The Final Entry

We're finally feeling like we've created a home, so I thought I'd share one final post and several photos. We've come a long way since the last post, but it seems the "to-do" list continues to grow...and financial prioritizing seems to prevent things from progressing as quickly as we'd like. Despite all that remains to be completed, we are loving every minute in the space that Matt designed. It is amazing how much a beautiful, well thought out space can affect your mood and overall outlook on life. During these short winter days we are really appreciating every little bit of sunshine that finds it's way through the south facing facade of windows and the radiant heat in the concrete floors.

Entry

carpet tiles by FLOR...we still need to find the perfect stools for the kitchen island.
Back Hallway
the hallway storage is one of my favorite spaces...so much stuff "neatly" hidden away!
Steps to living room
reclaimed douglas fir...same as the heavy timbers. and more FLOR tiles.

Living Room

the East wall is so massive that it was difficult to fill the space with conventional art. we comissioned this piece from an artist that works full-time for "Anthropologie."

Fireplace

this was the most difficult part of the design process for us...but we finally have all the "issues" resolved and are pleased with the end result.

Dining room

View out dining room window from kitchen sink. Matt hopes to eventually build a dining room table from the huge white oak tree that was removed for construction. we had the tree milled and it is currently drying. the adjacent porch (just off the dining room) will be screened-in this spring.

Powder room on main floor

This is was our first "color" attempt....the photo doesn't do it justice. It has been very intimidating to think about color selections in this blank slate.

Master bath

View of powder room from master bath

Stairwell


So that's it. Thanks to all who have followed along...come visit in person to see future updates!

Final Grade

The grading and seeding was completed this week - just in time for some great summer storms. No need to water around here! Another grade of sorts: our home has been energy star certified by the state of Wisconsin and is in the top 5% of home as far as energy efficiency is concerned.

In other news, yesterday we spotted a large snapping turtle crossing the yard and had coyotes howling quite nearby...always something new around here!

A long awaited update

Where does all the time go? We continue to make progress - this weekend we parked both cars in the garage! Our landscaping (basically grading) is scheduled for the first week in June. It will sure be nice to not be tracking sand and gravel in every time we enter the house. Matt hopes to get a start on the screening for the porch within the next couple weeks as well. We have enjoyed many guests and have our weekends full for the next 4 weeks, so that leaves little time for projects...but we are so happy to have a roof over our heads and friends and family to host. This is a decal we placed on the boy's bathroom wall. Titled "Strength in Numbers," I think it works perfectly in the room and is a good lesson for the little guys as well! Blik is a great source for crazy decals of all types.

One of our frequent visitors, the boys are not even excited to see turkeys anymore! Unfortunately, our windows have become somewhat of a hazard to the birds around here...last week 2 scarlet tanagers lost their lives to the windows and the week before it was 2 yellow bellied woodpeckers. (and our windows are filthy - what will happen when we get them washed?!!)
And now for some exterior shots... The prodema worked out beautifully.

The shower

We're finally able to take a shower in our master bathroom. It's been a long time coming, but I think the final product was actually worth the wait. Our tilers did an amazing job and created a beautiful work of art out of what we had simply planned would be a square shower. The interior corners are all perfectly curved and the bench area is amazing. The major reason this piece of our project took so long was delays in delivery of the tile...which we ordered through Matt's office. If anyone needs a recommendation for tiling companies, we certainly would use these guys again.

Prodema

A few nice, dry days here have allowed for some exterior work to be done. This is the prodema siding on the East side of the house. The garage has not yet been done, and rain is expected for the rest of the week, so we'll just keep our hopes low for completion. The master shower tile is about half done now - and wow! it's going to be bold. It will probably be all placed by tomorrow night and then will still need a day of grouting - hopefully Friday. Slowly, very slowly, we're nearing completion. We are feeling very at home here now...it is a wonderful space to call home. Both Matt and I have had nightmares about selling this house...needless to say, we are very happy to be in, and, at this time, NEVER want to leave this place!

Getting settled

The metal siding portion of the exterior of the house was completed last Friday. From this angle, it nearly looks finished! ...but the prodema (see link for info) portion of the siding still needs to be installed. That will be placed on the East side of the house (living room wall) and around the stairway windows.
The empty spot on the garage will also have prodema siding. We have a bit of landscaping yet to do! Matt is planning on screening in the porch this spring...and we'll need it; I spotted a mosquito last week - at 42 degrees!
The tile of the kitchen backsplash was installed last week... we're still waiting for our master shower tile to arrive. This tile is clear glass, but has a beautiful sea-green hue to it installed.
The custom cabinetry was installed in the living room last week, too. We are still waiting on the fireplace surround, which is currently being fabricated. (Note the mess already collected on the entryway ledge....)

That's it for this week's update....more to come.

Getting there....

Dining room from kitchen
Kitchen from entrance
Living room from steps
Master bath

We're living in the house now! The exterior still has a ways to go, but inside we're feeling pretty comfortable...especially with the heated concrete floors. It's been too long since I've posted, but I don't have time to go into great detail. Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?

Upstairs

Stairwell as seen from the front doorFrom the landing, looking up to the second floor
Looking down the stairwell from upstairs hallway
Boys' bathroom
Boys' bedrooms....sliding door to be done at a later date!