Tile and siding complete!

Front entry tile.... it looks so great with the log walls!

I have tile!  I really love the tile in the entry/pantry.  It's perfect.... but I was surprised by the "brightness" of the tile in the kitchen.  It will certainly make the kitchen a light filled space.  The creamy pattern has slight swirls with an undertone of beige and it looks good with the cabinets and the cleaned log walls.... it's just so different from the brown log world of the rest of the house....the tile guys did the entry/pantry/closet one day and the kitchen the next.  Everything is done...floor complete!

Kitchen with windows painted, trim boards ready to be installed, and tile complete!

Oak trim stacked ready to be installed for base
board and around doors.    Tile folks will return to do
tile for stove surround and "backsplash" between windows
once the countertops are installed.

Other than that, the past ten days has been very slow but some progress...Last week Irv brought all the poplar for my window trim so I spent my evenings after work sanding that all down and priming it, then two coats of paint.  I also painted out all the windows and their returns so it will "bounce" in the light.  I chose to paint the trim and window returns the same color as my ceiling- only in satin finish.  It looks nice.  Not too yellow but a good warm white...which I will appreciate in the depths of winter here.  I've decided to stain the patio doors and only do the returns and trim in white.... if I decide later to paint it, I can but I want some wood tone to frame the porch.... and I may decide I even want the trim to be oak...but at this point I don't have enough oak to do it and Irv had provided poplar for it so I will put it up and then live with it for awhile... They also measured for countertops and back splashes so I am looking forward to that happening!  It just seems to take forever between events- I know I work from a theatre mindset where we collaborate and coordinate tightly with an "opening" night that is our deadline but this feels like it's taking forever.
This week finally the siding was installed and everything is trimmed out.  After all my work to get the "old" siding cleaned and re-stained the installer used the full lengths in the barn and then used the restored lumber for smaller areas....so I have a lot of 4'lengths of cedar now....arrrgh.  It was "easier" for him.  Stupid men.
This is exactly why I prefer to be present when they are working because they always choose to do what is fastest and easiest.  I don't understand how much of a time savings it really was since I had all the boards labeled as to where they should be installed and all the stacks of boards distributed around the house close to where they were to go, everything labeled, AND I had talked quite specifically to the "installer" and not just Irv, my general contractor.  Apparently the problem came in that he started on the tallest area using the new boards in the barn (which is what he was supposed to use for that area) and that was so easy he just kept on using that lumber and didn't use the labeled lumber for the shorter areas until he had to start fitting under and over windows..... so, instead of having enough "new" cedar to do my porch wrap and trim, I only have three remaining lengths of cedar and a whole lot of useless cut off boards now.  Know anyone who can use some cedar in 3-4' lengths???   Birdhouses???  arggghhhhh.  And I'll be paying for cedar for the porch trim....

Cedar installed and trim completed.... now to do final stain...

And of course, the lumber from the barn all needed to be cleaned and stained so most of my labor these previous weeks was wasted.  Yesterday I pressure washed the installed cedar, let it dry, and started the staining process.  It goes fairly fast since it already had one coat on it but being stacked in the barn for several years, it needed to be top coated.  I have the East exterior wall complete including all the soffits and trim..and everything else cleaned.  I just ran out of daylight and strength.  While everything dried, I spent some time working on "mouse proofing" the old foundation area and have the bottom edge of the original house cedar all cleaned, spray foamed up into the narrow bottom cavity, and cedar ready to be applied to fill the gap once George gets home and can help...I need four hands.

After mouse proofing,  I sorted my oak for all the door trim.  I had moved it to the barn and stacked it on shelves after the demolition was complete and I had cleaned it all, removing nails and sanding the rough areas.  Hopefully the finish carpenter will be back next week to install it.... and my hope is by sorting thru the oak and standing it next to the door it is to be installed on this time it might actually be done correctly.  So.... I sorted thru piles of oak boards to find the right lengths, loaded it on my wheel barrow and wheeled it up the hill to the house, and distributed it around the rooms, leaning the pieces against each door and on the floor where it will be installed.  Amazingly, I think I have enough oak to do everything.... and since they don't have any other oak laying around to use they might actually get it right.  Oh yeah- I think this blog was something about learning to "let go".... lol....

Porch light and entry chandelier came in so went and picked them up.  Not sure when electrician returns but can't be soon enough for me....as well as HVAC.  We've had a few nights now down into the 50º range and it does get a bit nippy without any heat....We've had fires in the fireplace to take the chill off in the living room at night and I put the down comforter on but having heat again will be a good thing.  Fortunately, it's been warmer these past few days.

I know my frustration and exhaustion stems from the juggle of being back at work and also trying to stay on top of this renovation.  But I'm really ready to have my home back, a kitchen with appliances, less noise and dust, some privacy, and order.  I need organization and access to my things.  After a long day at work dealing with students, teaching class, having meetings for fruitless administrative missions and agendas that frankly seem mostly like "make work" instead of having anything to do with teaching or helping students, and then to come home to this.... I'm just ready for it to be done...I need Irv to get things scheduled and stop this "drift" of day's when nothing is happening.  And in my  spare time, I've designed the Tragedy of King Lear but I need to complete the scale model so best get off this blog and get to work.... more as things progress.  Best to all- Sy