Primed and ready

In the second half of last week, the sheetrock was primed.  

(standing in living room looking across dining room into kitchen; pantry in the distance)

(standing in my office looking down the living room toward the master bedroom)

Paint is onsite, so that should begin soon.  We are using Benjamin Moore paints.

 In further progress, the master bath is starting to come together.  Here are the bathroom, hearth and entry-way tiles.  They look like slate but are made of porcelain.  Grey grout will be used.

This is just part of the controls for the radiant floor heat!!!  Can't wait to have it!

This is the transfer switch in the event we lose power and need to start up the Generator (which will be outside).

Temps were very cold this week.  On some days, afternoon highs were below zero.  The crew framing the tractor garage must have been doing inside work elsewhere.

Look for more forest walk pictures later this week, as well as some house updates!

Sheet rocking and siding

The inside of the house has been sheet rocked.  The first photo looks toward the dining room and kitchen.

Here's a look at the master shower (left) and toilet areas.  The shower will be tiled all the way to the ceiling with 18 inch tiles that match the 12 inch floor and hearth tiles.  We decided to do a rain water shower head.  It will be about 2 feet from the ceiling, which puts it at about 7 feet from the tiled shower floor.

Despite the snow and wind/wintry conditions, the crew started framing the tractor garage late last week (far right).  Note the siding that was placed on the main garage last week.  The unfortunate guys responsible for the framing will be working in subzero weather for most of this coming week.  Tuesday's low may hit negative 20.

Our neighbor has done a nice job with the plowing and sanding of the driveway, as you can see.  

Up next:  Tiling and painting.  

Sheetrock installation

The sheetrock crew has been busy this week.  It was a new experience to walk in without seeing framing everywhere.  

The first photo looks into the library from the living room.  The green sheetrock, pictured next, is in the guest bath; it has a moisture inhibitor.  Don't worry, future guests, the bathroom will be painted a pretty mauve mist.  The third photo was taken from the pantry looking out toward the kitchen and dining room.

Latest forest walk

We had a few warm days.  Snow still remained during a walk yesterday, but you could see the ground in several spots.  We're supposed to get another inch or so today.  Yesterday's walk in the woods was relatively warm, right about freezing.  Even without blue sky, I was able to capture more of the wonders of the property.  

The first photo shows a red maple towering over some conifers.  The never-ending wonders of paper birch bark are seen in the second photo.  The last one gives an indication of the brush cutting work set for the spring.  The trees are lovely, but cutting some of the weeds back will enhance the aesthetics.

Interior update

Here are two photos we weren't able to post last week because of technical issues.  

The black tubing is for radiant floor heat.  This area was insulated last week.  R30 is the value for the floor insulation.

Warmer temps onsite today.  This created lots of fog thanks to the snow melt.  The hill can be foggy in any season, but this was the thickest we've seen.

Exterior walls insulated

We're having problems posting photos.  The big progress last week was insulation of the exterior walls with spray foam. The 6" frame was filled, giving us an R30 rating.  The ceiling was filled with 15 inches of cellulose, which puts thatat R50.  We wanted to make sure we had a lot of insulation! The low on Wednesday morning was almost negative 20! 

Happy New Year

For our first 2013 post, we'd like to share some pictures that show the north and south sides of the house, as well as some of our lovely snow.

The first photo is of the north side, which still has all of its snow.  The south side, which is getting sun, has lost a lot of snow.  Even though the temps were in the teens, water was dripping off of the south, black roof.  The sun can do wonders, even on a cold day.

Here's an interior photo that shows some of the work the painter has been doing.  He has stained the trim to match the wood on the windows.

Next on the schedule is the spray foam insulation on the exterior walls.  The crew should be happy with inside work tomorrow.  Morning temps may be below zero.