Day #139 - Let There Be Light!

Ed from All Current came today and started hanging the lighting fixtures.  All of the outside lights are in, and he started on the inside.  I was excited to see the coach lights on the garage as I was shooting for an industrial/warehouse look while keeping as close to the brushed nickle look throughout the rest of the house as possible.  I am thrilled at the look!  Here is the garage with the lights installed.

And a close up of the fixture.

A third, smaller version, is on the side of the garage by the walk door.

The interior ceiling fans are Minka Delano fans like I used on the remodel in Merlin.  They have built in dimmers and have both down and up lighting.  This one is in the master bedroom.  Another goes in the living room.

The bodies of the fans are a pewter finish, again in keeping with the brushed nickle look.

Day #136 - Trim

Rex Hart has been working hard on the trim package.  The doors are finished, and he is working on the window sills.  He has added a break board between the side rails of the doors and the top rail.  It gives the trim a very clean yet elegant look.  The photo below is with raw wood and the painter has yet to start.

The HVAC unit is operational, but the work is not yet complete.  The duct work in the HVAC room needs insulation.  Kennedy Fuel will be back tomorrow to do that.  Rex told me that they fired the unit up, and it took just a very few minutes to warm the house up to where Rex wanted to remove his sweatshirt.  Alan also told me that the temporary heat in the house had run a lot less than in other houses.  The energy efficiency we put into this house seems to be paying off already!

Tom Williams was in this afternoon and completed the templates for all the counter tops.  His crew will be back tomorrow morning to install the solid surface shower walls in the master bath.

We are to get a break in the weather next week, and I am hopeful that the exterior painting can be completed.

Day #134 - T'was the Day Before Christmas

And all through the house, workers were working.

No pictures today.  The Valerian crew finished the fence and installed a walk gate by the garage and a 6 foot drive through gate on the other side.

Rex Hart was busy installing door trim.

Lots will be happening after Christmas.  Kennedy Fuel will be in to finish the HVAC system and the gas fireplace.  MWM  will be templating for counter tops, and Rex will be back working on the trim work.

Day #130 - A Kitchen!

The Cabinet Crafters crew installed all the cabinets that could go in.  Some must wait until the counter tops go on.  I am in awe of just how wonderful the kitchen looks.

The cabinets are also installed in the utility room and both bathrooms, but the rooms are just too small to photograph & do them justice.  Suffice it to say that they are just as wonderful as the kitchen!

Day #128 - The Office

Russ Harrop installed the office furniture today, and it looks great!

In addition, Rex Hart is now hanging doors.  They are just beautiful, and I look forward to seeing them after a clear coat goes on them.

The Harmony Garden crew was trenching and laying irrigation lines and wiring today also.

I couldn't wait any longer and had to stop by the Cabinet Crafters to see the cabinets.  It absolutely blew me away.  They are just fantastic, and it will be fun to see the change after they go in (hopefully Thursday)!

Day #127 - Fireplace & More

The geothermal heat pump is in place and plumbed.  It looks rather like the engine room of the space ship Enterprise with gauges, valves & pipes, and is not small!  It resides in its own room inside the garage.

Jim Brown's crew came by today and finished the stone around the fireplace.  The Valerian crew finished installing the hardwood.  Here is a picture of both.

The tape is holding things in place until the glue dries.  I had a choice of nailing or gluing the floor.  I chose gluing based on the experts' recommendations.  It looks great!

Day #123 - Driveway

Moser Paving was at the house bright & early today, and the driveway is now in.  The turnout on your left will allow me to back the truck out of the garage into the turnout then drive directly into the street without backing into it.  It also provides some extra off street parking.

The landscapers continued working on the water feature, dressing it up with some additional gravel to cover the masonry work.  They were also working on the raised beds, and one is finished.

The Valerian crew continued working on the hardwood flooring, and Tom Williams came by to measure for the solid surface shower walls.

I talked with Alan, and we are shooting for a move in date of January 24.  He needs to check a few things first before we carve that in stone.

Day 122 - Water, Water Everywhere!

Lots of things were happening at the house when I stopped in the middle of the afternoon.  The water feature is not completely finished as a few of the final touches need to be added, but it was complete enough that it was running.  And, it is absolutely fabulous!  The water spills out beneath the top rock making it appear that it is just coming right out of the hillside.  Also, the volume is just right with the perfect amount of sound and water turbulence.  Ron and his guys did a super job!

The landscapers were also working hard on the raised beds, and they are coming along nicely. Two were about half way finished.

Lots was happening on the inside as well.  Desert Pump was there wiring and plumbing the well to the HVAC room.  Kennedy Fuel can now come in and hook up the unit.  The Valerian crew was busy gluing down the hardwood flooring, and it looks great.  They were also doing some grouting.  And Ed from All Current Electric was there completing some wiring projects.  We now have more lights installed and receptacles that are hot.

Moser Paving will be in tomorrow to install the asphalt driveway, and Jim from Brown Bear Masonry was by to discuss installing the stone surround and hearth on the gas fireplace. 

Day 120 - The Wall

I have a task to complete before the hardwood flooring can go down, and I will complete that tomorrow.  In the meantime, work continues on the landscaping.  The Harmony Garden people have almost finished the 90 foot long retaining wall and water feature.  The photo below gives you some perspective on the wall.

It extends from one end of the lot to almost the lot line on the far side.  The three raised beds of river rock were also started today.  The corner stones of the first bed have been laid.

Alan and I met with Jay from Moser Paving today and we have agreed on a layout for the driveway including a hammer head turn out.  With that, one can back out of the garage, back into the hammer head and pull out straight into the street.  It also gives additional off street parking.

As I understand it, Kennedy Fuel is to come Wednesday to begin the installation of the geothermal HVAC system.

Day #115 - Lots Happening!

Lots is going on at the house today.  Miles of Action Door installed the garage door.  It is a factory finish that will not ever have to be painted.  Once the green trim is on, it will look great and it matches the window frame color!

The plastic over the front entrance is to protect the newly poured and stained concrete entryway.

The Harmony Gardens crew continues to work on the retaining wall.  The insulator has finished insulating the attic.  The HVAC guys will begin installing the geothermal heat & AC unit soon.  Tom from MWM Cabinets measured up the shower in the master for the solid surface shower walls.

The Valerian crew began laying the tile in the two bathrooms and utility room today.

I selected the grout today, and it is on order now.  I also picked out the river rock floor for the master shower as well as the grout today.

Day #114 - The Wall

It has been raining like crazy in SW Oregon which has hampered progress to some degree.  However, work continues.

Harmony Gardens has started landscaping.  The footers have been poured for the three raised beds, and the retaining wall and water feature are both started.

I'm excited to see how the finished product looks!

The final coat of paint went on the inside of the house today also.  I did not take a photo as it was wet, and we have gloomy skies making the house pretty dark.  I did not think a photo would turn out well given the weather conditions.