But, we are still making progress.
This week, Jacob & his helper (Daniel? Help me out, Amber!) put most of the ductwork into place. Would you like pictures of sheet metal ducting? (Wow, I just won 10 swag bucks in this search! ...but I also found that we do not qualify for the HVAC tax credit since we are new construction... I think I'd rather have
And Tim has been working on additional radiant in-floor heat for the bathrooms upstairs - putting the PEX tubing up. Okay, here's a picture of someone else installing PEX tubing ;-) The pic on the far right is what Tim has been doing... adding the tubing under the upper floor. Does the picture help?
Our PEX tubing is red, if that matters. And Tim also bought metal reflector plates that hold the tubing to the floor and
Oh, here's an interesting explanation about the metal plates...
These thin aluminum plates spread the heat from the PEX tubing to the surrounding floor more efficiently than just allowing the heat to be conducted through the wood. They also result in less of a hot spot right over the PEX tube.
This same guy (Gary) made his own plates from sheets of aluminum soffit. I'll let Tim see this next year, maybe. ;-) You can look at his website now if you want ~ here.
Hmmm, what else? Our electrician is getting ready to start - soon, I think/hope. I stopped at an electrical supply store and picked up some lighting catalogs - one of them is 996 pages including the index. And would you believe I looked at the entire thing yesterday, in spite of an enraged migraine? Some pages I turned very quickly ~ Want an example of what we won't be buying, even if we like the name? This is from Quorum's collection called Bohemian Katerina...
Pretty, huh? But we aren't building a replica of Versailles.
I also refuse to buy some just because of their given names, ie. Rousseau or Origins that has Evolution glass. I'm too easily offended, I know - but yuck.
So, just what is our style??
Tim probably doesn't like any of these. I haven't asked him yet.
Do we really have to have a chandelier over the dining table?
This one (Loretto) is on the cover of the Golden Lighting catalog...
If he doesn't like the Loretto and its "casual elegance," will he like any of the others I've shown you?
This is called Grace ~ from Golden ~ It's listed as "excellent value," which is why the lighting consultant pointed it out to me.
This is Candace, also from Golden. "Artfully modern style. Upscale look at an affordable price." Exciting - not. (These are both available in a darker finish, 'rubbed bronze,' or pewter.)
Remember this?
Change the countertops to a light color, the floor to something darker, probably an 'oak' laminate. Paint the walls something besides gray! Remove the can lights. Mostly white appliances, stainless steel sink. (hmmm, and hang Danish blue plates on the soffit ~ how do they fit in here? this picture is way too modernistic for me) Do I go with florescent 'clouds' - or some pendants over the island (and what besides cans for additional lighting?) The dining table is this side of the island and you could pretend you are standing in the 'great room' to see this picture. We plan to put a ceiling fan in the great room. Plus there will be a light in the front entry -- all this needs to coordinate somehow. And I have lived a very eclectic (live with what you've got) life thus far ;-)
Remember this front door?
As much as I am not devoted to Frank Lloyd Wright, our kitchen cabinets and the front door would both fall into the 'arts & crafts' or at least 'prairie' style. Thus, my choice of Quorum's Craftsman and Prairie (above) as options for lighting. Help! Amber? I need a design consultant. I don't expect a home that looks like Better Homes & Gardens, but I need help with the big picture to guide our choices... ya know, vision - something besides the price tag. (Not that the price tag isn't the final decision-maker...)
Sunday Edit: Since the pictures from Golden Lighting seem to disappear, then reappear - maybe. I added links - in case anyone really wants to see the Grace or Candace chandeliers =) And I scanned the Loretto from the actual catalog, so you can see it easily, since I still think it looks cool - it just won't be in my house. One thing I like about it is the finish - the pictures of russet bronze fixtures look better than those of the rubbed bronze - but whatever.
Actually what we may have almost decided on last night is the Spencer from Quorum. Yay. At least according to prices I found at online sources, it looks like a budget-friendly choice. But I'm still in a conundrum about the kitchen lighting. Since it's a Quorum, I should be able to add a picture =)
And for another 13 swag bucks, I will do just that! A "large" image even.
Or two.
This one below is actually in the Old World finish, which looks black to me ~ we like the finish above, Toasted Sienna. But I wonder if we need the 5-light version instead of just 3 since they're just 60watts each. And I'm not sure what the *Note is all about.
Do I want this hanging over the island??
I'm purposefully choosing a chandelier with lights facing up, so that we won't have the glare on school books at the table, which will invariably end up there, even with a separate "school room." I'm not sure I want that glare on the island either. (I know, I'll have bowls full of dust and bugs to clean out on a regular basis.) And, the only (acceptable) general-light to combine with a pendant light would be recessed lighting, probably cans, which Tim would prefer to avoid. Oh, the pressure! ;-) Ugly, efficient florescent cloud(s)? and skip this $200 item? Hmmm, probably - unless we want multiple chandeliers? (btw, Thanks for reading all this think-out-loud blather!) The 3-light chandelier is cheaper by a lot; the 5-light is still cheaper than this island thing. (I didn't price the individual mini-pendants.) What's with that? Must be too cool for me.
...and this is like an additional post added onto an already lengthy post... I'll quit now.
