It might be a tad early to start a count down to when we can move in, but confidence is high and finishing is going really well. So well, we are starting to pack some boxes and think end-game things, like booking cleaners and movers.
We’ve had a whirlwind of decision making happening. There was a push early on to choose a cabinet maker and then the cabinets for the kitchen. This set off the domino of flooring, tile and paint choices that has become our design. I’m sure I have looked at thousands of tiles and have made many visits to Cranbrook to look at flooring and hardware and wall tiles. Pardon the pun, but sometimes it sticks and sometimes it doesn’t.
Over the last couple of weeks I have had to re-choose our countertop because the choice we made in June had been sold, and so had our back-up choice, and then decide to scrap the granite backsplash because it was going to cost a mint and switch to quartz in the bathrooms for the same reason, and then scrap the re-work because the original choice of counter top was once again available. Sheesh. After all the back and forth, my net loss was that I had to find a tile for the kitchen backsplash. That, amazingly enough, was accomplished in a single trip to the tile shop in Cranbrook. I think this is really because I have all the other elements in place, so picking a tile is soooo much easier, and I have little patience for dithering at the moment. The to-do list is long and full of terrors. I also sense that the tile dealers know when you are not messing around and just cut to the chase.
We have been watching as the finishing trailer makes good on its name and gets stuff done. The cabinets were picked up in Calgary a couple of weeks ago and they have been steadily installing them in the bathrooms, laundry and kitchen. The colour is exactly what I wanted and the flat fronts are clean. I am still bummed about not being able to router the handles but the alternative will be as close as I can get to that.
The interior doors have also been hung and the pile of trim that was occupying the porch is dwindling. We are currently trying to find the right stain colour to put on the doors since we’ve decided they are too pretty to paint. So we added one more to do on the list, more trips to Cranbrook to visit paint shops and test stain. Our painter had a moment of pause when she saw our closet doors. Louvres were an unexpected item that I’m sure will result in more hours and some frustration.
The tile has been a tricky one. Our tiler has been in working around the trimming and door hanging and cabinet installs. He started on the girls bathroom upstairs and after laying a couple of rows of tile, I got a text from Adam, our builder. “The tile is different colours. Do you have a minute?” He sent some pictures and we decided the difference in colour required a call to the supplier to see what could be done. Nothing, of course. There is a disclaimer on tiles for variations in finish and we were out of luck. We decided to try to randomize the variants to see if they would blend in more. Some strategy on picking a good grout colour will also help and apparently, Tristan, the tiler, is pretty stellar at picking the right colour. In reality, once we saw it in person and not in photos, it is noticeable but not stopping us from moving ahead. It still looks great and the delay and cost is not worth it…we could also end up with another box of wide colour variations.
Jeff has spent a good deal of time working with Adam and the finishing carpenter to get the trim around the doors and windows right and they have now found the sweet spot. In the end, the style and size is reminiscent of our old house on John Street in Vancouver, another labour of love. The windows in the kitchen, will lose a piece on the bottom of the trim to accommodate the tile backsplash, but it looks great all round.
We are also seeing great strides on the outside of the house now. The Coravent arrived and allowed the siding to extend beyond the sheltered spaces, now almost all the way around. It looks fantastic, although Jeff and I are now on deck to get the second coat done and will have to be quick if we want to make use of the scaffolding Adam in leaving in place for us to reach the high places!
Jeff has also been working on finishing the staining of the posts around the porch to get ahead of the soffit install that will follow the finishing of the siding. We are working our way through the latest stack of soffit that we need to stain that makes up the remainder of the underside of the porch and can see the light there. We only needed to buy 2 gallons of stain this time and not a full 5 gallon pail!
Next up: The septic has been designed and approved, and should be in place before the end of the month. The countertop templating is scheduled for Aug 12 and install on Aug 26th, all while the finish plumbing and electric get going. Wheeeee!