Hurray, It's Moving Day!



Want to Buy a House on the Potomac River?


What can I say other than moving day has come and gone… and Larry and I are exhausted! Moving day was actually three days so perhaps that has something to do with why we are so tired.



Larry Says Goodbye to the River House







The festivities got under way early Monday morning when the All Star Movers team arrived in Colonial Beach to pack up the “River House”. While not yet sold—doesn’t anyone have a friend who would be interested in a steal on a weekend house with a million dollar view--, we decided to remove the furniture and take it to Edenton.  

Larry and I were both sad to leave our River House.  We've really enjoyed the time we've spent there, enjoying the quiet and solitude while watching the Potomac River flow by. 

On Tuesday morning, the movers arrived at our condo in Vienna with not one, but two trucks. It took them just about half a day to fill the first truck before they drove over to the storage unit to fill the other. Since it was late in the day when they finished, the movers decided to stay the night locally and drive to Edenton in the morning. Wanting to make sure the house was ready for their arrival, I left town when the movers headed off to the storage unit. Poor Larry made the four hour drive to North Carolina that evening.

Waiting at the Condo for the Movers



The Movers Arrive at the Condo



Wednesday morning, Larry and I had several hours to “prepare the house” for its new belongings before the moving trucks arrived from Virginia. It was nearly 7:00pm before the job was finished and the movers were headed back to VA. I was happy not to have to make that trip again and instead climbed into my big bathtub for a long soak before sleeping in my own bed in our Big Yellow House.

 

Ready or Not, Here We Come!



Larry's Retirement Luncheon

Since last I wrote, Larry retired from L-3 Communications. His colleagues gave him a great sendoff, purchasing and personalizing a toilet seat cover that wishes him well as he continues to renovate The Big Yellow House.  They also bought us a subscription to "Old House Journal", a monthly magazine we should have been reading for many years before initiating this project.  Since we now have more time than money, it was great to be able to make a mid-week trip to Edenton without all the usual weekend traffic.


When we arrived at the house, we saw a good portion of the hard wood floors upstairs had been sanded.  Unfortunately, they were in much worse shape than Dave the floor man realized and were taking more time than planned.  While apologetic about the delay, it was obvious Dave was working hard to make our floors look as good as they did when they were first installed 96 years ago. He was also striving to meet our schedule having drafted his father to help with the work!
 

Newly Sanded Family Room Floor





Dave at Work

Pop Helps Dave Meet the Schedule

We are also experiencing delays in the kitchen. The tin ceiling is late in arriving and most likely will not be installed until after we move in. All of the prep work, however, has been completed so installation can begin as soon as the tin arrives.

Tommy and Patrick Frame for the Tin Ceiling



James Helps Fit the Ceiling Lights



Elsewhere in the kitchen, much of the finishing work has been done. Beveled glass was added to the two exterior doors to bring more light into the kitchen, all the remaining hardware was affixed to the new cabinets, a glass tile backsplash was fitted near the sink, and most of the appliances were installed.




Windows Added to the Doors








Glass Tile Backsplash in the Kitchen





 

Despite all of this progress, the delay on the wood floors has caused us to readjust our priorities and to push back our move date. To simplify the floor job we've decided not to refinish the two stairways. While this dirty dusty work is better tackled when the house is vacant, it's just going to have to wait until after we move in. By eliminating these areas, Dave “thinks” he can get the floors done in time to let them cure for a few days before our furniture arrives. Fortunately, All Star Movers can accommodate a delayed move date and we're now scheduled to "begin" moving on September 24th.  I say begin because this will be a 3 stop move.  First we must empty our home in Colonial Beach before the contents of the storage unit and condominium in Vienna can be placed onto the truck.  Then, it's off to Edenton!  

Working Hard on Labor Day

It was Labor Day weekend and boy did we "labor" at the house! I’m excited to see all our work coming together and am anxious to move in at the end of the month.

Last time I wrote, I mentioned I wanted to show you the progress we’ve made in the laundry room. Here is a photo of the slate floor that was installed in the laundry and mud rooms.

We unexpectedly came across some similar tiles in Lowe's, and installed them as a backsplash over the sink.





The laundry room is also home to all the water purification and softening equipment we purchased. As you can see, it takes up quite a bit of floor space in this tiny room. However, the water softener in particular will help extend the life of some of our new appliances so it was worth the trade-off.


Fortunately, we saved some space in the room by replacing our old water heater with a tankless version. Not only will it ensure I don’t run out of hot water before my tub is full, it’s a more efficient way of heating water. Unfortunately, the box that houses the mechanism is located on the side of the house visible from the patio. We definitely need to find a way to hide the equipment without impacting its operation. Does anyone have any creative ideas to share?


How Can I Hide this Monstrosity?

Larry and I spent most of the weekend painting. Returning to our original list of priorities to finish before we move in, we tried to complete all the painting in the master bedroom and bath, kitchen, mud room and first floor powder room.  We didn't make it, but we got close. 



Painting the Mud Room

Since I was also curious what the outside of the house might look like if we painted the window frames, corner boards and belt course Classic French Gray , Larry agreed to do a little experiment at the back of the house. While we won’t make any final decisions until the back door is painted Teal Stencil, I’m thinking we'll probably go with this new combination when we paint the house next spring. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think? 

Experimenting with Gray

After many hours of holding a brush we went home on Monday with big smiles on our faces knowing we just have one more visit before we move in.