UPDATES

September 14, 2006

It's been a busy few weeks since our last entry.

Kitchen:
The kitchen cabinets are all installed and our next step is to order the counter. We will have someone come in and take measurements to ensure a good fit. Once the counter is installed, we can hook up the dishwasher and stove and we'll be functional.

Fred (Andrew's Dad) discovers that one of his patients owns a granite company. We get in touch with him and order a piece of black granite for the breakfast bar area, which is half the cost of what we'd pay at Home Depot.

Living Room:
The plywood and hardwood flooring is delivered and waits patiently to be installed. We anticipate installation to start in the next few days, and should be done in 2-3 days.

Bathrooms:
We install the bathroom sinks and vanities into place. They are now ready for the drain and faucet installation.

We purchase the tub tiles and install them. Instead of mortar, we used acrylic tile adhesive as it has a stronger hold and sets faster. It's tricky to set the first row to ensure it is level. We purchase an inexpensive tile scorer/cutter for small straight cuts so Andrew isn't constantly using the wet saw.

After letting the tiles set, they are grouted. The tub has taken a beating, encountering everything from plaster, to paint and grout. With a little elbow grease and TLC it comes sparkling clean (gotta love acrylic!). We start to silicone the gaps between the tub and tiles, and still need to finish off the edges with water resistant trim before the tub shower is functional.

James comes by to install the toilets and the remaining bath faucet fixtures. We are excited about having a functional toilet on the second floor, even though we still have to wash our hands in the bath tub. He will be back next week to install the sink drains.

Andrew does a fantastic job installing the washing machine and gas dryer. We love the front loaders!