Single-handedly supporting our economy

Ok, perhaps not, but it certainly feels like Mark and I are spending enough to pull the country out of this recession and in the mean time, creating our own personal mini-recession.

We're on the home stretch! Carpet gets installed tomorrow. 800-5-8-8-2-300 Empiiiiire. (If that doesn't evoke a jingle in your head, then you obviously don't watch enough television.) Yep! We went with Empire Today for our carpet. We originally had Home Depot come out and measure, but after getting a quote that was much higher than we were expecting, Mark took the initiative and called Empire, like the commercial told him to, and we had them out that same day to measure. They beat Home Depot by over $400, and even threw in the $50 that we had paid to get Home Depot out to measure. Not too shabby.

We also ordered our shower door yesterday. Much more $$ than I ever expected. Thick glass ain't cheap, that's for sure. We ordered through Lowe's (they outsource to Holcam). We originally were going to go with Direct Shower Door, but after a horrible experience with their customer service, we opted to go elsewhere. *Donna, if you're reading this, you should really work on your skills* We're going with a frameless glass door with brushed nickel hinges and handle.

The master bathroom is in the home stretch. I know, just one more day right? We were told by so many people that timelines are always off when it comes to home construction. It's looking good though, and is definitely worth the wait. I will post photos this weekend. David has also begun tiling the guest bath, so Cliff and Esteban, you guys won't have to trounce around on sticky cement when you visit!

And of course what you're all probably curious about, the french door is in!!! The second attempt was much smoother than the first. The framing still needs to be sealed and smoothed both inside and out, but the door is in, tile is in, and it looks faaaabulous!

Tadaaa!!!!

It's my French door and I'll cry if I want to

Juggling home improvement with a full time job aint easy, and I commend everyone who makes it look that way. Don't be fooled. After a fifteen hour day at work yesterday, I found myself laughing on my drive home, which quickly turned into sobs. Sometimes you just gotta cry it out.

The door doesn't work. The frame is level, the door frame fits, but the doors are warped in such a way that they only close if both sides are open and close at the same time -like cabinets that have one too many layers of paint on them (another experience I'm all too familiar with). On top of that, we didn't take into account the pile of the carpet we are installing in the living room and will have to tile a "mud area" around the door so that it can open correctly. In a way, this will be good, because we can have an area for a mat and shoes.

Mark is my rock and I couldn't do this without him. He knows just how to calm me down and get me to realize that it will all work out just fine. He will be renting a truck and exchanging the door today. He wins MVP for this project for sure.

White primer beneath your fingernails...

...Does not a French manicure make. (In case you were wondering)

I'm going to be stuck at work super late due to close, but I thought I'd give a sneak peak at today's project. In a way, I'm grateful that I'm not there, as I'm stressed enough thinking about our roof collapsing just looking at this...

Parlez Vous French Doors?

Pardon my absense over the last couple of days. The strain of working a full day at work and then going directly to the house and working til 10 is starting to wear on Mark and I. We're keeping it up, but it makes blogging a little harder.

Yesterday was a day filled with great things. Our friend Rick came over and helped us prime the guest room. He did an awesome job and the room is ready for me to paint today after work. I decided to give Lowe's Valspar paint a shot, and will be painting the room Ancient Olive and an accent wall of Brown Buzz. Very soothing and neutral.
Our friends Adrienne and Brian brought over some Z Pizza and enjoyed a meal with us at the big dining table that Brian helped Mark transport the other day. Mark and Brian also schlepped to Lowe's to pick up the eight foot french door that I had purchased earlier in the evening. It was so nice of them to lend a helping hand (and truck!). The door was maaaaassive and weighed a ton. It took the four of us to get it off the bed of Brian's truck.

The door will be replacing the horrible aluminum glass sliding door in the living room. It has a huge crack that spans the width of one of the panels. If you are shopping for an 8' french door, I recommend Lowe's. We shopped around. The door was $675 at Home Depot and originally $654 at Lowe's, but recently reduced to $599. We also had a 10% off coupon which made the deal even sweeter. The installation at both stores costs about the same as the door itself, so if you know someone who is handy enough to help you do it, you'll save a big chunk. It comes pre-framed, so it's more a matter of fitting it perfectly to the opening and making sure there are no gaps and all is sealed. The installation will happen early next week. The frame has two 3' doors and then two flanking 1' windows that are screened and swing open. It will be so nice to enjoy the evening breeze in our living room, sans bugs.

The tiling in the master will begin today and our bathroom should be finished tomorrow. Woohoo!!!!