A White House - Check it Out!

We were completely caught off-guard yesterday when we met Mike at the house (in a good way!)  We hadn't stopped by for a few days, as we been pretty busy with work & activities last week, so were so excited to see all these things completed:

1. House was all painted
2. Driveway concrete/edges had been poured
3. Rockwork was done on the inside fireplace
4. Desk legs were completed in the office
5. Decorative shelves were up in the kitchen
6. The front door/barn doors were boxed up in the garage - just waiting to be installed!  :-)

We had met with the window covering team a couple of weeks ago, and got that all sorted out.  Not a cheap endeavor, [but we had anticipated it] and are now excited for how everything will look.

So, we walked through the house with Mike, and chatted about what is left, and made some other decisions. 

While there are still a lot of things that need to be finalized, it is really starting to come together and we are so excited as we get closer & closer to moving in!  I think we are all 100% mentally ready to start this new chapter in our lives!  Boxes have appeared and we are starting to pack up the "non-necessity" items!  [insert dancing man here!]

Painted!

Concrete Edges Poured

Shelving

Desk legs finished

Rockwork done!

Master Shower

Master Sink (there are 2 of these)

Sneak Peek at the front door!  :-) 

Countertops and a Barn Wood Mantel

Just a bit ago, Mike texted a picture of the "the big slab" being installed.  We had no idea the countertops were going in today, so Samuel, Rachel and I zoomed on over to see!

We all felt like kids in a candy shop with the flurry of activity and changes.  Almost all the counters are in, some of the sinks and toilets... and the barn wood mantel had been delivered (we almost missed it and I think I may have screamed when I saw it on the floor!) 

The BIG SLAB going in!

Kitchen - the BIG SLAB!

Kitchen

Master Bath

The office!

Game room sink, snack area

We picked out a piece of barn wood for our mantel!

Closer and Closer!

It has been WAY too long since I have posted, so I have a bit of catching up to do!  We are making such good progress and getting closer to the finish line.  

The cabinets, floors and closet shelves are all complete.  And the internal paint was finished last week.  They also started pouring the concrete outside, but had to stall a bit as the weather got too cold. 

We are keeping things simple (our usual style) with consistency in colors and surfaces.  Using a gray paint throughout, with 3 darker accent walls.  Also keeping all the countertops the same on all surfaces, as well as hardwoods throughout (with the exception of the kid rooms - and upstairs room.)

I think one of my favorite areas will be the pantry.  😊  It looks like cabinet doors, but then you can walk into it (a little room!)  I am going to enjoy organizing it (not to mentioned excited to be able to SEE everything in there!)

There are still MANY things to do though like: rock on the fireplace, electrical fixtures, external paint, driveway, knobs/pulls, plumbing fixtures, carpet, front door, barn doors, etc...  But everything is really coming together and we LOVE the way it all looks.  We are all so very excited to get moved in!

While we don't yet have any exact dates, we are hopeful for the end of February/beg. of March.  We will still have all the outside landscaping to do, but that will come as the weather gets nicer.  As well, as of right now we are slated to be included in the Street of Dreams/Wine Country Tour Edition this summer, which is pretty cool.  It may create some "temporary" schedule challenges - but we are up for the task.  👍 

We thank Mike Riddle for making this dream become a reality for us!  Oh, the anticipation!  

We had snow at the end of December and were able to capture this fun shot!  So pretty...

Great Room - will be stacked stone above the fireplace

Family Room - Built In Shelves

Luke's Room:  Each kiddo has a shiplap wall, and were allowed to pick the color  :-) 

Upstairs Bonus Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

On wall of the pantry

Samuel's shiplap wall - blue

Office - built in desk area

Chugging Along!

It is hard to believe it has been a month since I posted last... but then again, I guess not a complete surprise, given our life is testing our resilience right now.  But truly and honestly - building this house has not been the stressful part of life!  And in fact, going to the house, is "our escape," as it is something we all love to do!  

There has been so much progress since my last update!  We are now at the stage of having the siding done, gutters on and tile install is being completed.  We also have doors going in, the covered patio ceiling in, and the concrete will soon be poured in the back. 

This process has been so much fun for us.  I am not to saying everything can be anticipated - and not saying choices are easy, given budgets - but it is so such a great feeling of ownership to be able to make choices -along the way- to ensure this is truly meeting our expectations of it being "our" house for the long haul.  (Because sometimes what you "thought" would be perfect, doesn't quite match up to what you had anticipated, so it's nice to be able to adjust!)

SIDE BAR THOUGHTS:  Joe and I have worked SO hard to get to this place in life.  We both came from middle-class, hard-working families, that instilled in both of us, the strong work ethic to get us where we are today.  I am so thankful for what we have, and never take it for granted.  I think the challenge is how we instill the same character and passion for hard work in our kiddos - and we both feel a strong responsibility to do that.  To us, this house represents a shared place for family & friends.  We knew we needed to remove ourselves from the stress of PDX because we wanted our kids to grow up in a slower-paced "community."  And while there are things we do miss about being in the hubbub of Portland, we feel very confident that we made the right choice... While not perfect, we do love McMinnville.  

Pit Stop...

 

Taking Shape!

Joe and I went on a walk to the house this morning and found some fun updates!  

1. The board & batten siding has started! 😁 
2. The under cover porch tongue & groove boards under the entry has been installed (which turned out really nice!)
3. The drywall has been taped & mudded.

It's starting to take shape and feel like a real HOME!  

Thank you Mike Riddle...  👍 

10/9/2021

Front Porch

Looking from Kitchen to Great Room

Great Room

Covered Patio (back)

Office

Entryway

Drywall and Big Slider!

It was late last night when Samuel asked if we could go check out the house.  Joe had taken Rachel to soccer practice, and I really wasn't up for making the trip - but we went anyway.

... And I am SO glad we did because there had been exciting progress! The big slider window/door had been installed and all the drywall had been delivered (and placed in each room.)  As well, the upstairs room was just about completed with drywall!  

The boys were so excited (which I love to see) and wanted to go into each room one-by-one to check things out.  

We are being very patient, knowing that it will all come together as it should.  And we are enjoying the pitstops to see all the progress.  We have also been able to meet many of the neighbors, so we won't seem like such strangers when we move in, which will be nice.