House Update

We’ve had the new house for a week and a half now.  It’s so nice to have it officially as ours!  Even on our close date I was sure something was going to fall through.  Thankfully, it didn’t.

So far we’ve ripped up the floors (so easy to write; so hard to do!), removed baseboards, removed door hardware, electrical switches, toilets, and painstakingly tried to remove wallpaper. We’re 4 hours into that project and still have another two hours to go.  Wallpaper should be illegal!  We’re so thankful it was only in one bathroom.

This afternoon I plan to finish up the wallpaper while Ben seals the cement slab.  We have a moisture barrier issue which is why tile was our only flooring option.  It’s common in Florida but we’re hoping the waterproofing sealant Ben puts down will eliminate the problem.

The painters are coming tomorrow (I think) to paint the tall room, ceilings, and doors.  After they complete the ceilings we can begin painting the rest of the walls in the house.  Then we need to rip out the carpet because the flooring people are coming on Tuesday.  🙂  We chose dark, wood looking 8×36 tile.  It was a bit of a splurge.  I fell in love with it at the showroom and the people told me it was $4.45/sqft which was more than we had budgeted.  Well, turns out they misquoted – it was actually $7.45/sqft but they said they would honor the lower price.  We both really loved it so we bought a cheaper carpet and expanded our budget a little. I just hope I’m going to love it installed.  I think this is the tile: http://www.floridatile.com/products/magnolia.  Ours is the mahagony, I believe.

After the flooring people finish we can put in new baseboards, replace hardware and electrical switches, install toilets, and all that type of stuff.

Other to-do’s:

Pool safety net – appt is set up for next week.

Plumbers to repair downstairs shower and I think we’ll need to completely re-tile that shower.

Replace light fixtures

Backsplash in kitchen

Remodel stairs – we’re debating between Ben DIYing it, carpeting them (don’t want to), or having it professionally done.  We’ve had a quote but it was way, way, way beyond what we could afford.  We want to spend $2,000.  They quoted us $10,000.  So, we need to get another quote or two for that.

New glass in upstairs shower – the glass door doesn’t open and close properly.  We may try to fix it?  Not sure if it’s fixable.

Paint/pressure wash exterior – they’re coming in early June.

Molding in living room.

I recently discovered with Kimmy one of my most favorite features of the house – the fruit trees in the back.  I had specifically searched for homes with mature fruit trees.  Little did I know when we bought it that it had two mango trees, an orange tree, and wild blackberry vines throughout the backyard.  I’m elated!

Also, there are an extreme amount of different types of palm trees in the yard.  I estimated 18 – 20.  Yesterday I counted with Gramma Meyers…..42!!!!!  Oh help!  We’re not going to be able to maintain all those.  The yard needs so much help.  There’s stuff growing everywhere.  I’m not thinking about the yard yet, though.

We really love the house so much more than we expected.  We didn’t think we’d be able to find something we would really love and afford but this house is just perfect.  I feel like an angel searched to find the perfect home for us and then dropped it in our laps.  It’s more than I ever expected to have.  We love the layout, the neighborhood, the proximity to Ben, and the yard.  It’s just the right amount of space.  The kids’ bedrooms feel not too close but not too far.  I love the symmetry in the entryway.  And, I love the natural light!  Great for picture taking!  We feel so blessed!  Can’t wait to move in!  Just a few more weeks 🙂

A few picture I snapped on Wednesday night: