Deck and Patio

Now that the weather is warm (hottest weekend on record), it's time for grilling! I've decided to mix up the outdoor space with a deck and patio, perfect for late summer gatherings...

Speaker Mounting

The AV receiver is wired to a dual zone speaker system. 5.1 surround sound in the living room for home theater and stereo ceiling-mounted speakers for the dining area.

Carpeting

I went with a fairly basic, light carpet in the bedrooms.

Countertop

I went with Richstone Granite. They did a quality job with three day turn around time. The stone is called "New Venetian Gold", whatever that means.

Staircase

The hard wood is nearly complete on the staircase. The rises will be painted white to match the trim.

Kitchen Appliances

The appliances for the kitchen have arrived. I found a distributor in MD who was able to cut me a break on Jenn Air.

Wood Flooring

The materials have arrived for the wood floor. I went with an engineered teak product from Home Legend. It's natural wood, but can be installed over concrete.

The teak is looking nice, with a slight green hue it should match the cabinets and paint well.

Kitchen Cabinet Installation

Well, hopefully the third time is the charm. I have to reorder another cabinet to get everything to fit right. It IS starting to look good though.

Painting

Bathrooms Completed

The toilets and and fixtures are installed. I could (almost) live there now...

Bathroom Tile

The tile went in well in all three bathrooms. I was a little concerned how the diagonal floor tile would look in the master bath, but it works well with the layout and opens up the small room. The off-white subway tiles really look sharp around the shower and tub. I decided to frame out the tile with a metal edge strip rather than tile. This change saved about $500 (bullnose tile is expensive).

Drywall

The drywall was all hung in a day. It will take a few more days for spackling... then paint.

New Kitchen Plan

This diagram shows the ductwork and soffits above the kitchen cabinetry. The ductwork became a clearance issue, causing me to reorder all the wall cabinets.

Home Theater

I spent some time installing audio cables for surround sound throughout the living room. Also, I added a second zone for the dining area. It's pretty easy to do at this stage when the walls are open, so I couldn't miss the opportunity.

The living room zone is wired in 14AWG CL2 rated speaker cable from Monoprice. I've found their prices to be a fraction of other vendors and very decent quality. The second zone in the dining area is 12AWG, to keep down loss on the line with the long length (about 50 feet).

...special thanks to her highness Sara for the mad wiring skillz.

Drywall Prep and Inspections

The ductwork is all boxed in and ready for drywall. Also, the open brick wall is re-pointed. This week we'll have the electrical inspection and insulation install. Unfortunately, the cabinets I ordered are too tall for the space below the ductwork in the kitchen so I'll have to send back all the wall cabinets and order some three inches shorter. It's a costly mistake--measure twice, cut once.