Interior colors are done

No pictures, but it's gorgeous. We'll have pictures soon.

Really, everything's done but a couple inspections, then we have a walkthrough and point out the little fixes... and that's the game.

Tile with Grout

Kitchen Backsplash

Read the following post as if you were this guy.




Tile!



TILE!




TILE!!!

Let There Be Light

(first family photo in the new house)

and exterior color!



A banister for the staircase!



With lights in the shower, we can see what the tile should look like:

More Progress

Driveway!



Walkway!



Stoop!



Doggie door (below the color swatches)!



Fixtures with running water!!

More Progress

We have some landscaping!!



They did all the priming, too, so things like the mantel are all cleaned up now.

A quick dose of politics

Today is the National Day of Prayer. The right wing is angry that Obama isn't holding a power luncheon for evangelical Christians the way that Bush did. To those people I shall quote the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6:

⁵"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

ie. Stick it.

The trim is nearly done...

... and looks fantastic.



We also got tile in the downstairs bathroom.

Trim and Floors!

Northport Classic Homes

There's no amount of superlatives that we're able to apply to our builder, Northport Classic Homes. All our whole lives, we've heard nothing but horror stories, from both homeowners and contractors, about the pain of doing a renovation project. We've heard all about how terribly slow it goes, how everything jumps in expense, how difficult the process is. And in the software world, there's an axiom: "Good, Fast, Cheap. Pick any two."

Well, along comes Northport, in the person of Phillip Pettis. More than any other builder he was passionately aware of our frustration, and took great pains to put us at ease. Their references and letters of recommendation were glowing. Confidently, we hired them. They promised us dates for construction that were fairly aggressive. Their price was very fair, right down the middle.

At first we were held up by the permitting process. It took almost five weeks to get the permit. While we were all agonizing over this situation, Phillip and his project manager, Ford Hoke, were also lining everything up with all the subcontractors and whatnot. When we finally received the permit, they tore the house down that afternoon and began immediately.

As you've been following on the blog, it's happening FAST. What might not be so clear is the incredible level of detail and quality of components that they're using. Every part is the best part available today, put in correctly with craftsmanship and care. For the few changes we've had to request, they've been easily accommodated¹.

So if you have a renovation or new construction project brewing, consider these guys. They're just fantastic.


1. The biggest one was Elise upgrading to the super-king-mega jacuzzi tub, the expense of which will pay for itself roughly three seconds after she first sits down in it.