The mountains crumble

Look at our house! They cleaned up the masoners' mess yesterday and started spreading out the mountain of dirt from the foundation (part of it is still visible at the right). Looks like a real yard now--smells like one, too. The property used to be a farm and there are lasting consequences, if you know what I mean....which means, also, however, that we should have good luck with our plantings! Bob is itching to dig into that Indiana dirt and start the landscaping (but most of that will have to wait until next year, of course).

Elusive progress

I use the word "elusive" today, not because progress isn't being made, but because the progress being made is hard to photograph. Progress is being made on the wood floor: as of today they have finished the great room (kitchen section shown in the photo) and started down the hall--but how many photos of an unfinished floor are YOU willing to look at? The tiling and grouting of the tile is continuing, but there again, one photo pretty much looks like the last.

The attached photo of the stone retaining wall is something you haven't seen before. Looks nice and rustic!

Compare that outdoory rustic-ness to the attached photo of the ultramodern-looking chandelier. Our lighting lady made this suggestion...but thoughts on our part that this is the look we want in the foyer remain elusive!

Heating up

Continuing my punning practices, today's blog title refers to the weather, me, and the fireplaces! First, isn't the stone on the fireplaces beautiful? Bob found the upstairs Indiana limestone design on a wall at the Bloomington Convention Center and had them replicate it for us, and they did a wonderful job doing that. The downstairs half-wall fireplace is the same stone as on the exterior of the house and it looks nice down there too.

The two photos of tile show our shower all grouted and ready for the plumber and the guest shower with its IU red design. Neither of the designs in these rooms is exactly what I had ordered from my tile guy, sadly (especially the red design), which contributed on Monday to a tense conversation between me and the builder--you could say I was a little "heated." He had picked out a shower "sill" that looked cheap and started installing it. I won the argument, and I'm now ordering a nicer one from my countertop man, which is what I was in the process of doing before he decided he needed one NOW--which he didn't really.

So that issue has been laid to rest, and the beautiful ash floor is being "laid" as well. Yikes, the punning is not as pretty as the floor!

Father's Day report

For Father's Day, here's a photo of Bob's muscular calves, as he stands in the tiled master bath shower. Which is lovelier???

There are not many good photos available this week--the tile guy continues to work, slowly, although he is nearing the end. The other interior work has involved mostly planning stages and ordering supplies. Hopefully actual visible work will be done next week.

You can see a photo of the finished columns on the front, as well as one of the white basement doors standing up to dry and the angular stair handrail.

Tile photos

Here are some photos of the tile in the upstairs guest bathroom and master bath, where we will have a seat and a soap/shampoo shelf. You can also sort of see the floorboards installed in the shot of the downstairs entryway tile. The floorboards and the walls will be different colors (slightly) in the final paint job, but right now they are pretty close.

Things that go up

Here is a series of shots of the front pillars going up. Work has been slow over the past two weeks, but it is coming along (you have never seen ANYBODY who moves slower than our tile installer, who is nonetheless doing a good job and is a very nice guy).

Also included today is a photo of the oak stairs that have also gone in and that also go up!