We are a couple of weeks away from moving in. The electrical has been signed off, and we can at last turn on lights, sort of. We are using a Lutron Homeworks QS system, which uses digital switches. The switches talk to the “brain” which in turn commands the appropriate “wall box power modules” toRead more about The lights are on, but no-one is home (yet)[…]
When people come and see our house, they generally tell us how much they love it. I always take this with a grain of salt, because, I figure it is like someone showing you their baby. Would you ever tell someone that their baby is ugly? No, you’d probably go the other direction and tellRead more about Design inspiration[…]
The file on our master bedroom fireplace was finished last week. Other than the decorative tile pattern, do you notice anything strange about the fireplace? If the answer is no, then that is good. When the fireplace contractors were installing the fire box, they ran into the exhaust stack from the fireplace below, which preventedRead more about Slightly askew[…]
The main stairwell is too tall for ladders. To allow the painters to paint the ceiling and skylight, we had to build a wooden scaffolding platform on the 2nd floor. But, before the electricians got around to hanging the chandelier, we had to take the platform down to allow the carpenters to build the stairRead more about Stairwell chandelier[…]
Now that the stain is done, and the painters masking has been removed, we can see the living room fireplace complete.
The painters have had the entire three story stairs in a giant paint booth all week. Yesterday morning, they removed all the masking and plastic and unveiled the stair railing,which looks amazind.
When we cleared out the bramble that was along our back property line, there was quite a bit of old fence in there, some of it flopped on the ground, some of it buried in the foliage. We saved any of the wood that was not too far gone. Even as bad as some ofRead more about More recycled wood[…]
We have a lot of exterior doors. Unfortunately, for 4 sets of French doors, we set the door thresholds right on the water proofing flashing underneath, not leaving much room for the aesthetic treatment above the flashing. At the time, our stone & tile contractor told us it wasn’t a problem, but that turned outRead more about Above the pain threshold[…]
The master tub is finally in! Because we didn’t plan on having an access hole from the bottom to attach the drain, it gave the plumber some difficulty doing it from the top. The first attempt leaked. I am always amazed at how much planning and thinking things through is required to build a house.
While the end is near, it sometimes feels like we are still miles away. The house is still filled with the byproducts of constuction, and I’ve got a detailed list a mile long of all the line items that need to be taken care of, including work for the following trades: Plumbing Electrical Cabinets PaintRead more about Getting nervous near the end[…]