One month four weeks and two days

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post as I have not been out to the house. My weekends are consumed lately with packing, chores around the house and a wee bit of laziness due to weather. But today I ventured out just to see what was up.

I was greeted at the front door by brick! Yes, brick! I am pleased with my front entrance as it will possibly allow me to place my small swing at the front to relax and watch the neighbourhood go by. The brick is orange-ish in colour while siding will be put on above the brick. I have a feeling the siding will be a neutral tan colour but we'll have to wait and see.



As more and more progress is made, I am waiting for the day that I walk up to the front door and it will be locked. But today was not that day. I walked in and was greeted by walls - lovely painted walls. The colour is lighter than I expected but it still works. Builders usually use the cheapest flat paint but I plan to keep it for a year and then if the feeling moves me, I will paint. But for now I will enjoy. Below is the laundry room as seen from its doorway.



As luck was on my side, no one was around but it still felt like I was breaking and entering. Technically it's not my house yet so you can understand what I mean. I thought I would brave it and go all the way upstairs to see how things were going up there. As I got to the top of the stairs, I was happy to see a bathtub. A wonderfully deep tub.



The bedrooms are coming along well with a whack of light coming into them. Especially the guest bedroom - which is much larger than I anticipated. Getting a desk and futon in there will not be a problem. The master bedroom will require a bit of thought for furniture placement but it will all be OK.

Just another brick in the wall

In all the excitement of the goings-on inside, I completely forgot about the outside. Well, thanks to the mom and aunt of my soon-to-be-neighbour Paul, I am able to display the exterior brick on my house. I had no say in its selection and I must say it's nice. It's from Hanson Brick and it belongs to the orange family.

Progress....with a dash of Mike Holmes

Well, I am officially 2 and 1/2 months away from closing. As each day passes and I get closer to the big day, I am creating To-Do lists, sorting items that are to be donated, packing things up that I won't be using in the next 10 weeks. I've been asked by a number of friends "Why are you packing so early?" and I simply respond with "So I don't have to do it later". Because before I know it, it will be later...

Since I have been so busy and pre-occupied with the inside of my new home, it dawned on me that I didn't know what colour the outside of my house would be. So, earlier this week, I emailed my customer care coordinator, Steve, and asked him what my exterior colours would be. His response was as follows:

• Brick - Aztec Sandstone Buff
• Siding - Sandcastle
• Fronto Door - Trading Post P2053-5
• Garage Door - Saddlery Tan
• Shingles - Oakwood or Heatherwood

Now, I went to the Sales Centre to try and get a picture of the colors but the front desk assistant wasn't really sure of the colours with the exception of the brick. The brick will actually be a reddish-orange color which I am happy about. And if the samples on the display are indicative of the other items, it will have lovely curb appeal. Since I forgot my camera, I have no pictorial of my visit.

Before I went to the Sales Centre, I stopped by the house to see if anything was new. I peeked through the front door and lo and behold, sheetrock was piled in the laundry room AND it was actually ON the walls going up the stairs. I peeked upstairs and noticed that the insulation was done with the vapour barrier. I also wanted to check that the duct joints were taped - a little something I picked up on Holmes on Homes this morning. Thanks Mike - duct joints were taped!

And finally, kudos to the construction workers working on Block 46 - it was incredibly cold and windy this morning and you guys were working hard! I'll bring coffees next time I stop by!!

Floor Plan to Framing

So today was a BIG day in the life of Honeygate Happiness with the arrival of the framewalk! This morning, I met Adrian at the house after acquiring a stylish blue hard hat from the Construction office. Adrian and I met on the main floor and to say the least, I was so happy! It's a surreal experience to see something materialize from a floor plan to framing. The framing is complete, rough ins for plumbing and electrical are done, windows are installed. Adrian and I reviewed all the upgrades, both structural and design, on all three floors and made notes as we went along. From a newbie perspective, everything looks fine to me.

And the big question - should I anticipate any more delays? To which Adrian replied, no. Woo-hoo! He told me that April 13 is looking very good and that any scheduling for deliveries and movers can be done for that time. Holy moley!

Up next, there will be a framing inspection and once that's been approved, insulation and drywall will begin. I've included a couple of shots (out of 127) that I took today. I was told by many people to take many pictures and so I obliged. Enjoy...

Dining Room




Living Room #1 - looking from Kitchen




Living Room - top of stairs from Foyer




Breakfast Bar - looking into Kitchen

Framewalk tomorrow!

Just after arriving home from work today, I received a phone call from Jen at Mattamy, requesting to schedule a time for a framewalk this week. In my haste and excitement, I said "how about Tuesday morning?" and she agreed. According to Jen, I will show up at the construction trailer at nine, wearing suitable footwear and will be provided a hard hat. I have packed up my framewalk checklist, clipboard, pen, tape measure, level, calculator, camera and a happy, positive attitude!

Saturday update....

Well, I went out for a Swiffer and came back with a receipt for a laundry pair. I thought I would simply stop in at Dufresne furniture and have a quick chat with Robert, the salesman I met a couple of months ago when I was researching. Well, a quick chat turned into a yeah-ring-that-up-for-me type of conversation.

Since I am not used to dropping big cash like I have been of late, once the initial sweats and feeling of fainting subsided, I am excited. Yes, I chose the colour 'Titanium' as seen below and no, I didn't get my Swiffer.

Same but different

Since I was in the area this morning, I thought a quick drive-by of the Design Centre was in order so that I could take pictures of my updated choices. For those who don't know, for my building phase, Mattamy changed kitchen suppliers. In doing so, I had to go in and re-select my kitchen and bathroom selections.

Kitchen

Cabinet - Soho Maple
Counter Top - Jamocha Granite

My counter top is a little lighter than my previous selection. However I'm actually glad I picked this counter top. I think it complements the cabinet and backsplash a whole lot better. But I won't really be sure until it's installed and I see it all together. Floor tile didn't change but I thought I would put it in the picture for perspective.




Master Bathroom

Cabinet - Saratoga Maple
Counter Top - Mississippi Bedrock

Now this was a change. Originally I had a rusty coloured counter top. This selection is certainly different. But I think it works. I kept the listello tile in rust to add a splash of colour to the shower so I'm hoping it won't suck when it's in. Doubt it but you never can tell.