It's Crunch Time, Folks.

If I'm reading a theatre review, I tend to dislike it when the reviewer gives a "synopsis" of the play. Instead of writing about the play, how it made them feel, etc., they give a run down of the plot. Snooooooooore. But...this is not a play. It's my house. And a lot has happened, so I feel like some of what I have to say is, a "synopsis," but by god I will try to make it entertaining. And throw some of my thoughts in there too. SO:

I returned to Creede yesterday after a few days in the big city of Denver. I went up primarily for some auditions, but it ended up being a nice "escape from THE PROJECT". We have now moved into the home stretch. Our optimistic end of October move in deadline is not happening, but we are confident that not too long after that, we'll be moved in. Some major developments in the last couple of weeks:

Last week my stepfather, Gerry, spent six straight days helping us. RJ's father, Roger Sr., came in for a few days later in the week as well. Their help was invaluable. While I cleaned, sanded, primed and insulated, Roger tinkered with the furnace vents, and RJ and Gerry put up drywall upstairs, downstairs and on the ceiling (that actually required 3-4 hearty gentleman to accomplish).

Lots of hands.

We had the tankless water heater hooked up, got a blue tag from the inspector (the blue tag story is longer and not terribly interesting, but VERY IMPORTANT), and Monte Vista Co-op hooked up the gas line from the propane tank to the house. We ordered flooring, a storm door, one entire extra package of roof shingles though we unfortunately only needed a few to finish the job. While in Denver, I bought us a refrigerator and gas range. And my mother and step-father have graciously gifted us a dishwasher.

Behold, The Gloriousness. Especially for propane, the extra initial expense means that we will end up using way less propane since it heats the water as it goes through the heater. It doesn't store it, like traditional water heaters.

Now I have to rave about Sears Outlet. I may eat my words if the stuff ends up being crap, but it's a pretty awesome feeling to acquire a new stove that is 50% off simply because a contractor installed it in a house, the owner didn't like it because it wasn't self cleaning, then had it removed so they could exchange it. You can't sell something full price once it's been installed so who benefits? WE DO! The fridge was the same deal. Brand new, but returned. Slight dents on the bottom sides that no one will see anyway--at a third of the regular price. Winning!

Fancy schmantz fridge

So...A LOT is happening and we're seeing our construction loan balance get lower and lower, which is terrifying. When you initially apply for a construction escrow (or loan) you have to create a budget ahead of time to include in your application. When you are working on the house in reality, certain things gain higher importance, others become an after thought. For example, plumbing has been WAY more expensive than we originally thought because RJ thought he might be able to do a lot of the plumbing himself. But because it's not an area he's particularly skilled in, we decided to hire a plumber, got the best products we could and in the long run, it'll be great. However, it's going to end up being more than 20% of our ENTIRE budget. Also, the amount of insulation in that house continues to be staggering (YOU'RE WELCOME). But we'll hopefully save in the long run because the house will be nice and toasty.

The goal by the end of the week is to have the upstairs (master bedroom and tv room) pretty much completed. RJ is tackling the bathroom and today, I donned my painters cap and put color on the stuff I primed last week--a white with a slight blue tint to it to bring out the blue stained pine and in the barn wood we used. I bought a shop vac at Home Depot on my way out of Denver so I can FINALLY clean how I wanna clean.

I'm not gonna lie. This project, especially the last couple of weeks, has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. I'm tired. I'm pissed. I don't want to do it anymore and I wish it was just fucking DONE. Trying to keep up morale when you both feel like it's never going to get finished is really hard. Drywall helps a lot because you can actually start to see the shape of things. That said, drywall dust is a whole new level of hell. Not that it's dangerous, it's just messy and hard to clean up without something like a shop vac. It occurs when you apply "mud," to cover up the seams between sheets of drywall and then sand it so looks smooth. And in some places, even out some non-straight surfaces. The fine, white dust from what you've sanded just sits on the ground as well as on you and makes you look as though a shipment of cocaine exploded in your face. It also tends to clog up the shop vac if you don't have a bag. (I did NOT find that out from experience. Ahem.)

But...it will get finished. Things slowly but surely come together. I have to remind myself that, on average, there are only two people working on this house. Many times, less. We have had some awesome help from friends and family--the thanks are endless. But I was gone for almost all of last week so RJ was mostly on his own. Luckily, my trip left me somewhat refreshed, or at least refocused, and I started off today with a lot of vacuuming.

And in a shameless act of begging: if you are in the area and want some hang out time while you do something with your hands, come on over! We can't provide much more than food, adult beverage and gratitude, but, as it is said, someplace by someone, "it takes a village."

ONWARD!