2 Days...Goodbye home, hello construction site...

We have been so busy working, cleaning and packing and renovating we have yet to say goodbye to the home we have loved for the last 7 years. It is so weird to pack up so quickly and leave. I'm not sure the girls really understand exactly what is going on, except that there is definitely NO pool at the new house.

Soooo...appliances are coming Wednesday along with the moving truck, windows are due to be installed Friday and Saturday then next week the kitchen cabinets!

Overall the second and third floors are finished....the entry level, not so much...:(

Soon, very soon...

I'm hoping the foundation jackhammering comes to a halt before we move in but at the very least it should be done before we return from Disney ;)

Probably wont have a chance to post pics until after Thanksgiving.

Needless to say I am Thankful for my hubs who bought me the house of my dreams! And for our contractor Tony and his boys who have worked weekends, including SUNDAYS to get this all done for us, and Pat who has been working nights and weekends painting, plumbing etc., and Johnny for making the floors perfect, as usual.

More photos

4 DAYS.....Praying to the Renovation Gods.....

We get the moving truck Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. That is precisely 4 days from now...I am scared. Things are coming along fast and furious....As unreligious as I deem myself I am praying to any and all renovation Gods....

12 DAYS.....tick tick tick tick

"I just don't want the house to fall on me," was definitely what the kid sawing the concrete out of the foundation said when he didn't realize I was standing behind him. "Yes, let's try to avoid that," was my reply. The contractor handling the foundation repair assured him (and me) that was NOT going to happen and after a short conversation over whether the house was safe to move into in 12 days they got back to sawing concrete. And yes it's safe.

Lately I have definitely felt like I'm in a horrific episode of HGTV. Behind every thing that is removed another problem manifests. I'm specifically referring to the foundation although this could be applied to the master closet the master bath and what will be the playroom.

Overall it's coming together on schedule. Garage doors were installed, glass block windows in the garage were installed, kitchen is coming along very nicely and thanks a week of "indian Summer" they were able to begin painting the exterior.

Thanks to my husband who works all day and goes straight to the new house to work on things until after midnight everyday I think we will make our deadline!

There should be some good before and after picks at the end of this weekend!

18 DAYS TO GO!!!!!

Yes, that is correct. Only 18 days until "GO" time. I feel like I'm in an HGTV episode the 1/2 hour is almost up and the room renovation is nowhere near complete. Somehow though at the end of every episode the room is finished, looks amazing and there's a happy ending. I am actively denying any episode where this is NOT the case.

So where are we in the renovation? Well fortunately we did hire a contractor. He is working on the kitchen, the exterior paint etc., tearing off the second story deck and replacing it AND the newly found problem in the master bedroom closet floor.

The bedroom floor is being installed and the cork and walnut floors downstairs will follow!

Thanks to our AWESOME painter the upstairs rooms are almost done! Wren picked blue and Izzy, of course, chose pink.

Joe just couldn't resist removing yet another wall/closet but in the end it opens up a study and little nook with a built in bookcase to what will be a great playroom off the family room!

The windows have been ordered and will make a HUGE difference in the appearance and style of the house! Can't wait!

And new garage doors are being installed on Wednesday!!!!

Foundation work is coming along nicely...concrete was poured on Wednesday.

Possibly more "roomates" discovered as raccoon and squirrel feces came tumbling from the ceiling as we removed some trim...Pest control has been consulted....

The attic must have been the "smoke room" as we found a cup with 2 pipes in it while measuring a window with our contractor and window rep...what next?

Keep your fingers crossed. Volunteer opportunities available the day before Thanksgiving as we load up the truck and move to Laramie..trail that is.

DAY 31.....MISCALCULATIONS

Those of you following this may be wondering how we went from 45 days to 31 so quickly. Well unfortunately I didn't account for the fact that we actually have to move 7 days before we have to be out of our house :( Pressure, Pressure and more Pressure....We still have no general contractor hired, windows have yet to be ordered and in general the house looks like a bomb went off. And to top it all off the girls have a "mystery" skin allergy so they can't even be at the renovation at all now.

The other day a contractor we were interviewing told me I was putting pressure on him to have some (not all by any means) things done in said time period. I'M PUTTING PRESSURE ON HIM? We are the ones that have to move into said house in 31 days...THAT is pressure! So after a small teary breakdown (very small) I did what I should have done all along, called our previous contractor and put my brother on the payroll. Best decision EVER! In the last 2 days they managed to gut the kitchen, remove one wall entirely, and rid me of the old appliances! I even got to use a blow torch on some plumbing...thanks for the official "plumbers crack" shot Justin!

Scraping glued down padding off floors, sawing wood in the dumpster to squeeze in more (thanks Justin!). Downing energy drinks with my sister and painting until my hands were camped and swollen.

Joe gets back from Iceland tomorrow and I will be handing the rollers over to him! Hopefully we can pull this off in 31 days!

45 DAYS.....THANKS

A big THANKS to everyone who has been helping us!

Thanks to my friend Jamie for being a sounding board and listening to me vent everyday. Thanks for looking at the house and giving us your opinion on the wall removal and everything else I've been calling you about daily.

Thanks to my little sis "LuLu" because she has been staying at our house keeping the kids alive so we can run back and forth meeting contractors, window guys, order appliances, tear out the most disgusting carpet ever, and not have to haul the kids everywhere to do it.

Thanks to my pregnant, soon to be sister-in-law, Kristin for helping tear up vinyl floors, scrape cork off walls, remove tack strips, and pick out paint!!! And thanks to my little bro for helping with the demolition and securing the property ;)!

So if you want some free lunch or dinner and some free drinks you can volunteer your time at the new crib!

Things that are left to decide on: Windows, full replacement or inserts, and the master bath....Then its pretty much a waiting game...waiting for cabinets, waiting for the foundation to be finished, waiting for windows and waiting to paint....all intersecting about the same time we have to move in....sigh.