House of Hart

A little closer every day

 

We get a little closer everyday.  This holiday weekend we managed to get the tub set, the hardware on the cabinets, and some light fixtures installed.  After a slow start on the granite, it should be installed next week.  We have had a couple of tile bids come in this weekend and as soon as the granite is in, we will have the tile installed.  Once the tile is in, all the dirty work should be complete on the inside and I can clean.  Then we can touch up the walls and start moving some stuff in.  We won't be ready to live there yet, but we can start moving things we don't use every day. 

Materials  $23,345        Labor $14,975

The Granite is chosen

 

I realize this granite is not for everyone, but I love it.  It was purchased from Mastertile in Houtson and those people were fantastic.  If you want to look at every slab in the stack, the will move every slab in the stack for you.  There were somewhere around 600 color choices to choose from and I highly recommend this granite yard to anyone who is looking.  It will take another two weeks to be fabricted and installed.  Meanwhile we have started on the bathroom.  I still think we will be in the house by October.

Hallway lights

 

This picture is of the hallways lights I talked about in an earlier post.  You wouldn't think something so simple would have been so hard to find, but I had to buy four lights fixtures and piece them together to get what I wanted.  Fortunately we were able to piece together the spare parts and make lights for both closets so it was win-win in the end.  The lights are very pretty and when they are turned on, they make a nice circle pattern on the ceiling. 

The granite countertops have been ordered and will be installed in two weeks.  This will really make the whole kitchen.

Materials  $20,545        Labor  $11,925

Kitchen sink

We ordered the kitchen sink and faucet this week, and had our first granite bid done today.  We also visited a granite yard and picked out the granite.  We chose Sienna Bordeaux.  It has a lot of movement and great color variation.  When the island is finished it should really be a showstopper.  I had envisioned a fantastic tile backsplash, but with this granite I think it will be better to just leave it plain.  I can always put something else later if I change my mind.  Below is a picture of the sink and faucet we have ordered.

Still painting which is turning out to be more trouble than I thought.  I might should have left this up to the professionals!!!!

Materials  $19,175        Labor $11,625

 

Interior doors, closets, and trim

All the interior doors and trim are in.  The closets are finished and now we are painting.  I love my closets and it will be so nice to have a little room in them.  The cabinets have been stained and look pretty good.  My door pulls have come in the mail and once they are installed, the cabinets will be finished.  Then it's off to the granite yards in Houston to pick out my countertops. 

Materials  $18,375        Labor $11,625

Interior doors and trim

 

The interior doors, trim, crown molding, and cabinet doors are being installed.  They look great.  I made a small mistake on my measurements with the french doors that go into the barn, but the man who is installing the doors fixed that problem and if you didn't know, you wouldn't be able to tell.  I have also bought all my light fixtures except the hallway lights and the light that will go over the island in the kitchen.  I know what I want in the hallway, now it's just a matter of finding the lights I want within my budget.  I haven't decided on the light that will go over the island.  I need to get out there at night and see how much light my recessed lights put off before I decide how much I really need over the island.  I will also be experimenting with different bulbs.  I never knew different light bulbs made such a differenct in the quality and amount of light that is put out.  There are just too many to choose from.  The pictures on this post are of my kitchen cabinets with the doors installed, and my master bedroom closet.

Totals so far:

        Materials  $18,019            Labor  $11,625

Kitchen cabinets

We found a great cabinet maker who is doing a fantastic job.  I just left the barn and I could not be happier with his work.  I am getting the custom pull outs that I want, and a few extra deep bottom cabinets for that big stock pot Mom gave me years ago.  The doors for the cabinets will be ordered soon, and we have also decided to use this same guy to do all the crown molding, baseboards and door installations. 

The appliances will be delivered tomorrow, I went with all stainless steel.  We got a great deal through the Whirlpool VIP program and our company discount.  The whole house is really starting to come together. 

Totals so far:

Materials  $17,979        Labor $10,225

Sheetrock

The sheetrock is up and the texture will start tomorrow.  It looks great and I can't wait until we paint.  I also bought a ceiling fan for the bedroom today with birthday money given to me by my Mother and Father-in-law. 

Totals so far:

Materials  $11,849.00        Labor $7300.00

My sisters!

I bought all the electric plugs and light switches last week.  I bought them with a gift card my older sister gave me for my birthday.  I also combined this with the $10 off Lowe's coupon she told me about in the paper.  Now every time she comes to our new house and turns on a light, she will know she had a hand in building our home. 

My younger sister has told me she doesn't want updates on the new house until the fun stuff starts - tile, fixtures, cabinets, etc.  She says wiring and insulation are just not her thing, so I sent her paint samples to look at and asked her to choose the color she likes best and I would use it in the house.  Fun Stuff!!!  She chose a very pretty sand color and I know it will look great.  The sheetrock installers will be here at the end of the week so I should be painting in about two weeks. 

Cost so far

Materials  $10,889         Labor  $5650.00

Insulation

The insulators came today, but due to some technical problems, they will finish up tomorrow.  We decided to use spray in foam insulation despite the higher cost.  We believe it will eventually pay for itself in energy savings.  If you have never seen this process before, it is really pretty cool to watch.  They spray a thin coat of liquid foam on the backboard, and then it rises almost instantly to between 4 and 6 inches.  It gets into every nook and cranny and I'm hoping it will help with any stray bugs that might want to come live with us.

Totals so far:

Materials   $10,592.00            Labor  $5650.00