Frequently Asked Questions

The two most common questions we hear these days are:

1. What's the baby's name?
2. When are you moving in?

Answer to both: UNKNOWN.

It’s really funny how many times I answer both questions (back-to-back) each day, so maybe I should just make a sign to wear around my neck.

I feel pretty guilty that we talk about the house more than we talk about the baby.  One day, I’ll hit 8 months and appropriately freak out, but until then - we have remodel decisions to make!

The last few weeks have been seriously transformational!  The thing that makes the biggest difference is seeing Sheetrock on the walls which makes the house look like it actually has rooms again and ironically makes everything look bigger than when it was down to the studs.

The builders called this morning at 7:00 am to make sure the ceilings were going to be white so they could put a coat of paint on them today. Progress is so much fun!!

Speaking of white – pretty sure I want to paint all the walls in the house “white” with the exception of the bedrooms and bathrooms. There’s also a lovely chair rail that runs pretty much throughout the entire house that will (I’m assuming?) be the same color as the trim. If you’ve ever walked into a paint store and said, “I want white paint,” and walked out with it, I need to know what paint store you’ve been to.

When I went they said, “Well, there are several options of white” and took me to the swatches where I collected no less than 750 different shades of “white” and have been pouring over them ever since. Some whites are too yellow, others too blue, one that I think we’ll use for Alice’s bedroom is straight up PINK, but it’s called “Intimate White.” I also read a horror story online about white paint that turns yellow over time. Ok…

So – anyone out there had success with painting walls and trim WHITE?!  Please tell me!

Another paint challenge has been the exterior and because this is a safe place, I’ll admit: I still don’t know if I like the colors we chose. Paint is up and although it looks way better than before, I just can’t envision the big picture with all the new windows installed/painted, doors/shutters hung, landscaping settled (haha – yeah right, landscaping is on the books for 2025 now). So I just can’t commit to my feelings or especially the word love just yet.

(It’s that brick, y’all. I’M SORRY - I just don’t. love. it. But I hope I eat those words once everything comes together. Truly, I do.)

Apart from paint colors which I will battle until my dying day, making sure everything is laid out perfectly so you can cook and hang out in the kitchen still remains our biggest challenge. On paper and with everything gutted, the kitchen looked HUGE. But last Saturday we cut Sheetrock to the specs of the cabinets, appliances and island and physically laid them on the ground.  Suddenly, it felt a lot tighter than we anticipated so we had to compromise by scaling back the island a bit so people can actually walk around it.

Michael worked on getting all the old metal shelving out of the garage so those windows could be accessed and replaced, and that made a big difference. I’ve NEVER had a garage before and couldn’t be more excited about parking inside – especially with two babies! #WINNING.  And the fact that it’s a two car garage is such a bonus. Michael has a significant collection of “supplies” for his various hobbies (hunting, biking, boating, etc.) so I have a feeling I may be parking beside boats and decoys instead of Michael’s truck on a regular basis.

We have been talking about building an outdoor garage – some day, some day maybe – with the piles of brick we inherited with the house. Definitely a few years down the road kind of project, but sure would be nice!

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