March 2 - Doors and shelves have been sanded and painted. They are very smooth and beautiful.
March 2 - Part of the kitchen counter tops have been installed. The sink is not attached to the counter top yet. The cutout in the back is for the cook top and downdraft.
March 2 - Pencil mold is on the living room fireplace wall. The mantle will be mounted below the pencil. There is a very faint pencil line showing the height of the mantle. The granite hearth is scheduled to be installed tomorrow.
March 2 - All 153 boxes of flooring are on site. The will remain in the house for a week or so to acclimate. The HVAC system should be up and running today.
March 4 - About 30 cubic yards of fill dirt was delivered today. It will be used to fill the drive and fill in front of the house.
March 4 - Shutters are being finished polyurethane. They have one coat and have been sanded. They will receive the second (and final) coat today. The shutters will be hung in the next day or so (depending on the weather).
March 4 - The library book cases are being built. This one is finished. The vertical boards have triple flutes (which are not too obvious without a finish). The flutes on the lower verticals are offset because the doors will cover about 1/2in of the face frame. With the doors in place, the fluting will be centered on the face frame that shows. The flutes are centered on the upper face frames.
March 4 - This is the top of the finished book case. The crown is in place at the top. It is also solid cherry, but has been exposed to light a bit longer that the other wood, so it is darker. Once the cases are finished, the colors should even out. The book cases will have adjustable shelves.
March 4 - The tile backsplash is being laid behind the cook top location.
March 4 - The door open detectors are being installed. The rest of the security system will be installed in the next week or so. The smoke detectors cannot be installed now because of work inside.
March 4 - The tile for the backsplash is in place. If all goes well, it will be grouted on Monday. It has temporary spacers holding the tile apart at the moment. The wires under the cabinets are for undercounter lights.
March 4 - The island counter top is in place. It was covered with paper to protect it before the photo was taken.
March 4 - The living room hearth is in place. The edges have been beveled so they will meet the floor. Tile will go on the fireplace on Monday if all goes well.
March 4 - The raised bar now has a top. It is an interesting translucent material.
March 4 - The bumpout desk has a top and splashes now. The wire is for undercounter lights.
March 4 - This is a close up of the flutes on the library book cases. The vertical face frame is 1.5in wide with a triple flute.
March 9 - A good bit of dirt moving was done this past weekend. The area to the north of the house now looks much better. Dirt is piled by the house because stucco has to be applied there.
March 9 - The ceiling beams have been painted as has the ceiling. The walls are not painted yet.
March 9 - Painters are trimming the ceilings in the master bath (this photo), her closet, the master sitting room and the master bedroom. The ceilings will be rolled in the next day or so.
March 9 - The office over the garage now has a floor. This bamboo flooring will be used throughout the house except for the master bath and the basement.
March 9 - Here the living room ceiling beams are shown along with the gallery with its red stripe. The walls have not been painted yet.
March 9 - The shutters are finished and ready to install. They should be installed in the next day or two.
March 9 - The basement floor has been stained. The stain is still wet. It looks good. Tomorrow, it will be sealed with a couple of coats of sealer. Wednesday, it will be ready for traffic.
March 9, pm - The living room wall, ceiling and trim are painted. (There is still some blue masking tape in place.) The big opening on the right is the air conditioner air return. It will have a grill installed in a few days.
March 9, pm - The master bedroom has about half of its flooring down. Today, the master suite (closets, sitting room and powder room) should be floored.
March 9, pm - Upstairs, the office over the garage is floored. Most of the bedroom is also floored. This should be finished today and the stair landings should be finished also.
March 9, pm - This view is from the living room looking towards the front door.
March 10 - We had a little bit of left over cherry, so we put down a cherry baseboard in the library. It will be stained to match the book cases and fireplace wall.
March 10 - The fireplace wall is solid 3/4 inch cherry. It will have a painting on it and decorative doors on it. The camera lens makes the sides look distorted. They are straight and vertical.
March 10 - The living room fireplace wall is painted (1st coat). The mantle will be installed below the inside pencil trim (near the bottom of the photo). The fireplace stone hearth is in place. Marble tile will surround the fireplace. the surround will be installed tomorrow.
March 10 - The master bedroom is floored. The master sitting room is about half done. It should be finished today.
March 10 - The floor in the office over the garage is finished.
March 10 - The upstairs bedroom and bathrooms are floored also. There is still masking tape over the outlets on the far wall. The doors have been painted and will be rehung soon.
March 10 - The upstairs landing has bamboo flooring as do all of the landings.
March 10 - Some of the cabinet doors and drawer fronts have arrived. They are being stained and painted.
March 11 - This is the mantle for the living room. It will be mounted over the marble surround.
March 11 - The floor is being installed. This is her closet. The shelves and cabinets are covered with plastic because the room was just painted.
March 11 - The master bedroom and sitting room are now floored. The flooring is prefinished bamboo.
March 11 - His closet is floored as is the powder room and the master hallway.
March 11 - Tile is in place below the raised bar. It still has the temporary spacers. If all goes well, this tile will be grouted today. By the end of the day, all of the tile work should be done.
March 11 - The marble surround is in place. It will be grouted later today. The mantle will mount on the wall above the tile.
March 11 - The 500 gallon propane tank was installed today. It is being filled with gas.
March 12 - The back splash between the kitchen sink and raised bar is now tile. It has been grouted and is ready for electrical trim out.
March 12 - The back splash behind the cook top is grouted.
March 12 - The mantle is temporarily over the living room fireplace. It will be taken down so the stain can be touched up. The marble surround is in place and grouted. A small trim board is on the surround on each side of the mantle.
March 12 - This is another view of the mantle over the fireplace in the living room.
March 12 - The breakfast room floor is down. At this time 12:30 Thursday, only the dining room, foyer and library need flooring. It should be finished today.
March 12 - Wallpaper is being hung in the powder bath. Once this bath is finished, paper will be hung over the stones downstairs.
March 12 - Clothes rods are installed in her closet.
March 12 - The mechanical room has lights. The water tank (beside the door) will be installed near the white pipe. The water heater will be installed on the plywood wall at the rear.
March 12 - The downstairs floor has been stained and has one coat of sealer on it. It will get another coat of sealer in the next few days. There is still protective plastic on the walls.
March 12 - Lights and fans have been delivered and are being installed today and tomorrow.
March 12 - The copper sink is ready to plumb in the trophy bar downstairs.
March 13 - The fan and can lights are installed in the trophy room. Track lighting is being installed.
March 13 - The walls over the stone have grass cloth on them. The stone is not sealed yet.
March 13 - The six fluorescent lights make the secure storage room very bright.
March 13 - The well tank is now in the mechanical room. The water heater will be mounted on the wall behind the water tank. The black lines are refrigerant lines going to the outdoor units. The yellow lines are gas lines for the fireplaces and cook top.
March 13 - This wall also has grass cloth on it. The grass cloth adds a nice touch.
March 13 - Part of the stairs are masked for painting. Some of the grass cloth on this wall is dark because it is still damp. It has been up only a few minutes.
March 13 - The glass handrail has been installed. It is visible because it is dirty. The glass is 1/2in thick.
March 13 - Another few tons of dirt is being spread where the driveway will be installed.
March 13 - When the hand rails are clean, it will be difficult to see them.
March 16 - The front porch light was installed on Saturday. Originally this was a gas light, but it has been converted to electric.
March 16 - The foyer chandelier is installed.
March 16 - There are two reading lights installed in the master bedroom. Blue masking tape is still visible in several places.
March 16 - The blank place is the central vac port. There are a number of these throughout the house.
March 16 - The tankless gas water heater is in place. The dark box under it is a pan to catch any water in the unlikely event of a leak happening.
March 16 - The two closets in the upstairs (over the garage) office will have cedar lining. This one is finished. The other one will be completed in a day or two.
March 16 - The upstairs bath vanity and sink are installed and plumbed.
March 16 - The upstairs shower is plumbed. Shower doors were scheduled to be installed today, but the wrong color trim was sent out. The door will be installed in the next day or so.
March 16 - The toilet is installed in the upstairs bath. The water is not turned on, so it is not functional yet.
March 16 - The master shower glass wall and door are installed. The window that is visible in the shower is simply a reflection of the window over the tub in the glass shower wall.
March 16 - Lights are installed over the raised bar in the kitchen. The ceiling air conditioning grills will be installed later in the week.
March 16 - The powder bath paper is installed. The chandelier was hung Saturday. The funny spot on the ceiling is where the air conditioning grill will be installed on Thursday.
March 17 - The handrails are being installed on the front porch. They will have one more board on the top. The handrails are made of cedar. They will have a clear finish. The column bases are trimmed also.
March 17 - The powder bath fixtures are in. The accents will be antique brass. The fixture and supply lines were back ordered. Temporary parts will be installed in a day or so.
March 17 - The toilet is installed in the trophy bath. The walls need a final coat of paint.
March 17 - The trophy shower is trimmed also. The door will be installed in the next day or so.
March 17 - Heavy utility shelves are built in the mechanical room. They are eight feet long and a little over eight feet high. They are a little over 11 inches deep. They will be used to store heavy items (paint, chemicals, salt and such). They will not be painted.
March 17 - This is one of the sinks for the trophy vanity. There are two sinks.
March 17 - The trim is installed in the master shower. There are reflections because the photo was taken through the glass wall and door. Notice the blue and white bathroom door.
March 17 - Several tons of fill has been spread for the drive. The fill is a sand and clay mixture. The drive will get steel edging and gravel in the next few days. The first coat of stucco is complete. The final coat will be applied tomorrow.
March 17 - Steel edging for the drive is on site. It will be installed in the next day or two. The steel edging defines the drive and keeps the gravel from spreading. The temporary fence will come down in a week or so.
March 17 - This is another view of the drive and house. The final stucco coat will match the house siding color.
March 18 - The shutters are being installed. Although they are decorative (they do not have the fiberglass reinforcement panels), they do open and close.
March 18 - The handrail on the porch has a top cap on it. They have to be firmly attached and then finished. They will have a clear finish.
March 18 - The stucco is getting a final coat. It does not match the siding, so it will get a coat of latex over it.
March 18 - The top cap of the handrail is beveled to shed water.
March 18 - The faucets are installed in the master bathroom. The fixtures are shiny brass.
March 18 - The combination toilet and bidet is installed in the master water closet.
March 18 - The butler pantry top is in. The sink is installed and the hold for the faucet is drilled.
March 18 - The counter top across from the laundry sink is in place.
March 18 - The laundry sink is in place. The sink is attached and the hole for the faucet is drilled.
March 18 - The kitchen sink is installed. A hole is bored for the faucet and soap dispenser.
March 18 - Fill dirt is spread in the back yard.
March 18 - Sufficient fill is in place for the drive. The drive will have steel edging and gravel.
March 18 - Stucco is on the south side of the house.
March 18 - The double rows of brick have been laid for the bottom three landings. The fourth (wide) landing is being laid today.
March 18 - Steel edging is going down for the driveway. The steel edging will help contain the gravel on the drive.
March 18 - The bottom two newel posts are installed. There will be a handrail from the column to the newel post. The side stoop will also have a handrail.
March 19 - The refrigerator is in place and installed. It will have a panel mounted on the front to match the cabinets.
March 19 - A beverage cooler has been installed in the butler's pantry. It will be set up (packing removed) tomorrow. The butler pantry top backsplash is not installed yet.
March 19 - The laundry center is in place and connected. There will be a door (note the hinges) in front of the center. Packing will be removed tomorrow.
March 19 - The trophy bar has a beverage cooler. Notice the drawer boxes have been installed. They will have stained wood fronts.
March 19 - The floor outlets have been installed in the trophy room floor.
March 19 - The master tub is in place. The fill faucet will be on the left side in the photo. It will be plumbed on Monday. There is a panel that matches the cabinets that will be installed in front of the tub.
March 19 - Edging is being installed for the driveway gravel. Work on the drive stopped today about 10am because of rain. It should resume tomorrow. The plywood in the walk was to aid the appliance delivery men.
March 19 - The shutters are up and the porch handrails have been installed. The columns will be painted. The stucco will also be painted to match the siding color.
March 23 - The master bath chandelier is installed. It is a brass finish like the fixtures.
March 23 - The bath sconces are also brass.
March 23 - The breakfast room has a ceiling light.
March 23 - The laundry sink is plumbed. It has a brushed nickel finish (not dark like it appears in the photo).
March 23 - The kitchen sink is also plumbed. The kitchen sink disposal is installed as is the dishwasher.
March 23 - The garage has a laundry sink.
March 23 - Shelves have been installed in the trophy bookcases. Doors will be installed very soon.
March 23 - The trophy bath lavatory is plumbed. It will get a wood back splash in the next day or so.
March 23 - All three shower doors are installed.
March 23 - There are sconces leading down to the trophy room. Each will have an LED candle in it.
March 23 - The upstairs bath mirror is installed. The vanity light is also installed and working.
March 23 - The handrails are on the porch, front steps, side stoop and side steps. They will be clear finished. The primed pieces (columns and newel posts) will be painted trim color.
March 23 - The living room now has a red stripe. The gallery stripe is visible as is the kitchen red wall through the doorway.
March 23 - The cook top and down draft hood are physically mounted. They will be connected in the next day or so.
March 23 - This is a close up of the tile basket weave back splash behind the cook top. The black squares are tile. They appear to be holes in some photos.
March 23 - It is continuing to rain and hamper landscaping. Rain began yesterday morning and is still falling on Monday afternoon. This will be a very rainy week, it appears.
March 24 - The powder bath plumbing is finished. The fixture is brushed nickel.
March 24 - The oven is installed. The microwave is plugged in and in place. The trim kit has not arrived yet.There are two lights (temporarily) setting on top of the microwave.
March 24 - Pendant lights in the trophy bath are installed. They have old fashioned lights with long filaments, so they are not too bright. There will be a back splash on the wall. There are two mirrors to be hung also.
March 24 - The cook top is assembled. Gas will be connected in the next day or so. The down draft is ducted out and working. The controls have to be mounted.
March 24 - The stucco is getting completed. It will be painted to match the siding.
March 24 - Shelves and doors are now on the bookcases in the trophy room. The shelves can be adjusted in height.
March 24 - The bar is getting finished. The cabinet doors and drawer fronts are installed. Pulls are also installed. The beverage cooler still has protective packing on it. The pass through bar top is not in place yet.
March 24 - This is the bar from the entrance door. For some reason the close cabinet seems washed out in color. The doors are all the same color. The sink is hammered copper.
March 24 - The lights and mirrors are now up in the trophy bath. All that is lacking is the back splash.
March 24 - The granite bar top is in place. The opening is being cased by the two carpenters. This is the last casing that is needed.
March 24 - All of the back splashes are installed. All granite work is now complete.
March 24 - The laundry sink has back splashes also.
March 24 - Back splashes are on the butler pantry counter tops. The beverage cooler has to have the protective plastic taken off it.
March 24 - The solid cherry book cases and cabinets in the library are being stained. They will be clear finished soon.
March 24 - The dining room is painted. A small sample will be glazed tomorrow for the owner's approval.
March 24 - The skirt panel has been trimmed to fit the tub. It will be installed when the tub plumbing is complete - hopefully tomorrow.
March 24 - The bath lights have bulbs and look very nice.
March 24 - Dozens of cherry shelves and doors are stained and will be clear finished tomorrow.
March 24 - A small shoe mold is being installed along the baseboard. The upstairs has been completed and work has begun on the main floor. The basement gets no shoe mold.
March 26 - Door hardware is being installed. It is on about half of the doors now. Note the door stop is also in place.
March 26 - The triple cedar closet over the garage has two rods full height and a double rod in one section. Each rod has a shelf over it. The boxes in the closet are handles for the doors. The doors are being painted blue to match the trim.
March 26 - The double cedar closet has a full height rod in one section. The second section has a rod at 36in and two additional shelves.
March 26 - The knee wall storage doors have hardware installed.
March 26 - The kitchen cabinet knobs are installed. The down draft control is to the right of the down draft. It is being glued down to the counter top. The vertical sticks are temporary.
March 26 - The master bedroom doors have hardware installed on them as do his and her closets, the master bath, etc.
March 26 - The faucet is now on the master tub. The skirt panel will be installed after water is turned on tomorrow and it is evident there are no leaks.
March 26 - The hardware is installed on the master bath cabinets.
March 26 - The cherry in the library is lightly stained. It will receive two coats of polyurethane.
March 26 - The granite counter top is in place at the bar. The casing has been stained. The jamb will be stained soon. Both will receive poly.
March 26 - The back side of the bar pass through shows the back splashes are in place, but not stained or polyed.
March 26 - This is part of the 42 shelves and 14 doors for the library. They have been stained lightly and are being coated with polyurethane.
March 26 - The trophy bath linen closet shelves are finished and in place.
March 26 - Two more loads of dirt were delivered. The lighter one is fill dirt. The darker one is topsoil. A load of gravel is due. Landscapers plan to work Friday (in the rain) and Saturday to finish up the drive and grading.
March 26 - The hose bibs are installed. All the plumbers lack is turning the water to the house on and checking everything. That will be done tomorrow.
March 27 - The drive is being finished. Note the slight dampness on the left side of the drive. We had several hard rains on Friday. The landscapers will be here to work again on Saturday.
March 27 - The kitchen is being cleaned. The granite tops are beautiful. Knobs are installed on the cabinets. Notice the refrigerator with its handle on the right side of the photo.
March 27 - The floors are being vacuumed and masking tape is being removed. This is looking through the breakfast room into the butler pantry.
March 27 - The living room (foreground), dining room (left background) and foyer (right background) are being cleaned. Final painting is being done.
March 27 - Hot and cold water is now working throughout the house.
March 27 - Shelves are installed in her closet cabinet. Doors will be installed on this cabinet soon.
March 27 - Small cubbies have shelves on the right of the window. The last two shelves (missing in this photo) are now in place.
March 27 - Bath hardware has been installed. This is the powder bath. It has a towel bar, towel ring and toilet paper holder.
March 27 - The front door has one coat of poly on it. It will gradually darken as it is exposed to light. A second coat will be applied soon.
March 27 - The trophy bar is looking good. The jamb, inside casing and back splashes need to be stained. All of it needs to have poly applied.
March 27 - Here you can see the jamb and back splash that needs stain and poly. You can also see the door hardware and door stop for the storage area.
March 27 - The water heater is on and working. As you can see, it is set to 120 degrees.
March 27 - The trophy bath double towel rod is installed.
March 27 - The trophy bath water closet toilet paper holder is in place.
March 27 - This is the drive from the side door.
March 27 - As soon as the wall over the fireplace surround is touched up, the mantle will be installed again.