Donka - is that why my kitchen knives are flying around? I thought I was just really clumsy! (And does that mean my wood floor is balding instead of wearing out?) And I know - it's been dying a slow death since we moved in. I have, what, half the original styling black plastic door pulls left? We tried replacing them, but they just kept breaking right back off so we gave up. I don't know how I'm going to adjust to a kitchen where I don't have to manually light the stove and bake everything on preheat ...

Do you have a permit from the city? I've found the city inspectors to be an invaluable resource. I email them all the time to ask what should be. I've had SO many subcontractors tell me certain things are or aren't code, checked with the city, and been told something different. I have also had subcontractors make very serious mistakes, even if they came highly recommended and did parts of their jobs very well and took a lot of pride in their work. As a homeowner, you just have to know what to check for and what to ask for. One situation that comes to mind is the drywallers had not read the manufacturer's directions on our shower wallboard (DensShield/DensGuard) and had just installed it like any other drywall boards. This meant carefully countersinking all the screws in it. They install wallboard all day, every day, so they really though they knew all there was to it. But the shower wallboard we used is a relative new kind of material to the market, and the manufacturer specifically stated you should NOT countersink those screws because it punctures the waterproof membrane. So our shower waterproofing was like swiss cheese! The drywallers came out and redid it properly after I sent them the manufacturer's specs.

We thought we were so close that it would be no problem. Most of the work being done, with "most" being a famous last word now. Yes, we did get all the moldings stained, finished, cut and up. Hooray! We have more recessed lighting to install (the boxes are there in the attic wired and capped, waiting for final steps). Husband had avoided doing a full ceiling sheetrocking; seemed eco-friendly and budget friendly at the time. (These decisions always do.) The sheetrock around the old light fixture had years of heat and whatever. Therefore, plaster just crumbled when we put the Halo can in. Argh. Many phone calls. Patching. I need to go to a special store. Will the "mistake ring" arrive at our lighting store soon and will it cover enough of the problem? These are the days of our lives. When we're not chasing down our kids. Stairs to the family room, still not done. Subcontractor had to make those special, wanted to finish some bigger jobs first. More famous last words. Goes it without saying that I too lack a backsplash? I liked a "value" (really a relative term) glass tile from Ann Sacks. But then I find out that really I want the clear poly grout, and the installation really goes up in price. And too, I have the rest of my granite on hold. I have enough granite to do both my bathroom vanities upstairs. And I ought to do those tile backsplashes at the same time... A decision before February is needed.

Very nice. And I’m also a fan of your laundry room floor! That’s also quite a collection of mops and brooms in that rack ;-)