Getting close, some random updates

I guess I will start with the kitchen since it is my most favorite room to update on. Since my last post the marble for the island has gone on and appliances are all installed. Below is a picture of the slab of the Carrara white marble we chose for the island. We will use the remaining to border the fireplace in the living room.

And here it is installed, it's absolutely beautiful! 

We decided to go all out on the appliances. I went with the Wolf stove/range and a Sub Zero refrigerator. Still waiting on the panels for the refrigerator and dishwasher from the cabinet company but they should be on soon.

I also had to choose a paint color for the main living areas. Boy was that difficult! With some help and opinions I finally made a decision. It is going on the walls as I type. I am going to save the suspense of the color for a later post when I have a picture of it on the walls.

Below is a picture of the beautifully painted doors and the hardware we chose for them I couldn't be happier with the final choice!

These knobs will be on the upstairs doors. 

This one is on all the downstairs doors except the master which we went with the chrome backplate to match the chrome hardware in the bathroom.

The wood is on the stairs, but has not been nailed down yet so we have to be very careful navigating up and down. I think Adam said the railing will be in next week.

The final coat went on the upstairs floors. They look amazing! This will be Chloe's bedroom.

Last but not least the porch has been coming along. There will be 3 sets of stairs, the back here as shown, 1 on the front of the porch and one of the side entry to the porch. Also, my picture does not do justice but the shingles on the upper part have been stained. If you get a chance drive by and take a look, they look pretty cool.

Well, I guess that's all I've got for now, at least that I have remembered to post. But as always I'll try and keep you updated.

Kitchen island and bathrooms tiled.

I was thrilled to hear last week that the kitchen island is in! I immediately had to run out to the house and check it out. It did not disappoint. As well as with the kitchen cabinets "t.h.e. Interior" built our kitchen island Adam designed. We decided to go with walnut and it turned out beautiful.

Here is view of it in the kitchen. Also you can see in this picture Randy with R&K Painting has all the trim primed and sanded and ready for paint. Oh, and the door on the other side of the room, which leads to the laundry room is the old front door which will be painted black to match the new front door.

This is the side the stools will be on. There is storage in the cupboards.

The dishwasher will go on the right and the microwave will go on the left. I believe we have decided to go with Carrara marble for the countertop.

I have been a bit delayed posting the bathrooms, but the tile was completed and grouted a few weeks ago. I love the way the bathrooms have turned out.
Master Bathroom:

Upstairs bathroom:

Exterior Improvements

I've been meaning to get on and post an update for weeks, but you know how life goes. It's probably going to take me a few blog posts to get caught up, but I wanted to start with the exterior because it has had some amazing changes!

As well as finishing off the interior Adam has been working on the wrap around porch, it is coming along nicely!

Mac with Mac's Landscaping has been working on exterior landscaping. I really had no ideas on landscaping design besides I wanted a gas plumbed fire pit. He took the project on with almost no direction and has designed the terrace and patio area into something beautiful!

Now that the terrace and patio area is,  I think mostly completed, Mac has been digging trenches and putting in piping for the underground sprinklers. We have decided on holding off on installing the cedar fence around the backyard. It was such a huge area we were going to fence and I was hesitant with the size/location and the type of material. Plus, I think it will just look better not having a fence. We will decide once we move in if it is going to be a necessity for the kids, dogs, etc.

We also had the driveway installed, well most of it. John Gleason with Affordable Concrete installed it and it has turned out absolutely amazing. I had dreamed of having an exposed aggregate driveway, but due to cost I assumed we would have to go with asphalt. Well, I called Affordable Concrete and wow! It's so much nicer than I could have imagined. We had to wait for a variance from the County of Walla Walla to pour the last 20 feet of driveway out to the road, but I just heard yesterday they granted it and we can finish next week. I promise I will get a full view of that later.

Before:

Set up

After

Kitchen cabinets and countertops

My favorite part of the house, the kitchen is really starting to take shape. After the kitchen cabinets were complete (minus hardware) we started our journey to find a countertop. Our original idea was to go with a very dark almost black soapstone. Unfortunately we were not able to find exactly what we were looking for, but found a great substitute and even saved some $$ in the process. We ended up finding this (see below) Cosmos Black slab of granite at Cost Less Carpet, right in Walla Walla! 

 

Below is a sample of what it looks like on the counters. It is hard to tell in the photo but it does not have the typical, sleek shiny granite look to it. The texture is quite different.

For both the master bathroom and upstairs kids bathroom we went with Carrera white marble. The black vanity below is the master and the light grey is the upstairs bathroom.

 

I absolutely love the hardware we did on this vanity. The light green knobs just make it look so unique!

 

 

 

 

Floors, Kitchen, Crown Moulding

I know it has been way too long since I updated, but trust me it is no indication on progress. I met with Adam this morning to look at some counter top materials and of course check out the latest progress. Besides most of the trim and crown moulding being installed on the main floor, the upstairs is now almost completed. The main floor hardwood floors have also been refinished and the cabinets installed. The changes still seem so surreal to me.

Here is a nice picture Adam took of the crown moulding a while back. It really is beautiful. All trim and mouldings will be painted white.

 



Here is a picture of the floors right after they were completed. After finally seeing them today the picture definitely doesn't do them justice. The color is off and they just *look better* in person.

I took this close-up picture today when I was there.

 

Below is fir floor that is actually in our master bedroom closet but the entire upstairs is fir flooring so this is a preview of what the upstairs flooring will resemble.

 



And best for last, here is the kitchen cabinets! I know you don't get the full idea without the doors, hardware and the island but they look fantastic. The Interior was back out today beginning installation on the doors. One was already completed when I stopped by this morning. (Hopefully Adam's not too mad at me I took a picture with the floors dusty) :)

 

The painter is due to start in the next couple of weeks, I think the rest of the interior carpentry work is getting closer and then the front porch, landscaping and garage will begin. I feel like we are beginning the home stretch now!

Trim, Crown Moulding and Basement Bathroom Floor

In the last few weeks Adam has been working on trimming out the windows and doors and also putting the crown moulding up on the main floor. It is hard to tell from the pictures but we decided to go with a 3 piece crown moulding and I believe a 3 piece trim as well. It is turning out really nice. All trim will be painted white.

Here is a close-up of the crown-moulding.

Close-up of the door trim.

Since last post the basement bathroom floor has been tiled.

I also couldn't remember if I shared the final master bathroom floor so here it is. Unfortunately the glare from the sun is horrible, but you get the idea. Hopefully I can get a better picture next time.

Master Bathroom

Progress has begun in the master bathroom. The tile floor is down and the grouting is being completed this week.

 



The vanity also arrived from The Interior so I got a sneak preview of how that will look when installed.

 

Adam has also been working diligently on the trim which is really starting to change the look of the house. I believe he is starting on the crown moulding this week. I will get out soon to get some more pictures.