this is a test post

hi people. I am thinking about opening this up again, haven't decided though.

to the left is a picture of some piano keys. do you like them? I like tham.

One more, this shows how shiny the cabinets are. 

The Winter of My Discontent

Well here it is. I don't have any 'before' pictures immediately available, and these shots aren't so great, but trust me the transformation was pretty elaborate. There are still many things not done, and I could use some help on finishing touches, etc. Any suggestions are welcome. Please comment, question, complain, etc. at will.

Enjoy.

Another shot of the shelves so you can see that the colors can change into anything your little heart desires. 

Cool sink huh? 

Bathroom, almost done as well. There will be some Colorkinetics lights around the ceiling under that wood panel, making the ceiling glow to match the lights outside the bathroom. 

The unfinished bedroom. I ordered new furniture & will be adding more lighting as soon as it's here. 

Again across the kitchen. That tall cabinet next to the dining table will be flanked by a wall that matches the one sticking out of the back of the kitchen block. 

Toward the back door. Notice the giant 'A' sanded on it? Yeah they were supposed to replace the door two months ago, haven't done it yet. 

Across to the kitchen. The island, back, and sides of base cabinets is going to be covered with wood and aluminum panels. 

Looking into the living room. I'm still trying to decide what to cover the fireplace with 

A full overview 

Notice one light fell down, I will have to take it apart and reglue it. 

A fitting end

So I thought that I wasn't going to have a closing this morning. I decided to keep my vacation day and stay home anyway, I've been really tired and wanted to just sleep in & hang out. At 7am, Metric calls me asking me what color I wanted the braces on the wood columns painted. Um, how bout the same color you've painted every other brace? So much for sleeping in.

At 10:30, my dad called to say the closing was scheduled for 1pm, so he was dropping off his car so I could go to the bank & get the money for the closing, etc.

After I got the check, it dawned on me that they hadn't done the final coat of poly on the floor. I called Metric to ask them to delay it until tomorrow morning, so I could at least get in today. After shelling out over 15 grand this morning, I feel sorta entitled to at least try out the new key. Metric said they had already started. So much for that.

When I got there just before 1, I decided to peek in and see how it looked. They had about oh, 50 sq feet polyed. Translation--they had started about 15 minutes before I got there, 2 hours after I was told they had already started.

The closing was uneventful, I got my key, and I can't even go into the loft for 24 hours. I could go on about the punch list of things still not finshed, but those will get taken care of in time. I don't plan on officially moving until the end of April anyway, probably the weekend after Vegas.

My parents keep asking me why I don't look happy today. Despite the fact that this floor thing is par for the course of this project, I'm still sad that even on this last day, this day when I became a homeowner, when I realize that I bought my own brand-new custom-designed loft at age 28 (even though I'm 30 now), Metric wins. Yes, I'll have a shiny new and repaired floor, but it will be, like EVERY FREAKIN OTHER THING FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS--delayed.

In closing, I want to thank everyone who read, commented, and supported me in this bloggy venture. My utmost gratitude and thanks to my parents for all of their time, love, and support (and all the new furniture & kitchen stuff), my sister Kimberly for painting the pop-art piece that's going over the fireplace therein becoming the 'focal point' that HGTV says you have to have, my cousin Michael who has offered his legal services for free for the past two years, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who have been buying me housewarming gifts for two years and helping me stay excited about all of this, Mark for designing the space and offering his architectural services for free, and to EVERYONE who has listened to me bitch, whine, complain, dream, and generally go on and on about this project for way longer than I should have had to.

I will post finished pictures tomorrow night. These pictures will be the 'before' pictures of what will be the details of the renovation I'm doing myself, and will be featured in the next blog, "Spring Forward"

-J

Of course

In the grand tradition of this construction project, it looks like we hit yet another delay. The flooring contractor ordered the floors resanded and refinished. In my mind I guess I thought that meant a couple of hours work, since the floors are brand new. When I went by this morning, the flooring guy was there with a sander, and sandpaper that looked like nails sticking out of a piece of paper. Translation--I doubt it will be done by tomorrow, unless they work all night, which usually doesn't happen.

What that means in terms of the closing I'm not sure. I guess I can rightfully close if the floors aren't dry yet, but it will certainly curtail the opening-day visits I thought I'd be getting. Then I'd just end up going to work and maybe taking Thursday or Friday off instead.

*Sigh*
-J

It's now Spring....

...and it's said that Spring is the season of new beginnings. Things are beginning to come to a close in this chapter of the Charleston Lofts saga.

This morning, I went by the loft, as I have been every morning now, and saw the plumber putting together the $400 faucet I had to buy last week. Well, the drain wasn't compatible with the pedestal of the sink. Long story short, I had to go back home, get the other drain I had, and bring it back. Yeah, that didn't work either. He ultimately used the drain that I sent with the sink, and just modified it to fit. After all that, I gotta say, the sink is not my favorite. I like it, just not so sure it fits well in the space. That might change after the bathroom is painted & the lighting changed. Hells yes I'm changing the lighting. C'mon, this is me we are talking about.

Everything is done now plumbing-wise though. Aside of a couple of minor things, the big item is the floor. The flooring contractor (I told you those guys just rock the house) has decided that the damage that was caused to the floor isn't worth trying to repair. He is going to completely restrip, sand, and seal the floor again. What this means in terms of dates I don't know, but I hope hope hope hope it doesn't push Wednesday out further.

Here is the updated task list:
- Delivery of range and refrigerator *DONE!*
- Bringing gas line for range up through the floor *DONE!*
- Installation of range
- Templating of countertop for island and base cabinets *DONE!*
- Installation of remaining cabinets *DONE*
- Fabrication of countertops *DONE*
- Installation of countertops *DONE*
- Installation of undercabinet lighting *DONE*
- Installation of dishwasher, 2nd oven, and refrigerator *DONE* (but has to be redone, more on that later)
- Installation of sink, garbage disposal, drain and faucet *DONE*
- Installation of bathroom fixtures *DONE*
- Installation of hot water tank *DONE*
- 3 coats of sanding and poly on the floor, 4 coats in the bathroom
- Finishing the deck, installing the patio, fence, and gate
- Fixing the crooked ductwork on the bedroom wall
- Fixing the crooked ductwork in the living room *DONE*(sorta, it's straightened & we're going to move it ourselves)
- Closing in and connecting the fireplace *DONE*
- Fixing the ceiling over the kitchen *DONE*
- Filling the hole in the ceiling over the dining area *DONE*
- Patching the walls where the backsplash had to be removed *DONE*
- Patching the walls in the bathroom *DONE*
- Patching the walls around the fireplace that had to be torn down and rebuilt *DONE*

Hey looky here, it's almost closing time.
-J

Ain't nothin' ever easy

Plumber called my dad yesterday. The faucet for the bathroom that I bought 2 years ago doesn't fit. It has European connectors and he couldn't find the right couplers. Ok fine. I had to get a new faucet for him to install on Monday, so yesterday I called this plumbing supply place in California that can overnight just about anything you want. Granted you pay $25 for that service, but it works nonetheless. I decided to by the Hansgrohe version of the faucet, since that's what the shower jets are & it would all match.

That little decision cost me $400. Yeah. $400. For a faucet. Anyway, they assured me that it would be delivered UPS by 10:30 this morning. I told work I had to wait home for it, and expected it to arrive by 10:30. Actually that's a lie. I don't trust UPS.

Because of that, last night I went up to EXPO with my parents and bought their Expo-generic version of the faucet for $200, just as a backup in case the Hansgrohe didn't come. The guy at EXPO said there is no comparison, that the Hansgrohe is far better. Far better at what I don't know, since they both spit out water, but whatever.

This morning, 10:30 rolls by, no faucet--OF COURSE. I called www.faucetdirect.com and they told me that it was on the UPS truck, that they will credit me back the $25, even though it was not their fault (plug for Faucet Direct, buy everything there.) Well as it turns out, the UPS guy knows my father and delivered it to him at work & he didn't know it was there already. All the pieces are there, let's see if the plumber can do this one.

I stopped by my place on the way in and saw something I've never seen before--a whole CREW of people working. Electricians, carpenters, painters, even the cleaning lady was there. They had all the appliances polished, all the cabinets polished (the cabinets get polished with car wax--very cool) and the ENTIRE loft was COMPLETELY repainted, including the rusty steel columns.

The painters were just about done. After they finish, the plumber does his dance with the bathroom faucet, then the floor gets refinished. Following that, the cleaning people come back and we sign the papers--I hope.

An outstanding issue is the patio which is not finished (okay not started), but Wanda told my Dad to have my lawyer contact theirs to write an addendum to the P&S addressing this.

Deep breath kids, it's almost over.

Um, Holy Crap

My mortgage company called, and as long as we get the COO this week, we close Wednesday morning at 8:30am. Um, Holy Crap.