Love,
Cary, James & Summit
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Certified to Occupy
This past Tuesday, exactly 234 days after breaking ground last spring, we officially received our "Certificate of Occupancy" or CO for the house. This means we can legally and legitimately move in. Woot, woot! BUT...wait for the but...having a CO doesn't mean it necessarily makes sense to move in. Why? Well, because we're not quite done yet. One big thing still stands in our way. Painting. Ick. There are lots of little loose ends to tie up, many that will probably still be loose for some time after we move in, but we both decided that painting is one thing that needs to be done before we officially move into the new house. It just doesn't make sense to move all our stuff in only to have to cover it up and work around it to get the house painted. Luckily, we've enlisted the help of a few good friends who paint houses professionally to get the job done as quick as possible. Hopefully, we'll be officially occupying our house just after the New Year. Yippie!
Here are a few pics showing the painting prep. Sorry for the bad pictures, they were taken on my phone. Maybe we should just stick with the red, white and blue color scheme throughout the house!
Here are a few pics showing the painting prep. Sorry for the bad pictures, they were taken on my phone. Maybe we should just stick with the red, white and blue color scheme throughout the house!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Floors Galore!
There have been a lot of things going on at the house in the past few weeks and I'm behind on blogging. I'm behind on life to be honest with you. Is it really Christmas time? It feels like we just celebrated the Fourth of July. Seriously. Lately, James and I have been feeling a little worn thin. It's understandable considering where we are and what we've been up to for the past nine months, but I'm pretty sure we're about at our breaking point. Although, I think I said that last week and we didn't break so we'll see what's in store for us this week and next. Anyway, my intention was not to complain to you but rather to show you some of our finished floor.
Laundry room tile work
After our tile trial in the upstairs half bath and laundry room, we felt we were ready to tackle the downstairs. With the help of a few friends, we were able to tile the entire space in just a few days. It turned out great. I wish I had better "finished" pictures, but I kept forgetting my camera and now the pretty tile is covered with paper so I can't show you better pictures until moving day.
We also had our upstairs oak floor stained. We decided to go with a pretty dark stain. It turned out beautiful and we both really love it. What I don't love so much is the footprints, dust and dog hair that show easily on it. But that's why we got a good central vacuum cleaner and James promises he'll help with the daily (ha) cleanup. Too bad it's also not Summit proof. But we found a solution for that, at least for now...
Summit and her scratch proof booties...we'll see how long that lasts!
James and the Giant Vacuum. We'll see how long that lasts!
Laundry room tile work
After our tile trial in the upstairs half bath and laundry room, we felt we were ready to tackle the downstairs. With the help of a few friends, we were able to tile the entire space in just a few days. It turned out great. I wish I had better "finished" pictures, but I kept forgetting my camera and now the pretty tile is covered with paper so I can't show you better pictures until moving day.
We also had our upstairs oak floor stained. We decided to go with a pretty dark stain. It turned out beautiful and we both really love it. What I don't love so much is the footprints, dust and dog hair that show easily on it. But that's why we got a good central vacuum cleaner and James promises he'll help with the daily (ha) cleanup. Too bad it's also not Summit proof. But we found a solution for that, at least for now...
Summit and her scratch proof booties...we'll see how long that lasts!
James and the Giant Vacuum. We'll see how long that lasts!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Gratitude
I realize this is about two weeks late. Everything seems to be two weeks behind schedule these days but even my type A personality has learned to adjust. So really, what's two weeks, right?
This post is about gratitude. A few months ago, I visited a yoga studio with one of my dear friends. After just a few classes, I was hooked. Being one of those "crazy runners" for almost my whole life made it easy to laugh off yoga as merely a "silly stretching exercise". I went to that first class thinking it would be a breeze and left with shaking limbs and a completely humbled heart. Because this is what yoga does for you. Yes, with enough practice you will get incredibly toned and "stretchy", but yoga also gives you so much more than that. It opens you. Opens your heart, your mind, your spirit. It provides a still moment in a life filled with busyness and stress. And in that still moment you are reminded of all that is perfect in this world, perfect in your world. It reminds me of all that I am eternally grateful for.
Our family, friends and co-workers. You all surround us with love, encouragement and understanding. There aren't words to describe what you do for us. We love you all so very much.
Our health. Our bodies are strong and our health in good standing. Nothing is more important.
Our home. Warm and inviting, it will be a place to gather loved ones and grow a family.
Our love. It's gotten us through the most challenging and rewarding year of our lives and it continues to grow stronger every day.
James and I recognize that we are very fortunate to be able to live the lives we do. We have worked hard to get where we are and have wonderful things in our lives, but without the support and love of our family and friends and the strong bond of love that joins us together, we know we wouldn't be where we are today. It is in the quiet, still moments at the end of a fulfilling yoga class, when I can put aside all the busyness of my day and forget about the insignificant bits of life, that I am reminded of this gratitude and come to the full realization of just what a lucky girl I am. It gets me every time. Namaste.
This post is about gratitude. A few months ago, I visited a yoga studio with one of my dear friends. After just a few classes, I was hooked. Being one of those "crazy runners" for almost my whole life made it easy to laugh off yoga as merely a "silly stretching exercise". I went to that first class thinking it would be a breeze and left with shaking limbs and a completely humbled heart. Because this is what yoga does for you. Yes, with enough practice you will get incredibly toned and "stretchy", but yoga also gives you so much more than that. It opens you. Opens your heart, your mind, your spirit. It provides a still moment in a life filled with busyness and stress. And in that still moment you are reminded of all that is perfect in this world, perfect in your world. It reminds me of all that I am eternally grateful for.
Our family, friends and co-workers. You all surround us with love, encouragement and understanding. There aren't words to describe what you do for us. We love you all so very much.
Our health. Our bodies are strong and our health in good standing. Nothing is more important.
Our home. Warm and inviting, it will be a place to gather loved ones and grow a family.
Our love. It's gotten us through the most challenging and rewarding year of our lives and it continues to grow stronger every day.
James and I recognize that we are very fortunate to be able to live the lives we do. We have worked hard to get where we are and have wonderful things in our lives, but without the support and love of our family and friends and the strong bond of love that joins us together, we know we wouldn't be where we are today. It is in the quiet, still moments at the end of a fulfilling yoga class, when I can put aside all the busyness of my day and forget about the insignificant bits of life, that I am reminded of this gratitude and come to the full realization of just what a lucky girl I am. It gets me every time. Namaste.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Priorities
We might not have our floors sanded and finished, our trim completed, our master bathroom tile finished, our sinks, faucets and toilets in, walls painted or our light fixtures hung, but we do have our new TV, cable and internet hooked up. Priorities, right?
Take a closer look at our living room TV. It's a Samsung LED Smart TV. That means it is directly hooked up to the internet and because it's LED, it's also incredibly efficient. And oh my is in thin! I'm a little bit of a traditionalist when it comes to living rooms. I like this TV, but not enough to want it hung above our mantle. Maybe in the game room, but not in my living room. So James came up with a genius idea and handmade contraption to store the TV behind the wall. It glides out on a rail system when we want to watch TV and glides right back in when we want it out of sight. Cool, right? It's nice having a handy hubby.
We also got a Christmas tree last weekend and set it up on our deck. It's a 4.5 foot Douglas Fir. We planned all along to get a live tree this year (and every year!) so that we could plant it to mark our first year in the house. When I was a kid we used to do this and plant the trees in our back yard after the holidays. Well now, thirty years later those trees are huge! It will be fun to watch this one grow over the years as we too grow old in the "new" house. Now we just have to find the perfect place to plant it! And remember the smart home system that James introduced you to a few months ago? He's been working hard to get it set up. For example, now we can control our Christmas tree lights (and all the house lights) on our iPhones or iPads from our current apartment 4 miles away. Pretty cool, right (or are we just really nerdy)? More to come on the smart home stuff. Stay tuned!
Take a closer look at our living room TV. It's a Samsung LED Smart TV. That means it is directly hooked up to the internet and because it's LED, it's also incredibly efficient. And oh my is in thin! I'm a little bit of a traditionalist when it comes to living rooms. I like this TV, but not enough to want it hung above our mantle. Maybe in the game room, but not in my living room. So James came up with a genius idea and handmade contraption to store the TV behind the wall. It glides out on a rail system when we want to watch TV and glides right back in when we want it out of sight. Cool, right? It's nice having a handy hubby.
We also got a Christmas tree last weekend and set it up on our deck. It's a 4.5 foot Douglas Fir. We planned all along to get a live tree this year (and every year!) so that we could plant it to mark our first year in the house. When I was a kid we used to do this and plant the trees in our back yard after the holidays. Well now, thirty years later those trees are huge! It will be fun to watch this one grow over the years as we too grow old in the "new" house. Now we just have to find the perfect place to plant it! And remember the smart home system that James introduced you to a few months ago? He's been working hard to get it set up. For example, now we can control our Christmas tree lights (and all the house lights) on our iPhones or iPads from our current apartment 4 miles away. Pretty cool, right (or are we just really nerdy)? More to come on the smart home stuff. Stay tuned!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Ground Control to Major James
I am giving you all special clearance to view our top secret (not really), super technical (yes, definitely) "Control Room" (aka our basement). You'll mostly see pictures here because I personally cannot explain exactly what each piece of the puzzle does or even what it is technically called. I intend to get the details at some point, but as long as James understands how it works (don't worry, he does), I'm good. If you have questions though, be sure to ask away and I'll get James to give you an answer. =)
Let's start with our two 400' geothermal wells that were drilled in our front yard several weeks ago. These puppies tap into the natural energy stored in the ground. Because the temperature down there is typically very stable year round (approximately 55 degrees F), we can use it to heat and cool our house. A few statistics for you "greenies": geothermal systems are 3-4 times more efficient than oil, natural gas or propane systems (wowzas!). For example, geothermal systems provide 3 to 4 units of space or water heating energy for each unit of electric energy consumed by the system. In comparison, the most efficient oil, natural gas or propane system delivers less than 1 unit of energy for each unity of energy consumed by the system. Systems that burn fuel can never deliver more energy than is available in the fuel. Geothermal systems can typically result in energy cost savings of 50% over fuel systems. (source) And of course, they are GREEN! Here's a NYT article explaining a little more about residential geothermal systems. As a bonus, we will be getting a federal tax credit to cover 30% of the total cost of the entire system. Not the we needed much incentive to invest in this system but that is big $$!!
Ok, enough about the details, here are some pics. Big shout out to the guys and gals at Nutmeg Mechanical who installed our geosystem. They were incredible.
Geowells are surprisingly small in diameter and are capped and buried.
Let's start with our two 400' geothermal wells that were drilled in our front yard several weeks ago. These puppies tap into the natural energy stored in the ground. Because the temperature down there is typically very stable year round (approximately 55 degrees F), we can use it to heat and cool our house. A few statistics for you "greenies": geothermal systems are 3-4 times more efficient than oil, natural gas or propane systems (wowzas!). For example, geothermal systems provide 3 to 4 units of space or water heating energy for each unit of electric energy consumed by the system. In comparison, the most efficient oil, natural gas or propane system delivers less than 1 unit of energy for each unity of energy consumed by the system. Systems that burn fuel can never deliver more energy than is available in the fuel. Geothermal systems can typically result in energy cost savings of 50% over fuel systems. (source) And of course, they are GREEN! Here's a NYT article explaining a little more about residential geothermal systems. As a bonus, we will be getting a federal tax credit to cover 30% of the total cost of the entire system. Not the we needed much incentive to invest in this system but that is big $$!!
Ok, enough about the details, here are some pics. Big shout out to the guys and gals at Nutmeg Mechanical who installed our geosystem. They were incredible.
Geowells are surprisingly small in diameter and are capped and buried.
Here are a few glimpses of "Ground Control".
James' very organized electrical panel.
Geowell access points shown on right.
James and Summit tinkering with the system.
Heat pumps on left, well water system on right.
The "thing" on the top circulates fresh air throughout the house several times a day.
Tankless water heater on left, air handler on right.
Radiant heat pipes and manifold and a few of our digital thermostats.
Summit heating her toes up. Notice anything else about that picture? Hint = tile.
James' very organized electrical panel.
Geowell access points shown on right.
James and Summit tinkering with the system.
Heat pumps on left, well water system on right.
The "thing" on the top circulates fresh air throughout the house several times a day.
Tankless water heater on left, air handler on right.
Radiant heat pipes and manifold and a few of our digital thermostats.
Summit heating her toes up. Notice anything else about that picture? Hint = tile.
Last but not least, I want to share with you one of MY favorite parts of Ground Control. My central vacuum! Seriously, I didn't know it was possible to get so excited about a vacuum cleaner. If you have a dog and a husband that both track in dirt like champs, you'd feel the same way. The coolest part is the foot activated dirt sucker in the bottom of our kitchen island. Basically you just sweep a pile of dirt and dog hair near it, open the vent with your toe and just like that, it's gone! Yahooo!
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