Insuuulate good times (come on!)

OK, we're not quite insulated, but we will be in the next couple days! Today there was evidence of some preparation for the blown-in cellulose insulation that will be going in later this week.

It's tricky to see in these photos, but the upstairs (top) and guest room (bottom) ceilings have been covered with a fine mesh netting, which will hold the loose insulation in place. Here's what it looks up close:

And if you're quite observant, you may have noticed a little critter in that top photo. Not sure what he/she is (some kind of stick insect?), but it's definitely not in a great spot... hopefully it'll squeak out of the netting before the insulation arrives!

In other news, there was some more wiring downstairs for our AV setup. We decided that since we have the opportunity, we should wire the living room for a built-in speaker system (of course, we don't own the speakers yet, but we'll get there eventually!).

This set-up should allow us a lot of flexibility with our AV/entertainment stuff... We will probably end up getting an all-in-one receiver plus 5.1 speaker set-up, so if you're an AV nerd buddy, let us know if you have recommendations! (We need it to be able to hook up to the computer, since we stream everything through the computer/projector, but we also want to be able to hook up Brandon's turntable - so those are the major requirements.)

Also, apparently this happened yesterday, but I failed to photograph it... the porch roof is done!

Hooray! Can't wait to hang out on that porch next summer. The house is looking so good that I wanted to get a photo of us with it in the background... yup, we're big nerds.

Simon was more interested in the giant log he found to gnaw on, but we think he'll be more impressed with the house once there are kibbles in it.

While you were sleeping

I know, logically, that we are going to be paying dolla dolla bills to the bank over the next 30 years or so for this amazing project. But sometimes - like right now for example, when I've just gotten back from 10 days hanging out on the east coast - the progress seems like complete magic. Wizards and genies and fairy dust, seriously. Somebody pinch me, this thing is starting to look like a house!!

I reported already (thanks to the photo update from Steven) that the crew had started on the siding while we were gone. There's also been a lot of progress on the "house guts" - plumbing, electrical and HVAC. We had another meeting this morning with Steven and the head electrician, mainly focused on figuring out our AV needs. We don't have a TV, so actually all of our TV-like entertainment (Netflix, MLB.tv) is streamed through a computer to a projector. This has presented some complications in figuring out the wiring, where speakers should go, and such. However, it seems like we came up with some good solutions today. One of the most exciting things about this house is how intentional everything is. Our current and previous places have always had miscellaneous inconveniences - useless spaces, lack of storage, outlets hidden behind furniture (or no outlets a'tall). None of these things are a huge deal, and you learn to live with them. What's so amazing about this project (especially to a Type-A freak like yours truly) is that everything we own is going to have a place, and the way we live has directed every decision along the way. I seriously feel like the most fortunate human in the world to have this opportunity.

But enough of the rambling - here are some pictures! This is the current state of the exterior:

 

Don't worry, the battens will eventually be painted red as well. Faux zebra stripes is not a look we're going for.

There were some major changes in the basement, where as I'm sure you recall, the spiral staircase of doom used to spring from the fiery bowels of the earth. It is now an ancient (but fear-inspiring) memory, and instead we have some framing for the new mechanical room (where the HVAC, hot water heater, etc. will reside).

Also of note in the basement, they busted a door through the concrete block wall to join the basement with the new entryway (in this sentence I imagine "they" to be a crew including Superman, Captain America, and Hulk Hogan). You're welcome for the additional perk of Brandon's sexy laygs in this photo.

The new entryway (and the lack of the giant hole in the middle of the floor) really makes the first floor seem huge and spacious.

Here are a couple more shots of the house guts...

Pipes and ducts and wires, oh my!

Elmo approves.

The electrical work is all supposed to be done in the next few days, because insulation is happening at the end of this week, and drywall next week! I believe the drywall is actually slated to start on Tuesday, which is our third wedding anniversary. According to Wikipedia (reliable source of all important information), the traditional gift for the third anniversary is leather. I'm disappointed, I was really hoping it would be gypsum plaster.

To end on a note of "things that never would have occurred to me as river-based recreation," Steven came over yesterday with a remote-controlled model sailboat that he built. The wind was a little shifty (can we blame Irene out here in Michigan?), but the boys still had a good time launching and sailing the little boat.

Unfortunately there was a small malfunction - either the batteries weren't quite charged, or the boat hit the Bermuda Triangle of the Huron River, you decide - and a rescue boat had to be launched.

(No ships were lost at sea in the making of this post.)

Time is on our siding

Another quick photo update from designer/blog support staff member Steven. As you may have gathered from the title, the crew has started putting up siding! Eventually the house will have a board-and-batten appearance, but the battens aren't up yet - so here are the boards.

Other than all that barn-red loveliness, Steven reports that they've been making good headway on the mechanicals and electrical work. The switches now resemble crazy jellyfish (is that just me?).

Also of note - the bathtub is now located in the bathroom! Of course, it's a bit lacking in privacy at the moment...

We're having a great trip but looking forward to getting back to check out the progress ourselves. In the meantime, thanks again to Steven for the update!

It's electric!

You are so very welcome for that earworm.

The carpentry crew must have been at another site today, so nothing new to report framing-wise. The dormer still has a scenic view of... tarp.

However, the electrician was at the house this morning to start some of the wiring! He was working on upstairs fixtures that will be much easier to do now, vs. when the roof is all insulated and sealed up. We spied the site of our future bedroom ceiling fan/light fixture...

...the light/vent for our shower...

...and a couple other big wires that must be for outlets, laundry machines, etc.

On an unrelated note, I forgot to photograph this yesterday when Steven pointed it out. This is the adhesive that the crew is using. We'd chatted with Steven about our desire to use low-VOC paints and other materials whenever possible, so I was really happy to hear that he had suggested this to the builders (I didn't even know this stuff existed). Our respiratory systems are psyched too!