33 Walls are constructed and waiting to be erected.
34 Walls are constructed and waiting to be erected.
35 Parallel-strand lumber (PSL) is a form of engineered wood made from parallel wood strands bonded together with adhesive. It is used for beams, headers, columns, and posts, among other uses.
36 Gallery walls
37 Gallery wall
38 Looking out gallery
39 Looking into gallery -- this is the guest bedroom end.
40 Guest bedroom end.
41 Placing the office front wall.
42 Office front wall/window. We will have a lovely view.
43 More walls. Starting to look like a house.
44 Making huge progress. End sections are mostly framed. "Empty center" is where glass will go.
45 Garage end, guest bedrooms
46 Front--guest bedrooms. Clerestory windows
47 Center section. Tall wall is where kitchen will be. To the right of the tall wall is the pantry.
48 Kitchen wall
49 Pantry--23 feet long.
50 Office. Two view walls
51 Master bedroom view.
52 Master bedroom view
53 Fireplace structure framed. It goes through the roof of the house.
54 Fireplace structure--it will be covered with the corten porcelain tiles.
55 It is pretty big!
56 Roof trusses
57 Steel beam 18"x 55ft
58 Steel
59 Steel going up
60 Steel--front of house
61 Steel--back of house
62 A sense of the overall design...
63 Center section getting trusses--they needed a crane to get them in place.
64 Once the sheathing is on, the next step is roofing the structure.
65 The exterior porcelain tile has arrived from Spain. It will have to be stored in this container.
66 Tile is hibernating until Spring...
67 Window openings covered up.
68 Interior with plastic over window openings. It was 28 degrees outside.
69 Interior with plastic over back window openings. It was 28 degrees outside.
70 Fireplace wall with all of the windows covered.
71 Roofing is starting.
72 Underlayment for roof being lifted up.
73 Wet floor after snow/rain before roof.
74 Roof underlayment is down and PVC is being rolled out.
75 Roof underlayment is down and PVC is being rolled out.
76 Rolls of PVC
77 Parts of roof are complete, more to go.
78 Parts of roof are complete, more to go.
79 View of the various roofs
80 Done, except for over the garage. More rain today...
81 Everything (and everyone) all buttoned up...
82 Rough plumbing...
83 A work of art...
84 Laundry rough.
85 Kitchen sink plumbing.
86 Plumbing supplies
87 HVAC rough-in
88 HVAC rough-in
89 HVAC stuff
90 Septic system pipe -- it will connect with the leach field
91 Apavisa tile in Salt Lake City airport
Our tile is larger than this but it gives a good idea of what it will look like.
For a 3-D landscape video, go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2oBBIF2Zcs
92 Front entrance steel has arrived. It's BIG!
93 Unloading the front entrance.
94 Moving it...
95 Front entrance steel being fitted.
96 Front entrance steel being fitted.
97 Installing.
98 Installed. Now to add more concrete to make sure it doesn't fall over...
99 It's pretty tall!
100 Formed steel to cover wood corner posts and window posts. Sandy has to paint it...
101 Getting the wood posts covered with steel. Welding, then paint.
102 After Sandy did a lot of work, steel covering for small wood posts.
103 Elm table for kitchen island--ready for pour of epoxy material
104 Poured epoxy resin--a mix of several gray tones.
105 Resin has cured for 4 hours and shows the colors. It will cure for another 3-4 days. Ignore those weird white marks...
106 Cured resin after 4 hours.
107 This is what the elm for the table will look like after one coat of walnut stain.
108 A (bit dark) photo of the quartzite for our kitchen counters. Quartzite is a natural stone material and is harder than granite.
109 Our first fixture installed
110 Orange stuff sprayed on the wires to prevent electrical issues.
111 Ceiling wiring.
112 Wiring and boxes in garage.
113 Electrical to-do list...
114 Standing on the dirt ready for the shop pad.
115 Final piles of dirt fill for shop pad.
116 Shop pad done
117 Shop pad done. Dry Creek bed will be in the area where the bulldozer is parked.
118 Posts for shop. They will be placed inside 6' tall cardboard tubes that are then filled with concrete.
119 Two sizes of cardboard tubes for the posts.
120 Post set in tube--concrete will be poured into the tube.
121 Posts...
122 Shop slab footing framing going in.
123 First posts are in.
124 Jon and Cathy hold a conference on the big tree stump...
125 Cellulose insulation between wall studs. It is made from recycled paper products, primarily newspaper. Netting is hung from the studs and then the cellulose is piped in until the area is completely packed.
This insulation has a very high r-value and no wind can seep through it.
126 Ardex materials for the exterior porcelain tiles.
127 Window frames are finally going in!! This is the front window of the office.
128 Finally! Starting to tile...
129 Bottom to top
130 Moving along the front of the house
131 Narrow spacing between tiles.
132 Making progress!
133 Front of house!
134 Tile on side of the house moving along
135 Bad Joseph!!!! Notice he is balanced on the handle of the step stool... Only the young can do this! But, got to make sure everything is level!
136 This is Brandon. He is an awesome tile setter and is meticulous with his work. He is cutting the tile.
140 We've got clerestory frames. All of those vertical posts were wood 2x4s and Sandy had to hand-shape them so they could be covered with formed metal. This has been a HUGE job with Sandy up on the roof...
141 One of the high windows getting "framed."
142 Jon meeting with the inspector for shop footings. We passed!
143 Centerline for the shop ready for concrete pour
144 Concrete truck "spewing" its load onto the dirt pad
145 Spreading the new concrete
146 Spreading and smoothing
147 More hand smoothing. Next step was to use a machine that brushed the finish.
148 Brushing the finish.
149 Brushing the finish. Once everything is set and dry, the framing will start.
150 Poured slab for shop
151 Main beams for shop -- 64 feet long
152 Pouring the front porch slab. The 4 inches of concrete will add additional stabilization for the cantilevered (and very heavy) front porch structure.
153 Smoothing. Once this is dry and set, the jacks at the front will be removed.
154 Smooth. Sandy added our initials into the concrete! ;-)
155 Our home!
156 Front entrance without the support posts. Nothing shifted!!! ;-)
157 Shims on the foundation edge to make sure the metal lip is at the correct height
158 Metal post covering ready to be welded. More spot welding for the L-metal cover.
159 Frank (welder) and Sandy getting ready to weld the metal covers for the posts.
160 Frank making sparks!
161 More welds!
162 After welding, posts are spackled, sanded, then painted.
163 After welding, posts are spackled, sanded, then painted.
164 Shop is moving along really fast! OSB going up.
165 Framing now ready for roof OSB
166 Roof OSB is on.
167 Sandy's half for his wood welder equipment and production
168 Front of shop for garage door side going up.
169 A Swainson's hawk pair has built their nest in our tree.
170 Jimmy measuring the frame for the front glass
171 Framing for back glass and sliders
172 Slider rails. There will be two fixed panes at either end. The sliders will open and bypass each other so the full opening will be 20 feet.
173 Front frames are going in.
174 Click on the photo to open it (I don't know why it is so small...). Front frames are in.
175 Rear sliders and glass are installed.
176 Sandy working away on metal edging. I think this is the last of the edge metal.
177 Samples of glass colors for the dining chandelier (blue balls in back) and entrance hall (flowers).
The blue globes don't work with the kitchen slab. Filip is making more colors as some of these look dark. Eventually the ball sizes will be from basketball sized down to the small ones.
178 The hall chandelier may have over 100 flowers of different sizes and colors.
179 These are the colors we have chosen for the dining chandelier. We will keep the saturation even when the globes are larger. When lit, there is a huge color difference. Filip will draft a layout and figure out the total number.
180 HVAC ducting now going in...
181 Front of the garage with garage door openings built. There will be windows above each door.
182 Sandy's space...
183 Sandy's space with ceiling trusses.
184 Fascia pieces on truck (7000 pounds)
185 Pile of fascia...
186 It appears Falcon Flooring has a reason for its name...
187 Gallery window frames going in
188 Gallery window frames adjacent to the garage
189 Looks really nice! Notice how clean the floor is -- I spent the weekend sweeping...
190 Ollan mowed the front of the lot and it looks WAY better. The tree in the middle is where the hawk's nest is located.
191 Sandy pondering... Probably counting tiles -- we need more.
192 Fireplace wall in front hallway.
193 Fireplace wall facing the building center. You can see its size as compared to the tile guy.
All of the tile is ready for caulking (which is going to be a ton of work). The center covered by cardboard is the gas fireplace insert. It looks kind of tiny, but it would cost $6000 to add another foot...
194 Guess who was here...?
195 Center section looking west. We have already had bird strikes as the glass reflects the trees. We are putting bird strike film on all of the back windows.
196 This is the machine that lifts the glass in place. Some of the sections weigh a lot and are awkward to handle.
197 This is one of the doors (master bedroom or galley). I like the handle.
198 Glass in the master bedroom.
199 The truck delivering the dining room table arrives. We didn't really have a good storage place for it so it is going into the back of the shop. The driver was really good at backing up!
200 Sandy and Jon contemplate the two crates (table and table legs).
201 Table legs in crate in back of the shop.
202 We needed a lot of young muscle (and some old muscle) to move the crate with the table in it (Approximately 550 pounds).
203 Muscling it in...
204 Sandy and I decided to take off the top of the wood crate to look at the table. But, the table is in a cardboard box inside the crate, so more unpacking to actually see it...
205 The many layers of packing are pulled back to show the gorgeous table. Black Walnut with an oil-rubbed finish. It has a live wood edge. We are SO happy!
206 Butterfly on the table.
207 Gallery windows are in.
208 View of the front of shop with windows
209 The shop has windows installed and the metal roof is on.
210 It is so nice to see the house without any plastic! When you drive up, you can see all the way through the center section.
211 Blowing insulation into shop
212 OSB installed in the house garage.
213 Shop is moving along. JJ and Josh working on a Saturday installing OSB. Insulation is in.
214 Stucco color for the shop
215 Stucco color for house
216 Stucco is starting on the shop.
217 Best insulated house ever!
218 Closed cell foam insulation
219 Open cell foam insulation
220 Well drilling equipment has arrived.
221 Drilling has started for the well. They are going down 300 feet.
222 Shop is painted and fascia is being primed (corners and flat pieces).
223 Dirt piles for berm in the front.
224 Garage in house is sheetrocked.
225 Sandy and JJ consulting on fascia installation
226 Start of fascia installation. Black tape on wood is waterproofing.
227 One section of fascia is up. We thought it will be painted black, but we changed our minds and are going to use SW Iron Ore. The Mad Scientist's solution is working!!
228 Shop garage doors are in
229 Interior doors have arrived
230 Ceiling insulation is done
231 A giant insulation "brain."
232 Front pivot door has arrived!
233 Pivot door + crate weighed 1100 pounds. Once again, lots of people were needed to unload it...
234 Frame for pivot door
235 Pivot door is in and protected from damage
236 "Naked" pivot door. It is made of Sapele Mahagony and will be stained (color TBD) and protected with clear.
237 Sheetrock has arrived...Guys in the back of photo are the pivot door installers...
238 More sheetrock
239 More sheetrock
240 Lunawood has arrived.
241 Lunawood lengths are 15' and 16'. This will be installed on the center section ceiling and under the soffits after it is stained.
242 Well is installed. Drillers went down 280 feet. Now for electricity so pump can be installed.
243 House cabinets have arrived!! They are stored in the back of the shop. There are additional ones in a truck. These will go in once the sheetrock and painting are finished.
244 Flat handles
245 Mr. Woodworker is inspecting...
246 More...
247 And more...
248 Sheetrock is almost all up. What a mess... Next, they apply mud and then sand it smooth. More mess...
249 Lots of dust and this is just the beginning...
250 Ceiling is now covered. Eventually, this is where the Lunawood will be installed.
251 First phase of sheetrock is almost done.
252 Fascia on lower roofs is installed.
253 JJ and Josh starting on the largest roof line. The steel pieces are really heavy, but they have a methodology for installation now so they are efficient.
254 Large edge...
255 The back roof is done. It looks terrific!! Lunawood will be installed in the soffit.
256 Start of staining the Lunawood. This will be under all of the soffits (exterior) and in the ceiling of the center portion and front hall.
257 Color of the Lunawood after staining. Each piece has three wood rows and is tongue-in-groove.
258 Fascia on top level is installed.
259 It looks terrific!
260 Fascia installation is almost done until we get some additional steel (for porch overhang and shop). After welding and caulking, it will be painted black.
261 Almost done!
262 Wade and Ollan trenching for electric conduit to shop, house, and well. They hit calechi, a hardened natural cement of calcium carbonate sedimentary rock. To get through it they had to get the machine with a jackhammer bit (on the left).
263 Conduit for electricity.
264 Power to the house -- YIPPEE!!!
265 Well pump installation . Pipe in foreground is the lateral from the french drain going into the trees.
266 Well head with an external faucet. It's YELLOW!!!
267 We have water!!!
268 Pump tank in house
269 We have 58 pounds of pressure and get 5 gallons per minute (I think). Very good flow.
270 Stained Lunawood. Dan, the painter is really tired of this work (6000 linear feet).
271 First taping of sheetrock is almost done!
272 This shows the metal baseboard.
273 Metal around door frames is in and taped. Next it will be mudded.
274 Taping and mudding is done. Next sanding...
275 Frank welding the fascia. We are getting closer to painting it black.
276 All of the fascia on the house is up! Light gray paint is primer (Sandy has been sanding and priming...). Next -- black paint!
277 Front fascia. Front door is covered, but the next photo shows the door...
278 Front door is stained and it looks terrific. We were worried about the amount of sun it would get, but this photo was taken at 10:00 AM so the door is sheltered fairly well.
The area around the door will have a "titanium tile" that comes from the same line as the Corten tile, but is slightly darker. You can see a grubby piece of it.
279 Starting to paint the fascia. It will need two coats of paint. The color (not black) is called Iron Ore. We decided full black was too cold.
280 Scratch coat has been put on the shop. Apparently this is a 4-step process...
281 Stucco brown coat is now on the shop
282 Stucco brown coat
283 Garage door openers are installed and powered
284 The BIG stump is a problem. The tree was 50 years old but had to be taken down as it was struck by lightening several years ago and the center trunk had split and was rotting.
The current plan is to dig a bigger hole and bury it as it is too big to pull out.
285 Berming next to Black Cat has begun. This area will be planted with a large number of trees and shrubs and will block the road traffic noise.
286 Irrigation lines are going in along the driveway. Much of this will be planted with wildflowers.
287 In order to reclaim irrigation water from next door that runs into the french drain, we are putting in two laterals. They run under the driveway and into the center field.
288 Lateral closest to S. Black Cat.
289 It has been run under the driveway and will dump water into the center grass area (which does not have irrigation).
290 Septic system going in... Tank 1
291 Two tanks! "Stuff" goes from one to the other. The system is the Norweco Sungulair 960.
292 And, the complete system (without pipes).
293 Pipes are being laid in the leachfield. Final water from the tanks ends up here and will percolate through the gravel.
294 Pipes are being covered. This is the box from the tanks to the piping. All of this will be covered by dirt and graded. YAY--we have our leachfield permit.
295 Stucco going onto the house. The small open area is the underlayment.
296 You can see the first two stages here.
297 What a mess!!
298 More stucco layers onto the shop.
299 Fascia going up on the shop.
300 Shop stucco.
301 Final color coat on shop. We went with a darker brown so the big building will "blend" into the landscaping.
302 Final color coat of stucco on shop.
303 House stucco final color.
304 Final stucco color
305 This is the start of building the retaining wall along the driveway. It starts at the house wall next to the front door and extends 80 feet. There will be perennial plants between the driveway and the wall.
306 First set of footings have been poured.
307 Final wall. Once the driveway is filled and poured, this exposed part of the wall will be about 3 inches tall.
308 Landscape rocks being delivered. This is the first set. Many more will be coming.
309 These are special rocks to be used in the dry creek bed and the waterfall.
310 Another pile of rocks...
311 The house fascia is finished!!! What a project! Thank you Mad Scientist. It is so nice to see the big center beam painted (rather than white).
312 Stucco is done!
313 Color looks nice next to the tiles.
314 You can see the contrast in stucco color between the shop and the house.
315 Fascia is up on the shop. Next, Frank will weld and then it will be sanded and painted.
316 Our construction supervisors...
317 The little baby is so cute!
318 Sheetrock is done! Level 5 done right is really hard and they guys did a terrific job.
Sheetrock Level 5 finish is the highest standard of drywall finishing, characterized by a flawlessly smooth wall and uniform surface achieved through meticulous application of joint compound, sanding, and successive skim coats. Our drywall guys sprayed on Prime-Tex for the final layer.
319 Door frames get painted first. You can see the color difference between the paint and the drywall finish color. We are using SW Natural Linen.
320 Dan painting doors.
321 More fog!
322 Shaye taping before painting. Lots and lots of taping!
323 Dan painting the center ceiling. YIPPEE!!
324 Sandy is once again on the roof caulking between the roof edge and the fascia...
325 His caulking outfit with kneepads (and phone) in hand...
326 A consultation on the Lunawood install. They guys are starting with the soffits.
327 The first Lunawood is up. Fortunately, Sandy caught the guys putting it in the wrong way (they had the smooth back on the outside -- yikes!).
328 Andrew scoping all of the work ahead of the crew.
329 This is what the Lunawood looks like when finished.
330 Water is on for the area that will be planted with wildflowers.
331 Stump 3 Humans 0
We dug a trench, cut off many of the roots and then tried to get it out with a bucket, then with a bulldozer, then with both. It hasn't moved. Next plan--getting a big chipper in to chop it up.
332 The end of the stump (or at least a good chunk of the top of it).
333 We are planting the berm at the front of the property today!! Trees are arriving.
334 Each tree is temporarily placed.
335 Angela is the maestro. She decides where each tree goes (we do have a plan, but have modified it a bit).
336 We have one Japanese maple but it was placed in too much direct sun, so it was moved more into the shade.
Angela is about 5'5" so you can see the size of the trees...
337 After we know the placement, the guys dig big holes so the trees are well sited. We have been watering the berm for several days before planting.
338 In addition to the trees, we have shrubs scattered around.
339 A long-range view.
340 Close up of Austrian pines and Black Hills spruce.
341 Partway up the driveway we have planted 6 Littleleaf Linden trees. They have fragrant white flowers in the spring. We were originally going to plan Autumn Blaze Maples, but we have white clay soil and the maples wouldn't survive.
342 A nice view and it will be even better when they get larger.
343 Hydroseeding starts!! We will have a perennial wildflower and grass mix all over the front berm, up the driveway on both sides (about 30 feet wide on the north side) and all the way around the house.
Green Acres Hydroseeding is doing the planting. The big tank is filled with water and the mixture sprayed on the ground has the flower and grass seeds, slow release fertilizer (for the spring) and mulch which keeps the seeds in place.
344 Spraying the mixture. It comes out bright green but the next day it was brownish. We should be seeing seed germination in a week or so.
345 Up the driveway...
346 Along the road and on the berm. Our plantings are 30 feet from the road in case the highway department decides to widen the current 2-lane street.
The white fence has been removed.
347 On the berm
348 Green Acres cute sign. The weeds need to be taken care of...
349 This is what the final wildflower meadows will look like!
350 Boulder retaining wall on the south side (garage side). All of the area to the south of the wall will be bermed and planted. Where the digger is located, we will have a row of 24 Leyland Cypress (to block the view of the neighbor).
351 Starting work on the back patio. the flat area will be concrete and surrounding it will be a retaining wall with a 4-foot wide planter on the inbound side planted with Munstead lavender.
352 Starting to dig out the area for the footings. The door between the two windows is on the master bedroom side and we will be able to walk to the patio from it.
353 Footing trenches going south to the garage.
354 Patio area. Originally, the plans called for a steel beam overhang, but we nixed it due to the cost (a lot!). We will probably try out some large, directional umbrellas, but even though this area faces west, the sun gets blocked by trees and the shop.
355 Boards to create the lower footings -- they are stepped.
356 Getting ready for the first pour.
357 First layers are done. Next, the main footings will be built.
358 Stepped layers.
359 More...
360 Now the taller retaining walls are being set up. When done, the top of the wall will be about 6 inches above the concrete pad of the patio.
361 Forms are in. Along the inside on both sides, there are slanted pieces of wood, allowing the top of the wall to form at a slight angle.
362 The concrete truck is here!! We needed 3 full truckloads... At the front is a chute which will deliver the concrete to... =>
363 The truck with the boom... They fill up the hopper. The guy in the orange vest runs the boom via wifi.
364 The boom is being directed to the forms and the concrete comes out the hose.
365 One guy directs the concrete into the opening between the forms and the guy behind him has a drill with a concrete vibrator that shakes the poured concrete to ensure there are no trapped air bubbles or pools of water in the cement.
366 Then come the guys with the trowels of various sizes. They also remove or add concrete as they go to make sure it is level and the correct height.
367 Troweling...
368 This is at the very end near the bedroom door. we are watching and all of a sudden three guys leap backwards. We thought they hit a wasp nest, but the forms had given way "a blow-out". So, they had to redo the forms, scoop up all of the concrete that had flooded out...
369 Here are the finished retaining walls. There are PVC drains all along the bottom. Next, crushed rock will go in and then fill. The final planters will be 4 feet wide.
370 All of the cabinets have been moved from the shop to the location where they will be installed. This is the front entry where the glass art will be displayed.
371 Lots of cabinets for the kitchen and pantry.
372 Kitchen cabinets with the fireplace wall at the back.
373 Laundry room cabinets with corner sink.
374 Cabinets are in. This photo is rather dark...
375 Master bath.
376 Guest bath. If you click on the photo, you can see the beautiful grain matching. These are European laminate.
377 Kitchen island. The boxes facing out will have pull-out shelves. Sandy is very impressed with the heavy duty rails. The elm table will be on the end.
378 Kellie and Ted are the fabulous cabinet installers. They are SO meticulous. Sandy is helping (of course).
379 The island, with the table, will be 17 feet long.
380 The kitchen cabinets are in. The piece covered with the blue wrapper is the Woodlabs table. The opening on the right end will be a standalone refrigerator. The door behind it goes into the pantry which will have a standalone freezer, two ovens and a wine cabinet.
381
382 Jay (tile guy) and Jon (builder). Neither wanted their photo taken... Too bad...
383 Backsplash tiles.
384 Main tiles for showers.
385 Our one bathtub... Yay!! Tiling is underway.
386 The elm table with epoxy resin river... In the truck!
387 Anthony, by the island, is the table installer. He is fantastic!! The table leg that supports the end isn't done yet, so Sandy jiggered a support.
388 5 guys wrassle the table out of the truck. They can't drag it and it weighs @400 pounds.
389 Into the room and setting it down. This is the underside and it is reinforced with metal bracing.
390 Shifting it over. You can see Sandy's support leg...
391 Getting ready to carry it to the counter and line it up.
392 The upper section slides over the top of the counter and it will be matched perfectly in height by the quartzite counter. The lower section can easily seat five.
393 Measuring and nudging so it is centered.
394 Table is installed.
395 You can see the beauty of the elm grain!
396 The river...
397 We have a partial driveway!!! Dump truck filling the machine with asphalt.
398 The machine!! It has arms that can extend to match the intended driveway width. Ours is 18 feet wide.
399 Laying down the asphalt.
400 Approaching the house.
401 After the asphalt is down, there are two different machines that roll it flat.
402 We will finish the rest of the driveway with concrete.
403 Rolling and squashing machines...
404 The house garage doors made by Hörmann Modern Tech. They have the refined appearance of aluminum though they are smooth, heavy-duty 24-gauge steel.
405 It's nice to get a full photo of the house without any vehicles (except for our trusty, well-used Port a Potty...)
406 Without our red friend.
407 Jay (our tile guy) working in the master shower... He is very good!
408 Guest bedroom shower.
409 Shower pan is tiled.
410 Warning note from the counter fabricator... Guess what the "red dot" means.
411 First view of the quartzite kitchen counter.
412 Backsplash in kitchen. It will have blue grout. Cutout is for the induction stove.
413 Master bathroom backsplash
414 Guest bathroom 1 backsplash
415 Guest bathroom 2 backsplash
416 DOTS! Guest bathroom 3 backsplash
417 Powder room backsplash
418 Guys installing Lunawood ceiling
419 All done except for a tiny bit
420 Andrew and John happy to be done inside!
421 Ceiling is done! It looks awesome!
422 UGH!!!! Emptying out two large storage units... 26 foot truck with lift gate (which didn't work all that well). Sandy was the chief mover with Ollan to help (and me to sort of help...).
423 Sandy was so smart and made up about 30 moving straps so everything could be tied down.
The move took 5 days -- each day was one load and then one unload.
424 Last group of stuff...
425 Starting to move the steel garage cabinets.
426 The shop with the first load. It is almost completely full in the front and a lot of the back. And, we still have two houses to empty. UGH!!
427 Loading and unloading the steel garage cabinets. This piece is 87" tall. Sandy had a brilliant idea to roll it off the truck using a piece of PVC pipe. The guy on the bottom end is Ollan, who was a huge help!!!
428 Coming off. There are 4 of these.
429 We still had another load after all of this stuff...
430 Gas line for the BBQ
431 Preparing for the concrete driveway pour. Jay, the bulldozer maestro laser-leveled everything. Pit run was delivered and he filled in all of the areas (with cut-outs for landscaping).
432 Final material for leveling the driveway. Then it is watered and rolled making it extremely hard.
433 This is the rolled driveway, ready for concrete.
434 Forms are in for the pour.
435 Concrete for the back patio being delivered by a pumper truck. The pour, distribution, smoothing, troweling and brushing is an expert, choreographed dance by the concrete guys. It is amazing to watch!
436 Smoothing large areas with a 2 x 4. Two guys drag it across the wet concrete and other run around filling in any holes and troweling the edges.
437 At the end, the concrete gets a brushed finish.
438 When the concrete patio is set enough, rolled expansion joints are put in.
439 Finished patio. Around the edge, we have 4-foot wide planters.
440 Concrete truck for the driveway. The chute is lowered and the driver moves it back and forth as directed by the concrete guys.
441 Filling in the forms.
442 Pouring the sidewalk by the shop
443 Driveway by the shop is done.
444 Sidewalk to the patio. There will be flowering perennials on the right and the dry creek bed and fountain will be on the left. There will be a metal grate bridge across the creek bed from the house to the shop.
445 Driveway along the garage and house.
446 Final front pour.
447 Sidewalk to the front door. The dirt area will be planted.
448 Concrete is done!!
449 Cutting expansion joints.
450 The Swainson's hawk nest. The tree was pruned and we can finally see the nest.
451 Blown glass globes for the chandelier above the dining room table.
452 Papa, baby, mama...
Lennox 18 Seer Variable Capacity Heat Pumps for heat and A/C
453 Powder room sink and apron in Michelangelo quartzite and some very cool tile for backsplash. One more row of tile to finish.
Beautiful job by Brent, our fabricator.
454 Hard to see but there are gold sconces on the wall. Below the apron is a custom-built drawer (which fits around the plumbing).
455 Engineers are installing switches and plugs. We are using Legrand Adorne. They have a lot of different backplates, but only three colors for the receptacle. So Satin Light Almond with white center. The backplate is held slightly out from the wall with a nice shadow effect.
456 Brushed satin brass plates in the kitchen.
457 Floor and ceiling registers masked for painting. Those for the ceiling will be wall-color and those for the floor will match the vinyl tile and carpeting. Cathy did the taping and Sandy did the painting...
458 I think there are more than 30 registers.
459 The chimney topper under construction.
460 A Red Dragon Japanese Maple to be planted in the patio bed next to the glass galley. We have a large pottery pot for it.
461 One of our electrical panels...There are several.
462 Looking into the crawl space--it is being insulated.
463 Our house numbers. The steel beams are leftovers from the fascia and Sandy found a "recipe" for making them rusty (white vinegar, salt, hydrogen peroxide).
464 The chimney top arrives in pieces.
465 The start of the island countertop installation. Zach and Brent (the fabrication shop owner).
466 Cutting a variety of holes.
467 The top is wheeled in. It weighs about 1000 pounds.
468 Contemplating how it can be lifted off the cart and onto the counter.
469 It's a beauty!
470 OH NO MR.BILL!!!! They heaved the top onto the counter, but it hung over the edge and fractured lengthwise in several places. It is ruined...
471 Cracked... Fortunately, there is another slab available. The next "round" is to epoxy vertical steel pieces to stabilize the horizontal fissures.
472 Finishing up the gas fireplace insert install.
473 Starting the pondless waterfall. Sergio is digging a large hole for the water tank from which the water supply for the waterfall will be pumped.
474 The tank. Concrete and 5x5x5 feet.
475 Sergio Jr. shoved it to the back (with a great deal of difficulty).
476 The tank is lifted and turned on its side.
477 Chains are attached to the bottom.
478 Dragged (and pushed) into the hole.
479 Going down...
480 Flipped over.
481 In place.
482 Starting to move rocks to build the waterfall. They put a sling on the rock and then lift it. This one weighed about 2000 pounds.
483 Carrying it into place.
484 The three fingers rock!
485 Waterfall is almost complete--a few tweaks left.
486 Appliances are delivered. Installation can't happen until the flooring is installed.
487 Josh and Sandy talking about the floor.
488 Start of floor installation. It is glued onto the subfloor...
489 But, the flooring is defective. You can see how the edges aren't adhering. We glued the tile to a smooth subfloor and it wouldn't stay glued down. Starting over with another tile... Sigh.
490 White outside outlets are unacceptable...
491 But Sandy will take care of the problem. Taping the wall.
492 Painted and being dried.
493 Done!
494 The forklift arrives...Sandy decided this would be better than a UTV. We can carry trashcans down to the road (800 feet), we'll attach a snowblower, and do other fun stuff with it. Now it needs a name!
495 Sandy driving it off the trailer.
As always, we name our vehicles, so the forklift has been christened BEEP BEEP...
496 BEEP BEEP easily delivered Sandy and his stuff up on the roof. The total height it can go looks like 15 feet.
497 Side yard ready for plants. Rocks will absorb roof runoff.
498 Ready for landscaping. The concrete box at the left will be a fountain. the three boxes along the wall are decorative with plantings behind them.
499 We found 2 cute little tabbby kittens hiding in the shop. We captured them and Francsico is taking them home.
500 The waterfall is running!
501 Ceiling mount for dining room table blown glass spheres. there will be 15 hanging balls.
502 Angela, plant mistress extraordinaire, studying her list and map (in the rain).
503 Start of laying out the perennials.
504 Row of Leyland Cypresses along the property line. These trees grow very fast and should fill in the property edge nicely.
505 Perennials laid out and ready to be planted.
506 Along the driveway and sidewalk.
507 Front of the house. 287 plants in total.
508 Start of appliances being installed--double ovens.
509 Slab #2 escorted into the house.
510 Lots more people are installing the slab. This time, it is reinforced with steel and fiberglass rods.
511 Waterfall end of the slab.
512 The replacement flooring looks terrific!
513 Josh the flooring guy cutting tile.
514 Dry creek bed. More to do, including planting.
515 Dry creek bed.
516 Start of planting 10,000 daffodil bulbs. Whose idea was this, anyway???
517 10,000 bulbs laid out. The final day of planting was horrible as it was so cold the ground was frozen. Thank god for Ollan and the auger...
518 Truck full of dirt and a wireless conveyor belt.
519 They are spraying 6 inches of dirt on the bulbs. Brilliant idea from Jon and SO MUCH EASIER than wheelbarrowing dirt by hand...
520 Freezer installed in the pantry.
521 Wine cooler in the pantry.
522 Refrigerator installed. Mess to the left is the induction stove...
523 Anthony getting ready to install the table leg (front of photo) onto the Woodlabs table.
524 Table leg installed. Another Sandy design--no one's feet will hit the leg. It is powder-coated metal.
525 Dry creek bed on left side of waterfall.
526 Dry creek bed on right side of waterfall.
527 Baseboards are in. Note, baseboard is flush with the wall.
528 Doors and door hardware are being completed.
529 Sandy is hanging mylar strips to scare away our resident Northern Flicker who is claiming our house by pecking the Lunawood under the soffits.
530 We now have a chimney cap courtesy of the Mad Scientist. It will be painted black.
531 Chimney cap is done! Sandy did heroic work on this: designing, getting it welded, dragging it up on the roof, screwing it together, caulking, priming, finish painting. Much of the time, it was 45 degrees or colder...
532 Chimney cap is done!
533 Chimney cap is done!
534 Start of the bridge across the dry creek from the garage to the shop.
535 Laying the cross pieces
536 Bridge ready for metal grate top
537 Bridge is finished.
538 Standing on the bridge looking north at the dry creek bed
539 Setting the house numbers in concrete. Ollan and Jon's butt...
540 Our quality control cow...
541 Sandy making sure everything is perfect...
542 Icy trees on December 4. This comes from the weather inversion.
543 Front elm tree.
544 Thanks to Zach and Hudson's assistance and the excellent rolling cart, the dining room table was moved from the shop to the house.
This is the underside of the wood shipping crate. Artitalia doesn't fool around!
545 Crate bottom was opened, the table slid down and the legs are being positioned.
546 Side view.
547 Legs are attached. They are covered with a thick metallic paint.
548 Done!
549 It is beautiful.
FYI, vendor information: ArtItalia Group https://www.artitaliagroup.com/
Vero table in walnut Top finish: Noce Oliato Metal base style: Vela Metal base and metal keys finish: Ottone Spazzolato
Table size: 114"L x 38"/43" variable depth x 30"H
550 Hudson and Zach installing the fireplace hearth, made of Absolute Black flamed granite.
The Flaming Process The process involves applying an intense flame to the surface of the granite, causing it to heat rapidly and then cool down just as quickly. This results in the stone’s crystals bursting, creating a rough, textured surface. Flaming changes the granite’s appearance and enhances its durability, making it perfect for various applications.
551 Measuring and leveling. Sandy will be inserting brass metal strips between the slabs.
552 It looks terrific!!
553 Sandy starts the process of inserting brass strips between the hearth slabs. It is complicated: shims are needed, angles need to be formed, etc. Another Mad Scientist project...
554 This is the little brass cutting machine. It works perfectly!
555 Sandy attending to details
556 Getting there!
557 This adds another level of detail and beauty
558 So nice!
559 Nate is installing the copper piping for the front fountain. It will be a "bubbler" rather than something more excessive.
560 Three pipes will shoot up water. In the Spring, we will decide how high we want the water to go.
561 Starting the move-in. UGH! These large bags are life-savers, though.
562 The scene is repeated over and over...
563 Sandy has tried the new toilet...
564 Our Moroccan wool rug has been cleaned and is installed. It was bought at auction and is 13' x 15', an unusual size. Once the drywall is finished and the hearth is finished, we will bring in the furniture!!!
565 Wonderful colors and pattern!
566 Hudson and Zach finish up the counters.
567 We emptied the main garage (a huge chore!) and the floor is being polished, sealed and coated with epoxy.
568 Looks good!
569 Hard to capture the color with the lights. Gray, black and white flecks. In January, Peter from Baldhead Cabinets will come in from Oregon to install the red/yellow cabinets.
570 The elm table is finally freed from its wrappings!
571 The dining table chandelier is installed. I love it!
572 Hard to get an accurate photo...
573 We unwrapped the sofa after many months in cardboard boxes. Now the "where should it go" game starts. We are also installing taller legs to give it more height.
574 The living room is "settled." We may shove some things around still, but this works. There is room on the side of the sofa to walk between the sofa and the hearth. The fuzzy purple chairs swivel!
575 We like it!! You just never know whether something will work or not...
