Oh yeah, here's the Thanksgiving part...

Warning: Guest Blogger Alert. Heather here, reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House.We were all very thankful to have the basement usable for the Thanksgiving feast with all of Mom's side of the family over. We did manage to get 27 people happily fed. The turkey wasn't the only thing that was stuffed that day. Everybody rolled around for most of the afternoon and few had room for the desserts, though everybody had some anyway.

Mom made the turkey, ham and stuffing. Alex (and Becca) made a lot of the snacking food. Hooray for a chef in the family, I say. Alex made 2 humongous and delicious cheese balls and some of the cookie assortment and an unusual, but delicious, apple pie pumpkin. Karen and Tim brought the mashed potatoes and the entertainment, because really that's what 3 kids under 4 years old are. They were surprisingly well behaved for the extended hours and sheer number of people vying for their attention. John and I brought an assortment of cookies and some holly decor. Various extended family brought cheesy potatoes, pies, sweet potato casserole, handmade chocolate dipped deliciousness and the famous rolls.

The White Elephant gift exchange was a hit as usual. The "best" items this year were a horrific scented candle, a "Mother's Day 2008" plate that was too ugly for words, and 2 books of Knock Knock Jokes. The most traded items were a Michiganopoly game and a big bag of M&M's.

We were all thankful for family and togetherness and a surplus of food and fun.

Pilgrims and Progress

Warning: Guest Blogger Alert. Heather here, reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House.

John and I had the good fortune of being between contracts during the holiday season and were able to visit the folks for Thanksgiving/Christmas in November.

During the 14 hour travel we learned that the basement had been drywalled, a fact omitted from earlier conversations during the day with the denizens of the house, no doubt in order to surprise us. In order to drywall all the "schtuff" had to be removed from behind the hiding place of choice, the ginormous green tarp that divided the back half of the basement from the front.

Upon arrival we noted the strong presence of construction adhesive fumes and, after achieving a headache and then not being able to smell it anymore, deduced that it was rather bad for us. After a late dinner of spaghetti and a later game of Scrabble, in which we all played poorly, we decided that the smell was killing brain cells and went to bed.

The next day was a whirlwind of cleaning in the basement. The huge pile that was blockaded in the middle of the floor, held up at different points by a pool table, halves of a ping pong table, and various lengths of plastic race car track, put up a good fight but John and I, not to mention Becca and Alex and Dad with occasional supervision from Mom (though she had to do some serious grocery shopping), were able to triumph over the pile.

Becca and Alex put up shelves in the "utility room". (Note to Dad: ironic quotation marks can only be removed when all the internal walls are up.) The new shelves were soon stocked with boxes that were at the least labeled and we attempted to put them in some semblance of order. Also sorted were the massive amounts of "camping supplies" and "sewing stuff".

Camping supplies ended up in the traditional "somewhere near the furnace" area. The Christmas boxes were stuck in the back of the room.Mom's sewing supplies were put in the closet of the "back bedroom". When we ran out of room in the utility room and the closet, we began adding to the pile that was already in the "back bedroom". When the pile had been decimated the pool table was moved and the ping pong table was assembled. Additionally, Karen and Tim loaned 2 couches for the TV area and we went to pick those up. (Rumor has it that the pool and ping pong tables came from their basement as well.

When we were ALL DONE, the basement with the loaner items (including a huge projection screen and projector from Uncle Larry) the basement looked like this......drum roll please.........

This shot is from the bottom of the stairs looking toward dad's office. Ignore the semi-resident mechanic in the corner.

From the office hallway looking toward the stairs. The mechanic is now rocking Guitar Hero (on loan from Becca and Alex).

The screening room. Thanks to an antenna in the attic, the Thanksgiving football games were available. This quickly became the largest Guitar Hero screen known to Michigan.

Last, but not least, the under-the-stairs closet was stuffed with sporting equipment, extra cold weather gear, and folding chairs and tables.

A very satisfying, if long and arduous, day of organization in the basement came to an end.

November Haiku

Warning: Guest Blogger Alert. Heather here, reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House.

Shivering hands wear

gloves, making it hard to type.

Too cheap for heat. Brrr.

October Haiku

Warning: Guest Blogger Alert. Heather here, reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House.

Leaves are falling out-
side the plywood we call "door"
Stain, why won't you dry?

An Early Fall Visit

WARNING: Guest blogger alert! Heather here. Reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House!

At the end of September I got to visit the folks in the new house! And, yes, I visited the old house too. The big projects while I was there were a garage sale at the old house and some basement organization in the new house.
As for the garage sale, Karen and I managed to get rid of loads of stuff. $300 and much emptier 2 of 6 bedrooms (the other 4 were already pretty darn empty), upstairs linen closet, downstairs hall closet, laundry room, and shop rafters! Excellent work if I do say so myself.
As for the new basement the folks and I spent most of a Saturday down there. Mom got started on the front doors. (For those of you following along at home, the original front doors for the house had been stained and installed by the builders people. Unfortunately, the stain job was done very poorly. Probably because there was NO prep done.) So Mom did all the prep for staining the new doors. There was alot to do. She had to clean them, and mineral spirit them and fill a small gouge. Please note that the entire project was supervised by the Unabomber. (Ask Mom about her security measures.)
Meanwhile Dad and I took the ground plan and chalked out the walls of the as yet unbuilt other rooms. It is hard to see the lines in the picture below, but look for the blue. This is the future basement bathroom. We discovered that the sink and tub water pipes were not in the right places. Half in and out of walls or a foot off of where it should be. Boo.

The main goal of all the chalking was to find out where the utility room walls would be so that we could assemble some shelves. The utility room will have a door on the main hallway and will enclose the furnace, the water heater, the water softener and some other utility schmatta. It is an unusual L shape that will not ever have finished walls, so it was the perfect candidate for those massive shelving units that we could fill up and wouldn't necessarily ever have to move again. Dad and I assembled two 6 foot stacks and had room for at least one more 6 foot stack, but we opted not to put it up so as not to compete for space that would be useful before the internal walls are built.

We did get some stuff off the floor and so we were down to just 2 piles. The electronics and office pile is still over by Dad's office.

The pile from the old house that still has to be gone through is by the double doors.

The pile that supposedly has been sorted is behind the green tarp that divides the basement into the sort of usable carpeted TV area and the future TV area that currently holds the known quantity from the old house.

You can see the furnace etc in the background. There will eventually be a wall there. Likely all the sporting and camping equipment will migrate into the utility room and garage.

Lots to imagine and lots to do!

Late August Update

Guest blogger Karen here. I talked to Mom on the phone today during her lunch hour, and I got an update about what's been up with them lately.

Yesterday was a comparatively relaxing day for them. Dad had mowed the path around the property so they took a long walk and enjoyed the scenery. Mom said that there was poison ivy everywhere, but since it has been so dry lately that the mosquitos were hardly noticeable. After that they watched a movie and went to bed at a "reasonable hour", a rarity in their lives right now.

This past weekend Mom painted Dad's former office at the old house, and plans to do more painting this week when she's not slaving away at work work. Last weekend they also hosted a Marriage Encounter meeting at their new house, and the kids that had to tag along were treated to a screening of Shrek 2 on the trombwall via projector.

Apparently Pete is moving out of the old house tomorrow and into his school-year accomodations. I'm not sure if that means dorm or apartment, but it does mean less stuff to be removed from the old house, and that is good. Not that having Pete around was in any way bad for the folks since he was the resident fixer of vehicles and random task helper.

Mom is also pondering starting a shop on Etsy when things calm down with the new house and the old house is on the market. Any suggestions for what she should sell? Could be something involving materials found on the property (fieldstones, for example), or just something she would enjoy making that would actually generate $$. Please, comment with your ideas, no matter how far-fetched. Thanks!

When It Rains, It Pours

*Karen here... a relatively uninformed outsider willing to offer you potentially outdated misinformation about a house that isn't mine and folks I don't see often enough*

So, after a brief conversation with Mom while she was stuck in a traffic jam on her way to the Verizon store, I got the impression that things are getting a little hairy over at the new house these days.

Here are a few problems on their current "trying to solve" list (it's not exhaustive, unfortunately):

1. The lawn tractor died. We're all baffled about what went wrong there. I mean, the thing was only about 50 years old and living in a scavenged pop-up. I'm sure there's a warranty. However, if anyone reading this meets a working one looking for a new home, they might just have a vacant pop-up to let out for cheap.
2. Business-complicating computer problems. Well, this one is unfortunately a little more serious of a matter since it is sucking up Dad's time and his paid work is getting slowed down because of it. Apparently there was a new computer with Vista required and still Dad is having trouble getting emails to download. In his defense, apparently there are about 3 accounts that have to be simultaneously logged in, and Windows XP has to be running inside Vista and the stars have to align just so. Darn whoever set up that network...
3. Poor cell phone reception at the house. Hence Mom's trip to Verizon. They have no land line, as you know, and reception with AT&T was crappy at best. Time for a change.
4. House eave still falling off. Well, this is not exactly their problem, but it's still getting worked on. In case you didn't know, the eave that blocks much of the sun into the basement in the summer was installed with nails and never reinforced with screws... so after months of workmen walking on it, it is actually separating from the house.
5. Front door out of commission following discovery of manufacturing flaw. It is currently boarded up so you have to go in through the garage. This is one of those mixed blessings since the "craftsmen" hired by the contractor to stain the front door worked a little too much like Jackson Pollock and much work would be necessary to get it to Chockley standards. So a new door is likely the lesser of two evils, but there remain the two side portions of the door to be reckoned with at some point.
6. Car trouble. Apparently one of the Tauruses (or Tauri, if you prefer) suffers some ailment or other, rendering it driveway-bound. Peter was on his way over to the new house yesterday during my conversation with Mom, and he can usually work his grease monkey magic to get the cars going again in times like this. What a good boy.
7. Old house not sold. Not surprising since it's not on the market yet, but it is a vacuum for mental energy. Progress is in the near future plans, but the carrying out of it all will be a bear. A big, hungry bear with sharp claws and moldy bathroom wallpaper.

Now, after writing all that, I just got this email from my mom:

"I just wanted you to know that Dad’s day improved. Pete (God bless him) came over and fixed the Taurus and gave both cars an oil change and helped with the tractor (although that doesn’t work better). Dad also got his email working."

A light in the darkness :) But still, a few prayers here and there could still help, you know?

A Digital Short (very short)

WARNING: Guest blogger alert! Heather here. Reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House!

If you'd like to see this larger go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np1TyzHvjzk and click for full screen.

Homeowner Haiku

WARNING: Guest blogger alert! Heather here. Reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House!

Dad fires up tractor.

Mom says "Wait, there's your phone."

Dad, in earmuffs, CRUNCH.

Moving Day Past

WARNING: Guest blogger alert! Heather here. Reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House!

Maybe you missed it or maybe you were there for the adventure that was moving day! Stay tuned for further updates.

House occupied, though not quite completed...

WARNING: Guest blogger alert! Heather here. Reporting on the dogged progress of the elusive LenMar House!

I was up a couple of weeks ago on a frequent flyer ticket (you can't beat a ticket for $7.50!) while John was in Daytona for the weekend.

A brief update. The folks moved in on a temporary certificate of occupancy and haven't looked back! The old house isn't quite empty. Rob and Pete were living there. Pete still is, actually, while he works in a lab job this summer. Yep, he's gonna cure cancer one day, but in the meantime he works in a lab and occasionally goes on rounds with the docs and is still living in the old house. Good thing because the lawn would take over like in a horror movie!

Anyway, here is the pictorial update on the new house. Keep in mind these are candid and reflect the "just moved in clutter" that naturally occurs.

If you came in through the garage, you would end up in the laundry room. Through the door is the kitchen. Note the pink moving day tag on the file cabinet. You'll see a few of those.

To the right of the washer and dryer is a half bath. Still waiting on the mirror, but now with added privacy bonus of a shade! Now anyone on the driveway can't see things they shouldn't.

From the kitchen this is the view of the great room (the "living room" half specifically, the other half is "dining room"). The giant fan above the couch and the plethora of windows makes the room really comfortable and breezy.

This is the kitchen as viewed from the great room. Just to the left out of the picture is the laundry room and the pantry. Just to the right out of the picture is the hallway to the bedrooms.

The pantry is enormous. (Imagine "enormous" in a slightly Scottish accent and John laughing his head off at me for being unable to pronounce normally! Hiccups destroy me...) It has two, very large, 6' tall rolling shelf carts to store things on. Very nice.

On down the hall. On the right, the first door is the guest bedroom. Likely to be the Pete Crash Pad during the school year.

Just across the hall from the guest bedroom is, appropriately, the guest bathroom, replete with chair for bathroom coaching. If you're like me and don't need any backseat driving while in the bathroom the chair functions well as a "set your stuff here while you take a shower" chair.

Just steps further down the hall and your reach the master bedroom door. You can't see it but there is another window on the wall on the left. The wall on the right has a big old dresser. This room hasn't been painted yet, but when complete it will have lovely purple gray walls like the bathroom below.

This is obviously just the shower, the big news on this being all the natural stone has been sealed and it is now usable! To the right, out of the picture, is a window, a big jacuzzi tub, another window, then 2 sinks, then a toilet room with a window.

The master bedroom has a walk-in closet as well. There is a window in there too! This picture only shows the left half. The right half bulges out a little bit and has a large IKEA closet unit in it.

And now on to the basement! It is largely unfinished. Those earlier posts of Norah and Kitty riding trikes around on the concrete still apply. The only room that is done is the office. To the right out of the picture is a double bookcase. 2 enormous windows! How will he ever get anything done with so much to look at!

The picture above shows the sunset over the hockey swamp from the dining room table. A week or so after this was taken, during family reunion, the grading was done on the yard. So it looked less weedy, more even, but still retained it's "possible amateur hockey rink in winter" appeal.

Well, that's all for this time. Stay tuned ....

Geothermal Ground Loop In

On Sunday we packed a picnic lunch and headed out to the house for a day of painting. But first, I took some pictures outside. The geothermal gorund loops had been installed earlier. We were not able to get up to the house while they were doing this, so all we have are pictures of the aftermath.

Geothermal Trench

When they were about 200 feet from the house, they ran into an underground "river", as it was described to me over the phone. It turns out this just means there was more gravel in the clay and water was running through it. However, they need to head in a different direction to avoid it, so they took a sharp turn and headed east.

Geothermal Trench Sharp Turn

The back of the house looks kind of cool through the trees, almost like it is in the middle of a woods instead of a meadow.

Marlene setting up the picnin lunch.

The only change to the front of the house is a grayer color to the Trombe walls as they continue to get them smooth enough for the high-adsorptivity, low-emissivity film.

Still Smoothing Trombe Walls

While we were out there, Karen and Tim and kids stopped by after Mass. The girls looked cute in their dresses.

Picture taken at their house.

Michael enjoyed the view from my shoulders.

What a smile!

We ate lunch on the picnic table (how peaceful!) and then got to work on the painting. We were able to get the ceilings done in both bedrooms and my office.

Oak Doors & Trim, Marble Caps & Floor

We met with the builder at the house today. Afterward I took pictures while Marlene tested exterior paint colors. The trim is mostly installed now, including the railing by the stairs.

Stair Railing

The oak, 2-panel doors are mostly installed also. The only doors not installed are those that were not delivered by the lumber yard.

Doors in Pete's Room

Pocket Door in Master Bath

Also the marble caps were installed on the shower threshold and the tub half-wall.

Marble Caps

And speaking of marble, my office tile was laid and grouted.

Office Tile

Marlene bought a couple samples of exterior paint to try on the siding. We chose the darker of the two.

Painting Test Colors

And this is what the front of the house looks like. Still no front door or porch columns.

West Face

Bedroom & Bath Tile Laid

We went back on Sunday to check out the beautiful bathroom tile and take pictures. Marlene had picked out all these different tiles and the listello and it all looked fine to me. However, I was not prepared for how beautiful it looked when it was actually installed in the room. I was astonished.

Master Bath

Shower

Shower Detail

The bedrooms were tiled but not grouted yet.

Master Bedroom

Pete's Room

The oak trim is installed on the half-wall at the top of the stairs and going down. It looked better than I was expecting.

Oak Trim

My office was not tiled yet. Marlene had laid out the tile in a pleasing arrangement taking into consideration the amount of white veins in the black marble.

Tile Staged for my Office

Not only was there progress this week, but the tile looked better than I anticipated. How nice!

Great Room Tile and Cove

We stopped by the house on Saturday to drop off the recently purchased grout for my office tile. We were on our way to a meeting so we did not have much time to check things out. The tilers were hard at work as we poked our heads into the various rooms. A lot of progress was visible. The bathroom tile was especially pretty and the great room was moving along nicely. The edges of the room are now tiled and the cove for the indirect lighting has been installed. It is starting to look like a real room!

Great Room Edges Tiled

Cove In Great Room

When we went downstairs to see how they had done with the tile in my office, we were greeted with this unpleasant surprise.

Len's Office

There was more water outside the office, too.



We think (hope) that the water came from a hose not being turned all the way off and left lying on the basement floor. We have not had any water in the basement since they poured the floor until this point.