The landscapers have been busy, putting down fresh soil (I assume full of fertilizer) for the sod to be set on top of. We’re a little concerned that they didn’t quite understand what we wanted in terms of lawn in the front, as the dirt they put down doesn’t cover the entire slope. We’ll see…

It’s getting so close to being done, I can almost taste it! Okay – here’s the rundown for today: The Electrician has finished up his topping out (except the fireplace switch – which we just discovered was finished over! Hahah.) Drywall guys came back to do the first pass on fixing issues – mostly spackling…

This was one of those days I was warned about by our GC that would make me exclaim “Wow”. Here’s what we found today: The porch is darn near complete, and it sure looks amazing! Base trim is in along the bottom of all the cabinetry. Landscaper stopped by and started clearing stickerbrush and trimming…

Not bad – the carpet guys finished in 2 days. It looks amazing. I think we did good on our choice of color and pile height. It was nice that we had some choices to consider. Many spec houses go for the lowest quality carpet to save money (same is true with light fixtures). The…

Mmm. The smell of new carpet. It never gets old, quite frankly. If I could pay to have my house re-carpeted every few years, I would. Okay, I know it wouldn’t be sustainable, but come on, it’s a fantasy! The carpet guys got started, but didn’t make much progress save installing most of the tack…

The tile guy was back in finished the backsplash up to the vent-hood. I can’t tell you how pleased I am with how that turned out. They also did a great job finishing up little details on the tub surround and the master shower. The decking makes more progress today and Greg started on the…

The kitchen counters are finished and the front porch started. Greg, the decking/porch contractor is AMAZING. He’s taking his time making sure that this is a work of art that will last decades.

Plumbing is one of those disciplines I have a great deal of intrigue and respect for. The movement of fluids through a structure is one of those things that I think we all take for granted. It wasn’t long ago that indoor plumbing was a luxury for the rich. Today, it’s fairly inexpensive, but still…

This may be my FAVORITE day yet! The data wiring has been terminated at all locations!! Check out the interesting data panel location in the closet. I know, it’s geeky – but how many people have a CAT5e network going to every room in the house!? One thing that’s kind of funny, and I won’t…

Most of the light fixtures went in today. There are a few more left and everything will get lamped with high-efficiency 2nd generation compact florescent (they don’t flicker or have that awful unnatural color). We picked all the fixtures over a 2-hour visit to Globe Lighting a few weeks ago. Fortunately, Betsy and I agreed…

The painters are hard at work with trim filling, painting and what appears to be sanding (for a smooth finish). The banister is looking great! Better than we could have hoped for. Same with the fireplace. Just amazing how it starts coming together when the painting happens!

So, in a sad twist of “I didn’t think of that,” we are ending up with a retaining wall on the narrow side of our lot, constricting passage to about 28″. Sadly, if you change the grade (regardless of if you’re up or down grade), you get to build the retention system. It’s fair, but…

The concrete has been poured for the sidewalk, driveway and landing pads for the two sets of stairs. The concrete guys did a great job – I’m really impressed. We immediately carved our initials into a discrete corner of the nearly set-up concrete. 🙂 The trim work and doors are installed! These turned our BETTER…

We took a few days off of updates and lots has happened! The gravel for the sidewalk was delivered and spread out. The excavator was back to level and grade the driveway, side yard and back yard. The back yard is more difficult than we anticipated. There is a huge tree back there that we…

The water meter is FINALLY in and connected to the house. That only took a millennium! That’s the city for ya’! The flooring downstairs is complete! It looks amazing. The tile shower in the master bath is looking great, too!

The water meter still isn’t in, but the city has cut some holes in the asphalt where they are going to excavate and locate a main to tap into, as well as where our meter will go. Today was the first day we braved putting our truck in the driveway – just to see how…

Some significant progress, as usual. The flooring downstairs started to go in. I can’t tell you how pleased I am with our selection of this floor. It’s an engineered floor, meaning it’s built up like plywood and has real stain. The grain patterns are pretty neat and the bevel edges between ‘planks’. The tile guys…

In 8 days, lots has happened! The cabinets in the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry room are in. These really turned out well and make a nice contrast, particularly in the kitchen. The paint is up (most of it – there’s a bit of touchup to do, but that’s to be expected!). It looks really good.…

The mudding, taping and texturing is done! Wow. It’s pretty amazing what a coat of plaster over everything does to create some solid planes and bring it all together. The Painters have been in to mark off their work.. which starts next week!

The corners and remaining sheetrock is up now. They’ve also installed a temporary floor covering to protect the underlayment from when they start to mud, tape, sand and texture.

You can really start to feel what a house is going to be like when the sheetrock goes up. It’s truly an amazing thing. Here it is! Most of the sheetrock is up. It’s amazing how fast it went, too.

Insulation started going in! It’s thick stuff – R21! This house is going to be so well insulated, we’ll find it difficult to justify running the heat that often. 🙂 Also of note, firestopping was applied in all penetrations between floors. It’s interesting how the walls that face outside have fiberglass insulation and the ceiling…

This could be my favorite day so far. The AV system details were framed in. The projection screen recess has been framed and is ready for rock! Also, the “cowl” that goes around the projector is in, too. I’m so excited!! The entrance to the crawlspace was moved to where I wanted it – in…

The trellis over the garage is complete, and boy does it look nice! Not bad, considering all I gave them was a series of photos to work from. 🙂 The electrical pole showed up, too. I suspect they will be connecting to service soon. That has to happen before they can do the drywall, as…

We asked, and it was received. The central vac system was pre-plumbed in today. Not much else to see at this time.