Some recent house pictures …

Jeff returned last week and finished up the stone work around the basement level. We love it! He also brought scaffolding that belongs to the family (John’s Dad was a home builder), so we will be able to use that to paint the interior.

 

Here he is on the home stretch (pun intended :). Yes – the sky can really be that blue sometimes! I didn’t enhance the photo at all. We also had a fun time watching the World Series in the evenings.

Also, notice the soffit is on near the roof line. We are waiting for the gutters still. We are also swapping out these nice double doors in the middle of the back (and front at the kids rooms) because they leak in the rain. We are switching to sliding doors everywhere – except for the basement level where we need a wider entryway. Eventually, the back deck will provide a cover for it, so leaking won’t be an issue.

All in all, the doors are a nice change. Even though it is a lot of extra work to swap them out, the new doors allow more light in, have screens, and are all vinyl. Lesson learned.

Shot of finished side.

 

Close-up of the stone work. This was the final wall. Yippee!

 

Here is a shot up the stairway tower. I LOVE the look of the stairs (again, these are not the final treads). This does not show the basement steps or the steps to the lookout. The lookout stairs are in progress. We will have railings soon, too. With the drywall on, you can actually see the stairs detail better.

Finally – painting!!! I love to paint. In talking to people, it seems that there are two types – those that love to paint and those that hate it. Doesn’t seem to be too many in between. We did go ahead and get a quote to have it painted … $17,000!!! That did NOT include the paint!

Kind of a no-brainer. I love to paint. $17,000 is a LOT of money. I told John that now I know what I’m worth ;)

  

Because everyone has been wanting pictures, the smarty-pants in me just couldn’t resist! Here’s before primer … and after primer. :) I am almost finished priming the basement and will start the first coat on the ceilings. We are concentrating on the basement in order to move in! Yes, that is our goal!

  

Probably the main reason I love painting so much is the chance to listen to worship music non-stop. Savannah suggested it might not be too good of an idea to dance while I’m on the ladder, though. I am currently listening to Selah: You Deliver Me; Todd Agnew: Need; Jeremy Camp: Speaking Louder than Before. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them! I have also preordered Casting Crowns newest release, but I can’t get it until the 17th.

Hope all is well at your end! Thanks for reading.