Week 37 of the remodel made the house feel much closer to being finished, thanks to the installation of carpet upstairs and in our master bedroom. Going with carpet was perhaps not the most modern choice, but both Julie and I had carpet in our childhood homes growing up, and no one has ever accused me of being stylish anyway.

We went with a very neutral shade upstairs; it has a fancy name, but it’s really just beige. Because the kids each have different color schemes in their rooms, we wanted something that would work well for each of them. This color certainly fits the bill, even if it does remind me of pretty much every apartment I rented in the ’90s.

Downstairs, we went with a gray-ish green, incorporating a few subtle hints of blue. I wanted something similar to our old carpet, but Julie put her foot down: to her, the old color was ridiculously dated. She would have preferred something closer to turquoise, but ultimately we compromised on this color. It’s near enough to the old shade that it still feels like home, without looking like it was pulled straight out of 1986.

This week also brought the addition of screen doors to our patio entrance. Julie has looked forward to these since the start of the project: for many years, she has wanted a screen door at the front of the house to allow air to circulate more freely and make sitting in the living room more comfortable in the evening after hot summer days. I had reservations and failed to act, so we were stuck in a bit of a stalemate. In the end, all it took to break the deadlock was tearing down half the house and moving the primary living space to the rear.

I’m under no illusions that this gets me off the hook for a front screen door, however.

Finally, though we’re unlikely to need them for another four or five months, the crew installed gutters on the house this week. There are no downspouts yet, but I imagine they’ll show up sometime next week.

Gallery: Week 37: Carpet