The Farmhouse

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Mad House

On this Halloween morning the Farmhouse is a mad house.
Men are everywhere! The usual suspects, Dave and Wes Jr, the electrician and his sidekick and best of all the flooring guys. Sanding of the new floors has begun and re-finishing of the bedroom floor.  We hope to finally move our bedroom furniture in on Monday and actually sleep in our home.
Dave started tiling the master shower.  This is the design that is centered on the wall.
We had originally wanted to use 6 of these tiles, but we did not order enough of the trim tile and being my impatient self, I want it done.  So I settled on using 4.  I need this shower done!
In other exciting news the oven is now installed.
The hall bath has been plumbed - I just made up this word - it means the plumbing fixtures are installed and working.  I can't wait to get in there and decorate and clean.
Rock Tops came and installed the vanity top in the master bath.
Purty, huh?
Can't wait to put my new Glass knobs on this baby.
The electrician started putting in outlet covers and hanging fixtures.
These will be on the front porch. Wes finally came through and delivered on the rustic beams for the RIF (Rustic Interior Foyer).
This old lumber came from a demo job in downtown Baltimore.
He will also use it to make a mantle.

I was somewhat anxious about our living arrangements after we moved out of our house, but things are going very smoothly.  I must take time to thank our friends, Keith & Kathy for being so generous and welcoming to us and Bella. They have welcomed us with open arms and it is really fun living with them! Bella has adjusted and she lives harmoniously with Kobe, a Bichon mix. We are very lucky to have such great friends.
Things are really coming together at the Farmhouse, but after today we won't be going inside until the 3 coats of stain are applied to the floors.  Dave says he will be going through the window to finish tiling.  I'd like to see that!
Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Working Hard

We have been hard at work, both at the Farmhouse and our "old" house.  We settle tomorrow so we had to make sure the house was empty and clean.  I cleaned, vacuumed and used my Shark steamer on the wood floors.  I love that thing! I must say the house looks really great empty. I would buy it - oh wait - I have a Farmhouse :)
Today Cliff had our Lawn guys come down to the Farmhouse and mulch around the house to keep the mud at a minimum.  They did a nice job and carved out some beds around the house.  We will hold off planting until spring.
We laid these stepping stones leading to the front door.  Notice we have furniture on the patio!
Dave hung the original kitchen cabinets in the mudroom and today Cliff did some touch up painting.  I put the pulls on with the help of my screw gun.
Doesn't Cliff look sorta "special"?
We had some visitors stop by which was so exciting.
Hopefully the kitchen cabinets will be done tomorrow.  The island gets installed after the floors are done.  That Wes is smart isn't he?
Speaking of kitchens - look at these hand painted knobs I ordered.
These will go on the glass doors on either side of the sink.  The horse is my mare Kitty and of course the Golden is Bella.  They were painted by a gal name Ouisha who lives in Kentucky.  She does the most beautiful hand painted pottery and wood works. She specialized in Foxhunting and Equestrian themes and also Corgi Dogs. I also have a switch plate that she did which has a fox painted on it.
I realized that I have not shown a photo of the Rustic wall .  Ta Da!
Dave and Drake stayed late last Tuesday and did this for us. I was speechless. Love it!  I can't wait for the electrician to hang the sconces.
Tomorrow is the Big Day, I can't believe we are finally selling the house. Let's hope it goes smoothly.
I was worried about staying at my friends house with Bella since they have a dog, but they have been getting along fine and she has adapted.  What a good girl she is.
Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Moving Day

Today we moved our furniture into the Farmhouse.  We are settling on our house on Monday so we had to move today.  The move went smoothly except for one small snafu.  The sofa that was to go upstairs into The Cozy Room would not fit up the stairs.  These old houses have low ceilings and narrow staircases.  So now I will search for a smaller sleeper sofa to fit upstairs.  If anyone is interested in a beautiful sleeper sofa let us know!
Things are moving along at The Farmhouse. All of the painting is complete except for the kitchen. Most of the kitchen cabinets have been installed and should be completed by Monday. We need the plumber and electrician to come and finish.
We are now staying with our friends until we can officially move in.  We are homeless people with two homes :) Bella is confused but taking it in stride - typical happy Golden Retriever. We are enjoying this adventure, although very tired!
Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Dear Abbey

Dear Abbey,
     I normally reserve this space for blogging about my Farmhouse, but something very troubling has occurred and I do need advise.  A friend of mine, let's call her Kim K., has recently gotten engaged.  Now normally one would be very excited about such news, but I am in a quandary.  You see this is Kim's 3rd engagement and I am growing weary of buying her gifts and throwing her showers, etc. To top it off she just had a baby!  Don't worry this baby is from her #3 intended.  I do feel a tad bit sorry for her because her engagement ring is only 15 karats and her last engagement ring was 16, so obviously there are some money issues.  What would you suggest as a good gift. I am having trouble Keeping Up!
Signed,
A Little Behind

Now Back To Our Original Programming:
I picked up my seat cushions from the upholsterer and they look wonderful.
The walkway and patio are completed.
Here is the gate for the front. Isn't it cute?
Dave installed the vanity in the hall bath today.
Here is the vanity for our master bath.  Rock Tops is coming tomorrow to template for the top.
The crew was busy building our closet.
I was very frustrated the painters did not show up today.  Come on guys!!
Most of the painting upstairs is completed and the floors are done.
This is Cliff's office.
Dave started setting the cabinets in the mudroom, too.
Hopefully they will start the kitchen tomorrow.
I'll keep you updated.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Ready Or Not....

Cliff and I spent the weekend packing and making many trips to the Farmhouse.  This house is now mostly packed up. Today we transported items like china and dishes and put them in the Carriage house for safe keeping.  I am amazed at how much stuff we had in our kitchen.  It was a never ending stream of glassware and dishes.  Wine glasses, martini glasses, margarita glasses, champagne flutes and drinking glasses.  Many mugs, too! I thought I had done a good job of weeding out the things I didn't need and consigning or donating, but boy did we have a lot of stuff.  Cliff has decided to clear out our garage and make it a staging area for our move.  In other words he moved the boxes from inside the house to the garage. So... we are now parking our cars in the driveway...so....after we packed up my Jeep for another trip to the Farmhouse...he backed the Jeep right into the side of his Lexus:{ Me thinkith he is a tad bit stressed!!  So now his Lexus has a nice dent in the side.  Want to know a secret? I laughed. I'm sorry but it's just SO us!
Now on to the Farmhouse.  The stone guy has almost finished
the steps and the fence.  The patio is done and it all looks great.
Here are the front steps that lead to the front door.
The inside guys have been working hard to get the job done - just not fast enough for me.
The crown molding has been installed.  The doors have been hung.  These are the french doors that lead to our bedroom.  Won't they look great with the vintage glass doorknobs I am ordering?
I was sooo excited when Dave started tiling my master bathroom.  He did the floor, but then got pulled away to do some carpentry.  Here is the beautiful floor.
The wood floors in the original part of the house have been sanded and stained, of course this takes many days. Three coats to be exact. 
They will start the rest of the floors after we move in. We should be able to live in the upstairs and the den.  We will see.  May be couch hopping for a few days.
This should be a big week.  The kitchen cabinets will be set and the rest of the house painted.  Remember my previous post about those Reality Shows? They get it done in One hour, this reality is going on 5 months. 
Serenity now!
Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Full House

The Farmhouse is a busy place.  Now that we are are 10 days out things are really moving along, albeit slowly!  We have many workers doing various thing at the same time.  The little house is quite crowded.
So far we have:
  • Painters
  • Trim Carpenters
  • Patio Guy ( I refer to as Stone Guy) Finally showed up
  • Wood floor refinished
  • Plumbers
  • Our beloved contractors
I am thrilled with the hall bathroom.  It has been painted and tiled and the toilet has been installed.  Is it weird that I don't want the workers to use my new toilet?  Am I being just a little possessive? Maybe.
Here is the tile next to the painted wall. The floor is covered by paper so I couldn't get a picture.  We just need the vanity installed and lights and we are good to go.  Get it - good to GO!  I have been called immature before.
The floors have been sanded, both upstairs and the in the den.
Wes said the den floor is so old it can't be sanded anymore.
The entire upstairs (all 2 rooms) have been painted,
This is Dave.  He is standing next to the freshly painted Shaker Beige wall in the Cozy room.  I love this guy :)  He is "good people" if you know what I mean.  And he loves my baking.
The front door is now properly dressed with a new door knob.
The fireplace guys had a problem today with the stone facing around the fireplace.  It seems the Licky Sticky stone wasn't sticking! They will try again tomorrow.  Something about the mortar not being dry enough.
I am amazed at how much detail goes into building a house.  The trim work is the detail stuff that takes so long. I am thrilled that Wes brought in a Master Carpenter to help finish. He is setting doors and putting up moldings.  I love the way this treatment looks entering the rustic foyer.
Nice thick moldings - makes my heart beat faster.
And Bill finally reappeared.  Let the hardscaping begin!
And I have saved the best for last.  My new crush.
Is he not adorable?  And he's Greek - My Big Fat Greek Painter! Love him.
His accent is so thick I can't understand a word he says, yet I love him all the same.
Everyday we get a little bit closer.  I can't wait.
Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Crunch Time

We are now entering crunch time!  Two weeks and 2 days we are scheduled to move into the Farmhouse.  However, is the Farmhouse ready for us?  Not so much! I just returned from my first trip of the day( and there are usually at least 3 trips) to consult with Dave on the layout of the tile for the master bath.  Yes you read correctly - the bathroom is not tiled yet.  Or painted or anything else! Are you noticing a trend here?  When I start using a lot of exclamation points I am stressed!! Let's look at things in a glass is half full sort of way, shall we.  What is done:
  • Wood Floors have been installed (not sanded or stained-sorry - half empty)
  • Hall Bath tiled and is beautiful
  • Drywall is done - sanded, too.
  • Painting starts today - priming only -half full...again
  • Outside is mostly done
  • Kitchen cabinets delivered this morning
  • Seeding on 1/2 of lot completed
  • 85% of fence is completed
Here is a photo of the tile in the hall bath:
 Love it!
I realized that I have never shown photos of the upstairs of the house.  There are two bedrooms upstairs.
One room will be Cliff's office.  Here is his view.
The other room will be what we refer to as The Cozy Room.  We have a Cozy Room now in our house and we will replicate it in The Farmhouse.  It is a den/bedroom.  When the prodigal son wants to stay over it will be his room and other times it's a den. He informed us he will be coming "up" for the holidays! He needs to get away from the big city :) We can't wait.

The stone guy has been a no show for the past week.  This makes me sad - half full - again.  He ran out of pavers while working on the patio. So we wait and I neurotically watch the weather forecast hoping it won't rain so he can finish the project. I have a new found fear of mud.  I don't want it tracked into my sparkling new house.
Well thanks for letting me vent.  Cliff is sick of me asking when things will be done.  Oy I just remembered we still don't have garage doors - HELP!
Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Government May Not Be Working But We Are

Once again the Farmhouse was a busy place.  Drywall was hung. Dave started laying tile in the bathroom.  The gutter guys installed gutters.  The stone mason started the patio and Bella's fence. And two wonderful gentleman decided that manual labor was easier than trying to sell printing systems to a closed government!
Cliff and Josh built these stone retaining walls around the oil tank that yours truly power washed last week.
I think they did a great job!  Sweat equity ya know.
The house has really taken shape now that it has been drywalled.
The next step is taping and then sanding.  I have learned that everything has several steps before it is complete.
Here is the new tile in the bathroom.
We chose this traditional tile since this is part of the original house. The walls will be subway tile and I found a beautiful hand painted tile as a border. Just you wait!  

We found a really nice guy named Bill who is doing our hardscaping. He is installing the patio and the walkways and he is also putting in a fence for Bella.
Lastly, we had gutters and downspouts installed.  Sexy stuff.  Today I learned about seamless gutters. Who new there were so many different types of gutters?  So much to learn. So little time. So many stinkbugs!
It's really coming together and I can't wait to show you all.
Thanks for stopping by.