It's All In The Details...

January 24-29, 2015

Things are really moving along now.  It's hard to keep up with the trades now.  The biggest problem is still the rain.  If the trades can get to the site, they are there.  Now they know to look at the forecast, and if there is rain in the coming days they make plans to work somewhere else that day, or even two, waiting for the soil to dry out. This week we had the gutters installed.

White gutters, with cream yellow down spouts

The masons, finally began laying the brick, working with the brick delivered early last fall.









The cabinets continue to be installed at the site.  The millwork began to be cut and fitted to all the base, window and door casings, after they hung almost every door in the home.

The builder is anxious to get the driveway in this month, so I was asked to set up the install for the power line to be dug and laid 3 feet under the driveway to where the electric panel box is back behind the house.  One day there were so many cars and trucks on and off our property I just had to take a picture. It is literally remarkable when I see this many people on the site in one day.  It's certainly a happy busy feeling to see everyone doing what they do best.

The pergola wall is finished in 1 day!

The front porch piers using Old Antique
Chicago bricks and an over grout mortar

So while everyone is doing their thing, one might ask, what do I do all day? Today I decided to conquer stripping down a pile of old bead board I purchased at an auction house.  I'll use it in the back of the breakfast room hutch, and with what ever is left over we'll install it on one wall of the train room, upstairs. For now, I'm out of everyone's way, but still available to answer a question, and review the progress.

$75.00 of old bead board

Breakfast Room Hutch for my recipe collection

Overseeing it while it is being installed is very helpful. You save everyone time and labor if you can catch something early. As far as my refinishing, my dad did a lot of refinishing of furniture. It's where I caught my appreciation of old things.  As well as both of my parents taking me to a lot of auctions when I was younger. Love it!


January 30, 2015

The mason's begin laying the pergola porch floor.  We decided on a herringbone pattern.  It is a lot more work than a running bond pattern. Fortunately this was specified on the construction drawings, so the builder was aware of the extra detail.  It will take them 2 days to finish this porch, including the side entry which is finished in a basket weave pattern.  I love how they did a "solider" brick pattern between the pergola colums.  It gives it a nice finished edge.  There are a lot more cuts to the brick to achieve this look.  The measurement taking is important to keep up with so that one side of the patio doesn't get ahead of the other.  Using the Old Antique Chicago bricks not only gives it an old look, with the grey mortar, but the imperfect sizes give it an awesome historical feel.  But the time and attention to detail to make it come off successfully takes a true craftsmen.  My builder has an excellent mason on this particular part of the job.  

While part of the crew was outside working on the porch floors, there were 2 men inside working on the fireplace.  I really wanted an arched fireplace. Here they cut a form from plywood to create the arch.  One mason on each side of the opening.  The problem was that each mason had his own technique for applying the mortar. I noticed that the left side mortar joints were a bit smaller than the right.  I requested that some of the mortar be knocked down to match the left side.  It was a quick fix and looked a lot more balanced and uniform. I left the room.  Everything was appearing to go smoothly. my attention needed to find itself elsewhere now. Unfortunately it was the next day that I noticed all the mortar on the next 3 courses above the arch were very noticeably larger than anywhere else on the fireplace.  Now the fireplace was almost dry.  A lot harder to fix, was my thought.  But after the second day, and while discussing the height of the mantel I just couldn't keep my dissatisfaction silent.  The courses were removed and redone.  It looks fabulous now!

Before the repair of the top 3 courses.

Feb. 5, the cabinet maker makes lots of
adjustments

Since the 3 courses had to be redone. It was decided to tighten up the mortar joints and eliminate one of the courses.  This allowed the mantel to not be so high above the finish floor. The plans had called for the fireplace opening to be flush with the floor. But  the framers had laid a platform for the fireplace above the floor, causing a domino effect that would jeopardize the height of the mantel.  

Tip:
Even if it means slowing down the job, make sure you check all the framing work before the next trade comes in.  As you can see with the fireplace, if a "small" detail is overlooked at the framing stage it causes every trade after that to have to adjust their design to try to "allow" the finished product to achieve the best result.  I won't lie.  I've had a hard time with this fireplace.  For a few days after the brick was installed I was calling the fireplace my oversize pizza oven.  Many of you know I make a really great homemade pizza.  But I wasn't looking for the pizza oven "look" in the Gathering Room.  No job is perfect.  There are a whole lot of details and trades in at one time and not everything can be caught.  One needs to be forgiving.  I forgive those that didn't read the plan and build it as shown on page A6 Elevation 2/A6.
February 4, 2015

It's a bit later than the builder would have liked.  He had wanted to finish the driveway by the end of January.  But the weather just has not cooperated.  Today they start working the ground to prepare it for the frame work.  It's a busy day and the builder is out at the site twice today.  He gives the team of dirt movers some instructions, but later returns to add more to the scope of the project.

Unfortunately for the dirt team, there are other trades that really need to get access to the home.  Including the cabinet maker that is bringing in that huge fireplace mantel. It just isn't reasonable to ask the cabinet maker to carry it in from the street.  So the dirt team has to put on the breaks, give up some of the driveway access to the other trades.  By the end of the day we start to have a light drizzle, and even more the next day. There is enough rain to call off the rest of the work and the concrete pour that was scheduled for later this week. It is now "undetermined" as to when the driveway will be poured.  Other issues have presented themselves and everything is up in the air.  Apparently on February 6(2 days after they start) it is discovered that all the retaining walls need to be fabricated before any driveway can be installed. So now I have to review pricing, and material selections before making a commitment, which will result in an order and setting up a delivery of materials.....all takes some time. So the driveway will have to wait for another day.

February 5, 2015

Remember when I spoke earlier in this post about "overseeing". Well it really is hard to be on the job site every minute a trade is working, as much as I try.  You do have to respect and trust your trades. No one likes to be micro managed.  I know I wouldn't.  But no one works for free, and materials cost money.  Money that is coming from someone, your builder, his contractor, and you!  So why not minimize mistakes, or "misunderstandings" of the intent of the project.  Today I was told by a contractor working on the our home.  "But we always do it this way!"  This individual was clearly irritated at me.  I understood that they ALL "always do it this way".  But when building a custom home you have two options: build a custom home according to your custom(er's) requirements or build a typical spec home with "some" modifications.  This home is truly a "custom" home. I knew that BEFORE I started, because I couldn't find anything like it on the resale home market in this region.  I am an east coast, northern girl living in Texas.  Finding a home, that makes me feel like I'm home is virtually impossible.  So this team is really doing things they have never done before. Much of it because they don't even have the materials regionally that they have in the north, so much of what is going into the house is none "typical.

Overseeing the Breakfast room"

What it looks like the night before

What it looks like after a "do over"

What it looks like when I arrive
at 10AM

 It's all in the details...

Tomorrow is another week.  I'll be hitting the ground running with my first appointment scheduled at 7:30AM!  Followed by several trades during the day.  Today we received an unfortunate call from the next door neighbor.  He had stopped by from Austin.  Our lot has been so difficult to navigate on account of the rain, and terrain that the neighbor's lot has fallen prey to much of the commerce traffic trying to access our property.  Beginning tomorrow, we will be making every effort to repair his lot, stake off his lot and avoid trespassing on his propery.  I don't quite know how we will get onto our property without a driveway.....but where there is a will there is a way.
Tip:
When purchasing a lot to build on....do you have easy access for moving in materials, and heavy equipment. In our case, we do not.

Have a great week!  And be kind to your neighbors!