7 months and a day....

Like the lyrics of the Hall and Oats song, So Close,  we are sooooo close to finishing the house - but  the patience needed to see the project to the end is so far away.  It is no secret that we have had trouble finding tradesmen that can do quality work and/or that can show up the entirety of the project.  Dave and I have had many conversations with each-other about what we could have done differently at this point or that.  In reality I think it is just the two us Monday-morning quarterbacking the reality of putting our house back together.  Our next-door neighbors became so frustrated (with the same issue) they decided to go with "big box store" to finish out all of their larger projects.  While I was in Houston over spring break, they were scheduled to have "big box store" install their carpet - guess what?!  No one showed up!  I have to say that I was shocked.  While you are going to pay more at "big box store", I thought that the trade off would be reliability of install and warranty afterwards.  On my list of things to do this weekend is to visit with them and find out what happened.  It will have been two weeks by the time I see them and I am just hoping that they have flooring.
On the docket for this weekend - possible inspection by the mortgage company (they are still holding a nice chunk of our insurance money) but we can not get the inspector to confirm the time of the appointment ( I couldn't make up this nonsense even if tried),  maybe the shower in the master bath will be finished, possible install of the vanities in the master bath.  Well that seems really definitive.
The yard (re-sodding and tree trimming) work is scheduled for April 10th, so in the back of my mind that is the schedule that I am working backwards from - the yard should be the last thing and the house will be FINISHED!

Here is a sneak peak of the end result:

It is spring, but not a break

Tuesday = day 4 in Houston
Spring break = pushing to finish the house

Sometimes it feels like the house will be finished any hot minute, and then I start running through the small details and I talk myself into an anticipated July 1st finish date.
This week is probably the most time (consecutively) that I have spent in Houston in 9 years - that seems crazy.  I have been staying at the house; the first time I have stayed there in 12 years!
While I am thoroughly enjoying my trip down memory lane, I know that regular life will pick back up next week when school starts back up for the home stretch to summer.

This week's tasks / accomplishments are small and time consuming; but the house really feels like it is coming back together as long as I steer clear of the master bathroom.  The walk-in shower is in partial demo and fingers crossed it will be finished before I go home (more like I can't go home until it is finished).  Items I have checked off the list in the last 4 days: repaint all of the base boards (whole house), touch up paint (whole house), repaint and install all vent covers, finish out all switch plates, argue with Home Depot (yes I need both parts of the special order toilet).  I am aiming to have 5 light fixtures / fans installed, blinds measured / cut / start install,  and finish cleaning the house.  Wondering what still needs to be done?  The whole yard (omg), replace the water heater ($$$), pressure wash the exterior of the house / patio / driveway, install vanities in the master bath, install one special order (size) toilet, locate a two-panel 18" inch door, have the carpet on the stairs installed, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Going the Distance

When the house first flooded (six months ago), I would have never dreamed that we would still be working on it in March.  In all the frustration of getting work done, one of the biggest challenges is time management.  We have our regular life in San Antonio- filled with kids' activities, demands of our jobs, finding time to clean house / do laundry / go to the grocery store.  But we are not really in a routine because we are on-demand chasing down supplies, making day and weekend trips to Houston, balancing watching the kids (taking turns going to Houston), and Dave working as much overtime as possible since we have been paying two mortgages all of this time .  We don't have regular weekends and the girls didn't play spring soccer. 
The drive from our house in San Antonio to Katy is two hours thirty-five minutes (if I am driving / #davedrivesslow), but the additional time it takes to get from Katy to Clear Lake turns the trip into three hours and forty-five minutes. Since the house flooded we have made about 24 trips (I think I counted them all, but knows), that's more than 11,500 miles (our poor cars)!
In the back of my mind I have a small running list of things I am looking forward to doing once the house is off of our plate: finally being able to buy a new phone (pardon the quality of my photos), taking a vacation (spending time with the kids that doesn't include DIY projects), and not being so tired all of the time.