I know it's been a few months since we posted, but that doesn't mean we haven't been working on the house. As most of you know, the work is never done, the projects just keep coming, and upon the completion of each we feel better and better!

This project isn't as glamorous as some from the past, but probably one of the most important and in the long run the most beneficial. We have long since known that our insulation circa 1965 needed to be bolstered, but just how to do it was the looming question. As Larry will testify, there is not much room in our attic and it is a very difficult to do anything up there.

We decided to use the eco-friendly blow-in insulation for a number of reasons, mainly because we could do it ourselves, it doesn't itch, and there is just enough room for a human body and the hose to fit in the attic.

The City of Gainesville encourages us to reduce our energy use (they apparently feel bad that our electric bills run near $600 in the summer!) and gives rebates for home projects that will help achieve that goal. Normally, they will rebate .125 cents per square foot of insulation installed, but they ran a promo that doubled it to .25 cents for a limited time. We jumped on that offer and after all was said and done, not counting the body aches and pains for two days this project trickled down to this:

$335.92 1300 sq ft of insulation 36 bags (w/a 10% off coupon)

40.00 machine rental to blow the insulation

-40.00 free machine rental for buying 20+ bags of insulation

-325.00 .25 per sq ft rebate from the city

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$ 10.92 OUR COST!!

Now I don't like to brag, but I am pretty proud of this project cost! It makes me want to research all the rebatable projects we can do and get crackin'...right after the bruises and muscles aches go away! :)

It seems like time started flying by once the inspection for the screen enclosure happened! We have been busy cleaning out plants, organizing and judging what is worthy of being on the new patio and overall just marveling at the wonderfulness of the last few months work!

Jen just couldn't stand it and braved the 56 degree water (on a dare!) The girl is crazy!

Everybody is totally enjoying the new outdoor room! It's pretty spring-like here, so every chance we get the doors and windows are flung open and we are enjoying the backyard once again!

Today after a morning of raking and cleaning up the mess our oak trees leave, Jen decided to dig out her old Sea World wetsuit and take another dip in the now balmy 59 degree water! The girl is still crazy!

Yesterday was the final day of the screen enclosure installation and the excitement is infectious!

It has been hard to imagine that we would ever get done with it, but today looks promising!

Here is a great shot of the reason we need a screen! The oak trees are starting to shed, and this is a one day accumulation! Once the oaks are done, we'll always have the Cypress, Hickory, Sweetgum, and Sycamore which will add support to the decision to screen!

This is a view of our new backyard! It certainly has changed in 16 months!

This is the first morning for everyone to check out the new freedom of the screened area. The weather has been so nice today that I propped open the side door and let everyone come in and out as they pleased. The dogs should be exhausted by this evening because they haven't slept at all! In and out, in and out! Marnie, our gray cat, spent the day chasing the sunbeam all around the patio!

Chillaxin' by the pool...
This is our new view from the living room. Wow! We had no idea it would look this great. The lines from the screen help to add a modern clean line flair that totally compliments the look of the house in general. Bonus!

Operation Screen Enclosure is again underway!

Drumroll please!!!

The screen enclosure is going up and should be done in a few days! Yay!

Did you enjoy those pictures? Good, because that is all you will see for another week or more. Everything you see in these pictures is now gone, because they measured wrong. So everything got taken away and they are supposed to restart in a few days. Sigh. Stay tuned.

In preparation for today's 70% chance of rain, and the inevitable mudhole that will ensue, we decided to enclose the pump area with tumbled pavers and river rock. Now when it rains the water will be dissipated over the whole area as opposed to flooding directly under the house!

We're pretty pleased with the aesthetic value as well!

One of the doors out of the enclosure will open onto the grassy area right about where Mason is laying.

Stay tuned for the screen enclosure raising next week!

I know it's been a little bit since our last post, but things have been happening here. No, we're still not completely done, but certainly closer. The screen enclosure for the pool and deck is due to begin in the next 10 days permit, well...permitting!

We are due for "Pool School" tomorrow which should be interesting since so far it seems we both know more than the actual pool company. To say it nice, we have had a rough time with this company. We are certainly looking forward to finishing up with them.

Today, we made some great strides in completing the bathroom. I know! It is taking us forever, but we are making important choices very slowly. So here are some pics from the last week or so! Enjoy!

This is where things are right now. Anxiously awaiting the screen enclosure!

The water is slowly clearing up. We have had lots of rain lately, so the pump is working overtime to catch up.

We had today off for the Martin Luther King Holiday, and decided to get a few things done. Here we are removing the railing from the balcony in preparation for the screen enclosure.

Someones excited about the new tools Santa brought her!

Jen had a great idea to mount the cherry block on top of a stainless steel table and use it as a vanity instead of our initial choice of floating it on the wall. We think it is going to be fabulous! What do you think? The next task is picking out a sink and fixture.

So this is where the bathroom is at the end of the day! It is shaping up!

Oh! One last thing! We managed to find handles that fit our vintage plumbing, so that means we can now shower in this piece of art!