The Skinny

Before I get to the juicy news I wanted to share with you some of Week 17's progress.

The updated TBC list:

TBC

✓  Paint

✓  Flooring

✓  Cabinets

✓  Posts and rails for internal staircase

✓  Plumbing fixtures

✓  Appliances

✓  Countertops 

✓  Fence

     Stairs to RTD

     Garage door 

     Permit

Plumbing fixtures are in. Here is our kitchen sink, well the faucet at least. 

The crew is protecting the countertops beneath as to why I don't have a "money" kitchen shot.


Countertops you say? I am so spoiled lucky! The countertops I have dreamed of are now my own little reality! They are Carrara marble and the island is butchers block. 

The fence in the back of the house was completed. Hadyn's mother suggested we put up rod iron to ensure our safety or possibly glue down broken glass. Depending how some of these neighbors behave we may entertain those options.

Lighting fixtures are up (not all of them)

Here is our little powder room.

The posts and rails were built for the internal staircase. 

The stairs were being stained over the weekend to match the dark wood floors. 

The laundry closet complete with full size, spiffy washer/dryer we pretty much stole got for cost from the appliance store, HHGreg. Washer/dryer : me :: SuperFridge : H

Now where on earth do I keep the laundry supplies?! (soap, fabric softener, etc)


The second bath.

This weekend H's family visited to celebrate our sweet, nephew Charlie's baptism and middle brother/uncle/Godfather/DDS extraordinaire's birthday.


Said BIL (brother in law), James was busy scaling the walls to the RTD while I snapped this FFF (forced family fun) photo of H and his 'Papa Bear' in our master closet. I was trying to show just how large the closet is.

All in all the house is looking pretty ready to move into. 

But, alas, it is not. 

Here's the skinny on why:

The house is VERY close to done. As in, Mr. C says he will be 99% complete (excluding the final punch-list) on Tuesday (tomorrow!). 

However, the house has to be inspected and we have to receive an Occupancy Permit from the City before we can legally move in. The permit will likely NOT be granted if we cannot get the power on. As in this is still tied into the power-line dilemma I told you about here. 

It is my understanding that the permits have to be signed and processed through the local power company, BGE.
Once approved, the power has to be hooked up and turned on by BGE. 
Then the inspection for our Occupancy Permit will happen. 
THEN we can move in. 

All in all, the BEST case scenario we will move in by August 1. WORST case scenario we will move in by August 16. 

We have to move out of our rental house by the morning of August 1. (I didn't plan that - it just worked out that the owner of our rental is moving back in and needs it by that date.)

Please say a little prayer, meditate on it, send positive energy, or just think happy thoughts for us! 

Groundwork

Week 4: The ground our house will soon be perched on has officially been prepped. The site was graded/leveled and the pluming groundwork put in place (notice the shiny white pipes).

 

The water service from meter in the sidewalk to the inside of the house was replaced. The plumbing for the inside of the house is new as well (obviously).

There are actually two separate pipe systems shown above. The main plumbing for the house is running deeper than the long piping in the foreground. The piping situated above will travel through under the house carrying rain water from the rear patio and from the stairs leading to the rooftop deck. This is done so we don't have flooding in the house from those two outdoor areas. Isn't that cleaver? The pipe is carried all the way through the sidewalk and into the street which will then run away from our house.  

Mr. Contractor's crew also began digging out the footers for the rear wall. Sadly, we couldn't get back there to take pictures of that.  Just breaks your heart I imagine. Not being able to see a hole in the ground and all.  

To make it up to you here is a picture of H taking a peek through our future living room window.

Please notice two things in the above picture. First, H does in fact have all 10 fingers even though it may look like he lost a pinky somewhere along the line (yes, I am even counting the crooked one). Second, the bottom right corner of the pic shows a nice pile o' bricks. Here is an upclose and more Instagram-y view.  (see more of those to the left)

Ain't it pretty?