Master bath...

The tub deck has been built and the shower is being prepared for the Durock cement board. Tiling will begin this week! We chose a Carrara marble for the tub & shower, and one-inch, white hex tiles for the floor.

Hardwood installation begins...

The hallway and master bedroom are almost complete. We are very pleased with the beech floor - kind of reminds me of maple but less blonde in color. Notice the painted walls & ceilings! It is really starting to come together...

Hardwood floors arrive...

The beech planks were delivered this afternoon. They are a clear cut, 5 1/4 inches in width. The finish (applied later) will be a clear coat.

It is necessary to give it the weekend to acclimate to the temperature. Installation will begin Monday. The two levels (upstairs and down) will take about two weeks.

This just in...

The atrium roof is scheduled to be installed on Wednesday, May 19th!! Of course we'll keep our fingers crossed as a lot can happen between now and then.

Didn't your mother ever tell you, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"?

I am constantly amazed at how much attention our little renovation project has garnered. We have certainly had our share of ''nosey Nellies". It is shocking to me the number of people (complete strangers) who feel they are entitled to "tour" the house. I have often commented that I would like to ask these folks when I should stop by their house for a "tour". Upon the strong suggestion from my "politically correct" husband, I have refrained...

These folks, however, are not nearly as appalling to me as those who decide to actually share their negative criticism with us (and the crew working on the house). While the vast majority of people have nothing but wonderful things to say, there are a few - mostly life-long Chagrinites-who need to remember..."If you can't say something nice, you should not say anything at all!"

It seems the biggest discussion (both positive & negative) is the cedar roof. Most people LOVE it, but there are a few who question (and these are direct quotes), "Why would you use a cedar roof in Chagrin Falls? There are no other cedar roofs in town." Does this even need an answer...we like the cedar roof for that EXACT reason. We have also heard, "You cannot insure a house with a cedar roof." Tell that our insurance company or the insurance companies of most houses in Shaker Heights!! UGH...

Okay, I have vented. I feel MUCH better. The roof, as you know, is a very tender thing for me. Don't mess with it...

Electric service upgraded...

With all the added appliances, upgraded furnace, air conditioner etc, it was necessary to increase our electrical service to 220 amp. Our electrician was telling me the electrical codes are constantly being changed - the latest adjustment being just two weeks ago - which necessitates bigger and bigger panels. He said it is not uncommon to need two panels side-by-side. The biggest challenge is that every GFI, 220 line etc. needs to be on it's own circuit breaker. In our panel (see below) we have just three empty breakers...

Funny story...

Drywall has been going on for the last couple of weeks, but conditions in the house (cold & lots of humidity) have been less than ideal for curing drywall mud. Tom, the drywall finisher, has asked several times if we could get some heat in there. Bob, our HVAC guy, was out a couple of times, but, for some reason, he just couldn't get the old furnace to kick on. Our plan was to use the old furnace until we got past all the "dusty, dirty" phases.

Ironically, just as Bob had all but given up, I got a telephone call from the woman who used to rent the house. Apparently, we never switched the service into our name, and she never called to discontinue the service in her name...I am sure you see where this is headed.

Yep, you guessed it! The gas had been turned off. I am sure they had sent several warnings to the previous renter, but she has been in and out of the hospital, and did not receive the information - I guess.

So, Friday afternoon at 5pm, I was on the phone with Dominion customer service. We established our new account, paid the $575 from her bill - not too bad for a cold winter and keeping the crew toasty in the basement, and arranged for the gas to be turned back on.

A gas company representative was out yesterday as promised. We have HEAT, the humidity in the house is gone. All is well - for now.

Full speed ahead...

Drywall is essentially complete - didn't the arches (there are three) turn out great! John and I have hired a painter to help us with the wall/ceiling priming. We'll be painting until we drop this Saturday - anyone out there want to help? The hardwood floor installation will begin next week, so we need to have the priming finished prior.

Copper detail added to roof.

Mike is priming the exterior trim that will be used to patch the areas impacted by the new window installation in the existing house. It will be good to see this looking more finished.

The new cedar siding is at the mill. There was a problem with the original knife, so a new one had to be created. Hopefully, this material will run soon. It will still need to be primed before it goes up.

The hardy board siding for the garage has been delivered. Mike has it in the pipeline and will, hopefully, start putting it up next week.

The kitchen, bathroom, and mudroom cabinets are in production. I am hoping to visit the shop next week to see the progress.

The stainless steel range hood was delivered today! So exciting to start seeing "finishing" materials showing up.

We have made our tile selections. This work will begin next week as well. The hardwood floor guys will work simultaneously with the tile installer. We chose one inch, white hex tiles for all three bathroom floors. The master tub & shower will be honed Carrara marble. And the mudroom is a tumbled white marble.

We made our interior/exterior door selections - the big debate wood vs. MDF. In the end we went with the high-end Bolection MDF interior doors, fiberglass for the walk through garage doors, and a stainable side entry door. We love the authenticity of wood, but in the end, we prefer doors that won't split, swell, warp over time. I think we'll be happy with our decision, especially since they will arrive PRIMED. We're putting old crystal knobs on, so this should offer some of that vintage look.

Weeping Cherry in full bloom...

One the things we were most sad about leaving behind at the old house was the gorgeous weeping cherry in the front yard. Turns out, we have an even better specimen here. The tree is perfectly placed outside the atrium area. It will be in full view of the entire back of the house. This year was a particularly stunning display!

Dry wall continues...

Emma's bedroom

Emma's bedroom

Second floor hallway - notice exposed brick

Master bathroom

Audrey's bathroom

Audrey's bedroom

Back in the saddle...

So to speak. We're back from our spring break vacation at the Tanque Verde Dude Ranch in Tucson, Arizona - a vacation we thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend, but I digress...

There is a lot to catch up on...insulation is complete and dry wall has begun. The following are photos taken during the insulation process. We left on our trip before all the insulation had been installed.

living room

dining room

master bedroom

Emma's bedroom

Audrey's bedroom

The shake cedar roof is complete and, if I do say so myself, it looks AWESOME! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the look...

The dry wall process has begun...

The view from living room into office.

family room

The view from family room into kitchen.

The view from kitchen into family room.

The permanent staircase is being constructed. The treads are beech wood which will match the hardwood floors we're installing throughout the upstairs and downstairs. The risers are poplar and will be painted white.