Home is Where the Heart is (And Where you play Rock Band for all hours of the night!)

This is the long-awaited final post of our home renovation construction experience.  The truth is that we are still pinching ourselves.  Did we manage to get through a construction/renovation project this easily?  Can this really be true?  Well it is.  We definitely have (and live in!) the home we had imagined so many months ago, then just a glimmer in our eyes.  Three bedrooms.  An office.  An open kitchen/dining/living room experience.  And to somehow we came out of this whole thing with a home that is even better than what we imagined to begin with.   We couldn't be happier (Thanks Mickey Simpson!!!!).  

Now don't get us wrong, there are a few minor things to do still.  But they are minor.  And there are things that we still need to do ourselves, like put up curtain rods, get a mirror in our powder room, and unpack the multitude of boxes we are so conveniently ignoring in our basement.

But we are really astounded at how professional, trustworthy, and accountable all of the people were who worked on our house.  

There was Bob the Architect, who we already mentioned months ago.  He did the excellent job of designing our house remodel (he even drew in the little bushes by our stoop that are now fully planted and budding new leaves in spring).  Thanks Bob!!!!  Thank you for optimizing all of our space so well.  Genius!

There was Charlie the Project Manager - who managed our construction project the whole way, including the electricity, the plumbing, and the Salo's late-night phone-calls.  He was really nice to us, exceptionally responsive and did a great job!  Thanks Charlie!!!  You're the best!  

There was Butch the Landscaper -- who planted our trees in the backyard that are blooming so nicely before our eyes, who replanted the squat trees around the perimeter of our property that are doing a whole lot better now, and who set up a great landscaping design by our front stoop.  He was a great guy - and offered gardening/lawn-care advice any time we need it.  That's too cool.  And did we mention his name is Butch?  That's just awesome.

And of course, there was Clarke Simpson - who started it all.   We called him up, told him our story, and before we knew it - he had loaded us into the back-seat of his Range Rover and convinced us to give him hundreds of thousands of dollars. Clarke never shied away from offering his opinion, and in many cases, his opinion was less of an option and more of a decision.  But the fact was, Clarke was right.   For example, he said we should keep the old porch.  And he was right!  There is nothing we enjoy more than coming out here and chillin.  So, we are really glad that we had ended up in his Range Rover, instead of in a construction nightmare that we would be blogging about into the next three decades.   Clarke made good on all of his promises, and he really helped to ensure that we made good decisions.   That's like unheard of - right?  And so - we say cheers to Clarke!  You saved us from the terrible situation we were in, and you got us into a much better situation.   Most importantly, you delivered us a fabulous home!

So any of the Mickey Simpson folks should know that they can get a cold beer (or healthy trail-mix) at the Salo House any time, and we hope you all know that we're very happy with our results.

Now we would like to provide the Top Ten things we love most about our new home:

10) Our Laundry Center is a mere 1 foot from our bedroom door.  And the washing machine and dryer do not require coins, or conversation with weird people.

9) Jeannie can stir-fry and watch TV on a huge new High-Def flat-screen at the same time.

8) Our plates and pots are in drawers.  WTF.

7)  Two guest rooms.  Enough said.

6) We have a gym in our basement.  So when we decide not to work out after a long day, we don't still have to pay a $75 monthly fee!  Screw Washington Sports Club!  Our laziness is no longer expensive!

5) We can fit a small country into our kitchen sink.  And wash all of its people.

4) We can host people for dinner, at an actual table.  And when they go to the bathroom, we can't hear them pee.

3) We have wi-fi that works everywhere, including on our back porch.

2) We can sit on a screened in back-porch with a cup of coffee every morning and marvel at a big yard full of wild-flowers and budding apple trees.

And the number 1 top reason we love our new home!

1) After a long day at work, rather than circling the block fifteen times for a legal parking spot and walking ten more minutes through a rat-infested alley -- we can pull right into our driveway, get out of the car - and walk right into our lovely and inviting home.   Woo HOO!!!!