Thursday, February 23, 2012

New Pictures!

 These pics will be the last until March 5- when we'll have (no doubt: outstanding) hardwood floors to look at. In the meantime....

 Here is a picture of the wood for the hardwood floors. Each room has a giant stack of wood in the middle of it. It looks to me like so much more than you'd need to "floor" a room, but what do I know?



Here's a cool shot of the cabinets going up in the kitchen. This is the sink area. Of course they'll  have granite counter tops and really cool vintage-y looking (but brand new) dark varnish handles. The carpenter working on them today showed me a cool function- they don't slam. You just sort of let them go and they close gently on their own. (What???!!!)



Here is some of the hardware/tools on the breakfast bar. 


These are the light cut outs for the fancy valance over the breakfast bar. It's the same style/wood/finish as the cabinets. Can't wait to see it up. 
 Here is the decorative support for the valance. It fits the period of the house so well, I think- while still  being a little funky and modern.


Another fab cabinet upgrade from Mary- this is a pull out for garbage and recycling. You could probably use it for anything, but- really- why would ya? This is so convenient!!

More hardwood piles throughout downstairs.

 These are the railings from the upstairs hallway over-looking the stairs. Mike took them down to re-finish them and also to insure a better fit for the hardwoods. It's on the upstairs bathroom floor right now, which has recently been updated to include the molding on the floor- so it's a "two-for" shot.

 Here's a shot of the top of the cabinets. Mary explained it was desirable to have cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling so we coughed up the extra money for it. At the time I was just blindly trusting her, but now that I see how awesome it looks - I am really happy. (Except that now all cabinets that don't go all the way up look silly to me and I have become far picker about kitchen design in general...)

We have dates for the floors!

So... there will be no showings allowed from Feb 29 to March 5. There may be peeking into windows allowed, but there will be no walking on the floors, per Mike.

I will get in before the 29th (Happy Leap Year, by the way) to take pictures of all that's been going on. I can't believe how it's all starting look "almost finished".

Here's a picture of the color I am expecting the floors to be. Can hardly wait!!

Friday, February 17, 2012

yikes! so many things going on

The house looks amazing...but unfortunately- I got there too late to take decent pics the other day. We don't have lighting yet....so if it's past dusk, my phone can't capture the pictures properly.

Mike (the contractor) called to say we have to postpone showings for a bit because they are going to start the hard wood floor process but then Jody (the realtor) snuck one in at the last minute for tomorrow.

So far, we've had great feedback from the showings.

There is a ton of buzz- which is exciting and terrifying. Lots of folks calling Jody or emailing me.... it's almost like there is a great party going on and people are trying to get on the VIP list to catch a preview of what it really looks like inside before the doors are actually opened.

I am a little relieved that it will pause for a few weeks for Mike to do the floors....we're just about a month away from being totally done on the inside and I'll be frank: it scares me!

I guess it shouldn't...we've known since December that we have to sell her. It's just odd. We really never thought we'd EVER sell 2 Locust.

We did find a house we love in NH. We signed a contract to buy it and have the inspection tomorrow. If all goes well with the inspection, we'll close on that purchase but won't move until May (when Dan finishes his classes.) It will be odd to own two homes for a bit. (And expensive! lol) We decided not to move back into 2 Locust- even after she's ready. It will be too hard to leave her twice, I think. We sort of went through the brutal separation already right after the fire... I don't want to do it again. Also- we think there is a giant benefit in keeping 2 Locust pristine after she's finished. Not that we're excessively messy people or anything...but this way she'll be brand new when her new owners take over.

So... we're going to crash with my parents for a bit. (yikes, right?!)

It's no one's dream to own two great houses and then sleep in the guest room at their in-laws....but Dan is a trooper and this is what we've chosen.

sigh- the things we do for our buyer.  ;)

I am going to swing by tomorrow morning and try to get some good pictures before we head to NH. It sounds like once they start the flooring, we can't poke around for awhile, so I want to get great "before" shots. We really lucked out with the hard woods- Mike was able to upgrade us to some really top shelf hard wood! We tried very hard to spend the insurance money in the places WE would like to see it spent: floors, kitchen, bathrooms, etc. I think it's really coming together perfectly.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

first glimpse of the cabinets!! (and some other fun stuff)

The cabinets are going up!! They are so much cooler than I'd even hoped. I can't wait to see the finished kitchen. It will be magazine worthy. I will sooo be pinning it on Pinterest. (ha!)






Some of the doors are hung!


Rooms and hallways are starting to be recognizable as such! Here's the view towards the two back bedrooms. (looking very bright and sunny!)

Some shots to show the colors contrasting.

And a view from the back of the upstairs hall towards the other bedrooms and the bath off to the right. 

Thursday, February 9, 2012

News!

Looks like my relief at not having to show 2 Locust quite yet was premature...! A potential buyer has requested a showing for this Saturday. I am excited to find out what people who aren't me (or my close friends) think of the house as it is now.

No doubt: someone with the right vision could absolutely see what's almost there and want to scoop it up before its completely ready. But still...to be blunt and fair: we're not done. A friend of mine (who doesn't follow the blog, GASP!!) suggested we put some cookies in the oven to bake for the showing.. I had to gently remind her that there is no oven.

I mean, of course there is an oven. It's a fantastic stainless steel number and its wrapped up in the first parlor with all the doors. It's just not in its own position yet.  Maybe I could just leave some oreos out.

Personally, I'd be more impressed with actual cookies than the mere whiff of "cookies to be"...but that's sort of the opposite of what I'm expecting the potential buyer to see in 2 Locust on Saturday.

I do wish I could be there. I would love to point out the important stuff... to tell them exactly where the new stuff is going and invite them into my  head to see the way it turns out.

At the very least...I'd like to hand them a list of the things that will be finished and polished on our dime. Maybe I should draft that list anyway.. post it and then check things off on the blog. I am sure Mike would love it (lol) more paperwork on 2 Locust!!!


Monday, February 6, 2012

Hardwood

Decided to go light: it's the butterscotch color- up in the upper left corner of the samples below. Though I do love dark floors, I think light is better for a busy home. It will hide more pet hair and scuff marks than the darker ones. I mean, we're building a home here, not a museum, right?
.
Our old hardwood floors were light and held up so well considering all they were put through! Two dogs, two cats and two kids and all their assorted visitors (the kids had visitors, not so much the pets - though when the Sparks' family lived next door, their dog, Cali, often came to sleep over) created a ton of traffic- but the floors always looked better than you'd expect them to under the circumstances.

 Also- I think the new ones come with a lifetime warranty. Remind me to give you all the paperwork on that if you buy the house.




Friday, February 3, 2012

Good News, Bad News (with pics!)

The debut showing was cancelled for tomorrow- which is sort of bad-ish news. BUT! there is so much happening at 2 Locust right now that it's probably for the best. In a week or so, there will be that much more to look at... Plus- I really felt under-prepared. LOL- I know that's odd considering I am not even really allowed to be there for the showing... but I imagined the house being far more "done" and having little staging opportunities everywhere - like a bouquet of flowers or a few coffee cups on the breakfast bar. I think both 2 Locust and I are secretly relieved that it's not quite "showtime" yet.

'Kay. so, deep breath! Back to what we do best.

Here is the kitchen floor and honey beige paint. Don't mind the door to the back porch. It's not the right color anymore. (Our cabinets used to be that color- so it looked cool when it was open like that... ) anyway: love the warmth of the walls now. That yellow is just perfect and the ceramic floors are fantastic.



Here's the front entryway color. It looks more brown in this picture than in really is. In real life, it's just a deeper version of the hallway color that runs up the stairs and through the upstairs hall...
  


This next color might be my absolute favorite of them all. It's in the office/second parlor room and it really pops in person. My phone doesn't really take the best color shots, I guess- because none of these seem do to justice to the actual colors. Also- the lighting isn't done yet in the house, so I am stuck with lots of shadows. Guess you'll just have to come in person! ;)






While I was there, I picked up the hardwood floor samples. Email me if you have input. I am leaning towards mid-range now. Originally, I thought dark- but if the new owners have pets, they will hate me a short while after moving in. Dark floors show every single dog or cat hair.... better to go lighter, I think.
 Here is the upstairs bathroom floor. It's perfect. I can't believe what pros Mike and Eddie are. All of the do it yourself projects we did look like first grade art projects compared to this work.  (Sorry, Dan)

Here are the interior doors- all of them. :) They look a little out of place leaning on a wall in the parlor like this- but I am sure they'll be happy in their respective new homes. I hope a family with kids moves in and the doors get teenagers to slam them someday in angst. Seems like that would be the most exciting a door's life could get.



This is a shot of the dining room/family room taken from the office/second parlor. I love how subtle the walls are...which surprises me, since I always lean towards dramatic color choices. That "blank canvas" aspect is so appealing. You can also see the woodwork over to the left. 
 And last but not least... (drum roll, please) Here are the cabinets. Or, well- the boxes that hold the cabinets. I CANNOT wait to see these up in action in the kitchen. I agonized over picking just the right yellow to go with them and I think I nailed it... we shall see very soon!

First Showing of 2 Locust Tomorrow!!

oh my goodness! I imagine this must be what parents feel like when they send their kid off to kindergarten.... assuming their kid is not quite finished all the way and still kind of rough around the edges.

But! no matter. Some brave soul is ready to take a peek at the promise. 

I'm going to have to run over to 2 Locust at lunch today to give her a pep talk. ;) And take some pictures, of course. It has been a few days, so I bet Mike and Eddie have done a ton. Will update later on! In the meantime, here's a pic from the good old days of 2 Locust:


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Map

Seems my link to Trulia is slipping or the picture is sliding... or something is a little off.  No worries, though- you can go to the actual Google Maps link and put in "2 Locust Ave Troy, NY".   http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl


It's funny that Google blocked out the license plates, but not Dan on the porch. Privacy is a funny thing, I guess.


If you've already played with the Google Earth street map, then here' s a funny cartoon I found called "Surreal Estate Agent"


Look what I found on Trulia!

Exterior Street shots of 2 Locust after the fire. You can tell because that's the old roof and the attic window is covered. I can't cut and paste it for some reason-but if you follow the link, you can play around with the exterior views. Cool!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Map of 2 Locust Ave

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