and the progress continues

This is the new view from the front door into the living room!

Yes, that's a wall in the back and lights on in the front room! That angled bit of framing is where the chimmney for the furnace is installed. The entertainment unit for the TV and stereo will be in front of that. I've always wanted to put the TV in the corner because of how we tend to put the couch and chairs, but until now it wasn't really feasible.

The downstairs bathroom is getting prepped for the installation of the vinyl flooring. All the plumbing has been roughed in and I think it's getting installed next week. The upstairs will take a bit longer because the tile still has to be put down first.

Speaking - er writing - of tile, here it is. The big square tile on the sample to the left and the angled pebbles on the right sample are the ones that will be used in the upstairs bathroom. The shower will be done in a contrasting color and the angled pebbles will be used as an accent stripe. We're going to have the floor heated and I think we can even put that on a timer so it's nice and toasty in the mornings.

The floor upstairs is being sanded today. The scorch marks are gone and where the brick hearth was is now completely done over with the wood flooring that was saved from the bathroom tear out. Where the hearth was is where the flat mantle/electric heater is eventually going to go.

The other good news is our bank, Wells Fargo, got the paperwork and cut the first check for 30% of the money for the repairs. We also had the bank's inspector out this week for the halfway inspection. As soon as we submit the receipts for the money used so far, and with the inspector's report, we'll get the next 30%. To get the last chunk 'o money we have to supply receipts for the second 30%'s use and get a final inspection when the rebuild is complete. I think we're meeting tomorrow in town to go over all the expenses up to now. It'll be good to recoup some of our out of pocket expenses.