Paint, paint, and one more coat of paint!

Haven't posted in several weeks. You can only write so much about white paint, and that is what we have been up to our ears (actually higher than that, 28 feet up, to be exact) in. We decided to go with Behr Premium Plus, not the ultra, though. We used pure white, and it took three coats, including the primer, on our wood. With just the two of us, and my dad when he could, and a month of intermittent rain, it's taken us longer than we'd hoped, but it turned out so good! And yesterday after we finished and I'd changed hats and was trying to decide what to cook for supper, my husband suggested we eat out to celebrate the end of white paint. That's one of my favorite perks for being a house builder's assistant.

So, we finished the exterior painting and went on to the doors before our arms got too stiff. In my mind, I've seen a white house with red doors. On a tour of historic homes a while back, we learned that a red door symbolized a welcome, and I like that idea, and the color, too. We got the first coat on yesterday and plan to get the second on today, weather permitting. It's looking kinda cloudy right now, so I've got to check accuweather.

As for the inside, my husband has the masonry heater up to floor level. He poured the concrete for the pad the week before last, if I recall correctly. He ordered the doors and hardware from a company in Washington, North Stone Heat Supply. They had what we wanted at a good price. The doors are beautiful.

So, what are we up to next? I believe subfloors and insulation are on the immediate agenda. It's not near done, yet, but the completion of each step puts us that much closer.

The siding is done!

This week, the weather was very cooperative, and the siding is now finished! It's weird how after looking at the pictures in the book for so long it just looks so familiar to us now that it's here in the flesh, so to speak. I just love it.

Yesterday, we tested out some paint from Home Depot, Behr ultra premium plus, in ultra pure white. After letting one coat dry, it did look great, and there was just a miniscule difference after two coats. While I can't say this is always the case, we've been very fortunate for find someone in the paint dept. at our local Home Depot who really does know paint and has offered us a lot of helpful information. One thing she pointed out is that we need to wait until after Easter to paint so that the pollen won't be such an issue. It's hard to wait, but there are plenty of other things we can get to work on in the meantime. Speaking of paint, Behr has a really neat virtual painting center that you can upload your own pictures to and try out different paint colors on. Go to Behr.com and then go to the explore color tab and click on launch ColorSmart. Of course, the screen skews it some, but it was nice for getting ideas. We have just about decided for sure on white with a barn red door. At some point, we want to do phase 2 and add a big porch, and in my mind I can just see an old fashioned white farmhouse.

This tree stands in our front yard. I'm trying to get photos of it in all four seasons to have as a framed set in the house.

More siding!

The siding is about at the halfway point.

It just takes time to measure everything just right and get it nailed up. But it's turning out really well, I think. It's good to get to help with this part, too. My husband was able to talk with someone knowledgeable about painting issues, and she suggested waiting till after Easter to paint to avoid pollen situations. She said if we paint over the pollen, we could end up with mold, and pollen in the air could catch in the wet paint, too. That gives us a nice cushion for finishing the siding, but I know my husband wants to be done with it way before then. We're planning to paint it white with barn red doors. I don't want shutters, as I have come to think the beauty of this style is the symmetry and simplicity, and I think excessive trim can take away from that in this case.

Don't look closely at how much work I need to do in my flower beds--next week is spring break, and that's one of my big projects--but I like how the pictures of our construction are dated by the trees and plants around the house. The photo on the left is my first iris of the season, and in the one on the right, you can see the buds on the tree limb.

Here you can see the west side finished. My dad was able to come a couple of days that week, and he helped a ton.

This week, we sure learned the importance of helpful customer service. We'd ordered our next batch of stainless siding nails, but I (yes, I am claiming responsibility for this one) somehow put the wrong shipping address. When we realized our error, it was too late to change the order. Everything worked out, though, thanks to a seller who was easily available by phone to get us a tracking number and a post office that was willing to locate and hold our box for us till I could get up there. I did get tickled at the postal worker who brought out the box. She didn't know what was in it, and to her it just sounded like something in a lot of pieces. I assured her it was fine. Since we can't find these nails near here, and our first order was almost gone, getting these nails was a big deal.

So, that's where we're at, and I think next up after the exterior we'll start working on the masonry heater inside.

Time for the siding....

These loaded out of order, but this week has been an exciting one for us. There is still so much to do, but it is good to be to the point of putting on the exterior siding. My husband made a story pole, a new term for me--it's a long piece of wood with marks for how far apart the boards should be nailed in order to come out right. Then he marked where each board will go on the house. That's how I got to help; I can follow marks already laid out for me.

After envisioning the end result in our minds for so long and seeing our piles of boards waiting, each one we nailed on just seemed so beautiful to me. Our plan is to paint the outside white with a barn red door.

Last year, I'd stopped on the side of the road near here and dug up some jonquil bulbs. We planted them in all our beds, and here is the first bloom. Like so many of pictures of framing phase in the autumn, this picture can be dated by our first bloom of springtime approaching.

Like I said, these are a bit out of order. My dad was able to spend all last Saturday with us helping, and he is excellent help to have around. They got the long pieces of trim on the corners and the trim around the base of the house. These pieces just frame the house so beautifully.

We've still got a long way to go, but each step of progress is one more closer to moving in. Once we get the outside done, it'll be time to head inside and get started on the masonry heater. As for my work, I'm working on biscuit quilts for the bedrooms (the pictures on the pattern below don't do them justice, but it's the best I can find online). I have almost 400 small pillows to make, and I'm 10% there now. I found some very easy to understand directions, and I'm just taking them a step at a time.

I've found a wonderful site with diy furniture plans, ana-white.com . She has just the farmhouse table and benches I want (as well as several other pieces), and I've just about worked up my nerve to commit to making them myself. Actually, my husband has offered his skill and help, and my sister her full but misplaced confidence in my abilities, so I think we can do it. Wouldn't that be cool, to make the kitchen table and have just what I want? Anyway, there's our latest! Hopefully, there will be lots more to post soon!

Today's work...

Here's a picture of where we're at today.
Putting the trim on the side.

Here's the back of the house.

I love how the trim is turning out.

Odds and Ends

Since I haven't updated in a while, these are just more of the progress we've made in the last couple of months, mainly of the interior. Here's my husband framing up one of the upstairs bathrooms' window.

This is looking up through all three levels.

The stairwell.

Kitchen/dining area.

Living room back wall.

We got our door knobs. They're a blackened copper finish. I think they will go really well with the colonial style.

Here is the west side of the house.

Each of these beams represents a whole lot of work and planning and studying.

I can measure our progress by the leaves on the trees. Here is one from when he was just starting to put the first layer on the outside.

What a relief it was to get that roof done!

It was so good to see a wall!

Here's an update on our progress....

The snow has slowed us down some. In the middle of trimming the windows, the second and third big snows of the season hit us.

Here's the practice version of the exterior trim.

This is the living room, front wall.

Dining/kitchen front and side wall. I love the size of my kitchen window.

The two smaller windows will be in a small half bath and the laundry room. This was taken before the doors were framed.

My dad came for several days during his vacation to help. He's a very talented (and hardworking) carpenter. They got the Tyvec finished and the started framing windows.

You have to get up high to work on a tall house.

It looks like its surprised. Here you can see where the windows will be.