More trim, a tree, and a few rocks

The two hand hewn beams and fireplace mantles were installed! 

Here is the other hand hewn beam along with an accent wall in the master bedroom. 

Exterior stair handrails got completed. 

This is the beginning of the stone front steps and post bases going to the front door. 

The downstairs doors were also installed. 

Here's Faithie planting a crape myrtle that Memaw gave us. It was placed so that people wouldn't think they should drive this way when coming up the driveway, but with still enough room you can get by once the grass is established. 

The downstairs fireplace hand hewn mantle with corbels and the beginning of stone that will wrap both sides and go to the ceiling! We did a combination of small and medium sized stones. The guy was very grateful when I asked him if he would like for me to move the two large pallets of stone from the front of the house to the back with the skid steer! 

Tile, trim, exterior handrails and hardwood debacle

My painter stained the trim and windows before the trim crew put them up. After the 1st week all windows are trimmed out and the ceiling in foyer and living room are up. I decided to use a 1x6 header and 1x4 sides and bottom for the casing. Something just a little different  but not too much, I think. 

Master shower tile is complete. We like simple without being too busy! 

The stained glass trimmed out and looking even more awesome! The trim header is lowered so that a tape light can be applied to it and it will shine through the outside and make it really stand out at night. 

Haley's shower turned out awesome! 

The exterior handrails are up and looking great! The pickets are a hammered texture in oil rubbed bronze. The two tapered columns are built and awaiting stone, which they will start this week. 

Once they put up the handrail we realized how much the posts stood up above the rail and are too high. They look like chess set pieces! They can fix that! 

It's hardly noticeable, which is the point, but the drain is just in front of Faith's foot. It has tile in it and the water flows around the edge! 

The living room (1x8 Square Edge) and foyer (Beaded 1x4) ceiling trim are up! The living room will be whitewashed with hand hewn beams on each side of the fireplace. The foyer ceiling and beams will match. Of course our nephew Corton has to stand on the stool, cause it's there. Nathan and Haley are more interested in discussing the ceiling!

Final grading, HVAC unit set, power on, tile start

Although maybe not in the best location, it is what it is. This is off the garage so it doesn't matter as much, but I do wish I had planned the HVAC location to be next to the meter which got set on Friday. 

My friend, and grading contractor, called and asked when I would be ready for final grade. I said whenever you want. He's caught up on our other jobs so this fell in line perfectly. The above is of gutter drains being dug. 

And this is after! Since we don't exactly know where our driveway is going, he isn't going to do much more here in front. 

To the right is the original driveway, but is abandoned so that we can incorporate a circular driveway in front of the house instead of right here. 

Seed and hay, and pray for cooler temps and rain!  

The master shower under tile construction! 

Tile in the kitchen. 

So I put in quite a bit of effort this week to get air conditioning on the house so I could have the hardwood floors acclimatize before putting them down next week, but the floors weren't delivered. The sequence goes install HVAC unit, electrician connects everything, county inspects, EMC is notified, then they set the meter and on the same day HVAC contractor comes back to make sure the unit starts up properly and removes floor covers. I didn't think I would get all of that accomplished, but all for not.... Adjust and reschedule, that's construction. 

Clean up, paint & 1st day of school

It took about 9 hours, over 3 days after work, but I sucked up the majority of drywall mud, chunks, and sanding debris. Getting all of this out of the wall outlets and baseboards is key to having less airborne particles in the air after we move in. And, it gives me the time to go around and see if anything is wrong, like this missing corner bead. At least they were consistent, they missed both knee walls in the house! 

This is actually a special primer that helps smooth the walls out, basically. Normally you just paint with the wall color of choice and it is the same as a primer coat,  but I want to make sure our walls look good! 

We changed to Weston Flax because a happy wife is good, and I really don't care about colors! This color is in our master bathroom and Haley's bedroom. 

This is Woodlawn Blue in bed/bath #2, mudroom /laundry & exercise rooms. 

And this is Antique Marble in the master bedroom and downstairs great room. 

Although this doesn't pertain to our house, Friday was Haley's first day of her Sophomore year! I realized this would be the last time I get to drop her off on her first day of school cause she'll be driving  in just 6 months! 😭 And this is Faith's 15th year teaching special ed in the middle school. Time is flying by..... 

Drywall complete, gutters installed and paint colors

Mud, apply tape, mud, sand, repeat. 

Our wicker colored gutters. Exciting, I know, but it will keep the splatter down off the sides of the house. The OCD part of me wants to pressure wash the entire lower portion of the house, but I know it's still too early

This is just one wall of color samples, there's more! But I won't bore you with them. Philadelphia Cream seems to be the color we all liked for the main living areas. The second one from the left.