Leaf Peeping

Hi all. This weekend, we went upstate with our friends Larry and RJ, who are building a house over in Sullivan county. On Saturday, we drove up to their property, which is on a beautiful hillside not far the Delaware River. Unfortunately, we neglected to take any photos while we were there.

The leaves upstate are peaking right now, and the drive was great. We took the amazing route 97, which I had never been on before (check out a picture here). We spent Saturday night at my mother's place, and on Sunday morning, Nina demanded that we go pick some pumpkins. Above is a shot from the Jenkins-Leuken farm in New Paltz. The ridge is in the background.



Sunday, we made our way over to our house. The roof has finally arrived and is in the process of being installed. It is a galvalume standing seam roof, and it should be completely on by next weekend (weather permitting). We're really happy with the way it looks.



Our siding has also arrived, and is currently in our garage. Walter put together a few stain samples for us, and we weren't really thrilled with any of them. The original intention was to stain the siding black, but we're learning that some parts of the cedar don't absorb the stain as well as others, resulting in an uneven finish. This looks fine from a distance, but up close, it's not as attractive. Over time, it would probably weather and look good, but we're still looking into our options.

We also approved the stone cladding for our foundation on Sunday. The masons should start cutting and applying the stone soon.

OK, hopefully we'll have an update next week.

Update and Kitchen Plans

Hi all. There hasn't been much progress over the last couple of weeks, due to delays in receiving materials. Last time we posted, we mentioned that we would soon have our roof and siding, but neither have arrived. This coming weekend, we'll approve the stain for our siding, and Walter and crew will begin installation the following week (assuming it arrives by then). We'll also approve the stone that will clad the foundation, and hopefully the mason will be able to start work immediately. We expect a garage door soon, too. It will be clad in clear red cedar to match the ceiling of the covered porch above.

In the meantime, the plumber and electrician are working on the interior. We've specified every plumbing fixture in the house, so the plumbing can be roughed in. We're still working on the light fixtures, but we're pretty certain of their locations, so the electrician can get started too.

We didn't want to leave our beloved readers hanging for too long, so in lieu of progress pics, we'll give you some plans. Below are images that show the plan for our Henrybuilt kitchen, which is being built in Seattle right now. For those of you that have never heard of Henrybuilt, check out their website here. We looked at dozens of cabinet makers, and none compared to the quality or aesthetic of Henrybuilt. This really will be the center of the home, and because the kitchen, living room, and dining room are open to one another, a lot of thought went into its design. When you check out their website, notice the kitchens in walnut - that's the material we've chosen. First, the plan...

The plan above shows the refrigerator and base cabinets against the north wall, and the island to the south. The primary sink, diswasher and trash will be in the north cabinets, while the range, microwave and prep sink will be in the island. On either end of the island are hidden cabinets with doors on touch latches. One will hold cookbooks and the other will hold liquor. Between those cabinets is an open space for the legs of those sitting on stools watching the chefs in action.

Above is the north wall elevation. The refrigerator and diswasher will be paneled in walnut and will be flush with the surrounding cabinets. This should help us achieve the furniture look we're going for.

Above is the island elevation. On the left is a small prep sink. In the middle is a beautiful Bluestar range, that will probably be painted black. On the right is the microwave, which will be hidden behind a door when not in use. Who goes to farm country to use a microwave anyway?

And here's what the kitchen will look like from the living/dining room. Clean and simple.

Hopefully, we'll have more progress for you next week. Thanks for tuning in.

More Windows, Weatherproofing

Hi all. This past week, all remaining windows were installed, and the roof was weatherproofed. We're hoping that our siding and roof panels arrive this week so Walter and his team can begin installation, but there are no guarantees. Not too much to explain this week, so just enjoy the photos.