Where we're at.

I've been thinking about the house so much lately that I am actually losing sleep over it, so this is a list of what has been done so far, what is going to be done soon, and what's going to happen in the future over the next month or so. I think Andrea and I have naturally already fallen into our roles at which we're good at - she's basically doing all the research and design work, and I am mostly doing my best at keeping things on track (read: staying in regular contact with our contractor) and making the final call when she can't make up her mind on something. Since we have our funding (thanks Dad!) we can finally start moving forward with everything in earnest.

Completed - Demolition

1. Tear out the kitchen, removed all cabinets, sink, plumbing, appliances and drywall
   
2. Pulled up the carpet through the entire house
3. Complete gutting of guest bathroom: toilet, vanity, tile, bathtub, tile.

Completed - Things bought already

1. Oven range
2. Refrigerator
3. Kitchen undermount sink
4. Microwave
5. Washing machine
6. Dishwasher
7. Bathtub

Things that need to be chosen and/or bought:

1. Kitchen cabinets. This is pretty much ready, we got a finalized design from IKEA so this weekend I think we'll be heading up there to actually put our order in. Not sure of how we're going to get them to the house yet, I guess it will depend on how much delivery costs. Jeff offered to pick them up for us so we may do that. This is probably the most crucial thing on our list, for obvious reasons. I think Jeff is going to add the necessary outlets once we get everything ordered.
   
2. Backsplash. Glass mosaic or the fake tin pieces? Can't decide yet. I prefer the former but the look may be a little too modern for what we're going for. Andrea likes the latter. I think the cost per square foot is essentially the same (although those fake tin pieces cost a lot more than one might expect.)
   
3. Bathroom vanity. This one is almost equally as important and we're having a little trouble deciding on which direction to go, whether it be a custom cabinet (in which we buy our own sink to put on top of something) or something more generic that can be had from Overstock. Andrea, I am going to corner you about this soon :)
   
4. Tile. We have some pretty good ideas about this. I'm pretty sure that we can at least go ahead and buy the cement and hardie board to lay in preparation for it. Mom keeps saying that the drywall needs to be up before we can do this so I am going to find out a firm answer on this part. Also we need to figure out what we're going to do with the transition between the kitchen and living room, since the kitchen area will be higher. Bathroom tile needs to be chosen as well.
   
5. Drywall. This one is pretty obvious.
   
6. Paint.
7. Crown molding for the kitchen/dining area. I don't see why we can't go ahead and do this since the drywall is going up soon.
   

Things we're not doing yet:

1. Master bathroom. I don't want to touch it until the guest bathroom is done. Not looking forward to the demolition; it's a smaller space which is both good and bad. Since our dumpster is gone, I think when we pull out the tile we'll set a big tarp out in the yard and just throw it out the window so we're not dragging concrete bits through the whole house.
   
2. Countertops. Base cabinets have to be in before we can really get a firm quote; typically the installers come in and make exact measurements so they just drop in. We're estimating it's going to be about 50 square ft of countertop. If we can get it for ~$40 or so installed, I will be very happy. Cause man I've always wanted granite countertops, at least as long as I have been thinking about having my own house. Big money, but I think it's worth it.
   
3. Hardwoods. Got a quote yesterday. Tentative cost for refinishing and staining all the hardwoods comes in at a little over two grand. The guy advised that I take up the tack board myself, a prospect that is neither fun nor appealing. He did suggest a flat shovel to take up the tacks, so maybe that will help. Since the sanding process is so messy, it needs to be done before we paint. He did say that the wood was in good condition. Not sure if the quote includes the quarter round or not, but if not we'd probably save some money since it is cheap.
   
4. Crown molding/painting the other rooms. We may go ahead and buy the molding, set it aside and paint it and put it up once we're ready.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I've hated being in limbo up until now, but we can finally start moving forward. Hopefully we can get the kitchen and bathroom finished in the next few weeks so we can apply for a mortgage and close before November 30 to get that Georgia First Time Buyers Tax Credit. I am reasonably confident of this. I'm not sure if the timelines I have in my head are realistic are not since I have never done this before.

Interesting times, for sure.