Nighthawk - Interior Updates

To see pictures of the house before this post, go to Nighthawk House *Before* or Nighthawk Stage 1 Updates or  Nighthawk Interior Updates.

During all of the demo, things were changing at Nighthawk.  One thing we did first was cover the brick fireplaces with stone like we did to the exterior of the house.  And, like the exterior, we were very happy with how they turned out.

 

This is the laundry room before plumbing.  When we started installing new bathroom fixtures, we found out that the pipes weren't the right size for updated items and had to be replaced.

So these kinds of things happened.  It made the drywall guy a little worried at first, but then he adjusted his estimate and became happy again.  

The kitchen has gone through quite a change.  The original entry from the dining room has been closed and a new one created.  This, of course, came with issues.  We found out that there was duct work in the walls where the new entrance was supposed to be.  A little delay, but they were rerouted.  New plumbing was installed for the island; creating more drywall work.

Jamie and I spent one final weekend clearing out all of the remaining carpet.  There was an instant improvement in the air.

My office is currently storing hardwood.

Below shows the original entrance to the kitchen (on the right) and the new one (on the left).  There is also a new beam that had to be installed across the living room/dining room ceiling and the duct work had to be rerouted in those rooms as well.

No matter how hard I tried to keep things cleaned up, and the recycling sorted, this is usually how the house would look at the end of each week.  Everything in one big pile.

This wall is going to have a door in it soon so that we can come from the garage in to the basement.

This is the new steam shower that is being added to the basement bathroom.

 

 

This is the fireplace being covered in the basement.  He also did the small wall to the left of the fireplace where the new bar area will be.

This room ended up with a lot more drywall work too. We decided to take out part of the wall to Jamie's office and move the door so that there was more space in the game room.

 

There was also more rot than we originally thought from the flooding upstairs in the kitchen.  New beams had to be replaced in the floor and walls.

 

  (I realize now that I need to clean the lens on my small camera.)

 

 

My craftroom isjust waiting for paint!

 Makena's room had electricity ran to it so that she could have an overhead light and ceiling fan.

 And her new soaking tub is in too.

The master bedroom is being prepped for the new french doors and deck.

 

 

 

 And if the exterior doors ever arrive (2 weeks delay already) we'll have that room ready to paint too.

 A new frame had to be made for the new tub in the master bathrrom.

Unfortunately, the tub was installed backwards.  It had to be taken out and some adjustments had to be made for the it to be reinstalled.

 

 

We've run in to a few major and minor issues along the way, but we still are seeing an improvement.  We had to delay the move-in date by another week so that there was additional time for cabinets.  We also had our painter decide that we were not a 'good fit' for her company, so Jamie spent an entire day at the house meeting with new painters.  He found one that he's happier with and has already done a much better job painting in just one day.

The tile is currently being installed in the bathrooms and the hardwood floors should be started early next week.  We still have a long list of things we need to do, but we're headed to the lake for a few days of relaxation with family and friends.  And Jamie says we aren't allowed to talk about the Nighthawk house for 5 whole days.  We'll see how long that lasts...

Nighthawk - Exterior Updates

We've only had a couple of changes on the exterior of the house the past couple of weeks, but they have made a big impact already.  

If you remember, the master bedroom is the top right windows in the back of the house.  Here is the before.

We are adding a deck there, so the windows were removed and the new doors/windows were framed in.

And then the deck was built. It's going to be so nice!  We've had a delay with the exterior doors, so as soon as they arrive things can be finished there.

We also had the 22 year old brick covered with stone.

 

 

 And we love how it looks.

 The landscapers started this week too.  Because there is a drainage issue (yes...another issue), french drains had to be dug in the backyard before starting any work.  Jamie ordered all of the flagstone and river rock today.  I can't wait to see the transformation there!

Surprise 80th!

While Teri was in Oregon visiting this month, a plan was made to celebrate her birthday.  During that same time, another plan was made to surprise Grandma Neena for her 80th birthday coming up in August.  Some people may have lied to their grandmother to keep the secret.  Not me though, I left that up to my sister and cousins!

Ginny (my cousin Kim's mother-in-law) wanted to plan a tea party for Grandma's 80th.  I think Ginny may have done the most amount of lying.  And, she probably still feels guilty to this day.  The party was held at Ginny's house.  And because we also wanted to celebrate Teri's birthday, we did that too.  And because the day after the party was Father's Day, we celebrated that too. 

 

 

 

 Grandma was very surprised! That is Ginny with her.

 And this is Grandma's friend Elinore.

 And these are beautiful desserts that I couldn't eat. (Updates on Medifast in a different post.)

 Ginny even had servers bring our meals.

 

 This is food that I could eat...after I took out the yummy strawberries and oranges.

 Grandma loves tea.  Kim gave her this tea ball that came to life inside the water.

 They guys had their own dinner in the other room

 Then there was cake!

 And presents!

 

 It was such a nice day out that Danny and Asher decided to play in the pool.  And then they got tired of the pool and played in the yard.  These boys obviously aren't shy.

 

 

 

 And a crazy, family photo to end the party right.

I would like to point out that Jamie ate/drank other than the suggested Medifast foods.  But, we were there to enjoy good food and company, so he probably made the right decision!  I did really well until I saw there there were german chocolate cupcakes that Grandma made.  I tried, really tried, but just couldn't last the day without eating one.  It.was.wonderful.  Every bite.