Big week this week! While the drywall crew continued the tedious process of finishing work on the interior, today the first of our porch ceilings was painted in that traditional soft blue referred to throughout the lowcountry as haint blue.
FYI, there's not a single "correct" haint blue. Colors ranging from those like the pale blue of our choice, to some more greenish in tone, can satisfactorily serve the purpose, which you probably already know is to ward off evil spirits, and repel insects at the same time! Really!!
A little history... Gullah culture believes that spirits, known as haints, can’t cross water. Symbolizing water, the application of the blue paint on porch ceilings prevents evil spirits from entering!
Haint blue is also believed to deter insects from nesting on the ceiling. Some say it's because they're fooled into thinking the blue paint is the sky! More scientific thinking say it's due to the fact that early paints were made with lye mixed in, which served as a repellent.
Just myths? Who knows, but this is an especially common practice in the historic homes around Charleston, and we thought it would be a fitting feature in our home, too!
Inside, drywall finishing work took priority over anything else. Dust is everywhere, but the end is in sight, and next week we should be seeing walls primed, if everything continues as planned.
Outside we had a flurry of activity, with utilities connections being among the most prominent. Water, sewer, gas, and electric have now all been at least partly run underground, occupying several trenches that currently scar the surface of the property.
As soon as inspections are completed, next week, some light excavation work will get things looking better in short order!
On the planning front, this week we finalized our tile selections, and are currently considering options for interior doors. We have it down to two choices... both are traditional, simple Shaker design, with one being a 2-panel style, and the other a 5- or 6- stacked panel.
Looking ahead, we just learned the sales tax rate increases on May 1, so there's going to be a whole lot of credit card activity going on this week! We plan to purchase appliances, plumbing fixtures, wood flooring, and whatever lighting fixtures we've settled on, and anything else we can think of. A half-percent saved is a half-percent saved!!
We realized after last week's update that we are fully six months into our build since ground breaking, and it's now just about a year ago that we bought the property. Design of the home started even earlier, so this is starting to feel like a marathon, but we're getting there!
That's it for this week... hope you're enjoying this journey with us!
Ron and Bonnie
FYI, there's not a single "correct" haint blue. Colors ranging from those like the pale blue of our choice, to some more greenish in tone, can satisfactorily serve the purpose, which you probably already know is to ward off evil spirits, and repel insects at the same time! Really!!
 |
| First look at our much-anticipated haint blue porch ceiling (top) |
Haint blue is also believed to deter insects from nesting on the ceiling. Some say it's because they're fooled into thinking the blue paint is the sky! More scientific thinking say it's due to the fact that early paints were made with lye mixed in, which served as a repellent.
Just myths? Who knows, but this is an especially common practice in the historic homes around Charleston, and we thought it would be a fitting feature in our home, too!
Inside, drywall finishing work took priority over anything else. Dust is everywhere, but the end is in sight, and next week we should be seeing walls primed, if everything continues as planned.
 |
| This sums up the work inside this week! |
 |
| This is the bookcase and entertainment feature wall in our master bedroom. We think it's going to turn out great, but look at that dust on the floor! |
Outside we had a flurry of activity, with utilities connections being among the most prominent. Water, sewer, gas, and electric have now all been at least partly run underground, occupying several trenches that currently scar the surface of the property.
 |
| One of a few trenches needed to accommodate underground utilities. This one is for the sewer line, which was the source of trouble last week when the correct location could not be found! |
As soon as inspections are completed, next week, some light excavation work will get things looking better in short order!
 |
| Power!! Well, not yet, but at least the main wiring has been run for the meter |
 |
| Post caps are primed inside the garage and await installation on the staircases and balcony |
On the planning front, this week we finalized our tile selections, and are currently considering options for interior doors. We have it down to two choices... both are traditional, simple Shaker design, with one being a 2-panel style, and the other a 5- or 6- stacked panel.
Looking ahead, we just learned the sales tax rate increases on May 1, so there's going to be a whole lot of credit card activity going on this week! We plan to purchase appliances, plumbing fixtures, wood flooring, and whatever lighting fixtures we've settled on, and anything else we can think of. A half-percent saved is a half-percent saved!!
 |
| The 16' HVAC platform is looking more presentable now that it's dressed in its subdued finish |
 |
| Stacks of Durock and HardieBacker cement board will be installed next week to serve as base for the tile floors, shower walls, and other features |
We realized after last week's update that we are fully six months into our build since ground breaking, and it's now just about a year ago that we bought the property. Design of the home started even earlier, so this is starting to feel like a marathon, but we're getting there!
 |
| This is about what Google Street View will look like in the future! |
That's it for this week... hope you're enjoying this journey with us!
Ron and Bonnie
No comments:
Post a Comment