Chugging right along

What a difference a few days make. Things at the house are happening so fast that I'm having trouble keeping up with them on the blog. The recent changes really give you a sense of how everything will come together. Sure the electrical stuff is awesome, but paint trumps it all in the sexiness factor. So let's just dive in shall we?

Can you find all the things happening in this photo? I spy with my little eye - priming and painting, filling in gaps with wood putty, grading of the front yard, and removal of the concrete slab where the old driveway used to be. Needless to say, Miles is staying busy with the house and managing it all really well considering he's got a baby on the way any day now.

The post and chain fence is down making room for a path down to the sidewalk. Our plumber, Dale, is also very handy with a Bobcat. He's been grading the front and back yard. There was a huge pile of bricks buried under the concrete slab where the Bobcat is in this photo. All of that was dug up and hauled off. The awesome news is that the dirt around the house is really amazingly rich soil - you can see how black it is. The quality of the dirt is likely the result of years of yard neglect. The huge tree that was removed had been dropping leaves that sat for ages and eventually turned into wonderful compost. This will be great when it comes time to plant a garden.

Here you can see the huge pile of dirt and bricks that got hauled off.

This is a good angle to see the slope of the front yard after the grading. Eventually a retaining wall will be going back up and we'll find some good plants for ground cover and erosion prevention for this slope.

Inside the house - the wiring is all done and the insulation has been installed. Certainteed brand insulation if that's of interest to any of you. This is in the kitchen looking out towards the front.

The drywall has also been delivered and probably started going up today. You can also see the old mantels here on the right that have been stripped and will go back in their spots once the dry wall is up.

From the front door looking down the hall. This drywall is huge.

Dutifully, and consistent as clockwork, Matt sent us some photos while out on walkies with Cleveland. The green is going up or maybe completed at this point. We're really pumped about how the colors are coming out. There's always a bit of panic that you've made the wrong decision, but I think it's going to look smashing. Honestly, there's a good bit of pressure (although admittedly self-imposed) to make sure things look awesome so you measure up to all the other homes and renovations. Our friends have been incredibly supportive but I think the "keeping up with the Jones'" feeling is just something that happens whether you want it to or not. Thanks for the photos Matt!

Colors from the front. All paint is Sherwin-Williams brand. Bamboo on the walls, Blackberry on the gables, and Napery on the trim. You can also see Emon's latest project which is getting the porch railing installed. The dirt has all been hauled off and you can get a sense of where the retaining wall will go. Looking good guys!