The current state of things

This week was a rough one. Living in a state of chaos is certainly not how I (Nick) function. As Dom mentioned in his previous post, our belongings are finally under one roof. That was certainly a comfort at first. However, the plethora of stuff that we have somehow accumulated was in one unorganized mess that covered the entire first floor. This became increasingly frustrating as we were searching for work clothes at 6AM. Dom had to skip class on Monday because he couldn't find any of his text books.

This chaos was exasperated by the fact that the floors were in a state of suspension. We had managed to stain the back office, as well as the kitchen and dining room. Despite polite parental encouragement (which I think may have been more based off a fear of us losing our sanity than their actual opinions of our staining choices), we (mostly me and eventually, with enough whining, Dom too) decided that we didn't like how the stain was coming out. Therefore, we have decided to sand up what we have already stained and try again. This time, we plan to do it the right way, by getting several samples of different stains and seeing what they actually look like on our floors. Failing to do this is the reason we've created so much back tracking work in the first place.



I have to note that it is not that the stain and the wood did not come out beautiful. It is that it came out too red and too dark to match with the rest of the furniture as well as match with the look we have planned for the house. The dark tone also made the rooms seem small and cave-ish. I'm sure painting the walls would have made a difference as well, but regardless, I think we can do better and eventually be happier with the result.

Despite these frustrations, as well as some others involving a poorly maintained furnace and oil tank, a dishwasher that doesn't get enough water supply, and some plumping problems that have led to mold underneath the sink, we do have some positive things to report as well.

First, we purchased a new dining room table! Asia West, our favorite furniture store in Portland, had this beautiful piece.



It is a traditional French country table base with an antique elm table top. It epitomizes the look we are going for in the house (country, simple, but unique) and will certainly act as a centerpiece.

Other good news involves a steal! Dom's father thinks we should be ashamed of ourselves because of the deal we got on some appliances. We got a new (barely used) stainless steel Anamo bottom freezer fridge and an even newer Maytag Neptune washer and dryer set for $600 total. Thank you Craigslist and a bigger thank you to people gutting out ocean-front summer homes!

I spent an entire evening cleaning every inch of what would already be considered a spotlight fridge. I also polished the outside to shiny perfection. These things make me very happy. I have also never been so excited to do a load of laundry.



Above is Dom assembling the freezer drawer. It gives you a perspective of the size of the fridge, or the size of Dom.

As it is finally the weekend, we are able to dedicate some time to organizing our one big mess into little hidden messes that we can ignore for awhile. We are hoping to put a few sample stains down this evening and watch what happens over the week. Sanding up stain should be easier than sanding up poly and paint. It will all be worth it in the end.

On a final note, I have to repeat a few shout outs that Dom posted earlier, as well as add some emphasis on my own. Thank you to both sets of parents as well as our dear friend Sarah Kiely for lending us their vehicles and their muscles. I can't count how many loads it took us to get everything from Portland to Gorham. Special thanks in regards to the monstrous wine cellar. My Burgundy collection appreciates it! Also, special thanks to my mom for doing a number on our kitchen and the first floor windows. It looks incredible. See below!



Now that we are a bit more settled and connected to the internet again, we hope to be reporting more regularly as to our progress or lack thereof.

Cheers!

Nick