cozy

today, things started feeling a little cozier around here. doesn't this look good? in my dreams, i will imagine it is a giant slice of lemon meringue pie. but, i'm afraid i have to let you in on the fact that it is not pie, and in fact something much less enticing than pie. it is not even a warm cotton comforter. it is... it is... okay, it's fiberglass insulation! for the love of god, don't touch it!

the room is gradually filling up with this stuff, as we get ready for the dry wall to go up on thursday. before the walls cover everything, nate will take pictures of all of it, so he knows exactly what is underneath and where. he could ask me what is where, because, by now, i have a pretty complete record of it all. but he doesn't know he can ask me, so it is unlikely that he will.  tomorrow he will continue to stuff this stuff into the walls.  when they are fully stuffed, they will be covered over and likely never be heard from again. because they are soundproof. 

the trim has also arrived. as you can see, it is nice and level and looks excellent right where it is. maybe i will leave it there.

art shot: more trim. not too exciting, but it's here so it will have its 

15 minutes of fame.

pile  o'  tools

next>

ring my bell

it was a very special day today at the site. not only was it electrical inspection day (we passed), it was doorbell day as well. hooray for us! My new back door bell was installed and i must say i love it. here, try it:

click here!

come in!

alongside my new B, i think there is really something smashing going on around here.

for those of you with a sentimental side, i will include a picture of the old bell.  actually, it looks better here than it ever did on the wall.

next>

x-treme makeover

it's the weekend so nothing to report on the kitchen front. but having way too much time on my hands has given me an idea. why stop at the kitchen? why not just remodel the whole neighborhood?...

next>

5 items

every day i come home to find more things done, and more items ready to be put into action.  today i found that electrical items were finished up (for the moment, anyway) and that they fixed the hole in my wall:

why didn't i think of that???

the vent is ready to carry off all unwanted air. not to be confused with a soffit, which is hiding space, although air may be in the space. and the vent will be taking up space, but not taking away space.  and although there is no air in space, there is plenty of space for air. 

the reason why you have not been invited over recently...

mysterious and unexplained things i find when returning home:

edge of sink:

next>

electrical panel day!

yes, it happened! my electrical panel was installed! did you celebrate?  they came, they built, they left.  really quick and actually very neat. 1 new panel, 3 upgraded office outlets, three new ceiling cans.  so far so good.  don't know if they work yet, but the odds are in my favor.

your standard view of the new panel:

a somewhat more detailed view of the new panel, as seen from the front:

(does this panel make me look fat?)

an even more detailed view looking down from the panel in the wall: (is this too much information?)

the ultimate view — what the panel will be seeing: 

of course, you need to also visualize occasional glimpses of me running back and forth in front of it. 

now, what is going on here???? i just found this hole in the hallway, no explanation, no nothing.  either it has something to do with a new outlet, or i have a terrible pest control problem on the horizon. 

new ceiling light installed, right on center. excellent!

three lights installed. now i will really be able to see all the twinkies i plan to eat when the project is done.

next>

talk, talk, talk

there sure is a lot of planning that is going into this project. planning the height of the counters, the placement of the stove, the type of lights and where they should go, when appliances should be delivered,  ordering the window sill wood, size of glass tile, exact placement of the tile, and other things. and that was just this morning's conversation.  i must say, these guys are thorough. everything must be ordered, measured and totally mapped out or disaster could strike!  hard to give you pictures of all the talking, so here are some other shots for you:

the backsplash color: olive

the fabulous all-gas bertazonni stove: stainless (that means no stains)

future home of a very nice window sill:

an electrical conversation in the works:

tomorrow is electrical panel day! how will you celebrate?

next>

to inquiring minds

gentle readers, inquiring minds are asking,  "what the  ?!$@!!  is a soffit?" 

well, maybe not asking quite like that, but, you know, those inquiring minds really, really want to know. so here's the story: 

soffits are the fake walls above the cabinetry. they hide space, without actually being anything themselves. it's really kind of profound when you think about it and would make a good riddle if someone could phrase it properly. 

the new soffits were started today. they are not yet hiding anything, but someday, when they are big enough, they will hide all the space within.  then they will officially be soffiting all that big, ugly unnecessary space. they will also be discouraging dust bunnies and perhaps a chicken or two. 

now here is an interesting new development in the high-tech world of modern construction: tacky paper.  it's fascinating. no really. before you leave the construction area, you step on it so all the dirt on your shoes sticks to it, and, voila! no tracking messy construction dust all over your nice clean carpeting! it's like magic! it's right up there with zippered plastic walls. someone out there has made a bundle with this stuff.  

other news of the day: electrical plans for the kitchen. a bit like dance instructions, without all the music. mirror balls, you say? no, no mirror balls are in the design plans. some fluorescents, some halogens, some puck lights. today, we found out i may have to change out the halogens to conserve energy. first person to guess which are the halogens gets their name mentioned in the next installment. 

next>