At long last, at the end of September, we finally got our sewer and water lines it. This was something that we were originally shooting to complete in early August. We weren’t particularly happy about the delay, since 1) it was clear we would need sewer and water for the house, and 2) it was clear we wanted to be in the house by mid-August, on a timeline that had started over two years (!) earlier.
Once we had the contractors on site things went all-right, though not absolutely smoothly. Some rain delayed things for a day or two midway through. And since the work involved cutting into the road, we had to refill the road cut overnight because the count expected someone might blow through the “road closed” signs and drive into our hole in the middle of the night.
But eventually we got it done. And we had water! Incoming and outgoing! Like a real house!
The hope was that with sewer and water done, we could wrap up the final inspection issues and hopefully get a certificate of occupancy by mid-October.
Light Fixtures
Meanwhile, we continued to make progress on other odds and ends. Light fixtures started to go in, which made the house look progressively more finished.
These pendants we got super cheap on Amazon. We liked similar options from other sellers that were in the ballpark of $150-$200 apiece (like these, for example). These were $40a pair. And they look great, particularly once we got them fitted with Edison bulbs.
We got these into the girls’ bathroom. Again, some hunting around got us a $100 fixture that looked a whole lot like some $300+ fixtures (like this one).
Bookshelf Progress
The big Ikea-hacked bookshelf was coming along as well. It was ready for trim.
Moving Toward Final Grade
Dirt work also continued to progress, albeit slowly. Things started in the back, and after the big piles of topsoil got knocked down and spread around, we had a backyard! We also had much better views from the downstairs windows than I had expected. Likely since the views had been obstructed by dirt for a year.
