June 26, 2010 -- Day 296 -- Countertops installed, and we LOVE them

Our countertops are in!!!!!  We chose a granite called Absolute Black.  The finish is a brushed finish.  It's not dull like a chalkboard, but it's not shiny like a 1980s black granite either.  It's got a little bit of texture and feels great under the hand.  The farmhouse sink was a great find and since we bought the floor model, we saved money.  The sink is deep and very big.  It also has a slight curve in the front which looks incredible with the rest of the kitchen.

You can see the texture in the photo above.  The granite is not as gray as it appears in the picture, it's more black with some gray, brown, and blue undertones.

This is the edge of the countertop.  The different colors really show in the edge.

This is where the microwave and oven will go.  We're thrilled with how the countertops turned out, they've become one of our most favorite parts of the house.

June 6, 2010 -- Day 276

It's our one year wedding anniversary!  Happy Anniversary to me and James.

Now, on to the house updates...

We hired a subcontractor to work on the windows and the French doors.  We installed the French doors in the middle bedroom (the room that will be the office).  The house used to have a laundry room with the only door out to the yard.  We got rid of that laundry room and gave half of the space to the bathroom and half to the kitchen.  So, we needed a new way to get out to the yard.  We both love the look of French doors so decided to go with them.  The picture above is from the inside of the house and the picture below is from the back of the house on the outside (where the patio will be.)

We also installed the garden window in the kitchen.  We plan to grow herbs and orchids in the window. It will be such a relief to be able to cut basil right from the plant instead of going to the store to buy way more than we need and throw away half of the container.  See below for the picture of the garden window from the outside of the house.

May 31, 2010 -- Day 270 -- Lots of progress

We've been busy! Well, James has been really busy and I've been a little bit busy.

Above is the tile for the tub surround in the bathroom. It's far from finished, but this picture gives an idea of what it will look like. The subway tiles are a gorgeous tan/cream/brown marble and the accent tile is a geometric gray pattern.

James has installed and painted all of the kitchen cabinets. The cabinet above is where the stove and microwave oven will go.

This is the cabinet where the fridge will live. We bought a stainless steel side by side fridge for a great price. Here's a tip-go fridge shopping in April, when last years models are deeply discounted. We saved hundreds of dollars this way and got a nicer model than we had planned.

We're currently shopping around for countertops for the kitchen. We plan on using a black granite and want to find the best price and the best fabricators!

More soon.....