week 42: pavers, lights, wood floors, spiders, shade, and a condenser

A lot happened this past week, but there's still a long ways to go... With the second deadline for completion (June 7th) now past (the first was the end of May), we're now off to the 3rd deadline, June 14th. Neither of us believe that the house will be done by the end of this week, but we shall see (and rather than discuss a "more reasonable" completion date with the builder, we're happy to stick with this one. A "more reasonable" completion date would just invite procrastination. Human nature...).

pavers

As noted earlier in the week, the pavers have arrived. On Friday, they started putting them in! They're only installed in the rear entry area at present, but enough are installed to get a sense of how they look, and they look good. I was little concerned that the black was too black, but the bride thinks they look fine. Nevertheless, I dig the "digitized" appearance of the bricks. Mucho cool.

I'm little surprised the pavers are going in when (1) the horno is not yet installed (we don't want a big ole Bobcat carrying a 1,700 pound bread oven over newly installed pavers...) and (2) the tree in the middle of the patio isn't planted yet. Perhaps the builder has the timing down to the minute; nonetheless, something to discuss...

I was hoping they would understand random placement, and it appears that they do. If it was me, I would be rolling a die for each brick placement and then making a selection. But that's me!

What they look like at night.

What they look like out the living room window.

lights

As noted earlier in the week, the rest of the lights were installed. Here are some closing photos...

Master closet.

Laundry.

Powder room.

Work-out room (second upstairs bedroom).

Upstairs closet. 

the condenser in action

At first I was disturbed since the AC seemed to be running all the time. But then I remembered: It's supposed to run all the time! We were told that it would sound different than conventional condensers. Ours is pretty quiet with a slight high-pitched tone to it... Nothing irritating (you have to listen for it).

wood floor (and steps)

As noted earlier in the week, the wood floor is going in. Most of it is installed upstairs (except the trim) and they are now focusing on the stairs and landings. To some eyes this wood choice might look a little busy for a modern minimalist house, but it yucks up the cubist/neoplastic angle. And it's always good to throw in a few design curveballs to keep 'em guessing. Really liking how the blockiness of the wood floor complements the blockiness of the pavers outside.

shade

Been watching how the window shading works on the house, particularly with the large living room window. The photo below is about noonish where the living room is now completely in the shade. The architects designed the windows and eaves here to allow sun to spill inside in the morning and then be shaded during the more brutal afternoon and evening hours.

at least someone's moved in

Looks like she wants to start a family...

punch list

black = builder
orange = us
gray and crossed = done!

general items:

- touch-up paint
- touch up drywall
    - various locations
    - tops of doorways

- polish/finish concrete floor

- clean windows

- seal sills

- door hardware

    - knobs

    - doorstops

- pocket door hardware
- wood floor (partial)
- general clean-up!

master bedroom:

- art can (partial)

- seal outside door

- outside door hardware

- plugs in bedside tables

master closet:

- light

- hanger poles (partial)

master bath:

- faucets

- toilet

- tub

- shower faucet

- tub spout

- tub faucet
- plumbing connects

- mirror

- vanity lights

- above tub light cover

- drawer plug

- cab adjusts

- switch cover in toilet room

- touch up tile trim

master hall:

- thermostat

buds and suds:

- faucet

- LEDs

- backsplash

- plug cover

- counter plug electric

- light

- cab adjusts
- drawer interference with sill (bumper on sill?)
- plumbing connects

rear entry (hee hee!):

- CO detector

- art can (partial)

- level door?

- thermostat

pantry:

- hot water control

- cable/data hookups

kitchen:

- wood for peninsula
- reinstall drawers

- back splash (partial)

- cooktop electric

- cooktop gas

- fridge

- oven/microwave

- dishwasher

- LEDs

- cab adjusts

- sink faucet

- potfiller

- seal countertop edges

- hood

- hood top cap
- plumbing connects

dining:

- art cans (partial)

- paint pillars

- crystal

living:

- speakers

- art can (partial)

- LEDs

- touch up cabs

- cab pulls

- seal upper windows to wood?

- floor plugs

entry:

- light switch covers

- door bell chime

- door knob
- door bell working

coat closet:

- pole

powder:

- sink

- light

- mirror

- toilet

- toilet buttons
- plumbing connects

office: (done!)

stairwell:

- missing plug?

- treads (partial)

- hand rail

romeo landing and hall:

- railing (partial)

- floor plug

- thermostat

- gas to furnace

- ceiling switch covers

- cans

- pendant lights (partial)

- switch cover

guest bed:

- closet pole

- closet doors

- closet door hardware

guest bath:

- faucet
- plumbing connects

- mirror

- light

- tub faucet

- can light

- shower rod

- toilet

work out room:

- ERV cover

- closet bars

- light

- closet light

garage:

- garage door

- entry door paint?

- entry door hardware

- garage door opener

- stain floor?

- switch cover

- lights

- faucet

- back light

outside:

- faucet by master

- plug by master

- cable

- plug by condenser

- water heater
- wiring to stage  (partial)
- wiring to hot tub  (partial)

- gutters

- gas meter

- gas connection

- finish out sewer clean-out under cantilever

- wire to outdoor light on front wall

- window bottom trim at front

- window bottom trim at back

- entry plug

- doorbell

- seal limestone to door at front entry

- roof over limestone/bookshelf bump-out

- carport faucet

- paint eyebrows

- seal to cypress?

- clean roof
- holes for outside speakers
- install outside speakers
- house numbers
- mailbox

landscaping:

- north side fence Sol

- north side fancy fence (partial)

- gate

- south side fence Sol

- south side fancy fence (partial)

- rear fence (partial)

- white gravel in back  (partial)

- mulch in back

- pavers (partial)

- grasscrete

- black gravel in back

- black gravel in front

- mulch in front

- feather grass

- trees in front

- trees in patio

- tree on south side
- front walls
- horno base
- place horno

stuff we'll address later on our own:
- built-in shelves in the master bath
- gate beside the garage and property line (to hide trash)
- built-in shelves in the guest bath
- built-in desktop in the guest bedroom
- in-shelf shelves in the kitchen
- cat door
- stage
- planters
- garden
- shorter drop pole for the ceiling fan in the office
- upgrade plugs and switches
- upgrade outdoor plug covers
- upgrade outdoor spigots
- cabinets in pantry
- glass shelves for buds-n-suds
- wood for shelf in living room window
- plug cover for living room
- front agaves
- hedges
- rainwater tank
- solar
- wine fridge
- window treatments
- security
- clothes line

week 40: schedule, gas, fence, power pole, backsplash, rails, horno

the white house

The sweetheart down the street (she's 93) told me the other day that she and the neighbors refer to our house as "The White House". I guess that makes sense since the house is (ahem) rather white. Bright white, actually. She says she brags to her friends that she knows someone in the white house.

One challenge of taking photos in the house (as you know, it's mostly white on the inside as well) is that sometimes (about 25 percent of the time) I can't get the camera to auto focus, so I have to go rogue (manual), at which point I see why the auto focus has a heck of a time because I have a heck of a time as well. Everything blurs together into infinity. It's rather calming...

the schedule

Not posting a schedule anymore because the schedule is, sadly, a bit uncertain at the moment. That's a bit miffing, especially since we put in our two months notice to vacate on our rental a couple weeks ago based on a recently determined June 7th completion date. Then a week ago we went from "June 7th" to "maybe the end of June". Maybe? The builder says he'll have a better idea after this week. One issue is that it takes up to five days to get an inspection once you put in for one. I noted that there has to be something to inspect before an inspection can occur, and we're not there yet.

We're on the street after July 7th...

we've got gas

And not just from eating at the Texas Chili Parlor. We missed getting a photo of the big hole to connect our gas line to the street. Still not connected to the house yet...

rear fence

The rear fence is partially up, and it looks pretty darn good. Really complements the rest of the place.

power pole

I don't know if it was my pep talk or not, but the electricians finally started finishing the electric.  I think part of the delay was the light guy not putting in our order for lights, so they are arriving later than they should (and somewhat randomly). About a month ago he sent us a note that the light for the pantry was back ordered until late June. We said "That ain't gonna work. What's an alternative?" and was greeted with dead silence. After a week of no response, I bought a light at IKEA and sent him a note to cancel the light order for the pantry, to which he responded "No can do: That light was special ordered and it's now in-house." Thanks for letting me know, buddy...

So for the lights still missing, the electricians have either put in placeholders or blank plates so they can get the go-ahead from the city to turn the power on.

The curly-Q is a holder for a directional art light in the master:

Here's one of the several plates in the house (behind which are wires stubbed off with wire connectors) waiting for final light fixtures to arrive.

Here's the power pole at the garage:

There are three circuit boxes on the property: the one above on the garage, the one outside the house where the wires come out of the ground, and the one in the pantry. That's a lot of boxes!

Here's the doorbell chime (this is one of those all-white photos where it was hard to focus...):

And outside is the doorbell:

And there it is on the approach:

The architects originally had it centered under the window, but that wasn't going to work with the in-wall toilet in that wall under that window. Ditto on the plug. Aesthetically, that would have been better, but here we are...

Here's the CO detector:

And here's the lights in the garage (in battle formation):

Yea-haw! The house looks ready for the "soft electrical" permit, although the floor plugs aren't stubbed off. Not sure if they forgot or are coming back. We shall see...

jumpin' jack backsplash (it's a gas, gas, gas!)

The backsplashes are in, and they look grand!

railing against the world

The beginnings of the railing upstairs has gone in:

horno arrival

The horno arrived, and we are glad to have a horno at the house. A house is not a house without a horno at it. Hornos are warm, cuddly, and ours has a blue plug in its rear. Sweet! Horno love!

Another photo of that shower drain

a visitor...

punch list

There is still a lot to do...

black = builder
orange = us
gray and crossed = done!

master bedroom:
- art can (partial)
- seal outside door
- outside door hardware
- plugs in bedside tables
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sills
   - door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop

master closet:
- light
- hanger poles (partial)
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sill
   - door hardware

master bath:
- faucets
- toilet
- tub
- shower faucets
- tub spout
- tub faucet
- mirror
- vanity lights
- above tub light cover
- drawer plug
- drawer adjusts
- switch cover in toilet room
- touch up tile trim
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sill
   - door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop
   - pocket door hardware

master hall:
- thermostat
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop

buds and suds:
- faucet
- LED lights
- backsplash
- plug cover
- counter plug electric
- light
- cab adjusts
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sill
   - pocket door hardware

rear entry (hee hee!):
- CO detector
- art can (partial)
- level door
- thermostat
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop

pantry:
- hot water control
- cable/data hookups
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop

kitchen:
- peninsula wood
- back splash
- cooktop electric
- cooktop gas
- fridge
- oven/microwave
- dishwasher
- LEDs
- cab adjusts
- sink faucet
- potfiller
- seal countertop edges
- hood
- hood top cap
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sills

dining:
- art cans (partial)
- paint pillars
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
- crystal

living:
- speakers
- art can (partial)
- LEDs
- touch up cabs
- cab pulls
- seal upper windows to wood?
- floor plugs
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sills

entry:
- light switch covers
- door bell chime
- door knob
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows

coat closet:
- pole
- door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor

powder:
- sink
- light
- mirror
- toilet
- door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop
- toilet button
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean window
   - seal sill

office:
- door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - polish floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sills

stairwell:
- missing plug
- treads
- hand rail
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - clean windows

romeo landing and hall:
- railing (partial)
- floor plug
- thermostat
- gas to furnace
- ceiling switch covers
- cans
- pendant lights
- door hardware for utility closet
- switch cover
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - install wood floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sills

guest bed:
- closet pole
- closet doors
- door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop
- closet door hardware
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - install wood floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sills

guest bath:
- faucet
- mirror
- light
- tub faucet
- can light
- shower rod
- toilet
- door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - clean windows

work out room:
- door hardware
      - knob
      - doorstop
- ERV cover?
- closet bars
- light
- closet light
- the standards:
   - touch-up paint
   - install wood floor
   - clean windows
   - seal sills

garage:
- garage door
- entry door
- entry door hardware
- garage door opener
- stain floor
- switch cover
- lights
- faucet
- back light

outside:
- faucet by master
- plug by master
- cable
- plug by condenser
- water heater
- gutters
- gas meter
- gas connection
- clean up clean out
- wire to outdoor light
- window bottom at front
- window bottom at back
- entry plug
- doorbell
- seal limestone to door
- roof over limestone
- carport faucet
- paint eyebrows
- seal to cypress?
- clean roof

landscaping:
- north side fence Sol
- north side fence fancy
- gate side fence
- gate
- south side fence Sol
- south side fence fancy
- rear fence
- white gravel in back
- mulch in back
- pavers
- grasscrete
- black gravel in back
- black gravel in front
- mulch in front
- feather grass
- trees in front
- trees in patio
- tree on south side

week 34: paint, grout, seals, and sills

Ahhhhh: Week 34. Paint, seals, and sills; paint, seals, and sills...

more cabinet details

But first, here are some more cabinet details! Here are a couple closeups of the pulls:

Dig how the pulls, little mini-cantilevers, fit the gestalt of the project. Yum.

Here's a liquor pull in the buds and suds room:

As well as deep drawers for whiskey bottles:

And, bonus, you get a peak at the drawer construction.

Into the kitchen, this pull out is to the left of the stove, intended for stove stuff:

Here's the trash can pull, to the right of the kitchen sink:

And the puller outer for the recyclables to the right of the fridge:

The covered uppers in the kitchen have big ole hinges. Fortunately, the bride can reach them.

cypress be sealed!

The paint crew not only paints but seals, and they sealed the indoor and outdoor cypress. And it looks sharp! The sealant only darkened the wood a wee bit, and it added a shine. 

They also painted and sealed the living room built-ins:

And all of that wood works together well:

paint!

We stopped by last week to show the bride the cabinets, but she couldn't see the cabinets because everything was covered for painting. However, all was good by Sunday afternoon, and we could behold both the cabinets and the painting. 

Scandinavians would feel at home in the house about now.

sills!

And the sills are in! Unfortunately, the memo was lost on not wanting "side ears" on the sills, but it's not the end of the world. The upstairs sills are hickory; the downstairs are white oak. Seeing how awesome the hickory is, we're thinking we should have gone hickory everywheres. Again: not the end of the world.

Hickory in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Oak in the master bedroom.

Hickory in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Hickory in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Oak in the powder pooper.

no doubt; grout.

The limestone on the front of the house now has grout, and it looks good. Love seeing the lines...

overall...

...the house looks great! The builder asked about putting it on a tour. Says he's never built a house that's had so many people stop by to ask about it. Now he prolly says that to all the girls, but we certainly get a lot of inquiries when we're at the house. Could just be the location...

coming up

There're are various glitches and booboos in the drywall and paint that need to be addressed. The builder says that he saves the final touchup work until the end when most everything is done. Various trades that still need to come in will invariably knick things up (I believe that).