After two horribly unproductive weeks working on trim, last week was a little bit better. It took three weeks, but we’re now about 95% of the way through our trim work (not including cabinet installation). The doors are installed, the door/window casing is done, the crown molding is installed, the baseboard is in, the wainscotting, coffered ceiling and fireplace trim are done, most of the handrails are installed and the faux column in the main living area is about 75% built. We still have to finish the column and finish the handrails (our supplier delivered the pre-assembled handrail that was a couple inches too short), and install a handrail fix where the wall was framed a couple inches too short, but that stuff shouldn’t take more than a few extra hours.
We also had the sheetrock crew come back to touch up the sheetrock. Watching them work was amazing. They founds literally hundreds of minor blemishes (stuff I’d never have noticed) and made hundreds of touch-ups around the house. I’m thrilled with the results. Overall, I’m disappointed that the trim took three weeks, which means we’re not a week behind where we were, but at least the trim guys finished strong and were mostly done before the painters come back this week and at least we were able to get the sheetrock guys in as well.
Speaking of this week, it’s going to be a very busy one…here is what we have on the schedule:
- Start Installing Cabinets: On Monday, my cabinet installer will start on the kitchen/dining room cabinets. There’s no way he’ll finish in a day, but he’ll have to take much of the rest of the week off while the painters are in the house. Hopefully, he can get back in on Friday and then finish the cabinets next week.
- Install Siding: Monday and Tuesday the siding crew will be on-site and will likely finish most of the job in two days. Hopefully they’ll get the gutters in as well.
- Interior/Exterior Painting: Painters come in on Tuesday and will likely be around for 3-4 days. Much of that time will be interior work, but they’ll be doing some exterior work as well. I don’t think we’ll be 100% complete on the exterior, so I may have to have them come back in a couple weeks to finish up.
- Stake Out Bio-Retention Pond: On Tuesday, our surveyors will be out to survey and stake out the location of the bio-retention pond, in preparation for installation later in the week.
- Run Electrical Conduit: On Wednesday, our utility contractor will come in to install a conduit (4″ PVC pipe) underground from the power pole to the house. This will be used by the power company to run underground power lines to the house in a few weeks.
- Install Bio-Retention Pond: On Wednesday and Thursday, our utility contractor will dug and fill with stone/mulch a 200 square foot bio-retention pond and install underground piping from each of the rain downspouts to the pond.
- Install Trim: Hopefully the rest of our trim — finish column, finish handrail, handrail fix — will go in by the end of the week.
- Start Finish Electrical: If the painters can finish up by Thursday, our electrician will likely come in on Friday to start installing outlets/switches and electrical fixtures.
It’s going to be a crazy busy week, but by the time the week is done, we should see an amazing transformation. With the siding/trim/gutters on, the outside will look nearly complete; and with cabinets installed and interior paint complete, the inside will finally take shape. If things go well, this could be the most fun week we’ve had on the project.
Btw, with losing a week on the trim, it appears very unlikely that we’ll be in the house by Halloween. With the tile work and the hardwood finishing each likely to take a complete week (where we’ll get nothing much else accomplished), that doesn’t leave much time for the finish electrical/HVAC/plumbing, the countertops, the rest of the insulation, the rest of the flooring, etc. So, right now, we’re tracking to finish around the first week of November.
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