THAT'S A WRAP

It is time for the final installment of this blog. Mimi's house is virtually done - a phrase that all of you do-it-yourselfers out there know well. There will be a final coat of stain on the shingles in the Spring but that is about it. Since the last posting, the house has become Mimi's home. The boxes disappeared quickly, the art work was hung, the bookshelves were filled, new window treatments were made and installed (of course), and the orphaned love seat that we found last summer was upholstered. Bruce also finished up the remaining carpentry projects, including the cabinet doors in the dining room and a built-in desk made out of spalted maple from a fallen tree behind the cottage. 

Mimi moved in right after Labor Day.  Photographs of a few "firsts" follow:

FIRST DINNER

FIRST DINNER

FIRST SNOW

FIRST CHRISTMAS

Mimi's attention has turned to settling in and exploring Brunswick. Bruce and I are concentrating on feline peace negotiations. I hope you have all enjoyed watching the progress of this project as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you.  Happy New Year and love to you all.

Finishing Touches

MOVING DAY

Just a very quick update to report that moving day came and went without a hitch.  Beth went up to Exeter the night before to help Mimi pack the last few things.  I went up in the morning a bit ahead of the movers.  It was a gorgeous day in Exeter and in Brunswick, the movers were fantastic, and EVERTHING FITS.

just made it...

We just ordered a gold striped velvet to reupholster the "new" loveseat in.

 Mimi and Charlotte came from the cottage this morning for lunch and a viewing.  I am pretty sure we passed inspection.  All seems right.

One week until Mimi's move!  No time to chat...

The kitchen cabinet carcasses are moved into place.  

The drawers are added.

The bathroom floor (Johnsonite Azrock limestone VCT tiles) is installed.

The cork floor (Go4Cork 12" x 36" floating planks) is snapped into place.  

The baseboards are added and - voila! - a finished floor and lights to boot!  Notice the hanging light in the desk alcove from Gramma and Grampa's Hastings house.

By George, I think we will be ready. Our big goal was to have the upstairs floors laid (DONE!) and the basement floor painted (DONE!) so the furniture could be moved in on top of them. All the electrical work is done and the plumber comes back on Tuesday and Wednesday to finish up. Before he comes, Bruce will build the two vanities and get the kitchen countertops in place so he can plumb the sinks. Summer weather arrives today, however, so we are moving outside to enjoy it. While we are there, we may paint soffits in preparation of gutter installation, prepare for the arrival of propane tanks (we are converting to gas heat), clean up construction debris, AND HAVE A PICNIC.

SPRINGING AHEAD

Less than five weeks until the move-in date.  Things are a bit busy here!  Once again, Tommy has come to the rescue.  He is home for two weeks between spring and summer semesters, and he has been working everyday on the project.    

Since the last update, Bruce has gotten all the walls ready for paint, upstairs and down, and has finished the trim work.

We hired our friend, Jean Sargent, to do the bulk of the painting for us. The trim is a creamy white and most of the walls are a deeper version of the same.  Mimi's blue will be at the end of the dining room and the living room.

Tommy's big project was the driveway, walkway, and patio.  

It was definitely a job for an engineer.

We have been blessed with perfect weather for the project.  

2,000 plus pavers later, finished!  

The beginnings of the kitchen cabinets.  

Today, we are having seven yards of loam delivered that Tommy will spread in preparation for gardens.  His muscles are all warmed up, why not keep going?  Bruce is working on the kitchen cabinets and I am painting with Jean.  It's beginning to look a lot like a house!

A Whole Week with a Helper

Tommy was just home for Spring Break, and the three of us worked on the house for an entire week.  We moved mountains! Bruce got all the windows firred and continued to mud the walls and ceilings.  Sanding starts today FINALLY.  Tommy and I (mostly Tommy) hung all the doors, built the glass block wall in the front hall, and finished sheetrocking the basement.  It was great fun and a huge help to have Tommy in on the project.  Between inheriting skills from Daddy and watching and working with Bruce over the years, he seems to be able to do just about anything.  (Engineering school might have helped a bit too!)

Installing Mimi's bedroom door.

The glass blocks came from Craig's List for FREE.  I love that.

The door into Mimi's guestroom.  Bathroom on left.

Glass block window in stairway.

The built-ins are almost there.

Glass doors into the bedroom and stairway and a solid door into the coat closet.  Cooper, the job cat, looks on.

Tommy will be back for a couple of weeks in between spring and summer semesters to help us finish up.  That gives us hope that Mimi's new digs will actually be done when the movers  arrive June 5th.  Stayed tuned.

The Mudding Continues as the Blizzard of 2013 Blows

Since I posted last, the half wall into the kitchen and the wall of bookcases and closets were framed up and sheetrocked. That brought us to the mudding. Everything was first coated last weekend and the fun will continue for the next few weekends. We are hoping to finish this phase of the project by the end of the month.  

The half-wall into the kitchen - the stove will be behind it and the pot rack will hang from the ceiling over it.

The bookcases, desk area, and closets.

We hope you are all enjoying this beautiful snow!

The Rock is Up and the Heat is On

Tommy helped us sheetrock all the ceilings while he was home for New Year's weekend.  He and Bruce held up the sheets while I screwed them in.  It would have been no fun at all without Tommy and his 21-year-old strength.

Since then, Bruce and I have finished all the walls upstairs and have the basement almost done.

Bruce also installed sun tubes in our bathroom and Mimi's living room.  They are a big success.

The heat went in on January 14th, and the temperatures soared into the fifties and beyond.  Goodbye long-johns. 

Coincidentally, the heat also reached the fifties outside - our Halloween pumpkin usually doesn't look this sad until April.

All Buttoned Up

A lot of behind-the-walls work was done on Mimi's house since Thanksgiving.  Our weekends were spent framing up the bookcase/desk/closet wall, strapping the ceiling, finalizing the electrical and plumbing plans, and insulating the basement with 2" foam board.  When that was all done, it was time to bring in the professionals. The plumber and the electrician did all their roughing in, and an insulating company picked up where we left off.  "Itchy and Scratchy" (great name or what?) blew dense-pack cellulose into the walls and sprayed foam in the rim-joists and eves. They will return after we sheetrock the walls and ceilings to blow 16" of cellulose into the attic.

The South wall will have three bays of bookcases on the left (in the living room), a desk in the center, and two closets and the corner cupboard on the right (in the dining room).

The future guestroom.  Next step - sheetrock.

This was the only day we have had so far with snow on the ground.  The mild weather allowed some shingling to be done.  The rest will have to wait until Spring.

We are taking time off from real work between the holidays to sheetrock and install the sun-tube.  Stay tuned...

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

November 26th

The grand finale of our week of work on Mimi's house:  The installation of Bruce's door:

November 20th

It has been a busy few weeks since I last posted. Mark ran the marathon, escaped D.C. just ahead of the super storm, and was back at work on Monday morning. By the time Mimi arrived for our big Obama Party Part Two (yeah!), the roof was shingled, the soffits were built, and the windows were in. Since then, Mark has built the basement stairway and re-built the entryway to Albert's specifications. At this point, there are only small odds and ends for him to finish up. It is finally our turn!  We took the end of last week off and started the shingling but moved inside to frame walls over the weekend. We need to get those done so the electrician can rough in next week. The weather is cooperating, with temperatures rising into the mid-forties during the day. I never thought that would be comfortable to work in but it is amazing how warming a hammer can be. We should have the walls all up by the time we head to Exeter for Thanksgiving. Thank you to Nancy for taking over on that front.

The leaves and campaign signs are gone.  Time marches on.

The basement window on the left is one of the five that Bruce built. The one on the right is an egress window required by code whenever there is a basement bedroom. There is a 3' well in front of it that you can't see.

doorway into bathroom with stairway to basement on left

the shower is a ReStore find

Wow, this is just too much fun. We may have to change our business model...  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

October 26th

October 26th:  Finally, a dry week! 

Mark and Jerry worked long days to make up for lost time this week.  The new trusses arrived on Monday and they were all up and decked over by the end of Thursday.  It is quiet today because Mark is on his way to D.C. to run in the Marine Corps Marathon BUT we have a roof - just in time for the snor'eastercane (aka Frankenstorm Sandy).  (Of course, a shingled roof would be even better.)

the newly designed trusses - thank you Albert

Building Tip of the Week:  If you are frustrated with the rate of progress on your construction project, bake your builders cookies.