so close, so far away

It’s Friyay! So that means it was time for an update in this little series.

Would ya just look at these glorious cabinets? Would ya? But I’m getting ahead of myself. Apparently, the cabinets did, too.

Next week, I’m going to throw you guys for a loop and not do Friday. Maybe even two updates, because things are coming fast. Finally. Kind of. Maybe. {read: anytime it gets fast and exciting I feel like I’m jinxing myself… thus the maybes} I think it may be necessary from here on out since we’re sleeping eating and breathing all things house.

So close. But so far away.

All I know is that we’ve come such a very long way.

And that the befores and afters side by side are very patriotical.

That red… is finally completely gone. Almost. See it at the edges? It will still be there when we’re finished with the trim. Underneath. Taunting me.

But back to what I was saying…From this point on, there may be a few unpredictable zingers in the world of posts, so be ready. They’re coming at ya fast.

A lot of things that were supposed to happen this week, are actually happening today. So it probably looks like we haven’t done that much. Let me assure you, we’ve been busting it. Because construction.

And since we’re doing all the floors, ceilings and walls ourselves, that means we’re at the house killing it every day. And then working at home, at night. After the homework and bedtime rounds. It’s kind of crazy around here.

We haven’t known exhaustion like this. We’re dragging ourselves exorcist style through the threshold of the apartment every afternoon after a full day of work to begin homework with the kiddos. Then working at night. But we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Therefore, I find a hard time formulating clear thoughts so bear with me.

The bathroom tile is basically done, and the next round is grout.

Then vanities and toilets and {yay! No more porta potties!} and fixtures…

And we’re seeing some serious shelving take place, which is perfect for everything we needed.

Seriously I think this little 1700 sq foot area before we even touch the basement, may have more storage than our last house. We’ve planned out the use for everything.

We have these sweet cabinet doors that are waiting to go on the bathroom shelves, for more of a built in look. Where it was once an awkward closet, we now have a cabinet, and a great open area for towels.

Things are about ready for their second coat. And we’re busy finishing up the few remaining ceilings that need to be planked, as well.

We really wanted to quiet with the colors this time, in the beginning. Then layer them in as we go and become accustomed to the house. We still lack all the trim, too. We’ve never patched so many holes or caulked so much in our lives.

We’ve always been big DIYers, but never so much to this extent. We can now proudly say that to have anyone do anything for you is an absolute luxury. This feels a lot like having a baby. And just like a baby… no one is going to care about it as much as you do.

But there’s nothing more fulfilling than watching it all come together. To walk through the house after all this time after a particularly long day and say, “we did this”.

We took a risk. We stayed the course even when the course wasn’t so clear. We jumped the chasm. We certainly didn’t do it by ourselves. We’re coming out on the other side. And we can’t wait to wake up to our first lazy Saturday in this beautiful community we call home and just be.

It’s been a crazy ride.

We’re so close.

And a sneak peek into the master closet… in the future {after the addition if we don’t die first} Emerson’s room.

We are so glad we opened up this wall.

And I could seriously eat this tile.

And downstairs… Even the stairs have a new look.

We don’t feel like we’ll break our necks every time we walk down.

This is a quick shot I nabbed with my phone before we promptly covered said stairs. With all the traffic, they still need to be finished and we wanted to protect them as much as possible. They’re less steep and I love that they now come out beyond the wall.

I’m so neurotic that when the old ones came up, the underneath incline was COVERED in decades of dust and grime. I took a shop vac and went to town before they laid the new ones.

It’s right here that I will blame sinus issues.

But Jamin and I both know I am a little OCD.

But back to the cabinets…

They’re beautiful and I teared up a little when they went in… I won’t lie. I also teared up when Jamin told me I look tired and asked if I wanted to take a nap in the back of the truck. There’s always tomorrow.

Only the hardware was wrong, so we had to send the doors back. They should be ready in a week.

Should.

In a week.

Maybe.

Here they are with all the doors.

Right now, they’re doorless. We wanted the latch hardware that works so beautifully with inset cabinets. It’s worth the change since we have a little time.

Our fabricators were in the building yesterday to create a template so that our countertops {marble and soapstone} can be installed.

I’m getting just kind of excited.

Just kind of.

And after that, appliances. And tile. And the hood.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking of coffee and bacon and cinnamon rolls while I pad across the hardwood floors in PJs to snuggle with the kiddos on our first lazy Saturday morning. I don’t care if the boxes are piled high and I have a million deadlines and the laundry isn’t done.

I want that lazy Saturday. We’ve earned it. Seriously… that vision is what’s getting us through on the home stretch.

The mantel is shaping up nicely… we found this little guy at a flea market and have been holding onto him ever since. He’s the perfect size.

Apparently the brick in this corner put a lot of pressure on the floors over the years, and there’s a slope. We’re using less weight with a sliced brick this time around, and it should help… along with a lighter fireplace box. We plan to compensate in the flooring… but there’s something about it that I find oddly charming.

We begin brick tomorrow. And beams. And windows. And and and…

We’re excited.

Meanwhile, in the basement…

But there were some guys digging around in our yard this week… I think we’ve paid them all around 7k for mandatory tests… {we really have no idea and this is a ballpark figure and I just threw up in my mouth a little} so we hope to hear something soon.

::stubs toe::

“Thanks, septic.”

We’ll probably be doing more diy down in the basement, just to compensate for said tests.

If you need me I’ll be in the fetal position taking solace in these cabinets.

Namaste, suckas.

Stay tuned.