We are coming down to the end of the project and are expected to be finished by the end of February or the beginning of March.  The cabinets, counters and the laminate tile flooring is now down in the kitchen and all the walls and exterior are painted, including all of the bedrooms and bathrooms (one bedroom and bath were painted last year, the rest were done last weekend before they stripped the floors!!). James has been living at the house throughout the construction but had to move all of his stuff out so the floors could be sanded and refinished througout the house, which started Tuesday of this week.  As of yesterday, they had put down the first coat of polyurethane after sanding away the old finish and blending in the new oak flooring that was needed for the extension of the living room.  There is also a new heating system with connectivity for an AC in the future, and all of the electrical has been redone as well.  Lighting is in (lots of can lights, as well as hanging pendants in the kitchen and a ceiling fan for the living room) and there are switches galore to turn things on and off - hopefully I can figure out what goes to where!!   Also, they will be building steps from the french doors to the backyard, but James and a buddy are supposed to build a deck... a nice deck for lounging and spending summer nights !!!  We will also be restructuring the back lawn, making a small garden down the side of the house and removing the grass and redoing the watering system.  The deck and garden will mean less lawn to water and maintain... but my gardener handles all that so no biggie!!

 

As for furniture... I have a couch, a loveseat and not much else to go into the living room.  I have a futon for the music room (a combo guest room/hangout room to play music) and my bedroom furniture as well... I am not moving in anything else unless I love it or absolutely NEED it...  I plan to get a sofa table for behind the couch and loveseat, with storage for books and other things. IKEA had one that I really liked that was really reasonable.  I also have to get a large area rug for the living room, but it will have to be bigger than the one I previously had because the room is so much bigger!!  I will eventually need a dining table that can seat 6-10, and chairs to go with... and a small desk area for the kitchen for mail and bill paying.  It is all a work in process but once it is all there, I plan to have an Open House to celebrate (probably this summer).  Stay Tuned for the Final Chapter and updated photos!!