We're back in action...

I know, I know...it is been way too long. As if people even read this blog anymore. The truth is, the work that has been done over the last few months hasn't been that exciting to share. Trust me, you don't want to see pictures of the muddy hole we like to call our basement. That is until now...

We've hit a fairly significant milestone, and Jay tells me this means we're going to have a finished basement in no time. For those of you that are good friends with Jay, you know that 'being finished in no time' means at least 3 months ;) He is great...

So...the big milestone is that we had our basement floor repoured. It was far from being level, and having this done will help us in the long run to get this project finished. Last week Jay started framing in walls, and hopefully in a few weeks we can start running the electrical. It's looking good...and nice to see the needle moving in the right direction. I'm going to take some pictures over the weekend - so check back next week for another update.

Toasty warm in our newly painted house...

This weekend Jay & I finished insulating the attic...a bit of a dirty job as you can see below...but well worth it for the warmth I felt when I got out of bed this morning! We rented an insulation blower and rigged it up so that I loaded the machine from the basement, the hose weaved through the floors of our house up into the attic, and Jay was let lose Ghostbuster’s style...very entertaining.

The house painting is also complete. What a huge difference this makes!

We're going to take advantage of the nice weather over the next few weeks and get cracking on downstairs. Stay tuned for more pictures!

No more ghetto house!

Yesterday was a huge turning point. I came home from work and realized...our house is no longer ghetto! Now, it just looks like a nice house that is still a tiny bit under construction. The painting isn't quite complete (all the white trim still needs to be added and the bottom is still waiting on a second coat), but here is a sneak peak on the improvements made over the last week. It really is so exciting!

Other milestones this week include plumbing in the kitchen. Yes, it's true, we now have a working kitchen sink and dishwasher. This is also incredibly exciting. So exciting that when Jay called to tell me while I was working in Toronto last week, I actually ordered a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Jay's been working like crazy since we got back from vacation...and it's really paid off. He's also enlisted the help of Darren Gilbert, who has moved to Vancouver just in time to help us through the home stretch (Gilbert - it's about time...where have you been the last 6 months?).

This week's projects include finishing the attic so we can empty our storage unit and start putting things away. Then it's time to get crackin' on the suite downstairs. Stay tuned...

Big news...we're getting hitched!

I was tempted to add this post while we were still in Italy to see if anyone actually every reads this blog but didn't want to give the big news away until we actually got to tell our parents!

So...Jay popped the question on our first night in Venice...moonlight, champagne and a gondola ride...he thinks this gives him enough romance points to bank until we are old and gray ;)

Such an amazing vacation...we'll share some of our 700 pictures very soon (Jay is a bit camera happy...).

Sadly we now have to trade board shorts in for work clothes...back to home renos...we're hoping for a working kitchen sink and dishwasher by the end of the weekend. Stay tuned...

Last update before September 7th...

We're leaving for Italy in 7 hours...so this will be the last update until we are back on September 6th. It's really hard to believe that this trip is already here...but the much needed R&R will be key in getting us through the final stretch of this project (and by final stretch I mean between September and December ;)

Despite the hard work of Jay & Mike Kelly, the painting has been postponed until we get back in September. We have chosen the colours (pic below) and the new siding is very close to completion. Jay is extremely happy that the new siding and stucco repair makes our house look level (two of his favorite tools are the level and the plumb bob). My Dad would be proud that I even know what that is!

This week our friend Simon installed our new concrete kitchen counter...and it looks fantastic. Simon did an awesome job...they look great...and I promise to be careful with the red wine ;)When we get back we're going to have a kitchen sink too! This is very exciting...

So stay tuned as the chronicles continue in September. For the next 18 days we're going to be drinking good wine and soaking in amazing Italian culture. Lindsay, my roommate from university, is getting married in Sicily on August 25th...so wish me luck on my Italian MC gig...and wish Jay luck for having to wear linen 'Don Johnson' pants ;)

Ciao!

New siding on the front, stucco repair is now done, new windows are all installed.

Jay and his new siding ;)

Paint colours are a blue/gray on the top; olive/brown on the bottom/white trim. A little darker than we thought, but after 10 test patches, this is looking good...

Jo's weekend art project ;)

New concrete kitchen countertop...very exciting.

Updates, Updates, Updates...

Well, it's been nearly a month (as some of you have reminded me), so it's time to update you on our progress. We've had some camera issues - so I'll apologize in advance for the photo quality. This will be improved by next week's entry.

The upstairs is coming right along. Our friend Simon is working on the concrete counter tops which should be ready in a few weeks. We still need to do all the trim, finish the cabinets (handles and dark wood panels), install bedroom doors, closet doors, prep the attic for storage and insulate.

Jay has been busy prepping the house for painting. New windows for downstairs will be installed this weekend, the dormer installed at the from entrance, and siding replaced in spots. Hoping that painting will be completed in the next couple of weeks.

The downstairs suite is on the priority list (this list never seems to get shorter).

It's hard to believe that we are almost half way through the summer. With wedding season in full swing, we only have two weekends left to work on our house before September. It's moving right along though. Housewarming is pushed back to November ;) I joked at the begining, but it's looking more and more like it will be a Christmas party!

Here are some pics...

Jay working on the dormer...

Jay enjoying some quality time with the couch...

Dining area & kitchen...

The vision - picture concrete counter tops instead of plywood. The corner sink will be diamond shaped by the window (looking forward to not doing dishes in the bathroom anymore).

Updated bathroom shots...
Note the angle on the toilet paper holder - Jay is very proud of this ;)

I taught an old dog new tricks...Maggie loves her new dog bed!

Our new bar area is currently serving as a dish drying station...Picture wall...

And the Golden Shovel goes to...

Mike "Goon Spoon" Kelly...wow...what a digger extraordinaire...and super hard worker. Because of Mike's skill and determination, we were able to have a working toilet the day we moved in. For some of you that might not seem like much. For me, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you!

Mike in the trenches...

We're finally in!

We're not done yet...but after nearly 4 months of hard work...we are finally in. Jay pulled off a working toliet at 2 am on Friday night (well, technically Saturday morning). We've moved in some furniture, appliances have been delivered (the beer will now be cold!), and we are in the midst of putting together our new Ikea kitchen cabinets. It feels so nice to have our things again...and to sleep in our own bed!

I'll keep updating with pics as we move along. It's really starting to look like a house vs. construction site ;)
The kitchen...

The living room...
The bathroom ...
Bathroom vanity...
Finally...a good sleep in our own bed...
This will be the colour of the cabinet doors (hoping to install tonight!)...
Maggie is adjusting fairly well to her new digs...but the old girl clearly doesn't like change! She's sticking close by to us until she's used to the new pad. So close by that she actually crawled underneath our bed on Sunday morning...and got stuck! She's not as slim as she used to be!