Jason Lancaster

Life has been very fast paced and I’ve been swimming deep in renovation projects since the first week of January. I’ll begin floor installation this weekend and the plumbing was finished yesterday. Most of the tile work and messy projects are behind us, which means fun finishing stuff is coming my way. The plan is to move in on March 1st so don’t expect to hear much from me until after. I will, however, continue to take pictures as soon as I find my camera. It seems to have disappeared during my camping trip last weekend.

One of the most exciting things about renovating the house has been the time Emily and I have spent choosing the final “finishing” products. Picking the granite, wall, and tile colors; coordinating things, etc. Of them all, I think the most thrilling is the EcoTimber Orchard Walnut wood floors we chose. We did a lot of research and ended up concluding that FSC certified hardwoods are the only way to go if you want to make sure the wood you’re purchasing is legitimate. This floor is a pretty special floor with a really cool story and can only be purchased at certain times as the source is sensitive:

The wood used in this flooring is sourced from commercial Walnut orchards located in the Central Valley of California. Here, approximately 200,000 acres of perpetual Walnut orchards, maintained by hundreds of small growers, produce 98% of the U.S. nut production. When the Walnut orchards age, (approximately forty years), they lose nutting productivity. They are then cut down and replanted to start the orchard cycle again, with the first nuts produced in only four years.

The floors aren’t installed yet and this process won’t begin for another two weeks, as the floors need time to acclimate to my houses humidity and temperature. But I have a manufacturers picture that is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy, and look for some installation pictures soon!

After freaking about about my forgetfulness with the a bathroom window (I mentioned in the previous post), I went back last night and did what I originally meant to. Dad came over with an extra set of hands to finish things up and Emily stopped by to confirm the placement. Placement is about 8ft high off the ground, 12 inches height and 36 inches width. It’s still a bit dark in there but not nearly. Better pictures will follow.

The big day has come. I’m in the process of having drywall installed in my house. I spent an ungodly amount of hours at my house last weekend, sleeping all of 4 hours (if that) each night in preparation. It’s amazing how quickly the place transforms and how quickly you can realize a little mistake here or there like forgetting to put the window you planned in your bathroom above the shower for some natural light.

I came into the house today to check progress and thought, “oh my, my bathroom is really dark.” Then I remembered how I planned the window, how Adam and Ed talked me out of it one night, how I secretly wrote down to go back and do it again in my journal, and how I forgot about my tiny little journal entry. D’oh!

Since the drywallers didn’t show today, I’m headed over to the house to fix my mistake and prevent regrets for the next year or so when I shower in the morning. Pics to follow of my work today.

Drywall installation