December 17, 2009 -- Day 105 -- We've got light!

The electricians finished their work and we now have light in the house. The old electric system is a "knob and tube" system. I don't know what that is but I'm sure James does. Anyway...we had the electricians rewire the bathroom and kitchen, adding outlets and ceiling lights as needed. We have the possibility for under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen which always looks nice. Next on the list of things to do is getting the furnace up and running!

December 12, 2009 -- Day 100!!

We've officially owned the house for 100 days. =)

The plumbing was finished last week...thank you to the plumber who looked like Terrence Howard. They installed our new water heater in the garage (it was previously housed in a closet in the hallway), all new PVC pipe plumbing under the house, and all the drains for our various appliances.
We're hoping to get the electrical work done this week. Then, James will install our gas lines and it will be inspection time!

December 9, 2009 -- Day 97 -- Plumbing Starts!

You can't have a fish without a fork and you can't take a shower without water. Today, (fingers crossed) the plumber will begin his work on the house. We're replacing the water heater, adding a water softener, and moving plumbing around in the bathroom and kitchen. Add this to the old pipes and we've got a lot of plumbing work. We've decided to hire a sub-contractor for the plumbing. James would be able to do the work but for the price, it makes more sense for us to hire a plumber. Wish us luck!!!

November 23, 2009 -- Day 81 -- Tiiimmmmmberrrr!!! And two special visitors

This day was a big day. Number 1, we had a large amount of yardwork done. And Number 2, Ada's parents came to visit and see the house!

Number 1: The front and back yards are large in size but hadn't been maintained well. Also, the landscaping and placement of trees was just strange. In the front yard, there was a big Yucca (the Yucky Yucca, we call it) tree about 3 feet in diameter with a huge bulbous ugly trunk. There was also a juniper shaped into the shape of a can of tuna. The picture above doesnt show the yucky yucca, but you can see the juniper tin can on the right side. As you can tell, I'm talking about these trees in the past tense. We got rid of them! James was at the house and said it took almost no time at all for the crew to cut down and grind up the big yucca. (There will be more pictures coming soon.)

In the back yard, there is a really big oak tree that will offer a lot of shade in the summer, but was incredibly overgrown. We had the crew prune this tree and we'll see how healthy it is in the spring when it starts to grow its leaves again. During the last big storm, a branch the size of a tree came off and crashed into the ground. We're really lucky how it landed and that it didn't break anything! (Again, more pictures soon.)

Number 2: Ada's parents came to visit from Washington for Thanksgiving and got to see the house! We're really glad they got to see the house before it's finished. These are going to be great before and after pictures.