Cabinets done!

Okay, so they need the knobs and handles, but Nathan finished the woodwork and the doors. It really looks good. You can see the Tiffany-style lights over the tables, too.



Richard and I are very pleased with the look of the cabinets. Nathan is now rendering a drawing of a possible fix in the guest bathroom.

The guest bathroom was my one design flaw. I had thought the space was larger than it was and had the plumber position the toilet across from the pedestal sink. When we started using the bathroom we discovered there is barely room to squeeze by to get to the tub. I thought we'd have to tear out tiling, cement board, tile floors, plumbing and electrical to fix the issue. Nathan suggested a small wall-jugging cabinet to hide the plumbing, sacrificing the pedestal sink for a small corner unit with counter and make it all look like a custom built in. It sounds like a lot cheaper fix than what we were contemplating. And it even sounds very pretty. So we are waiting on drawings to see what it will be like.

The tricky cabinet...

Nathan, the cabinetmaker, is here! Due to inclement weather he has been delayed several times but finally, he's here. Since I wanted my stove and micro/convection oven in a corner because I had windows with a view on both sides it created a host of problems cabinet-wise. We used stock cabinets throughout the kitchen but the corner issues and the venting required a professional. Enter, Nathan.

While talking to him about things he could do, I mentioned my little lunch counter idea. He offered to make a table out of hickory to match floor and cabinets. I looked around at my kitchen and decided, "Yeah, I'd like that!" I wanted to be sure that he'd get me lots of knots and grains in the wood, though. I prefer the rustic look. He said he had some lovely pieces. Today he brought the table/lunch counter in. Oh, my. He said one of the boards was splitting so he used a wood called purple heart and made little butterfly "pins" to hold it together. He placed the butterflies randomly in the table top. He allowed for the wood to warp underneath as the seasons changed. I love the sleekness of the contemporary look...and the rustic look of a craftsman. He satisfied both mine and Richard's tastes on several levels. Here is the table (out of place):



It looks lovely even though its not in its place yet.



Here is a not very good view of the table top with the butterfly "pins."

Right now, Nathan is working on the corner cabinet so those pictures will have to wait for a couple hours.

Plumbing is DONE!

The plumbing is DONE! Yes! The plumber finished the final steps today - hooking up the master bathroom sink and bathtub.

The electrician is arriving later today to do the final electrical hookups (we hope). I bought the hanging lights for the dining room and the lunch bar. The master bathroom needs all its outlets and lights put in.

Richard has the bedroom doors stained and ready to install. He will finish the baseboard trim when the doors are on.

The guest room closet still needs trim and doors.

The end is NEAR!

Slowing down...

Things have slowed down on the house as we start wrapping up the final details. The electrician and the plumber are coming Saturday to finsh up the details. The cabinet-maker is supposed to call me back.

Richard will be going to get the 2 bedroom doors tomorrow. One he installs them, he will finish the baseboards.

And then the decorative phase starts. Hanging pictures, putting up shelves, and building different things as needed like small cabinets, or bookcases. I'm anxious to get to this phase.