With the exterior of the house mostly complete our focus turned (finally) to interior finishes. It is at this stage that we finally get to start to see the inside come to life. It all starts with drywall (the technical name is gypsum board). The drywall was installed by a crew of about 6-7 guys, and they had the entire house done in less than a week. Next came tile. We selected simple and classic tile from Dal-Tile that was not a budget breaker, but that still gives a clean modern look to the bathrooms. Our tile setter worked for about 2 weeks personally setting each tile and working his way through each of the three bathrooms.
Next came the installation of the hardwood flooring and stair treads. Once installed they were sanded, stained and finished. After considering many different options we decided to go with select grade solid white oak (which has no knots) in five inch width. For the stain we chose a light grey that allows the beauty of the wood grain to show while still giving a lighter more modern feel to the space. Once the stain and finish coat were on we had to keep everyone out of the house for three days to allow the floors time to dry and cure.
view showing the underside of the white oak stair treads (the tops are covered and protected)
For the stair treads we worked with The Stair Guys, based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. We were very happy we found them – they are real craftsman who took the time to custom fit each stair tread and riser in place. Next came the interior doors and trim followed by cabinets, countertops, plumbing and lighting fixture installation, and finally paint. For the cabinets we worked with District Cabinets and were very happy with their collaboration and attention to our project. After a long journey, we finally have reached the point where we can call the house complete – and we are pleased with the result.
kitchen cabinets being installed
the basement floor finished, and covered to protect it during the final painting