The Part of the Program Where We Want it Done Already...Part 1

After the nail biting and subsequent heart break of bidding and declining a property in the St. Germain due to some issues that only existed because of the relocation company guidelines, we found and bought a place in Kirby Lofts (Main Street). Well, when I say we...I refer to our realtor, Mary, and me. While I had been talking to one of the folks working at the St. Germain, I was told that another better unit was to be listed. There were also three listings at Kirby lofts. Over a 24-hour period, it was decided that I would be flown to Houston for an overnight. Eric had to stay in California due to work. So I had become the Decider. (Gulp!)

It ended up being a far easier decision than I would have imagined. The one unit in Kirby Lofts had the best layout and was the right size for the two of us. The price also allowed us a renovation budget - the prospect of making it our own was far more than I ever imagined. It was quickly purchased (after some battling with the relocation company...sense a trend here?) and we moved a month and a half after the ink on his transfer dried. Eric owning a home sight unseen made me nervous but I was quickly put at ease. He loves it!

The requisite before picture

Even though we moved here in October, it hasn't really felt like home. We had a set of renovations we wanted to do and that required us to keep some of our stuff in boxes. Logically, I knew starting over the holidays would be very difficult. That Houston is a vibrant and growing city with lots of people doing what we are doing so the good contractors are scheduled well in advance. That we were traveling a LOT over the holidays so we wouldn't be here necessarily to finalize projects and let in the contractors.

Doesn't mean I liked it. It's a well established fact that Eric and I are not patient. But as January came around, our itty bitty patience were thread bare. We had managed to get the place painted fairly quickly but everything else had seemed to stall out.

I blamed my taste in counter tops.

Choices...we had a few

When we started this whole process, the first thing I knew for sure was that I wanted recycled glass counter tops. More specifically, I wanted Vetrazzo Cubist Clear counter tops. LeeAnne, my friend our interior designer, was not familiar with them so we had to hunt them down. Only a handful of dealers carried them and there was only one person in all of greater Houston certified to fabricate them. The first estimate was so far off the mark, we almost had a heart attack - $20,000. The second estimate was far more grounded in reality but still too high for our taste at $8000. It was just too steep for replacing the size of the job. Further research revealed that it was not only too expensive for what it was but that it also stained. I was devastated. Fortunately, there were other brands. They were not as lustrous as the Vetrazzo but they were less expensive (by a thousand dollars or more) and more durable. We decided on ECO by Cosentino White Diamond.

The counter top decision was our last hold up. It was time to start!