I'm so releived to say that all I have left to do is lay a few more tiles in my pantry and then I'm done with ceramic tile for (hopefully) a very long time! I have all the tiles cut for the pantry, but I need to order one more carton because I need one more full tile to finish the job. That's okay, because I want to have a few spare tiles in case one cracks or whatever down the road.
I ordered the laminate wood that will go in my office. Eleven cartons of Brazillian Cherry from Kronotex. It matches the darker parts of my front door. I also picked up a can of stain for the office doors. My dad can start working on those during the day while I'm working.
For the front of the kitchen island, I picked up the maple plywood and 1-bys that will be used. We will have to route and cut the pieces to fit. Then I'll take them across the river to the cabinet guys to stain and varnish so it will match the cabinets.
Last night, we cut the frame of the dishwasher so that we can slide it into the hole. We didn't test the fit yet. The idea is that cutting the frame at these points will allow it to flex in the right way to get into the hole. We've got metal brackets and bolts ready to put in place after it's in that will restore the integrity to the frame.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Nearing the End of the Tiling Saga
I'm ready to be done with tiling. That's an understatement. Fortunately, I'm almost finished! As of last night, all I have left to do is finish the AV closet and then tile the front coat closet and the pantry. I'll worry about finishing the bathroom wall later.
Have you ever spent a long time preparing and cooking a meal only to find that you have no appetite for it at the end? I've done that a few times. You enjoy the smells while you're cooking, and your mouth is watering. But by the time it's done you're too tired to eat and too saturated by the smells and the thought of the food to be able to appreciate it. I'm hoping that effect doesn't dampen my enjoyment of the house.
If I had bought a house, there would be that special day where I get the keys and then move in and unpack when would all still be new in my mind. In my case, that won't happen. I'm there every day, and it's a job site. I have hours upon hours of memories of the place being a big sweaty, time-consuming project. It's already been 2 years since I started with the empty lot. When I move in, it won't be on a magical day. It will be the final days of a long journey when I may be too tired to really enjoy the homecoming.
Don't get me wrong: I know I'll still be excited, and I'll definitely enjoy living in the house. I'm simply pointing out one of the consequences of building your own place and doing a lot of the work yourself. I guess I'm just grumpy from laying so much tile!
Have you ever spent a long time preparing and cooking a meal only to find that you have no appetite for it at the end? I've done that a few times. You enjoy the smells while you're cooking, and your mouth is watering. But by the time it's done you're too tired to eat and too saturated by the smells and the thought of the food to be able to appreciate it. I'm hoping that effect doesn't dampen my enjoyment of the house.
If I had bought a house, there would be that special day where I get the keys and then move in and unpack when would all still be new in my mind. In my case, that won't happen. I'm there every day, and it's a job site. I have hours upon hours of memories of the place being a big sweaty, time-consuming project. It's already been 2 years since I started with the empty lot. When I move in, it won't be on a magical day. It will be the final days of a long journey when I may be too tired to really enjoy the homecoming.
Don't get me wrong: I know I'll still be excited, and I'll definitely enjoy living in the house. I'm simply pointing out one of the consequences of building your own place and doing a lot of the work yourself. I guess I'm just grumpy from laying so much tile!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Light at the End of the Tile Tunnel
Last night, I laid the last of the tile in my house that didn't need to be cut. All that's left are tiles that need to be cut around the border of the TV room and in closets. I'm about done with the whole "on-my-knees-for-hours-at-a-time" phase. Yay!
The countertop guys never came by to look at the dishwasher height situation. My uncle, who was in the Formica countertop business for years said there wasn't much I could do. He said they'd likely break the slabs if they tried popping them off to install them again with the plywood underneath.
The countertop guys never came by to look at the dishwasher height situation. My uncle, who was in the Formica countertop business for years said there wasn't much I could do. He said they'd likely break the slabs if they tried popping them off to install them again with the plywood underneath.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Ready for Final Inspection
I called the parish yesterday to ask what needs to be completed before my final inspection. The plumber got his done last week, so the overall final is all that's left. I wanted to make sure I knew what's included in the overall final.
After we talked, he said it sounds like I'm ready. They look for final lot grading (for water drainage), and safety things like hand rails on stairs, etc. He said I don't need to have the chain link fence installed, and I don't need to have the flooring finished. Wow, I would have thought that every last detail would be scrutinized. A friend who built in another parish told me they wanted all his interior door knobs installed before they'd pass him on the final.
I still want to cover some items before I call for the inspection. I've got some outlet plates to put over receptacles and stuff like that. But maybe this last inspection won't be as big a deal as I feared.
After we talked, he said it sounds like I'm ready. They look for final lot grading (for water drainage), and safety things like hand rails on stairs, etc. He said I don't need to have the chain link fence installed, and I don't need to have the flooring finished. Wow, I would have thought that every last detail would be scrutinized. A friend who built in another parish told me they wanted all his interior door knobs installed before they'd pass him on the final.
I still want to cover some items before I call for the inspection. I've got some outlet plates to put over receptacles and stuff like that. But maybe this last inspection won't be as big a deal as I feared.
Tiling Final Room! Ordered Sofa.
I'm now tiling the TV room! As of last night, I'm about half way there. This room is going pretty fast since there are no measurements and cuts to be made for the most part. It's just wide open space. Last night, I laid 19 more of the large 20x20 tiles. That covered a lot of floor.
Today there was a tax holiday for the Louisiana state sales tax. I took advantage of the 4% savings to order my sofa and love seat for this room. Delivery will be 4-6 weeks. It's a La-Z-Boy recliner sofa. Chocolate colored microfiber fabric that has a feel similar to leather. It's nice to finally get to the furniture stage!
On the issue of the two plumbing problems, the countertop guys are supposed to call me this afternoon to meet with them about the dishwasher height problem. I dread having them take the top out and re-do it higher, but it's the best solution. I've searched, but I can't find a dishwasher short enough to fit in the space as-is even if I wanted to. The last option is to rip out the tile in the alcove where the unit goes. These tiles overflow out in front of the cabinet, and I'd need to re-tile in front of the unit once it's installed. This also means that I'd have to tear up the tile yet again if the unit ever needs to be removed.
I need to call the plumber back about the bypass on the hot water line. He had suggested running a line to the master bath because he thought the laundry room was okay. I don't think the pressure is right in the laundry room either. This means we need to look at it again together and determine the right location for the bypass.
In case I didn't mention it earlier, the driveway guys finally did come back out and fix where the two parts were separating. All they had to do was remove two or three rows of pavers and put them back in making the spaces even. Then they put sand back in between, and you can't tell the difference.
Today there was a tax holiday for the Louisiana state sales tax. I took advantage of the 4% savings to order my sofa and love seat for this room. Delivery will be 4-6 weeks. It's a La-Z-Boy recliner sofa. Chocolate colored microfiber fabric that has a feel similar to leather. It's nice to finally get to the furniture stage!
On the issue of the two plumbing problems, the countertop guys are supposed to call me this afternoon to meet with them about the dishwasher height problem. I dread having them take the top out and re-do it higher, but it's the best solution. I've searched, but I can't find a dishwasher short enough to fit in the space as-is even if I wanted to. The last option is to rip out the tile in the alcove where the unit goes. These tiles overflow out in front of the cabinet, and I'd need to re-tile in front of the unit once it's installed. This also means that I'd have to tear up the tile yet again if the unit ever needs to be removed.
I need to call the plumber back about the bypass on the hot water line. He had suggested running a line to the master bath because he thought the laundry room was okay. I don't think the pressure is right in the laundry room either. This means we need to look at it again together and determine the right location for the bypass.
In case I didn't mention it earlier, the driveway guys finally did come back out and fix where the two parts were separating. All they had to do was remove two or three rows of pavers and put them back in making the spaces even. Then they put sand back in between, and you can't tell the difference.
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