In the Details

Often, possibly always, in life it seems that it is the details that make a difference. In writing, it is the details that make the words on the pages come alive. In entertaining, it is the details that make an event special or memorable.

Some details that I love ~
The french seam and a bit of lace on a garment...
Fresh herbs in a recipe...
Spring flowers in a bedroom or bathroom...
A monogram on a piece of linen...
A table set with silver and linen

As the details of our house evolve Frank and I become more and more pleased with the results. We have thought about, dreamed about the details of this particular "someday" house for the better part of ten years. It is amazing that it is slowly becoming a reality. It is neat to walk through the house and see ideas that we gathered from various sources ~ magazines we have flipped through, homes we have visited, architecture we have seen on trips we have taken.

For years we had ripped pages out of magazines and added them to a binder. For years, Frank had tinkered with the drawings of our someday house. It was not uncommon on any given Sunday afternoon to find Frank hunkered down, huddled over a TV tray with graph paper a pencil and a ruler ~scheming, thinking, pondering, drawing.

Giving credit where credit is due ~ we certainly went into this project having a pretty good idea of what we wanted yet the architect made it work on our lot while adding a couple of details and our contractor has an eye for design and details, all of which have made the house so much better.
The house is really coming along...

Yesterday we had a final walk through with the trim carpenter in order to ensure that, he had noted all of the correct details for our cabinets - kitchen, butler's pantry, laundry room, mudroom, and bathrooms.
His crew is almost finished with all of the window frames, door frames, crown moulding, and base moulding.


They have completed the built-in bookshelves in the living room and upstairs hallway, and are nearing completion of all closets.

They have installed the ceiling on the front porch and were supposed to complete the ceiling on the screen porch yesterday.
The framers came back to install the beams in the kitchen. We are still waiting on one beam so they can complete the den.


The painter has been busy priming both walls and trim. He seems to sand and prime as fast as the carpenters can install.





He's ready to begin caulking. He also showed us a mock up of stain for the beams, and we loved it. Prior to all of this interior work he put some stucco on the back of the house.
The masons have essentially been off of the job for about two weeks so there has been no progress on the exterior stone ~ piles of rubble.
They have completed three of the interior brick arches!

It is of course the details that take the most time. When people ask when we are supposed to be in I can finally say late September without that feeling like an eternity away.