I'm a Home Owner

[eswepe]

Colors are SO hard to show off in pictures. It looks great, though! You have already made some big improvements. I agree - the kitchen cabinet change is HUGE - what a nice open space you have now! I LOVE it!

[Katie]

The light and space looks fabulous. I love those 2 windows. I chose this house as it has 2 large windows upstairs with fantastic views of the hills. Aran didn't have much choice lol.

I want to see what everyone's houses look like now. Do I start a new thread. Maybe I should. Do people mind sharing house pictures? I know what Julies house looks like with her beautiful porch. I woudl love a porch or conservatory but it's impossible in an upside down house.

[Bengal Mom]

I just read this thread today!!!
Congratulations on your new house. I know how exciting/scary and challenging it can be (all at the same time)

[MacKitten]

Thanks!

A few more changes -

kitchen after cabinets moved with 3 recessed lights


fan moved from over island to where table will go and more lights installed


Unfortunately I was not there to tell them where to place the cans (lights) so there are not necessarily where i would have placed them but I am just trying to be happy i have them at all (I love recessed lighting)

They should finish painting this weekend and then next week we have someone coming to seal and shine the floors

[Boss Bengal]

oh my its all moving so fast!! when you have finished with the workman send him here? PLEASEEEEEEEE? lol

looking SUPERB Jennifer xxxxx

[Peepers]

Your new house is lovely!!! I especially like the oak cabinets and hardwood floors..... very similar to ours; we built ours 15 years ago, but it seems like only two --we still think of it as 'our new house'......
Have fun - it's a big project, but very satisfying and worth it!!!

Keep sharing...... we'd love to see some outside pictures, too!!!

[MacKitten]

If we can make it up there in the snow tomorrow I can take some outside shots LOL

[seamuskitty]

Fantastic Jen!! You know it didn't look bad at all before you started making changes but I can see that it is going to be heavenly!

Those kitchen cabinets "before" made the space look odd--like there was a slot between the kitchen and dining room to slide dishes through.

It looks so much better now that they are gone--the "after" is wide open and just makes more sense. Phew!!! What a difference. When its done, I'm coming over for dinner!

Everything looks so nice!

[eswepe]

I want to see what everyone's houses look like now. Do I start a new thread. Maybe I should. Do people mind sharing house pictures? I know what Julies house looks like with her beautiful porch. I woudl love a porch or conservatory but it's impossible in an upside down house.

Katie, you totally should. I love this stuff!

[miki129]

Wow your house is looking fab, what a difference those cabinets coming down in the kitchen has made.... i love the color of you master bedroom now...
its all looking fantastic....

miki xx

[MacKitten]

What a difference. When its done, I'm coming over for dinner!

hahah sure thing just let me know when so I can tell allen to start cooking

so hoping to be moved in by the weekend of the 19th (but def not later than Monday the 29th)

I ordered a couch, they sanded and resealed the floors with a polyurethane seal (i like how it looks shiney but not the feel and how easily it scratches :( )

washer and dryer and fridge came and hooked up , installed a filter on the water, brought the office furniture up too!

Khan has not been happy about us being at the house and him being home so much - i figured by the peeing on my gym clothes when I came home, and up all night attack mode... so this weekend I brought him with saturday and sunday.

He was so good - its 50 minutes in the car each way (not including gas stops and errands) - he also went to home goods (2 of them) bed bath and beyond and even home depot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY3pO9uRN-Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa-CcCZWCrg

[eswepe]

Look at Khan steaking out his territory already - he does look right at home. He's so beautiful. I love seeing videos - you really get to see their personalites.

Looks like things are really coming along! You'll be in the new place in no time. You must be getting really excited!

[MacKitten]

haha yeah he is already getting comfortable there!I think hed really like some furniture though

now im stressing about window treatments - does anyone have the honeycomb/cellular type or is he going to destroy them? Is my best bet just basic mini blinds and maybe wood?
:(

I think this weekend Ill bring him up again and by the following weekend we will be living there!

[eswepe]

I'm thinking they'd be destroyed. Sorry! We have wood blinds and curtains in just about every room. They've all held up pretty well. Of course, we don't have any curtain climbers...

[seamuskitty]

Oh darn! I am just seeing that Jen has posted videos! I have to wait til I get home to watch them...Someone remind me!

[Dan]

haha yeah he is already getting comfortable there!I think hed really like some furniture though

now im stressing about window treatments - does anyone have the honeycomb/cellular type or is he going to destroy them? Is my best bet just basic mini blinds and maybe wood?
:(

I think this weekend Ill bring him up again and by the following weekend we will be living there!

Jen, you REALLY should look into the Hunter Douglas Everwood blinds. They aren't wood per se (they are some sort of new composite). However, they look just like wood, and you can get the 2" (or was it 2.5" slat) blinds that look like Shutters. The best part is that they are very heavy (if you get the 2-2.5" ones) and the cats really cannot do ANYTHING to them. I did my whole rowhome except for the kitchen for like $1,200-1,300. If you are a member of Costco (or someone in your family is), get them there. That's what I did. It was a "gift" from my parents. In reality they are members and I just cut them a check so I in essence used their memebership.

I totally second Renee's "wood blind" recommendation. However, in this case, you don't actually need to spend the $$ on wood (I know things are tight when you move into a new house). In fact, my Mom's friend who also carries Hunter Douglas said to my mom on the side that there were some very hard feelings internally at Hunter Douglas when the Everwood came out a few years ago. The people in the wood blind division felt they were betrayed and out of jobs...

I would say for a whole house, you might be looking at 2 to 2.5K measured & installed (at least at the prices from costco 2 yrs ago). Also, don't let the Costco thing fool you. All they do is contract out a local designer who is a Hunter Douglas dealer.

[Dan]

Oh, just for the record, Ajax DID TRY to detroy the blinds when he was about 4 months old. He quickly relaized how futile it was. I am not kidding. These things are so heavy, that I (a 200lb male) have a hard time lifting them up. Basically, with these big slat blinds, you leave them down (they look like shutters) and just tilt to let whatever light you want in. I think the large slats don't make that higher pitched bending/crinkle noise that small metal blinds make (which the cats like).

I don't think Khan could do anyting even if he wanted to, no matter how big and strong he is.

-Dan

I have these (Everwood Xtra 2.5" Beveled in case the link doesnt work):
http://www.hunterdouglas.com/our-produc ... =tn#/P_16/

[eswepe]

I was using the term "wood" loosely - ours are faux too. Actually, not even as nice as Dan's. We got 2" Bali blinds - they ran about $300 for the 7 BIG windows in our living room / dining room area. You can't tell they're not real either (unless you get really close). Also very strong.

[MacKitten]

thanks for the ideas guys

wow who knows if khans would be a curtain climber I guess ill find out if i ever get curtains.

I was thinking of maybe doing the living and dining rooms with shutters or wood blinds, and maybe the kitchen the same or like those bamboo type shades that go up like roman shades

they make cellulars that have no string so i though maybe khan wont bother with them if they dont have a string.....

I think thats one of my big worries that hell get hurt I heard some horror storry about a cat and a blind string.

[eswepe]

Yeah, we keep our blind cords wrapped up and out of the way so they can't get to them. I tried hiding them behind the blinds, but turk was climbing them, holding on with one hand and fishing the cords out from the back. Do you know how easy the bamboo blinds are to break? I've seen some that are really brittle. All of our less dirable blinds are broken off on the sides from the cats pushing them out of the way with their heads to have a look outside. So destructive they are!