Okay, so I've been out of touch for a while. It's been a non-stop, insanely-paced week. my parents came in, and we tackled a huge number of major projects this week. We:
-installed the floor in the family room
-installed the floor in the dining room
-Wired all the switches and light fixtures
-installed the tile floor in the bathroom
-painted the family room
-painted the bathroom
-installed the bathroom cabinets
-worked with Bob to stain the trim and dig a drainage pit
-moved a whole lot of furniture around
Electrically, I only managed to nerf up one circuit, hooking up a couple of outdoor lights without remembering to deal with the switch wire. Oh well, they are fixed now. Dad also made a challenge for himself when he discovered he wired the lights in the mudroom in such a way that would have made Thomas Edison go, "huh?" After an hour of pondering wiring diagrams, he finally came up with a way to get them successfully wired and we were done.
So, about the flooring. A lot of people asked about the fact that we decided to put a laminate (think Pergo) floor into the family room and dining room. In the end, I have this to say. It's about as hard to put in as I expected, and much harder than the ads say it is. In the ads, you simply click the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle. In reality, you need three people and a minor in geometry. You also definitely need a miter saw AND a table saw. The stuff looks fantastic once it's in, and it's certainly a lot easier than a hardwood floor. It's also extremely durable, and really, really slipperly. My kids love careening into the furniture.
Paining the bathroom and installing the bathroom cabinets gave us a real sense that we are close to completion on this. The bath looks awesome. Can't wait to poop there. Should have a sink and toilet by aug 5th or so. Of course, we ended up selecting a really nice set of bronze wall sconces, which means the brushed nickel faucet I bought on clearance needs to be returned for one that matches the sconces....and of course we'll probably spend three times as much. The cabinet was a close call, in that once part of it was 24" wide and 24" deep, and the door frame is exactly 24" wide. If it had been a more humid day, I think the wood would have swelled too much to get it in the room.
Meanwhile, we've moved into the family room, and are emptied out the old dining room to bring the computer up desk tonight. Progress!It's now sunday night, Dad and I are completely exhausted, and I need to go to work tomorrow. Thank goodness...I need the vacation. While we made tremendous progress this week, the house is still a complete disaster. Imagine moving into a new home, but rather than using boxes you simply put all your belongings into a dump druck, dumped on the floor of your new home, then covered everything with drywall dust. That's what it looks like here.
But it looks like we're on schedule to host a LOST premiere party in September. In fact, there might even be seating by then.
One last note of thanks to my 12-year-old niece Tova. My parents dragged her along, and we put her to work. "Amp Girl", as she's known by those in the electrical world, was given the tasks of testing circuits, laying flooring, and painting. She worked like a dog. Funny thing is, she told me her mom (my sister) wouldn't let her do anything when they renovated their house. Sucker. Little did they know what a good day laborer they had in the family.
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