Closing In on the Target

It's looking possible that we may actually be on target to close at the end of this month.

Yes, we know it's been a while since the last post, but because of a defective fan in a desktop computer, I've been without a way to post for a while. But now we're back in business so here we go...

The stone work has been completed on the fireplace. Here's before and after the stone went on. Now we're just waiting for the mantle.

The cabinets in the utility room have been replaced. (The first batch were the wrong color.)

Now it's just waiting for its counter top (and sink) and toe kick.

The tile crew has been hard at work. All the floor tile has been laid in the Great Room, Kitchen, Dining, Breakfast and Pantry and then covered with paper. The same tile was used (on the diagonal) for the kitchen back splash. And the second floor outdoor balcony has been tiled too, with a tile rated for outdoor use. The balcony railing is coming soon.

The garage doors have been installed.

Many of the light fixtures and fans were hung earlier this week .....

And the electricians were back again yesterday to (at long last) bring power to the house so they could begin troubleshooting all the appliances and fixtures.

Now that this panel has been installed and power has been brought to the house, if things go as planned, next week we'll finally be able to have power to the barn/workshop after waiting six months for it.

The trench was dug from the well house to the house, the water line was installed and is waiting for inspection at the same time the septic system is inspected.

But even as fast as things are going, we won't be the first residents in our new home. A pair of barn swallows decided that the ledge above the balcony door was a good place to build a nest! You may think that's cute, but after reading about them and the mess and health hazards they bring they won't be cute for very long. They're protected by Federal law and this nest wasn't discovered until after it became illegal to remove it, so they'll get this one breeding season. As soon as the birds leave the nest it goes, we'll scrub off the remnants and install screening before they come back next spring.

How's this for a framed landscape painting?

Here's one more photo taken from the breezeway between the house and the studio, looking west, as the sun was trying to burn off an early morning fog. It was taken before the electricians did their installs, so there's a ceiling fan hanging in the ceiling now. That'll make watching the sunsets much nicer in warm weather, won't it?