Last night we went to the house to check things out. We have shoe moulding!
We also have switchplates and outlet covers!
My sister Sheila came with us to help out with some of her tools of the trade--a pumice stone and razor blade so she could determine if our toilet was salvageable, and to start removing the paint on the old windows from someone's very sloppy paint job. She's been a big help to us, and she's worked in this field so her expertise is welcomed.
We didn't do much else after that, except for relocate a green cricket that had taken residence on a cabinet by the range. They are good luck!
Tonight we had a walk-through with our contractor. His team has been top-notch through the entire process, and tonight was about making sure that we are happy.
When we were done with that Jeff and I took some measurements so that we can purchase the tile and border for the backsplash.
Floor prep was done today and tomorrow our new floors will be installed in the kitchen, dining room, entry, downstairs hallway, and half bath. I'm excited for it to be finished, but less excited about the flooring choice. Carpet Concepts has been absolutely wonderful to deal with and I know it is a quality product. I just always envisioned marble in those rooms (except the kitchen because I need a very soft floor in there). I think Jeff and I made a smart decision to postpone marble for this area for a few years. I really do like the Levelpro floor we ultimately selected though. I think it looks very nice, but you just can't compare it to marble for looks or longevity. The Levelpro floor is very neutral though and will suit the decor in all the rooms visible in the newly open floor plan. I am getting marble for the mantle surround though--there is no talking me outta that one!
The knobs and pulls have been installed on the cabinets. I love how they look! The leaded crystal was worth the investment because they look so good with the cabinets, and I shopped for authentic period reproductions to coordinate with the Art Deco age of the house. They feel nice and cool to the touch when you open the drawers, and the prismatic effect on these is really very pretty. Pictures can't capture the scintillation though. Who wouldn't want pretty little rainbows thrown all over their kitchen?
We're still waiting for the wall niche. We tried contacting invitinghome.com for an update (they apparently do not send confirmation emails like every other reputable company), and they never pick up the line. And the big dining room ceiling medallion is MIA--and no replies to our emails to that company, who apparently has an unlisted phone number. It's crunch time now and we need this things yesterday. If we weren't under time restraints I would have researched these companies out further, so it's really my mistake for basing the purchase decision solely on price. That is one valuable lesson that I have learned in this process: the best deal isn't necessarily the least expensive. You also have to consider the cost of all the headaches, your time, and meeting a schedule.
We found out tonight that the designer also failed to order the rope moulding to be stacked onto the dining room crown moulding to match the kitchen. BIG disappointment. Now we have to reorder that, wait for it, and probably install it ourselves--and it's an added expense that we did not anticipate. She really ruined a lot of our plans with her failure to execute the order properly.
And the drywall. Ugh. We really want to drywall throughout the house and replace some of the mouldings, but it may or may not be in the budget at this point. We have to crunch some numbers because we don't want to make a bad financial decision. We want to do just what we can handle. The bad thing about waiting until later to drywall some of the rooms is that we will have to live in the dust which isn't healthy. Drywall dust provokes my latent asthma. I never have trouble with it except with chemicals, smoke, and cat hair. I'm worried about our critters breathing it too. We'll see what we can do.
Jeff will know what is best. I trust him in all things. He has impressed me so much throughout this process with his qucik learning, research, and just plain patience. Although we have been married for 7 years and together forever before that, I always discover something new to love about him. I love how he tackles any challenge with gusto and calmness. I am continually impressed by the way he interacts with people who are working with us, and how he looks out for me and what I wanted with this project, and what will be best for our future together.
Ok, so thinking about Jeff has made me feel a lot less deflated right now. We've handled every curveball so far, so I have every reason to believe that we'll handle the rest of them. We will prevail and this house is going to be so great. We're going to love living there!
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