Day 160 something...we are so close yet soooo far away

So in the last few weeks we have been working to finalize the details of the finishes of our 2nd floor.   We have been dealing with "fixing" the imperfections that the american subcontractors obviously do not see.  If nothing else I am sure that this is probably not the industry for me and my eye for perfection. I walk into a space and can tell you every imperfection, mistake and mishap. It is a curse but great for my clients!!  It is horrible in this situation because nothign is good enough for my own house but I can't reemthe guys because i have ot work with them at my projects!!  They think I am crazy, but you knwo what ..I am paying for this and I want what I want.

Please in your own process be very clear about your expectations providing pictures, samples of the finishes you are looking for. The clearer and more precise you are the easier it will be to request a "redo" at no extra charge.  If you state your desire upfront with samples and pictures the contractor has the chance to say "that is not how I priced the work" or to tell you he can not achieve that level of finish. if he does not speak up, he has officially bought into your concept and agreed to it. I made the mistake of not being as demanding with the guys as I am on a regular job site..I did show examples but didn't see it through - checking them every step of the way, and more importantly stopping them when they lost their course.  What am I left with now? well...

We are finishing our floors next week and the painter is back on Thursday to redo ALL of the new trim.  The paint job was horrendous and my new expensive trim material looks like it has been painted 6 times over and is 10+ years old!  SO yes he is redoing it ALL...I am even willing to pay someone to fix it if he cant.  Paint is the most important finish - trim paint is what it is all about!! Cut corners on wall painting and do it yourself, but pay a TOP professional to paint your trim!!

There are some positives - the lights are up and the countertops are going in Tuesday..check us out...

Master Bedroom - Gray wall, can lights and fan..

Master WALK IN Closet!!

Master bathroom pendant lights...

  Our bathroom uncovered - waiting on countertops..
 
Viola's blue room! Actually totally relaxing..like in the ocean...

My DISCO Stairwell....have glass disco balls!  Will change to back wall to gray to make the lights POP...

Viola's "green" bathroom...she loves it...

Viola's bathroom sconce..

Now we have to pick floor colors - we are going LIGHT upstairs and dark downstairs...we like the middle slightly pink color and the the second dark one from the left for the main floor and stairs.

More pics to come with more finishes...We are starting with the design selection for the 1st floor and GUESS WHAT - the scope has increased 10 fold....LIKE always....you cant touch something old and not want to fix it ALL!!!!!!!

Where are we now??

Again it has been a while since I last posted.  It has been a roller coaster ride trying to be my own general contractor, project manager and client.  I need to  hire "me" to manage my own project and things would happen a lot faster.  I am so busy getting things done they way Tilo and I want them done (hard task given we use German standards and not American!) and still try to make all of the design and finish decisions in a timely manner so as not to hold up the entire project.

Where are we now?  Well exterior painting is complete and we have brand new gutters on the entire home.  All that is left is the front door and the garage door which will both be stripped and stained, and then the landscaping which is a HUGE task in itself and will not be done until the heat wave breaks here in Atlanta - maybe mid September.  Here are some exterior pictures....

 We used a Sherwin Williams gray color and "tweaked" it to add a tint of green.  Sometimes the house looks gray, sometimes silvery and some times green.  We are really happy with the choice.

 The rear elevation looks so much better - like it is also brand new.  Now Tilo and Viola will have to paint the little garden house to match - nice fall project for dad and daughter.

 We chose a new gutter color - never been used by my installer before and it turned out really cool.   A silvery gray that adds alot to the front with the granite stone.  Tilo had them come back after I took this picture to tweak the gutter connections to make all the water lead away from the house. 

 New paint, Gutters, and stone - looks like a $300k remodel right?  We love it!!

We have also got a lot done on the interior.  All of the ceilings and walls have been painted and they will finish up with the interior trim Monday - Tuesday.  We went white on white for most of the rooms, adding an accent wall to the master.  Viola's room is a light blue and her bath a very faint green to go with her accent tile band.  All tile has been completed and sealed but due to the construction mess, I think I will have to re-grout my dark floor when it is all said and done..URGH..wasn't here to manage the subs that came in after it was complete.  Frustrating really...have a look at the new Master shower....

 Limestone was used throughout on all the floors in the Master Bath - this is the shower floor and curb.  I added a limestone bench and niche ledge after the fact - making ALL the difference in the world in the final product.  Having my installer tear out the left wall was the hardest but best decision I have made thus far. 

 Glass accents where the shower heads are located....

 Chrome accents around the niches - make them sparkle and look that much more modern.

I will go up and take paint pictures and shower/toilet fixture pictures - everything went in on Friday.  The last thing that will go in - and of course they are all waiting on me to make up my mind about - are the countertops.  Viola's is a gray limestone and mine ..well I am thinking of resin??  I need modern so granite really does not work and that is my struggle.  cant mess that decision up!  I should have them in by the end of this week with the sinks.....More pictures to come this evening..