60 in January = Siding, Stone and Geothermal

It was a busy day, Monday.  We had drywall, stone, siding and geothermal going on!  It was quite interesting seeing how they dig the fingers for the geothermal lines.  I have a few pics to share from when I ran back to snap a few pics while they were working.  I would have loved to stay......but work gets in the way of that.  At least we live close enough so that I can take a quick break and run back when they are doing something exciting.

And........Now We Have Stone!

After spending quite some time in granite warehouses, we received a text from Tracy indicating that they started on stone since it was such a nice day.  Even though it was dark, we HAD to go take a look.  So, with the flashlights from our iPhones, we were able to see what they have done and snap a few pics.  Little did I know, Brian was sweating bullets wondering if I would like the stone.  I was pretty set on ledgestone or stacked stone, but Brian and Tracy really felt the stone that we went with would be better for the outside and they were right!  The stone is beautiful and we are so happy with the coloring.  The second picture is from the following day where we had a little light to take a better pic!

A Day of Shopping......Cabinets, Flooring, Granite

On Saturday, Brian, Braeden and I went to Columbus to go to a granite warehouse called MontGranite, as well as to a discount flooring store and another cabinet/granite supplier(which will remain nameless).  MontGranite was great, but the other two were fails.  While we were pretty certain that we were not going to go the discount route, we just had to check them out and make sure of our decision.  Needless to say, we did not stay long at either store.

Now, on to MontGranite.  The warehouse was huge and the selection was fantastic.  They had beautiful options ranging from A-Z.  A being the least expensive to Z being the most expensive.  All of the granite was very pretty.  We just noticed that the A's, B's, and C's are very pretty but look very similar without much movement.  The higher the letter, the more movement and variation in color you see.  I can say that my heart went pitter patter over a few of the S-Z slabs.  However, with the amount of granite we need, Brian had to keep me in check and bring me back to reality!

One thing is for certain, is that we are in love......with more than 1 piece of granite!!  Trying to decide between these will be very difficult.  They are very different.  Unfortunately, the photos really do not do either of them justice.  Our plan is to take a cabinet door and the flooring sample with us when we go.  Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite.

Braeden's contribution for today....he took several of the photos from today including the warehouse pictures.

Another photo of the warehouse.

Slab # 1 - Siqqime.  This is very pretty.  It has tans, browns, grays, and a touch of blue.  It is very pretty and has a lot of movement with many variations throughout the slab.  

Close up of Siqqime.

Slab #2 - Telli Gully.  This is just a very striking piece.  The color variation of steel gray and browns is just beautiful and would go very nicely with the cabinets.  

Siqqime

This is a great picture of the variation in the slab, but the color is not nearly as orange as it shows.  

Drywall Update

Over the past few weeks, the drywall guys have been working diligently.  The progress they are making is great!  Here are a few pictures showing their progress.  Soon, they will begin skim coating.

Choosing the Cabinets

Well, we have certainly looked at a lot of cabinets over the past few months.  What a range of styles, materials, and prices!  Wow!  It was VERY difficult, but we think we have narrowed it down to the following door styles.  We have always had oak cabinets and wanted something different.  However, most of our furniture is oak, so we have to stick with something that will mesh with all of our furniture.  Therefore, we believe we are going with maple cabinetry.  The color works very well and the grain is a little softer than oak, but still works with oak.  We really like the ginger with chocolate glaze.  Now, to decide on a door style.

Unfortunately, Brian and I were at work the day they poured the lanai.  We were unable to take many photos.  However, we are so happy with the results.  We love the color and are anxious to see the stone/craftsman columns.  We believe the stone will look great with the color of the concrete.  Later, Mike will add the steps.  There will be two steps going up to each door.  

A Small Bump in the Road.....

There were many things going on back at the house today.  First, Mike Miller Signature Concrete began preparing the lanai for pouring.  Brian spent all day Sunday backfilling around the house to assist in the preparation.   Gravel was hauled in as a base for the concrete on the lanai and the forms were created.  We decided on the Leather color like the front porch.  

The little hitch we encountered was with the garage doors.  We were so excited as they were going up.....until they were fully up.  Unfortunately, the garage doors did not fit quite as we had planned.  For those of you who know me well, Brian got VERY nervous when he saw the window on the small door.  In fact, he had already told the door guy that it was not going to work.  I love that man....he knows me so well!    Since they were special order, we had to make them work.  So, the first picture shows the small door with the windows at the top being overlapped by the trim which we did not like at all.  We hoped and prayed that the big doors would fit better and they did!  Phew!  While we would like the windows to be slightly lower.....it worked and we can live with them.  The last picture shows what we ended up doing.  

Leveling the gravel.

Preparing the area by the door into the bedroom. 

Bringing in more gravel.

LOVE the doors.  Do NOT love the trim covering the windows!

This is what where we ended up on the small door.

Oh, the poor door guy!  He was such a trooper.  He changed the doors around multiple times.  Remember, I am a VERY visual person.  I have to see it!

The windows on the big doors do not touch the trim at the top.  While we would like them a touch lower, we can live with them.  

Randomness - Past, Present, and Future!

During the last windstorm, the roof on our current house looked like it exploded shingles all over the ground.   Unfortunately, the roof is not that old!  We were really hoping to wait until spring, but that did not happen.  Again, they took advantage of the beautiful weather and started the new roof!

We now have the electrical boxes in the basement.  While none of this makes sense to me, I have picked up a touch of understanding.  I know we started off having a 200 amp service and have since moved to a 400 amp service primarily for the geothermal unit.  Again, the geothermal unit is also very much under Brian's control, but my understanding is that we were going with one size of unit, but have changed to the larger unit.  My very teensy weensy bit of knowledge I have gained from what Brian, Tracy and JR from Combs Heating and Cooling indicates that it is much better to slightly oversize a geothermal unit because if you do not, the ancillary heat (electric) will kick on too often.  If you undersize the unit, it defeats the efficiency of the geothermal unit.  While I understand the reasoning for the upgraded services, I am still dealing with the unsightly electrical boxes on the outside of the house.  However, it is on the side of the house at least.  Brian did dig the ditch for the electrical service to be connected to the house and the South Central Power Company hooked up service to the house last week.

Taping and mudding of the drywall will begin next week.  Also,  the stone is in and the mason will begin next week!  We have also selected the shakes for the gables, as well as the siding.  We will also meet with Tracy Monday to begin discussing the kitchen!

Front Porch Poured!

Well, everyone has certainly been taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather.  Really....50 degrees in January....over a sustained period of time?!?   Mike Miller Signature Concrete was ready to go and worked really hard to prep the front porch for pouring in the beautiful weather.  Since this was a quick decision to pour, Brian and I had to make a few quick decisions.  Do we have a step into the house from the porch or try to step directly in?  After some adjustments and discussion with Mike and Tracy, we decided to discard the step idea and stick with a normal sized step into the house.  The other decision we had to make was whether we would use plain cement or colored.  We decided to go with colored concrete in Leather.  We really like it.  While it will fade slightly, it really will complement the stone columns that will sit on top of the concrete.  The plain concrete, which is much more white than it used to be, would have been a very stark contrast to the stone of the columns and would have looked very unnatural.  We are very pleased with the results and are looking forward to the lanai on the back of the house being poured next Tuesday.  We are also going to have colored concrete in that area as well.