Insulation, Siding, and Doors

Things are plugging away at the new house.  Insulation is underway in the garage:

The webbing for the blown-in insulation inside the house is in place:

The exterior of the house has been wrapped:

And the siding has begun:

We've chosen to use Hardie Board siding, which is a cement siding and really, well, hardy.  It holds paint really well and is fire resistant.  It's like superhero siding.  One time a while back, when we were still living in our happy home, I came home to smoke billowing up from the back side of the house.  I ran around the back to find a fire burning in the bark against the house.  The flames in the bark were lapping up against the Hardie Board and it refused to catch on fire.  I'm a believer in Hardie.  And considering that our family home burned down when I was in high school, I'm touchy about these sort of things.

We're waiting on the exterior doors to arrive.  Choosing a front door took some time.  I really wanted a front door with a window but was obsessed with the window on the door exactly lining up with the window at the entryway.  I wasn't able to find a pre-made door with a window that worked for me so I looked into a custom front door.  However, due to the height of the entryway window, even a custom door window couldn't match exactly, and was also really costly.  So, I opted for a solid door.  I ended up choosing a nice classic door that I'll have painted.  Classic style is really important to me because I want it to look good for years to come.  All of these little decisions can end up including some sort of a sacrifice, but I've tried really hard to still find things that I love, while making sure to keep our budget in mind.

Once all of the exterior doors are in place and the insulation is complete, the sheetrock installation will begin.

The house will need to be heated soon to dry out any moisture in the sheetrock once that goes up.  The heating crew has been working onsite to get the system up and running:

I met with Craig yesterday to go over the interior doors, base trim, and crown molding.  Again, I've chosen some nice classic profiles.  I worked on a shoot recently in an amazing old building and was really inspired by the baseboard trim.  It was really high and just had a really nice "feel" to it.  Craig is working on trying to match it.  I chose some paneled doors for the interior and they think they will tie everything together nicely. There's a warmth to these doors that I love.  (They will be painted white, along with the trim).

Today I'm going to pour over wallpaper samples and hopefully find some things I'm crazy about.  Craig is getting me some samples of wall finishes for the sheetrock and I'm hoping to use the very very lightest texture possible.  I'd really prefer to have a perfectly smooth wall, but that can get really expensive.  So, hopefully we'll be able to settle on something that works without breaking the bank.  Then I'll be moving on to selecting paint colors.  They will definitely be very light, because I love a bright and happy home.

*    *    *    *

Between posts on my website, I document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

*    *    *    *

Comments

[Donna]

Wow! How exciting! Things are really moving along. Will you be in by Christmas? Can't wait to see how you decorate it.

[Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage]

I bet you are excited!! I have never built a new home like that...color me jealous! ;)

[Marla Hacklander]

We have done some "minor" remodeling and barely lived through it :)
I am excited for you ~ Brave woman!!

[Gina]

I love seeing the progress on your new home. How fun!! I love the doors you chose. :)

[hilary]

can't wait to see more ;)

[birdie blue]

looks beautiful serena. i have the same profile on the doors in my house, love them.

xo
~molly

[Charmaine McLaughlin]

Serena thanks for sharing your progress! This is all so exciting to watch how it all comes together! Maybe there will be another Christmas book about how you decorate and celebrate in the new house? Bet you already know where the Christmas tree will go!

[pinksuedeshoe]

Five panel doors are one of my most favorite thing in old houses (or new houses actually!) While in college I visited one of the Internment camps that housed Japanese American citizens during WWII and one thing that struck me was the five panel doors looked like the sturdiest most beautiful thing they had in their homes. I can't wait to see finished pics of your new home, I've been loving the updates!

[Jennifer Rizzo]

I love that you picked cement siding! It's so environmentally friendly! I hope to put i ton our house when we re-side! and I love that all of your timbers are real lumber too!!! I can't wait to see it done!

[Sandra]

In our home, we have the interior doors that you picked. I really like them!

[Lori @ My Vintage Whimsy]

How exciting! And I love the view - that's beautiful! I wish I could see mountains & hills outside of my house. Maybe one day eh?!

[ain't for city gals]

We are building and my husband and I do all of the work ourselves...(that is how we make our living)...my Christmas present was SMOOTH walls...no texture...YIPPEE ! love love love them....

[Laur Kappauf]

I am enjoying seeing your home progress. We built our Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home three years ago. My husband and I had so much fun together. We too went with smooth walls, and love them. We used Beason GC here locally ( we built in north Spokane). Jadda Beason was awesome and came back year later to fix all the cracks. Yes houses settle. His number is 863-2755 if you are interested. Tell him the Kappaufs recommended him. Anyway was just thinking of you.

Laur

[Cary]

Looking good! We wanted classic looking baseboard trim in our 1920 house here on the West Plains as well. Luckily my dad has an industrial sized planer and we just had to buy the blade and made it all ourselves. I love it! And I love that I know I can make it again and again when we move on.

[Gayla]

Wow! How exciting. Keep us posted!

[HVAC St. Paul]

That's nice. How's the progress going? Are you going to install HVAC? St. Paul, Minnesota house owners are also into renovating. One of the most important things to consider in redesigning some part of the house is the heating and ventilation. We're done with the sidings, though. Anyway, good luck with your project!

- Gail Connick

[laura atkins]

What an exciting time!!! So happy for you. Isn't it interesting to watch all the progress?

[Jacqueline Holcomb]

We have the same choice. We have Hardie Board also in our house. I found it more useful and durable than the other kinds that my relatives sold to me.