Seems like forever ago when we first took pictures of our home. Remember our dark a dreary entry way, it was carpeted, had a dark wood railing and had 1970's light fixtures. Back in August 2013 we ripped out the carpet, then sometime in September I painted the railing a creamy white, and the walls were painted cement grey, and sometime in November we put in a chandelier. Then we just left it. I hung some pictures but the floor was unfinished until March 2014. But this is how home improvement goes. Somethings just take longer to complete and you have to be able to live with the undone.
When we decided to start the entry project we were feeling the little pressure to get it done. We were about to get Jackson (the puppy) and hub had zero time to dedicate to the project. We wanted the floor finished before we got a puppy. And this project seemed like the last big inside project we HAD to get done. Most everything else is cosmetic or something I still need to paint. So we ended up hiring a company to do the work. What! Gasp! I felt pretty dismayed about it myself. I felt like a sham, a liar, a total DIY fail. But sometimes you have to do what is best for your husband's sanity and pay two 20 year olds for their time. After some shopping around and getting estimates we chose T&M Construction. T for Tim and M for Mike. I called them the dudes. The dudes decided to quit school and quit working for their Dad's and start their own contracting business. I think we were their third customer. Hub and I provided all the materials and all they had to do was put it together. We hired them specifically to tile the front entry, make and install stair treads, tile the toe kicks, and install trim. All of these things hub can do - but again no time. So cue the dudes. We don't regret hiring them because they were a steal. But there were some complications along the way. They were horrific time estimators and so the job took twice as long as they estimated. No big deal on our part. Then in order to install tile they removed the electric heater and when they put it back on they forgot to turn the power off which created an electric glitch that blew all our breakers. Again no big deal they just had to fix that too. They also were not the cleanest or most careful so now there is grout on the trim and I have to repaint it. Hub was very gentle with them, he used be as clueless as they are when it comes to the details of construction, so when the job was done he sat them down and explained to them where they need to improve or they won't get anymore business. I'd hire them again, it was like having Bill and Ted over and every time we brought them coffee they acted like we were giving them gold. They apparently had never had press coffee before. And in the end we didn't have to do the work ourselves so even though it was a rocky process the entry is done and we can move on to new more exciting projects.
I couldn't help keeping Jackson in the photos he goes so well with the Acacia Teak hardwood floors. I love the tile floor. It is easy to clean and also serves as a cool spot for Jackson to nap. In the end I do not regret paying someone else to do the project. We still designed and chose materials so I didn't feel totally left out. Lets just look at those beautiful stairs one more time. :)
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