Updates....

Okay..the paint is done except for touch ups when everything else is done.

The tile guy has finished putting the granite tile on one fireplace and half of the other. He will probably finish tomorrow, then be able to grout on Monday. He is about halfway done with the master shower and will then grout.

The plumber/electrician started this week and has put in outlets and covers this week. He has quite a bit to do, but he is at least on the job. We bought the toilets Friday night and they are sitting outside the bathrooms ready for installation. Of course, we had to buy oil rubbed bronze handles. No silver handles for us. I think we have all the light fixtures with one on the way.

The granite caps for the brick columns under the deck were ordered on Tuesday and delivered on Friday. Tide Guy picked up the columns today. I can't wait to see them finished. The completed project outside the basement will be five 3 foot tall column of bricks, a 4 inch granite square slab on top of each, and a white column on top of the granite that will help support the deck.

The builder has also started installing our iron railing. It is gorgeous and looks amazing! He needs a part that is going to have to be ordered or, with any luck, found in another store. I think it will probably have to be ordered and it may take a week or more to be delivered.

More later.
Tide Gal

More House News

Well, since we had so many problems with the sheet rock and the semi-gloss paint showing all the imperfections, the painters took longer than two days into this week. However, they finished yesterday but will have to return at a later time to do touch-ups and such. Finally!

The tile is getting close to completion and what is done looks amazing. Our tile guy is finishing the master bath and has started the shower. Once he is done with the floor in the bath, our plumber can install all the toilets and finish the rest of the plumbing. I took off one day this week and ordered the granite for the fireplace. It arrived from Nashville the following day. Tide Guy will pick up the granite tomorrow and hopefully the tile guy will be able to complete the fireplaces this week. The builder has completed the mantle and he should get it installed within a day or two.

Yesterday, Tide Guy worked on steps and landings for the deck yesterday. I did a lot of clean up, sweeping, picking up trash, etc. I also painted the medallions for the ceilings above the chandeliers.

We are getting there. Hopefully within 6-8 weeks we should be in.

More later,
Tide Gal

Basement Update

The crew for our basement waterproofing finished yesterday. They jackhammered all the concrete and dug down into the dirt around the inside perimeter of the basement. That meant a lot of dust, lots of busted up concrete, and dirt/clay was on the floor of the basement. We were very concerned how we were going to get all the debris out of the basement and didn't know how we were going to dispose of it. When the crew completed the job, they either used to debris to fill spaces or took it with them. They also cleaned the floor and the basement was actually cleaner when they left than when they arrived. We were extremely impressed with them. They were very respectful, knowledgeable, and professional.

The tile guy also worked and got a lot done. He should finish the floors in a few days, then will work on the master shower and the tile around the fire places.

The painters worked, but only did another coat on an existing color. Today they are supposed to finally put a coat of color on the primer in the living room.

Have a good day,
Tide Gal & Tide Guy

Even More Paint & Some Tile

We have more paint. The painters said they should be done by Wednesday of next week. Unfortunately, it will be a few days longer. They used egg shell paint and when applied to the wall, it showed all of the mistakes of our sheet rock. And there are a lot of mistakes. Needless to say, we are extremely unhappy with the job the sheet rock guy did. Now, they are going to repaint the larger rooms (living room, bonus room, etc.) and hallways with flat paint. We are going to have to install some crown mold and trim in the bonus room in the creases of the weird roof lines. The sheet rock job is horrible in those places. Yep. Another unexpected expense. We will just live with the imperfections of a few guest bedroom until we repaint in the future. Needless to say, this has cut into our pocket severely. We may be sitting on lawn furniture in the living room. Ok. It isn't that bad, but we won't have everything when we move into the house. Our budget allowed furniture when we started, but now, things have changed. A much larger expense is the basement problems. Ugh. The foundation people showed up yesterday and began jackhammering our basement floor. They will install a large sump pump and trays along the walls to catch water. They are also going to line the crawl space and seal the basement in other ways. They will be back today and possibly Monday. Yep. Cutting into the budget. Severely. There is also a lot of busted concrete and dirt (clay) in the basement. I guess we will get the pleasure of disposing of this debris. I just don't know how. There is a lot!

The tile guy is moving along nicely and he is doing a tremendous job. It looks great. He is planning to spread the grout today in the two guest baths and the laundry room. He also hopes to put the heat strips in for the heated floor in the master bath. He will be done with the floors in a few days and can begin the master shower and tub.

Tide Guy has installed the ceiling fans and many of the recessed light trim pieces. Today, we plan to install more of these. I will paint the trim of the recessed lights for the bonus room. The ceiling is a dark gray, so I have some black paint.

In adoption news, the rumors are the speed up should begin any time from this month until November. So, we'll see. Right now, there hasn't been any real signs from past referrals to indicate a speed up. All we can do is wait and see.

We also received our season tickets for Alabama football this week! In four weeks we will be in Atlanta for the UA/VA Tech game. I hope we won't be stressed with the house. Hopefully, we can go and enjoy the weekend with our friends.

In other news, gas prices are at $2.44 and Sonia Sotomayer will be sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice today. Great. Trying to be nice here but we totally disagree with this decision for many reason.

Okay. Have a great weekend.

Tide Gal and Tide Guy