Its raining!

It maybe raining outside but we are dry and cosy warm in the house!
Today's menu- yes quick visit to home depot then juggle around between confirming the floor tile design in master bath, installing boys bathroom floor and finally picking colors! The samples I picked up weren't quite right so I'm going to get the whole pin wheel of colors to decide!!
Kamal is being an electrician and installing the ERV control in master bedroom- I'm way impressed!

It's Friday, My Bday & A Sunny Blue Sky Day.

Today i opened the bday cards that were sitting on our table for the last few days. It made me tearful to read my sister Naina's card! Also as I turned on my phone I saw bday messages in my email and Facebook page from my loving family and friends.
As I woke Nesh up for school his first words were, "Happy Bday mom," even though he was half asleep! It made me feel very special.
Anyway back at the house-Oleg is here at 8.30 am and he continues to work on the guest bath shower tiles. We tweak the design as he goes along and it's looking very creative.
I'm playing with the design for the boys bathroom and having fun. I have been dreaming up different patterns for so long but now that I have the tiles in front of me, it makes it easier to see what is going to look great. I'm so excited I can't wait for him to start in the boys bathroom. Yes I'm still giddy about the blue glass tiles we bought from Karen Barnes dad last week!
Keith and Joe, HVAC guys- did the final hook up and are testing the heating and radiant heat works! Hooray! Apart from wiring the ERV (energy recovery ventilator) control we are done! All I need is a finished bathroom and kitchen and I'm moving in!!!

All Systems Are Geo! We have heat!

Yesterday I finally picked up the blue glass tiles for the boys bathroom.
The carpenters started the molding that goes on top of the kitchen cabinets and we finally have steps to go into the garage.
The plumber came and drilled holes into the kitchen cabinet for the hot and cold water pipes to connect to the sinks which we'll install once we have a counter top.
Today Bills here with Keith and Joe to start the heating! They're running water through the radiant tubes this morning. The temperatures dropped to freezing last night so it's really cold down in the basement today. My fingers are frozen. Last week it was so hot I had to open all the windows and was sure summer was already here!
It's 2.30 pm and they are still working away. The humidifier is being wired up, Keith seems to be doing lots of wiring!! Bill is checking out the water tanks and checking all the electrical connections are done correctly.
I'm waiting for JP to return to finish the garage manifolds! He promises he'll be back!
4.22 pm - the geo is on!! Now we wait. 4.32 pm - I feel the heat blowing out the vents!
JP has also set up garage manifold.
So what an eventful day- it is wonderful to know that at least the first floor heating works.
However today doesn't end there. While I was changing the color of the grout I had bought at Home Depot, Oleg the tile guy called! So here I am back at the house for the evening shift!
Oleg is starting to do the slate tiles in the back mudroom. What a pain these tiles are! Not only are they fragile and flaky but they are not all the same depth! It will be a challenge to have a leveled floor! What were we thinking when we chose them! Good old porcelain- I understand why people love it now.

Guest bathroom shower tiles

During the day Greg and Rich, the HVAC guys came. Greg built out the heating/ cooling vents under the kitchen cabinets and Rich went around most of the vents and taped the seams in preparation for the Energy Star testing which has to happen at some point. He also told me we need to get the ceilings painted ideally before they put on the ceiling vent covers when they have the test done!!
I spent a good few hours- yes you've guessed it, raking stones! I'm making a boarder around where I think I might want flower/ perennial beds, walking path and grass. Reviewing what I did today I realize the front yard bed needs to be reshaped.
In the afternoon I went to- right again!- home depot in Porchester, for a change, to pick up my new wet/dry vac. Liz and Jimmy have been kind to lend us there's for months- I think it's time I returned it. I also checked out and got samples of the kitchen counter tops we are thinking of using! Silestone again! I love the durability, stain free and no fuss care! Good when Kris is cooking! Yes Kris is becoming quite the cook. However he can only make things that are incredibly rich like hollandaise sauce, alfredo sauce, heart attack sandwiches!
Tonight Oleg is here and putting up the shower tiles in the Guest bathroom. I'm a little nervous as I've designed the pattern and only yesterday I changed the size of the tile that was going in here! I've had 2 years to work on this but it took Kamals decisiveness to finalize on the tiles and our forever diminishing budget. So far so good with the pattern-

Neshi lends a hand

Neshi cane to the house and helped Kamal install the front door lock, find the thermal wires in the attic and be Kamals helper!
Today we had the guest room floor tiles installed. The 12x12 tile fit perfectly but was challenging for me as I tried to figure out what pattern I wanted. The black marble tile had a white streak in it- but as all natural stone all the pieces were very different.
All the floors to be tiled are covered in cement block or self leveling cement.

It's Friday!

I've had the whole morning at the house without having to run out to get supplies.
Clay is working outside moving the gravel and paving stones and finishing filling rhs of basement steps with soil.
I vacuumed and covered the family room and dining room floors again. I'm using the cardboard from the kitchen cabinets to try and protect our finished bamboo floors.
Last night the guys completed the cement board installation in the back mudroom, guest bath and started on the front mudroom.
Karen stopped by to see the kitchen cabinets. She was very impressed with the carpenters as they had put up all these cabinets with only a couple of calls to her. I'm really happy as these guys work hard, are accurate, able to problem solve, do a great job, take pride in their work and show up when they say they will!
It 5 pm and I think I got a lot done today. We reused the paving stones that were along the front of the old house and Clay skillfully placed them along the garage side of the house. We restored the poor tree to the right of the garage that has been slumped over for a long time! I'm hoping it will thrive again. The gravels been replaced, the back basement steps are drying, the cement board and vents have been vacuumed and I continue to rake stones that are in my way!!
The weather has been so warm I'm happy I had half the day outdoors.
Tonight a well earned rest after carting boys back and forth from piano.

Back steps

Last night the carpenters finished installing the kitchen and pantry cabinets. Now they only have to finish the trim work and put the glass on the upper cabinets. They also got started on putting cement board down in the guest bath and back mudroom. I held my breath as Kamal drove some nails in the boards- my fear was him piercing the radiant tubes underneath.
We will find out when Keith checks the tube pressure in the basement when they return.
Today the poor Subaru has had to cart 7 bags of Portland cement type 2 to the house from Casa. Victor will pour the basement steps today.
I have one more errand to pick up the bamboo grills for the heating/ cooling vents on the first floor now. Then back to raking more stones from the front yard.
Victors is pouring the cement, gravel and sand mixer into the moulded back steps while I rake the stones in the front yard.