TOURING THE UPSTAIRS

Finished 2nd Floor Walkthrough Video

Below is a video walkthrough of the Oakley Home 2.0 project's second floor featuring the master suite, reading nook, and rooftop deck.

DOORS OPEN

Isabella Open House #1

On Sunday the Build Cincinnati Team hosted the first formal Open House at the Oakley Home 2.0 @ 3874 Isabella, giving both potential buyers and curious neighbors the chance to see the finished product first hand. The weather was perfect and numerous groups of people stopped by providing some wonderful feedback. Plans are already in the works for Open House #2, so stay tuned to the Home 2.0 Blog and Build Cincinnati's 3874 Isabella Listing for more information on that.

RANGE HOOD LIGHT

Halogen Bulbs Out, LED Bulbs In

I've mentioned before about how the Oakley Home 2.0 project features LED lighting throughout the interior and exterior of the house. However, one location where I didn't realize LED was an option was for the Range Hood lighting that Bosch specifies as a specialty GU10 halogen bulb. The problem with Halogen bulbs is that they use a lot of energy while generating a tremendous amount of heat (and I'd rather let the gas range cook the food instead of the range hood light). That said, I was thrilled to discover walking through Home Depot on Saturday that lighting manufacturers recently started making an LED GU10 halogen replacement bulb, which generates virtually no heat and uses about 10% of the energy that the halogen bulbs do. Below is an image of the new LED range hood lighting that I installed earlier today.

PRO PHOTOS

Professional Photo Gallery

Despite the thousands of photos I have taken of the Oakley Home 2.0 project over the past several months, I make no claims of being a professional photographer. That said, legitimate professional photos of the house were taken recently and below are some of my favorites of the interior and exterior.

LISTING LAUNCH

MLS Listing 2.0

On Tuesday a new and improved MLS Listing for the Oakley Home 2.0 project went live with professional photos of both the interior and exterior of the house. Here is a link to the new listing and here is a link to the Google Photo Album of the professional images.

OPEN HOUSE PREVIEW

Finished 1st Floor Walkthrough Video

Below is a sneak peek video walkthrough of the Oakley Home 2.0 project's first floor in advance of the new listing going live later this week. Stay tuned to the Home 2.0 Blog the next few days for more details on that as well as information regarding the upcoming Open House.

ENTRY FOYER

Gathering Spot + Storage Space

One the cool spaces accentuated in the furnishing of the Oakley Home 2.0 is the entry foyer near the top landing of basement steps. This open area pulls double duty serving both as a greeting spot for guests, but also as storage space for keys, books, shoes and other miscellaneous items. Below is a photo of the entry foyer described above.

WEB REFRESH

OakleyHome2.com Updates

With the Oakley Home 2.0 staged and a new listing set to go live next week, I took some time this weekend to update the images on the OakleyHome2.com Home Page, Gallery, and Selection Pages. Click here to view the latest and greatest.

FEELING LIKE HOME

Design-To-Market Staging

Friday was a day of transformation at the Oakley Home 2.0 project with the talented team of designers at Design-To-Market Home Staging furnishing the first floor with furniture, art, and accessories. Below are some images of the updated interiors.

THE BLACK BACK DECK

Painted Rear Deck Photos

Below are a couple updated images showing the rear deck with the the black trim that was painted recently along with the garage door and front porch trim. 

BADGER BELOW THE SINK

The Garbage Disposal

After shoveling off the snow that fell on the Oakley Home 2.0 driveway over MLK day, I realized that one of the home appliances I had yet to take note of was the garbage disposal. After peering under the kitchen sink, I discovered the unit supplied and installed by the plumber was the Badger Garbage Disposal made by InSinkErator and shown in the image below. One of the things I found interesting was how the plug and plumbing lines were cut in through the base cabinets.

PULLS UP

Cabinet Pulls

Over the weekend the kitchen and vanity cabinet door and drawer pulls were installed throughout the Oakley Home 2.0 project. While the same style throughout, the size of the pulls in the kitchen are larger to give some added emphasis to that area.

DOWNSIZING

AC and Furnace Swap

On Wednesday the air conditioner condenser and furnace that were previously installed were swapped out with smaller units to be in compliance with the LEED for Home requirements determined by a series of calculations utilizing the ACCA Manuals J and D to 'right size' the system. Below are some pictures of the new Tempstar units.

EXTERIOR PAINTING COMPLETE

Garage Door, Porch, and Deck Painting

With mild temperatures in the upper 50's and partly cloudy skies on Wednesday, the conditions were right for exterior painting to wrap up at the Oakley Home 2.0 project. Below are some images showing the finished product.

MORE INSULATION

Basement Insulation Installation

On Monday insulation was installed in the unfinished portion of the basement with the concrete foundation walls receiving R-10 Vinyl Wrapped Insulation. Here are some visuals.

THE POWER PENINSULA

Kitchen Peninsula Features

The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home and this is most true for the Oakley Home 2.0 project with a design concept I like to refer to as the 'Power Peninsula'. Adjacent to both the living and dining areas with breakfast bar seating for 4, the power peninsula is arranged with the sink in the center, flanked by pull out trash and recycling bins to the right, with the dishwasher immediately to the left to maximize the effectiveness of both meal prep and cleanup. At the same time, the centralized location facilitates meaningful interaction and connection with family members and guests in the main living space. The under counter power outlets also facilitate the charging of computers and devices, making the kitchen peninsula a functional work area while enjoying a meal or beverage. Below are some construction photos and renderings with views of and from the power peninsula.

BECOMING ALARMED

Security and Alarm System Installation

Yesterday a couple technicians from Guardian Protection Services were on site installing the various motion sensors, speakers and panels that are part of the security system the Oakley Home 2.0 project is being equipped with. Wire and cable for the hardware had already been pulled to the various locations prior to drywall as part of the rough-in phase of construction and below are some images of the different devices placed.

BACKSPLASH EXTENSION

Behind-the-Range Backsplash

With the Bosch range having the display and controls along the front of the of the appliance instead of the back like many standard ranges, one of the details that needed to be coordinated was the continuation of the backsplash to extend behind the range. This piece was installed on Wednesday to bridge the gap and below are some before and after images of the 4" quartz backsplash extension, which results in a much cleaner look.

PAINTER'S TAPE

Touch Up Indicators

In preparation for final painting touch-up, the Oakley Home 2.0 was speckled in painters tape on Tuesday to indicate all the locations where additional paint will be needed to cover all the various scuffs, marks and wall patches throughout the house. Here are some photos of what that looks like.

THE WEEK AHEAD

LEED Inspection, Listing Prep & More

After a bit of a break for the Holidays, the Oakley Home 2.0 project is now racing towards the finish line with a busy week ahead. Below are some of the various activities planned for the next 7+ Days:

• LEED for Homes Final Inspection
• Construction Punch List Items
• Installing the Cabinet Hardware
• Insulating the basement
• Interior and Exterior Touch-up painting
• A few other miscellaneous Items
• Home Staging
• Professional Photographs of the home
• New MLS Listing going live

YEAR 4

Home 2.0 Blog in 2018

3 Years ago today the Home 2.0 Blog made it's debut as an effort to document the process of designing, developing and constructing an urban infill home in the Pleasant Ridge Neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It has been quite an adventure seeing that project through to completion and now getting ready for the Oakley Home 2.0 to hit the market in upcoming days. What does year 4 have in store for the Home 2.0 Blog? Stay tuned & Happy New Year!