May 2022 Update - From the Front Door to the Second Floor
- Molly Ishmael
- May 28, 2022
- 8 min read
Updated: May 28, 2022
One of the biggest warnings that our builder provided from the very beginning was that windows are extensively delayed right now. They told us a story of someone who waited I think it was 14 months to get windows, causing many months delay overall. They didn't want us to be surprised if there was a problem, and we appreciated their candor. However, they attempted to offset the problem by ordering our windows as absolutely soon as possible. In fact, I believe they placed the order last July before we had even gone through the rest of the design process yet.
And apparently, their strategy WORKED! The windows got in about a month ago and the only delay was finding someone to install them, but even that was only a matter of weeks. Nonetheless, we received weekly updates pushing the install date a few days here and there, and it wasn't until the install was complete that we really breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, there certainly wasn't anything we could do about any of it so we said our prayers and waited. And now, we're so thankful that the whole window-waiting game is over now and that it all worked out!
The news is not the same for internet connectivity, however... Want to hear the latest news and see how everything looks so far? Here's a quick photo update for the month of May!
Windows and shingles and soffits, oh my!
The Florida summer heat is HERE to stay for the season and as the house progress soldiers on, my mind starts to turn to moving plans. And thankfully, since our move-in is penciled in for August, it looks like we'll be able to continue our family tradition of making sure to schedule moves during the HOTTEST months of the year.
Actually, one exception was back in March 2019 when we moved into the last home we owned; granted that time of year was beautiful weather, but I was in my 3rd trimester of pregnancy AND the first night in the new house saw a sewer line break and interior poo-poo flood. And since we just moved in, we hadn't actually used the toilets yet... (Think on that for a moment. Or don't.) Specialist cleaners, grout sanitizers, trim replacement, and throwing out furniture and artwork that was flooded because it was leaning on the floor because we had literally just moved in... and oh ya, the driveway being dug up so the line could be replaced. So I wouldn't really say that move was any easier despite the good weather.
No words! The piano is now set up in our living room but still awaiting extensive repairs.
And many of you know that last May when we moved into our rental house, the movers dropped my grand piano off the end of the truck. I'll just leave that story right there with the photo above.
Meanwhile, we hope to be moving in about 90 days from now... which means this may be the last monthly update that shows the house in a relatively unfinished state, as drywall may be in as soon as next month!
It's almost 100 degrees every day now with the heat index.
Watching the contractors get up on the roof to shingle it made us awfully grateful; roofing is hard work anyway but it seems almost unbearably brutal in the extreme heat. There sure are some very hard-working people out there. On that note, here are a few of them and our May update!
These guys shingled the roof in a matter of two days. Unreal!
We love to pop in and see the progress every few days as we only live about 15 minutes away from the new place. We always try to stay out of the way of contractors in the middle of a job, but they've always been so friendly especially to Sophia, it's really cute. And now, from the front door to the second floor, check out the pictures below showing this month's progress:
Welcome home!
1. Front Door: It's in! This was actually the first "finish" piece we got to see after picking it out of a catalog last September. It was pretty thrilling for me to see it in person, as thrills go for middle-class moms, anyway! We chose Shaker-style and it's slated to be painted an aqua-turquoise-teal shade with black sidelites.
This sure will be cozy in the winter!
2. Living Room Fireplace: It's in! Prior to the fireplace box being installed, our daughter thought the cut-out area was her bed, haha. It's slated to be finished in white quartz and flanked by black wooden shelves.
We had to explain that no, she cannot get a bath here yet, haha.
3. Sophia's Tub: It's in! She has no end of being amazed every time we visit the construction site and sees water in her tub.
Our daughter inspects the work so far.
4. Stairs and the Second Floor: It's all in! It was pretty exciting to be able to walk around up there after all this time. The stairs and second floor bonus space are slated to be finished in LVP that's a dead ringer for the wood-look tile used throughout the first floor.
What is perhaps noteworthy is that we built a 400-s.f. office for David to work from home and then found out that Comcast is not providing internet to the house. Yes, the neighbors have it. Yes, we looked into this in advance of purchasing the land and beginning this massive project. So yes, we were shocked by the developments this month... but more on that below!
Air conditioning ductwork.
5. HVAC: The units aren't here yet but the ductwork sure is! The hotter it gets, the more I'm starting to fantasize about being able to turn it on, haha. What a wonderful day that will be!
The roof shingles.
6. Roof Shingles: They're on! We chose charcoal shingles to contrast with the white stucco (to make its appearance shortly) and accent the bronze-black window frames.
We've been clearing the sides of the driveway to prep it for future landscaping by dragging dead trees several hundred feet to the fire pit. One day we'll have an "after" photo to show!
7. More land clean up: We spent a few more days cleaning up dead branches and dragging whole trees to a large burn pit David dug out some time ago. It's gotten harder and harder to stay out there too long due to the heat, between the physical exertion and the fact that we compound the temps by stoking a large fire (about 10'x10', let's say), both of us had heat episodes last time. But slow and steady wins the race, right?
The cutest Daddy-Daughter duo in town.
8. DIY Project: Seeing as it will be awhile before we finish ALL the outdoor projects ideas we have in mind, in the meantime, I made these little benches around our little outdoor fire ring, using leftover cinderblocks and 2x6's. My dad told me how to do this. I made two of these along with dragging some stumps over to use as seats and eating surfaces. Now, as soon as it cools off enough to feel like lighting a fire, we'll be all ready to bbq over the open flame. Food just tastes better that way, doesn't it? I know marshmallows do!
We're looking forward to sitting down to a family meal and enjoying the view.
9. Windows: What a relief to report these are in after having been warned for almost a year that windows are one thing which may cause major delays. But they're all in now! The glass is tinted and energy-efficient and we're hoping not to need much in the way of window-coverings, keeping the decor simplistic.
Honestly, a lot of people disagree with my vision on the sliding doors, But we can't wait to see how it turns out!
Sliding Glass Doors: And the very next day, the doors were installed. The layout of the house is such that multiple rooms have access to the back patio which is set to be screened, hopefully providing some much-appreciated space to enjoy the fresh air protected from bugs.
I guess you could say our last conversation with Comcast was a real trip to the ol' surprise store!
10. Internet: And now, the most shocking news that we've been dealing with for the past month and finally may as well say officially now: Comcast hath officially decreed there shalt be no internet! "No internet for you," to paraphrase Seinfeld. No internet for our entire family, in fact.
One of the top deal-breakers when originally land-shopping was making sure we would be able to get high-speed internet, mainly because of David's job. Not having a postal address yet, we tested the location using several neighbor's addresses and even spoke to Comcast on the phone in advance of making an offer and were assured that since the neighbors have service options, so could we. The internet is actually not something we worried about at all this entire time, the matter just seemed so cut-and-dry. So imagine our "surpreese" as the French say when David called to schedule install ahead of time and got this news.
Through a weeks-long series of almost unbelievable appeals consisting of phone calls, chat room conversations and in person attempts, we were finally informed that although neighbors on EACH side of us are able to obtain service, our house isn't. Apparently because the road is rural, they never planned to run the line the whole way down the road and brought it in - get this - from BOTH ends of the road and we're in the middle too far from either port. Neither port can sustain being upgraded enough to add ONE more house and also we're too far away for them to guarantee a good signal. About 750 feet too far. Yep. We can "see" the internet from our driveway but cannot link into it.
At one point David even offered to pay to upgrade the line ourselves, but that's when they said A. It would cost at least FOURTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS whatttt... And also, B. They're not certain they can do it anyway.
We finally decided to give up on Comcast but there are no other service providers in the area. Starlink is on a waitlist in our area, and interestingly enough, even cell phone service literally has a black hole above our street. David has looked into everything. In the end, he may try installing our own antenna and see if he can feed that to a device sold by one of the cell phone carriers around here which, though initial speed tests are very slow, may work better when actually installed. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with not having streaming and all that - we already cut cable last year and we'll have plenty to do outside away from screens - but David has to be able to work. However, I'm sure things will work out as they're meant to be. Who knows, maybe an unexpected solution will arise! If anyone out there is in a similar situation, I'll be sure to update you of our findings and please do the same for us, if you happen to think of it. :)
Sophia now understands we plan to live here soon and she's rewritten history to where she asked us to build her a new house and we said, "Okay, here you go." I get a real kick every time she tells it that way!
This month's update may be the last one where the house still looks "unfinished" in a sense, since next month we expect to see dry wall. It's hard for us to believe, but within a few months we'll be living in the new house, Lord willing!
Here's wishing you and yours a blessed Memorial Day weekend! Does anyone have exciting plans? I don't know about you, but I'll be hiding from the heat and staying inside as much as possible. Mama just don't handle these triple-digit temps like she used to! Cold veggie pizza and lemonade, here I come!
With Love,
Molly
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