Medical Hiccup

Today's entry does not contain any information about the house-building project. However, we wanted to share a delay in getting some things accomplished.

Dave has had trouble breathing for a few weeks and he finally consented to visit the doctor. To make a very long story short, he was admitted to the hospital for 8 days and 7 night with blood clots in his leg, groin, and both lungs. He is doing well and will be on anti-blood-clotting medication for a few months. It will take approximately 6 months for his body to reabsorb the clots. In the meantime, he's obeying doctor's orders (including Dr. Pam's orders).

He is able to resume his semi-normal activities (nothing strenuous) as long as he stops when he's tired. He visits the doctor every few days to have his blood checked to be sure his anti-clotting levels are good.

As I write this entry, it is now a couple of weeks into October. Dave was discharged on October 6, and he feels great. He is taking care not to overdo.

We both know how dangerous this condition was and that he could have had permanent physical impairment or even death from this condition. We are grateful to God that Dave's mission here on earth is not yet over and that he evaded either outcome.

Project Day 76 - Checking the Progress

After we took care of LD's dogs this morning, we drove over to the house to check out the progress and to take a few pictures.

So, in the beginning...behold, Dave stands at the door (a door, a real door) and knocks.



And, surprise...the kitchen countertops were installed yesterday! Wow. What a difference!

Kitchen Views

This photo of the kitchen is taken from the dining area looking toward the garage. Near the entry door into the garage, the pantry is on the left, and the laundry area for a stacking washer and dryer is on the right. We are pleasantly surprised at the actual floorspace in the kitchen area. I was nervous it would be crowded, but quite the opposite.



As you can see, the bar is level with the kitchen countertops. The purpose of this bar is for me to have a large workspace in which to prepare foods (not necessarily a pull-up-a-seat-and-eat-bar). We plan to purchase two adjustable-height chairs that can be used either at the dining table or at the countertop. I wanted to be able to sit (when ye ol' pegs are tired) at the end of the countertop to prepare foods and still be able to view the living room TV. This is an all-important feature for a TV-aholic!



Dave is practicing "that look" wondering where his morning coffee is and why it is not ready and waiting for him. (Dave, just keep wondering!)



This is a view of the section of the bar that is eventually going to be faced with the same trim as the cabinets.



Here's Dave practicing again. Order Up!



We are very pleased with the quality of the kitchen cabinets. Here's an inside view of the adjustable shelves (which have a trimmed edge) and the hidden, snap-in hinges.



The following photo is a close-up view of the countertop material. I am not sure it will show well on the Web; however, it has several shades of light browns and creams and the pattern is similar to a leather-look with crackle, which is very subtle. My goal was to choose a color/pattern that would blend with the dark wood and with our white appliances. (Stainless appliances are an upgrade in the far-distant future when we win the lottery!)



View of Dining Room from Living Room

The kitchen bar can also function as a buffet serving area, if and when, we have a par-tay! Or, Dave could pull up a chair and visit with me as I slave in the kitchen to fulfill his "order up" commands.



Master Bathroom Cabinets & Countertops

Note: A sheet of protective plastic is still attached to the countertop surfaces.



Guest/Dave's Bathroom Countertop



While we were leisurely checking out the house, we decided to swing by the clubhouse and take a few pictures of it to share with you.

Front View of Clubhouse from Main Road to Marina



Members Entrance to Clubhouse from the Parking Area



View of Marina and Sales Office with Lake Hartwell in the Background



Note: This is a zoomed-in view of Interstate 85, which is located in the previous photo in the center of the water area.



Another View of the Marina Areas



Boat Ramp at the Marina



Now that we have snapped a few pictures of the area for posterity, we are heading back to Hoschton. From Hoschton, we will head up to the retreat camp in Cleveland (Georgia) for the closing ceremonies. After that, we'll head back to Hoschton to our own bed.

Kalli (dog) is scheduled for surgery on her leg Monday morning. I am not convinced that having surgery on Kalli at this time is the right option for her--although I have talked with the vet several times. So, we'll ask to speak to him one more time before she goes under the knife.

Dave has finally agreed to visit the doctor to figure out why he's been getting out of breath so easily for the last few weeks. His appointment is Monday morning.

This has been a busy, busy weekend. The drive from Hoschton to Lavonia to Cleveland (Georgia) and back to Hoschton is a triangle-shaped journey with each leg of the journey being approximately a 1-hour drive. However, it has certainly been worth the traveling around to us as we know that LD will cherish his experience at this retreat for the rest of his life.

Project Day 74 - Installing Doors and Trim

Starting yesterday (September 24), Dave and I are grand-pup sitting for LD's dogs. He is at a Christian retreat about an hour northwest of Lavonia. So, Dave and I used our frequent hotel stay points and checked into a motel in Lavonia for the weekend. Unfortunately, our dog, Kalli, has suffered severe pain from her hip dysplasia and we must travel from Lavonia to Hoschton and back each day to give Kalli her medication and then to let LD's dogs out for their intake and outgo.

But, today we managed to sneak over to the house and check out the status.

Since the last time we were at the house, the concrete for the garage floor was poured. Today, the interior doors were hung and the trim around the doors and windows was installed, as well as the baseboards. The baseboards are 5.25-in. baseboards, which is a nice "included" upgrade with Tomorrow's Homes.

Here's a few shots of the various trims and doors.

Garage Floor Poured



Step From Garage into Kitchen

The step is 3.5-in. high at each level. This makes entry easy on the hips and knees. Thanks, guys!



Trim Crew (Craig on the left; Steve on the right)



(Steve on the left; Joshua on the right)



Kitchen with Pantry Door Installed



Dining Area (Dave will have to trim the baseboard for the doggie door when that's installed)



Dave's Office (French Doors were supposed to include full glass panes. These will be removed and changed in a few days.)



Dave's Office Closet Door



Pam's Office Closet Door



Linen Closet Door



Master Bedroom Door



Master Bedroom Closet Door



Master Bathroom Door



Master Bedroom Windows with Trim



Step From Porch into Living Room

This step is also approximately 3.5-in. on each level.



Gap Between Step and Doggie Door Exit

After the siding is finished, Dave will fix the gap between the step and the doggie door. We want no animals booby traps! (We are still waiting for the J-channel piece of the siding to arrive.)



Dave Manning the Observation Station

I promise he his not making an obscene gesture. He's assumed the "Thinking Man" position!



DJ still has a few more items to install for the cabinet trim. He is making a box to go around the stove vent and he has to install the wood piece for the front of the kitchen bar (which Brad had trimmed a few days ago). According to Brad, DJ has received and will also install the faux marble countertops for the bathroom sinks and spa tub trim on Monday.

Painting is scheduled to begin on Monday and should take approximately three days to complete. The vinyl flooring for the bathrooms will be installed toward the end of the week.

We will not be back to the house until at least Tuesday, possibly Wednesday, due to our dog having surgery on Monday and other commitments. Check back mid-week. And, until then, may you be healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Project Day 72 - Finishing Touches to Cabinets

It has been raining and raining and raining here in the Atlanta area. I'm sure you have heard the news about the flash flooding in and around the area. We hoped that we would be able to park at the top of the RV driveway area so that we would not slip 'n slide in our sneakers while trying to enter the house. We made it.

However, when DJ arrived with his smaller trailer, he couldn't back it up the slippery slope. I felt sorry for him and David, his new worker, as they had to haul their equipment and cabinets by hand up the driveway.



Brad was already there when we arrived. He was doing yard clean-up duty as well as cleaning up a bit inside the house.

All three set to work to get the remaining cabinet work finished. They removed the cabinet that was next to the bar "L" so that they could cut back the 2x4.




Brad was on bar-cutting duty.



David was on crown molding duty.



David and DJ installed the missing cabinet. Notice the cabinet behind David and to the right of the sink. Also, the trim that hides the light above the sink is installed.



Yesterday, I had a brilliant thought! In the cabinet that would be installed above the dishwasher (and which DJ was still building), I plan to store items that I don't use often, such as cookie sheets and platters (hence avoiding putting dishes away while the dishwasher door is open). So, I asked Brad to check with DJ to see if he could put a vertical separation in that cabinet instead of horizontal shelves. DJ said he could do that for me. After the cabinet was installed, I opened it to see that DJ had gone the extra mile and created slats in which I could install vertical separations. I was so jazzed. Just perfect! And while I was admiring his handiwork, he...



...brings in and installs the vertical slats. Now I'm REALLY jazzed. They will be great.



However, I realized too late that my "brilliant" idea was only half-brilliant. The cabinet is only 11-in. deep inside and most cookie sheets and platters are wider than the cabinet is deep. Nevertheless, I do have plenty of items that will fit there. I can't wait to try it out! Thanks, DJ, for the special attention to detail and giving me what I asked for--even if I was half-baked!

DJ installed the front panel on the spa tub.



Dave sat on the porch watching all the activity.



And, me, I was shooting pictures, as usual--and putting in my 2 cents where I'm sure it was not needed! But, Dave says, "That's my job!"

Project Day 66 - Installing Cabinets

Up early this morning to get to the new house. At 8:30 AM we were ready to leave. Just in case, I called Brad just to be sure it was a "go" for today. He stated that DJ (cabinet maker) was at another home doing some measuring, but when DJ finished there, he would load the cabinets and be on his way to our house. So, Dave and I were "on hold."

Finally, at approximately 1 PM, we got the "ok" to head north.

We have had so much rain lately that when we arrived on Mohawk Trail, we were greeted with an array of beautiful wildflowers.



We settled in on our new porch ready to observe. We waited patiently. However, when time was closin in on 3:30 PM, we thought DJ might have had second thoughts about coming. The clouds were very dark and gloomy; Lavonia's weather was predicted to have a gully-washing downpour. But, just when I was ready to make a call to Brad to see if the plans had changed, the truck arrived.



DJ has quite the setup inside his construction trailer. In the front end of the trailer, he seems to have a mini-workshop. You can see our cabinets stacked on each side of the trailer.



Dave picked out the wood (Hickory) and the stain color for the cabinets. We opted to stain the kitchen and bathroom cabinets the same. In our current home, we have pickled white cabinets. We decided to go for a big change--one that doesn't go out of style.

DJ's crew includes James Sr. and James Jr. (father and son). The guys carried in all the cabinets and set them around to take stock of the project that lay ahead.

(DJ on the left and James Sr. on the right)





The drywall crew had left drywall stacked in the kitchen (you can see it on the floor in some of the photos), so after the upper cabinets were installed, the cabinet crew had to move the drywall into the livingroom.

Unfortunatley for the resident clutz (me) a stack of quarter-round molding that was stained for the finishing touches was placed in the living room in front of the French doors. I quickly tripped on it and chipped a piece from one of the ends. Duh! But, other than that, I think I left everything else undamaged.

Dave and I watched in amazement at how quickly the cabinets were installed.

The following photos show DJ and James Jr. as they progressed in installing the kitchen cabinets. (James Sr. was installing the bathroom cabinets, which you'll see later in this blog entry.)











Here's a close-up view of the front of the drawers and the hardware we chose, which has an oiled bronze finish. As a standard feature in Tomorrow's Homes specs, all drawers have the "easy close" feature. Which means when the drawer is nearly closed, you can let go and they will pull themselves completely and softly shut.



Here's the view of the kitchen at the end of today's installation. Notice that I opted for all drawers in the base cabinets (except under the sink, of course). This was suggested by LaVonne (owner of Tomorrow's Homes) when I complained that I couldn't get on my knees to retrieve items from bottom shelves. I'm so grateful for her suggestion. And, the best part is that Dave will not have to install sliding baskets on the shelves as he did in our current house. The drawers on the left side of the kitchen sink wall are wide enough to hold larger pots and pans or miscellaneous items.





I plan to put my dishes in the drawers as well. Here's a picture of the latest craze for accessible dish storage.



I had been a little concerned that the floorspace might be crowded after the cabinets were installed. But, I was pleasantly surprised at just how much space there really is. Yipee! Kalli (our dog) and Graykitty (our cat) will be delighted to know there is still room to sit in the kitchen and wait for their share of scraps!

The following photo shows the cabinet for the guest bathroom (aka, Dave's bathroom). We opted to go with the new trend of raising the height of the bathroom sink cabinets in both bathrooms to 36-in. Dave says he'll not get such a back ache bending over to rinse his face when shaving. See, we are kind to our knees and backs in our old age with our newly designed kitchen & bathroom cabinets!



In the master bathroom (aka, Pam's bathroom), I am finally getting my sit-down vanity area. This vanity design continues the kindness to our body parts by not having to stand so long to put on my makeup or fix my do. And, I have drawers for all my junk!





As always, there are a few issues to resolve.

First, the HVAC crew installed the stove vent too far to the left so that it is not centered over the microwave vent cabinet.

Second, the kitchen bar wall extension (L shape) is not plumb and it is also too deep.

Third, DJ inadvertently forgot to make one of the cabinets (upper cabinet to the right of the sink).

All these little issues will, of course, be corrected post-haste.

The most difficult "fix" will be dealing with the kitchen bar wall extension. But, DJ came up with a great solution (stay tuned), and he'll be fixing that at his next visit.

DJ and the James gang left at nearly 6 PM. They will return tomorrow to install the missing cabinet and to finish with the trim.

As of now, here's the latest tentative schedule that Brad has given me:
Tuesday, 9/22 - Interior doors being delivered
Mon, Tues, or Wed (depending on weather)— Garage floor being poured
Thursday, 9/24 – Garage door being installed
Friday – 9/25 – Interior painting
Tuesday, 9/29 - Bathroom floors being installed

Note: I think the kitchen countertops will be installed sometime next week (according to DJ's best guess).

Well, that's all for today folks!