Just a Few More Floor Pictures

Third Floor

First Floor Stair is complete

Third Floor Bath

Sometimes when a Door is Closed, Another One Opens

In October, number #1 son, Nathan, left the premises and moved to Vermont to be an engineer. Ted was left without the diminutive in "Tirk and Sons Builders".

Last Sunday, that changed.  #2 son, Eli, returned to the nest from a semester in Shanghai, the other People's Republic--China.  After a couple of days of recuperation, he appeared yesterday at the job site.  Here is Eli:

Verra handsome, huh?

He is home for about 3 weeks and wants to make a little dough before going back to finish his junior year at GW in Washington.

Yesterday, all the interior doors arrived.  Since the floors are complete as of today,  Jeremy and Dan will begin hanging the doors on Monday.

Yesterday Ted and Eli unpacked the doors.  The frames came primed.  The doors did not.

Eli (you guessed it) is in charge of the doors--painting them to be exact.  He will prime the doors and then apply the first finish coat of trim paint to both the doors and frames.  Then, a hangin' they will go.

It took less than three weeks for the guys to lay the floor.  It was amazingly fast. 

Third Floor

Third Floor

The last mile was the hardest.  Yours truly purchased a round shower stall for the third floor bathroom.  The guys had to be clever and cut the maple flooring on a curve in order to fit it.

See Jeremy and Dan cogitating.





The floors will be refinished at the end of the job.  Ted says they will use 4 coats of oil based urethane in the living spaces and 5 coats in the kitchen and third floor bath.


Ted has also started the stairs.  We decided to use cherry for the rail, and 1 1/4" square posts for the balustrades.  The front newel will be a 5"by 5" with a rectangular applique on 3 sides and a cherry cap.  For those of you who cannot imagine this, here are some samples:

handrail

The top of this newel will be cherry.

baluster

 Here's the first stair tread, installed:

And, here is the installer:

Since it is Friday, the gang is tired and and glad it's the end of work week.  However, one member of the crew is looking forward to working with Ted all weekend. 

In fact, she lives for it.

P.S. Eli may be #2 son, but he is #1 nephew.  Love the one you're with.

P.P.S.  Everyone thinks the tile work is stunning.

More Floor, More Tile, First Window Trim

Drum roll:

Guest Room and Tiled Tub in the Background

Third Floor Shower

A Close up with Galaxy Stone

My First Window Trim

Ted says that they might be done with the floors by the end of the week.  He finished making all the stair treads this morning and was thinking about starting the stair installation this afternoon.


By the way, we have lighting in the house.  Jeff, the electrician, has been whaling away to to get all the plugs and recessed lighting working.

Oh, I forgot one of my favorite pics of the week:

My new best friend Billy transforming the tub

It turns out that Billy's helper is his son Keith.  I had to find this out from Keith's mom, Kelly. Hey, Keith, welcome to the fun house. 

More Floor and the Tiling Starts

The living/ dining room has a hardwood floor.

And, this was at noon today.  I bet they'll be done through the front hall by the end of the day tomorrow.

Also, as promised BK Tile (starring Billy of B fame) was on the job. Here is the man and his helper:

Stuff is happening....

Where to Put Our Stuff

Now, its time to think about closets.  In this house, we will have just enough storage.  There are two conventional closets--in the guest room and the front hall closet.  The guest room closet can hold off season clothes and the front hall closet can hold most of our coats. There is one funky closet on the third floor (The slant of the roof dictated how high the closet would be) which can hold some off season clothes and off season shoes and boots.   We also have 4 dressers spread around the bedrooms that can hold folded clothing from various seasons.

There is the basement as well, but that space is for the larder overflow (i.e. freezer and company).

We will have a capacious closet in the master that will hold current season clothing ( excluding coats and outdoor boots, which I will get to later.)  It will have a sliding door.  When you open the door the lighting will go on, allowing us to view all of the contents of the closet.

I met with the California Closets rep last week at the house.  She made a series of suggestions about how we might arrange the closet.  I liked her ideas, but I don't like the fact that they use particle board.  We will go to see sample closets on Thursday.  I just think I am going to want real wood.  I also think that I can simplify the design she suggested and be perfectly happy. 

My goals are:
1. Dave and I have our own "closets". 
2. Each "closet" have sufficient space that the hanging clothes don't crowd each other.
3. We have a full length mirror FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!
4. That we have an organized system for storing our shoes that doesn't require us to crawl around on the floor to finding matching pairs of shoes.
5. To hang up belts and scarves.
6. To have a hamper that is not in the bedroom.

So, I have sketched out a closet plan that I think addresses all of the above:

Elevation

 

 

 

We will have another large closet in the kitchen.  It must double as a utility closet and a coat closet since it's right by the side door.  We will probably use the side door for the majority of exits and entrances since that's how to get to the garage.   I need space for cleaning products, the vacuum, the floor steamer and paper products (towels toilet paper, etc.) as well.

Here's this design:

Elevation

Elevation

When I talked to Ted about wanting wood, he looked at me really hard for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I know where this is going."

He HATES building closets.

The First Boards

Ted and Co. starting to lay the flooring yesterday.  The floors will run front to back in the house because the floor joists run side to side. The boys first nailed down the board length that is against the side wall.  That board length has plugs, or dowels, over the nails.  Ted explained that they nail the first board length down because they side nail the rest of the boards.  The process involves slamming the boards with a mallet to push them up against the board next to them.  If he didn't nail the first board down, it would move.  So, with the exception of the first board length in each room, the floor floats over the joists.

Oh, and as Ted says, he has meticulous Jeremy back:

Jeremy went to Minnesota for a couple of weeks.  Now, our quality control is back.

Up and Down

Lucas the Drywall King has finished his labors.  He hung, taped and finished the walls.  We couldn't afford plaster, but he convinced me and Ted that he had the second best option.  It's called Tough Hide, which is a gypsum based primer.  In a nutshell, it creates an even smooth texture across the paper board and tape.  It is magnificent. No seams, no unevenness  (he sanded it.)  Here is Lucas in his special shoes preparing the walls for the Tough Hide:

So, now we have beautiful ceilings and walls.

Dining Room

Front Hall

Third Floor

Third Floor

More third floor

There are so many pictures of the third floor because it is such a remarkable transformation.  If you go back in time and look at where we started, it's astonishing.

Well, we don't just have ceilings and walls.  We have FLOORS! Not installed mind you, but they are in the house resting and acclimating ( I kid you not.) Here they are being delivered:

My Mighty Warrior and his Stash

 Here's a close up of the grain:

The stair treads arrived with the flooring.  Since the kitchen cabinets are delayed until the first of the year, Ted will build six sets of stairs in December.  That's right,  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 sets.  While Ted does this, Jeremy and Dan will install the floor.  Since the joists run from side to side in the house, the floors will run front to back.

Dan

Next Monday will see even more excitement.  Billy the Tile Man starts.  Tile bath floors, tiled tub and shower surrounds will abound!

I am beside myself.

However, some things in this expanding universe do not change.

Please!!!!

Its Good to Remember

After the Thanksgiving break, it's time to start finishing work.  So, it seems a good time to review just how much Ted has gotten done.  A little pictorial essay:

Today

And interior:

Basement

Kitchen:

Attic:

O.K. so wow, Ted.  You have mad skills.  Let's see what you do with the trim and the floor.....