front of the house. We have some "old-fashioned" plants like peonys and lots of yellow daylillies



Along the right side of the house there is a "Royal Purple" Smoketree and lots of perenial geraniums.



mixed in with Hydrangeas and Hostas



In the back, on the right are my lilacs and what will eventually become my vegetable and herb garden.





And on the left, we left space for our firepit with more daylillies, peonies and ornamental oregano.





At the back of the house is a pear tree surrounded by purple poppymallow



Heading up the hill, there is salvia with a rose in front of the chase, and a miscanthus grass



It will be very interesting to see these plants mature and change through the first season and beyond.

We have some trees!

The landscapers arrived yesterday and mixed a bunch of very stinky compost into the beds. Today, the started planting the trees. Here are a few pictures.





And lots of plants to go in...



Our dishwasher also finally arrived. I'm working on getting the plumber and electrician out to install it.

Micro/Convection installed

Lots of little things being finished up, but there is a long list of things still to be done. Yesterday, the GC was here and installed all the mirrors and remaining hardware. He also installed our Advantium Microwave/Convection oven. It is nice to have a clock in the kitchen again so we know what time it is!

Here is the master bathroom with hardware installed





And the microwave



The towel racks and mirrors are also up in the boys bath



I'm working on finishing the low voltage wiring. I'd like to have whole house audio as soon as possible, but it will probably be a few weeks.

Unpacking boxes...

Will it ever end? We've been unpacking boxes for three days straight. They seem to be never ending... However, we do have some of the main spaces reasonably together. Here is a sneak preview.

The Kitchen











with the pantry (This still needs the doors installed)





The Living Room







The Dining Room



The Laundry/Mud Room





The Powder Room



The Master Bedroom and Bathroom









The Boy's Room



The Boy's Bath





The Boy's "Office"





The TV Room





Tomorrow should be a busy day. If all goes well, the plumber, electrician, landscapers, painters and GC should be onsite finishing up the "little" stuff. I'm also really hoping for a dishwasher. The big sink is wonderful, but it would be even better if I didn't have to use it to hand wash dishes!