Construction progress

Not as much progress as we'd hoped (the lack of flooring held up progress in the utility room & back bathroom, for one thing), and a few things need fixing, but most of the wiring and a major chunk of the plumbing are done. It was interesting looking at all the "spaghetti" and figuring out which boxes will be outlets, which will be light switches, and which will be thermostats for the baseboard heaters. The doors and sidelights are in place for both the front and deck doors, so now we have that many more keys to keep track of. We also got a look at the basement (although on the way back home we realized there are NO electrical outlets down there because we completely forgot to ask for them - oops!). The Chief has already asked me about curtains for the basement doors so no one sees what "toys" he has there. ;)

We have a problem with the plumber, who apparently isn't too great at following instructions. We had bought shower fittings (handle controls rather than knobs, and a pole-mounted adjustable-height shower head) for the two bathrooms, which our contractor says he showed to the plumber. However, the plumber went ahead and installed a junk knob control in the new bathroom's shower, and the water supply pipe is very high; we don't see how it could possibly work with the hose for the adjustable shower head. We've already told the contractor that we do not expect to be billed for the plumber to install and then remove the shower control that didn't belong there.

The water supply for the pedestal sink will have to be moved, too; in its current position, the sink will be crammed into a corner, so that righties would be forever banging elbows on the wall when trying to shave or brush teeth.

On the whole, we're pleased with how things are shaping up, though we're eager to have the construction over so we can clean up, decorate & furnish, and just enjoy the new space. We've got paired windows on 3 corners, so the views are very nice. We'll need to come up with some good, heavy curtains so we'll be able to sleep past dawn, but the Chief has been talking a lot about getting a nice little Victorian settee so we can sit there w/ our morning coffee and just enjoy the view. His Victorian chair is already slated for the new bedroom; it's just a matter of deciding where it fits best.