September 9 - The house is insulated and tight, so now we are using a large dehumidifier to get the humidity down.
September 9 - Close to 400 sheets of sheet rock were delivered today. Workers will start hanging it in the next few days.
September 9 - Brick walls are going up. The house exterior is mostly brick. There is brick in a few areas of the guest house.
September 9 - The yard has about 24,000 bricks, 3 pallets of mortar and 10 tons of sand for the masons.
September 9 - The galvanized, heavy steel lintels were delivered today. Lintels support the bricks over openings (windows and doors). The lintels will be cut to length as they are needed.
September 12 - Bricks are being laid around Bedroom #3. The blue pipe is for a hose bib.
September 12 - The Jr. Master Bath bricks are nearly to the top of the foundation. This is as high as they will go until they get around the house.
September 12 - Bricks are now being laid along the Jr. Master suite to the end of the screened porch.
September 12 - Before laying bricks, the dirt is removed from the footers. The footers are then swept before bricks are laid. The bricks are about 1-in from the foundation wall.
September 12 - Heavy brick ties will stabilize the brick veneer once it gets above the foundation. These ties are every 16-in horizontally and every 24-in vertically. A heavy 'D' shaped loop goes into the tie and is embedded in the brick mortar.
September 12 - The wood flooring subcontractor came out today to measure for wood flooring. He marked the rooms which get tile and those which get wood.
September 12 - In order to make sure the bath hardware is solidly mounted, we are installing 3/4-in plywood between the studs where the red marks indicate. This particular wall is in the Master Bath.
September 13 - Wood is mounted inside the studs where the bath hardware (towel rods, toilet paper holders, towel rings, robe hooks, etc.) will be mounted. This will give a very solid base for attachment. This is bath #2 in the Guest House.
September 13 - This is also bath #2 in the Guest House. Each bath has these backing boards in place.
September 13 - A coat of clear poly was put on both sides of the front doors and on the inside of the side doors today. Work will continue the rest of the week to get all of the mahogany doors clear finished.
September 13 - The Powder Bath (and all of the baths) in the Main house have backing boards installed.
September 13 - The 4 ton unit arrived today. It is large and heavy. The HVAC techs have a hoist to help with it.
September 13 - The unit is now about 12 feet off the floor and ready to slide into the attic space. It will be ducted and hung from the rafters when it is complete.
September 13 - The unit is now in place. It will be suspended to keep vibration and noise down.
September 13 - The brick wall around Bedroom #3/Julie's Office is now up to the row lock line. It is covered with plastic because it looks like we may get a big rainstorm this evening.
September 13 - The brick wall along the Jr. Master Suite is also up to the row lock line.
September 13 - The electrician ran his electrical wire in gray conduit into the water heater boxes (one is shown here - all have wires to them). Bricks will be laid in front of the wire. The gas line (black) will be outside the bricks.
September 13 - The wall on the Master Bath is being bricked now. Bricks will be run up far enough on this wall so the electrical boxes can be mounted and temporary power run to the house. Masonry should continue tomorrow if weather permits.
September 14 - Tropical Depression Julia is headed our way. We have gotten several inches of rain today, so obviously no brick laying.
September 14 - Our carpenter got plywood decking down in the garage attic. The deck is 8 feet wide and the full width of the garage.
September 14 - More doors got a clear coat on them today. The transoms are not coated yet.
September 14 - The front doors are now coated inside and out. They will receive their finish coats when the project is near completion. This first coat protects the doors from dirty hands should anyone have them.
September 14 - Part of the Brays Room to Great Room doors also were given a first coat today.
September 14 - The 4 ton unit is now suspended on the steel rods. Some of the duct work is connected. The pan that goes under it is leaning up to the left of the unit for now.
September 14 - The ground is saturated and rain keeps coming down.
September 14 - We are scheduled to get rain for the rest of the week. Fortunately, we still have inside work, so progress is slowed, but not stopped.
September 15 - The HVAC unit is ducted. Cooling lines still have to be connected and a few other items need to be done. The large duct on the right is the return air line. Several supply lines leave the far end of the unit. They are zoned, so baffles in the ducts open and close as cooled or heated air is needed in each area.
September 15 - The front porch wall now has the brick tie brackets on it. The masons are working their way around the house with the brackets.
September 16 - The jamb and casing has been installed on the center garage door. This door has brick around it. The left and right doors have siding around them.
September 16 - The Master Bath wall has bricks up to the row lock location. In the next day or so, this wall will be built up so the electrical boxes can be installed.
September 16 - Outside the Brays Room, bricks are being laid. The frame for the access door is being incorporated.
September 16 - The screen porch off the Jr. Master Suite has bricks up to the row lock level.
September 19 - Water resistant dry wall is on the walls of Bath #1 in the Guest House.
September 19 - The ceilings of the Great Room and the Kitchen have sheet rock on them. The triangle shaped wall will be wood as will all of the walls in the Great Room and Bedrooms.
September 19 - The Jr. Master Bedroom is being sheet rocked.
September 19 - Both long Galleries now have sheet rock ceilings.
September 19 - This is the Master Bath (fore ground) and the Master Walk In Closet (background). Sheet rock is installed on the ceilings and then the walls.
September 19 - The soffit (on the far end) is framed. It will be covered with sheet rock. Lights had to be moved in the kitchen to keep things symmetric. The soffit ended up being about 28in wide (the cabinets are 24in deep plus the 3-1/2in or so crown).
September 19 - Bedroom #3 has sheet rock on the ceiling and some on the walls. It will probably take two more days to get the sheet rock hung. Then it will have to be finished.
September 19 - Bricks are going up on the Master Bath wall. This wall will have the electrical service entrance boxes mounted on it. The service yard and generator will also be here. Notice the row lock (bricks extending from the wall). A row lock will be laid around the house.The windows are covered so mortar does not get splashed on them.
September 19 - The Brays room wall is about to the top of the foundation door. This door will allow access to the plumbing and electrical parts under the Brays Room.
September 20 - The Foyer has sheet rock down to the level of the tops of the transoms. The wood in the upper left is the beam between the Foyer and Great Room.
September 20 - Bedroom #3 has sheet rock on the walls. The purple sheet rock is in the bathroom.
September 20 - The walls and ceilings are covered with sheet rock. The shower will be built over the moisture resistant purple sheet rock. This is Bath #3.
September 20 - The Jr. Master Bath is fully sheet rocked.
September 20 - The Jr. Master Bedroom has sheet rock on the walls and ceiling. The two colors of sheet rock are just different batches.
September 20 - The wet bar is on the right. The room in the distance is the Study.
September 20 - Wires (power and signal) are through the wall and ready to install in the television cabinet that goes on this wall. The black box on the left is where the light switches will be installed. The black tube on the floor is an empty glue tube. The sheet rock is glued and screwed to the walls.
September 20 - Sheet rock is going on the Master Bedroom ceiling.
September 20 - The Master Walk In Closet is having sheet rock hung on the walls.
September 20 - The Master Bath wall now has a row lock and bricks up the wall up to the bottom of the Master Bath window.
September 20 - The Brays Room brick wall has a row of soldiers (vertical bricks) and a row lock. The masons are working on brick columns that go below the window dividers.
September 20 - The mason is working on the corner column on the Brays Room. Bricks are trimmed for the soldier row and temporarily in place.
September 20 - In the Guest House, the washer and dryer access is in the adjacent pantry. There will be a door over the opening. This will be a fast way to turn water off if there is a leak. It will also be much easier to connect and disconnect the washer and dryer.
September 20 - From the laundry room, the access will be open. (Sheet rock has not been hung here yet.) The blue sound insulation is to help minimize washer and dryer noise.
September 20 - The brick tie inspection is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday. Windows are covered so mortar does not damage them as bricks are laid.
September 27 - Bricks are on the wall of the Master Bath and Closet. There will be a service yard here to house the backup generator. The water heater is on the wall. The garage is in the distance.
September 27 - The Brays Room has bricks on it. The closest column is not complete yet. The other columns are pretty far along.
September 27 - Bricks on the Jr. Master end of the house are nearly complete. There is a small area around the water heater that still needs finishing. The windows and water heater are covered so they are not damaged with mortar.
September 27 - The Guest House Screened Porch now has blocks around the base in preparation for stucco which is planned for next week. The brick border is being laid. The porch floor will be tiled.
September 27 - The Jr. Master Bath is also bricked in the front of the house.
September 27 - The brick border is up an inch or so on the Guest House Screened Porch to allow for tile to be laid on the porch.
September 27 - The Main House looks good from the Guest House Screened Porch.
September 27 - Here the Main House and the Guest House are visible. The front gable of the house (on the left) will also be bricked.
September 27 - Shutters arrived and will be installed in the next week or so.
September 27 - Dry Wall techs are taping the sheet rock joints today. It will take several days to finish the walls. This room is Bedroom #2 of the Guest House. It will have wood walls, hence there is no sheet rock on them.
September 27 - The Garage has also been taped. Exterior corners (like on the short walls) have bead installed on them.
September 27 - The 20 foot 10 inch ceiling of the Foyer is now taped. The corner by the dormer has bead on it. Workers are still working in the Main House.
September 27 - The Kitchen (and much of the house) is taped. It may take a day or two for the spackling to set so another coat can be applied. Humidity is high and that slows the drying time.
September 28 - The second coat of spackling was applied today. This room is Bedroom #1 in the Guest House. The blue insulation is sound insulation to isolate the bedroom from the bathroom.
September 28 - The Guest House Great Room ceiling is taped and spackled. This room will have four beams in it. The walls will be painted wood.
September 28 - The Garage walls and ceiling got their second coat of spackling today.
September 28 - The foyer is tall. It has three dormers for light. It will also have a chandelier.
September 28 - This is the left Gallery. It will have wood wainscotting where there is no sheet rock. Both the left and right Galleries have this wall treatment.
September 28 - The kitchen soffit is visible in this photo. The hood duct and power are visible on the right.
September 28 - The wainscot winds around the corner to the stairway.
September 28 - The master bedroom is spackled. Normally the dry wall techs use stilts to reach the ceiling, but because the ceilings are so high, they use scaffolds. That costs a little bit of time.
September 28 - The right front gable wall (Bedroom #3) is getting brick laid. They are up to the bottom of the window today.
September 28 - The brick goes around the corner of Bedroom #3 and joins the brick that was laid yesterday.
September 28 - The void from yesterday above the water heater is now filled.
September 28 - One of the brick columns is complete except for the top rowlock. Two other pilasters are visible along the back wall of the house.
September 28 - This intermediate pilaster is complete except for the rowlock.
September 28 - Brick is also being laid on the Kitchen Screened porch skirt. The pilaster at the corner of the Brays Room is not built yet.
September 28 - Masons are working their way around the Master Bath.
September 28 - This is another view of the bricks on the outside wall of Bedroom #3.
September 29 - The front gable wall on the right (Bedroom #3) is being bricked. The masons stopped at this level to let the mortar set. They moved to another area to work.
September 29 - They also laid the side wall as they built the gable wall.
September 29 - The brick border is finished around the screened porch on the Guest House. The 2x4s on the corner are temporary supports until the mortar sets. Below the brick will be stuccoed. The porch floor will be tiled.
September 29 - This is looking over the Guest House Screened Porch toward the Main House. The windows of the house are still covered.
September 29 - The front porch of the Guest house now has the 4in block around it. The band is nearly complete. This porch (and all of the guest house foundation will have stucco).
September 29 - The last wall of the Master Bath is being bricked. It is nearly complete. So far, well over 10,000 bricks have been laid on the house walls.