Rocks, Paper, Scissor, Shoot!

Where did we leave off...it's so many days ago.

Monday February 9, 2015

The work begins on the screen porch fireplace.  I started working with the stone supplier, selecting the stone in September.  In January I sent photos from Houzz.com to my builder so he could see what I was envisioning for the space. However, after getting an "over budget" bill back in November/December, I became really concerned that my choices in stone, might be expensive. You see, I've since learned that my builder really doesn't tell you what the charges are until AFTER, the product is on the job site and installed.  I'm just not comfortable with that. So, in this case, I requested that he look at the photos, and select a stone that would work within the budget AND deliver the look I was aiming for.  The fireplace took 2 days to build, with 2 men "working" the stone, and one laborer bringing in the mortar.

Tuesday February 10, 2015

Backer board visible

No overhang, like opposite side

They finished.  It was after the sun went down. Unfortunately, issues that needed to be corrected when the builder showed up at 5 PM to review the work, needed to be corrected and they had already started to pack up for the day. In the morning it was easier to see the end results. The Pennsylvania Blue stone had not been installed in slabs anywhere on the counter tops, or hearth. Instead the masons had broken up the large slabs into flagstone pieces. The mortar is visible throughout, despite the more "hidden joint" look desired and although the mortar was ordered "white", it had all dried to a yellow buff color. The Granbury stone was not "worked" as a puzzle, but more like a brick layers work. There are other issues, but right now, the builder has agreed to have a meeting with all 3 of us to figure out how to fix the problems. 

The wood box, has an excess of mortar, wrong color, blue stone not cut as a slab so large joints show on the counter, and the non removal of backer board, prevented the masons from using larger stones.  The fact that this room is slated to have very dark green interior walls, really fights with this mortar color.  Looking forward to the problem resolution for this part of the home construction project.

Wednesday February 11, 2015

It's a good day to go on a field trip.  I need to walk away from this project for awhile.  I need to find some brick for ALL the retaining walls that have started adding up on this new home construction.  So I drive to Malakoff, where brick is made right here in east Texas.  It's a beautiful day, a bit over an hour drive.  The road sides are rural, and scattered with small, and minimally populated towns.  Thanks to my GPS, I just keep driving until "Sally In The Box" tells me I have arrived.  There is only one traffic light in the town on Malakoff, and I need to turn left.  One is sure that this must be a wrong turn, it looks like I'm driving into an abandoned residential neighborhood.  Then "Sally" tells me to turn right.  Again, a residential road with homes built in the early 50's (I think). Then the gate, an open yard.  I'm sure I have arrived onto a prison yard, similar to what I may have seen in "Unbroken" at the big cinema, and then I go under a metal structure and I see yards and yards, and yards of bricks towering into the sky!  I've never seen anything like it!  It was amazing.  Why, you might ask did I go on this field trip?  Because here at the plant they do test runs of the lines that they carry nationally.  If the test run is not to the standards they need to sell to the masses, they mark the run with a code. These test runs are available for purchase at reduced costs, and quantities.  

(Left) At the bottom of the picture you can see papers marking the test run number of each batch.  There are so many to choose from that it is equivalent to all four sides of a football field lined up with test run choices.  (Right) The plant shows the first run choices that are sold to the masses and have passed their test run. 

Thursday February 12, 2015

I brought back 4 test runs and put them up against the "Old Chicago Antiques" to see how they would work.  The Old Chicago Antiques will be used for the 56 lineal feet of retaining walls in the front of the house (east).  But I needed to find something more "affordable" to do the south, west and north retaining walls. Shipping brick to east Texas from east Texas, makes a whole lot more sense than shipping brick from Chicago. Sorry Chicago, I did my part to help your economics for the main house, but now, a girl's got to do what a girl's gotta do.

 P.S. Happy Birthday David!!!!!!

Monday February 16, 2015

Today marks the day, we start working on the job site without our builder.  He is scheduled for surgery today, and it's unclear when he'll be back to the job site. But one thing that is constant and you can expect it.....Rain!  The builder had started to form the driveway the first week of February, but then when he decided to add a retaining wall at the back of the driveway, everything came to a holt. It will now be up to me to get the retaining walls built before the driveway can come in.  The result of moving the dirt to form the driveway and then STOP!, has resulted in even MORE mud on the property.  If that is even possible....yes, I think it is.  

Tuesday February 17, 2015

Today, there isn't really too much of anything going on.  The painters are here and I do order my wood counter tops from my Ohio contact. They should be here in 4 weeks! I use some of my painter's tape to start marking the walls where the trades have damaged up the walls since the drywall company was in.  Because this home is not laid out with so many "open" spaces, it has apparently been harder for the trades to navigate the materials and their tools through the spaces.  It happens, but so sad, because the dry wall company did an AMAZING job on the sheet rock the first time through.

Wednesday February 18, 2015

Even the cabinet drawer insert
 details on cabinets to be
painted

Caulking just about every joint

Today is a really good day. The painters are inside caulking and filling all the nail punches left behind from the nail guns installing cabinets and mill work trim.  It's actually colder in the house today, than it is on the outside.

It's a bit on the cool side, but the sun is shining and I hired a work crew to move the dirt, install drainage,  sidewalks in the backyard around the pool.  My builder advised me that they can't put a concrete truck on my concrete driveway without cracking it. So, I needed to get someone in to do the concrete work for the sidewalks.  Since he is unable to be on the work site after the surgery, I'm contracting this one.  It is far easier for the drainage to be installed in this area before the concrete is poured so I am approving that work to be done by this contractor as well, since I don't have a proposal from my builder's sub contractor yet. Gotta work when the sun shines!  Speaking of which.....

Work boots were made for this sort of thing!

My new trench

Fortunately the back yard has dried out for the crew I hired to work.. But the driveway is a total mess, and unable to dry out because of the way the water now just "sits" in the recently contoured driveway in the far back.  So while everyone is working at their jobs, I pick up a shovel and start digging a trench on the newly contoured soil.  You can go back and look at the photos I took on February 16th, to see that in 2 days that water was still sitting there.  With the temperature hovering in the 30-40's it won't evaporate, that's for sure.

I'm in the process of interviewing contractors for building the retaining walls, and if this water doesn't get out of here, I don't know how anyone can work to get that part of the job done.  

Thank heavens for some left over planks to walk on,
every once in awhile.

Thursday February 19, 2015

Okay, I can't believe it! The sun is shining and we are going to be able to get this done and pour the concrete today!!!!!!!! You have no idea how rare, wonderful and special this is. Who knew I could be so happy pouring concrete.  Just to make sure, they bring in a larger crew to make it happen. The driveway is still a mess and in-passable. But where there is a will there is a way. I like these guys,  they make things happen.  They decided to have the concrete truck arrive and just barely pull into the driveway.  They then load the fresh concrete into a little bob cat land mover and drive that around to the back to load it into multiple wheelbarrows to it's final destination.  A lot of effort, a lot of man power, but with just a 48 hour window, it just has to happen.  The forecast for tomorrow is........drum roll......Rain!

Today, I also spend some time measuring for shutters.  The builder does have a line item for these in the budget.  But the hardware costs are off the charts!  So I'm looking at sourcing the shutters and hardware from the same company. Founded back in Doylestown PA, where I use to work at Carl N Rist.  Go figure! Small world.

Today the painters are still hard at work, and my builder's, preferred stone counter top fabricator, arrives to template for the counter tops, now that all the cabinets are installed.

Friday February 20, 2015

The threat of rain is still on the horizon, but it has lightened up a bit for a crew of 2 to finish up the work today.  I have asked them to install some road base fill to lay between the sidewalks for the synthetic turf we plan to use in this area.  It doesn't seem practical to lay natural grass inside the pool area. In addition, ever since I moved to Texas, I've missed those days when I could put a picnic blanket out on the lawn and read story books to my children.  Now that I have a growing family of grandchildren, I'd like to be able to read them stories out on the lawn, without the fire ants eating me alive.  But I will require some assistance getting up.  Please adult children of mine, please be on stand by.

Not to worry, the pool will be white and clean
at move in.

The sidewalks while finished, are not quite "finished".  I've retained the services of another team of masons to  do a beautiful combination of blue slate and old Chicagos over the concrete pour.  This work, is not so critical for completion. Pouring the concrete was.....we really don't want to delay our driveway pour any longer.

(Left) The concrete step up is for the air conditioners. However, I made it just wide enough that the step down can handle my red cedar potting bench that I built for our Frisco home.  It will also serve as a barrier to hide the AC units from the pool deck view.

Monday February 23, 2015 - Icy Mix (No work today)

Tuesday February 24, 2015

Painters are at work today, God Bless them! At least while they are working the job feels like it's still plugging along. The painters have a listing of paint colors by room and by color, but they asked me earlier today, if I can post the color selections on 8" x 11" sheets (just like I did for the drywall contractors).  So tonight I work in my apartment painting up sample pages using all those "Color To Go" containers that I have acquired from Sherwin Williams these last several months.....and still I have more containers than I will actually be using on the finished job.

Tip:

This actually turned out to be an excellent exercise. After I painted all the squares with the selected colors, I found 2 ceiling choices that did not go together very well with the wall and trim selections as much as I  had thought.  I was trying to make it easier on the painters, by keeping the ceiling paint uniform through most of the home. But that decision didn't work very well for those 2 rooms. Glad it was caught in time.

Wednesday February 25, 2015 - Snow AM(No work today)

Thursday February 26, 2015 - Cold/Sunny (No work today)

Friday February 27, 2015 

Another field trip day.  It didn't look like any work would be done today so I went to pick up the thin brick in Dallas for the wet bar walls, and visit Datile's Slab yard to see if I could find a counter top material for the scullery. The builder's fabricator had limited inventory when I visited earlier in the week, and I need to find something quickly.  Unfortunately, his fabricator would not show me their stock until AFTER the templating was done.  So I've lost a week on this one.

To my surprise, I get a phone call from the mason that I contracted for the retaining walls. They are at the site, starting the footings....while I'm in Dallas!  They assure me, I have nothing to worry about and they know what to do.  It will be Monday before I can get back.  I am now snow and iced in at Dallas for the weekend.

Monday March 2, 2015 

They spoke the honest truth!  They did just what I asked for, and they hand dug ALL the retaining walls, because the site is just too wet to bring in any equipment!  Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

The painters are there too, and want me to do a walk through with them.  I finish up and head out to yet another slab yard in search of that elusive island counter top....and still waiting to here back from my builder's fabricator on pricing.

Tuesday March 3, 2015 

I had hoped to meet with my builder today, but he still isn't cleared by his doctor to get back on the job.  It's still a busy day.  I go to my builder's granite fabricator asking for pricing...person that does it is "out of town". I drive to the job site to meet with the trimmer to go over the stair parts. He complies a list of materials, and it's my job to go to the lumber yard and place the order.  Later, I go back to a competitor's granite yard, where I think I've found something I can fall in love with, AND they give you pricing on the spot!  I like that!

Wednesday March 4, 2015  

Heavy rains all day!!!!! It's been cold at the job site and I'm tired at the end of the day, so today I treat myself to cleaning up the apartment, vacuuming WOW! and working on the landscape plans so that I have something for the irrigation contractors to work off of.  I also have an appointment with a landscape contractor tomorrow, so I need to come prepared. Soup for dinner!

Thursday March 5, 2015  

Meetings, meetings, meetings, lots of meetings.

Blue printers first thing, followed by mirror sample pick up in town, followed by builder's fabricator( yay they emailed pricing,  but with errors), meeting with builder at his office (he hopes to start swinging by job sites next week), off to the job site to meet with landscaper, drywall contractor, and the mason building the retaining walls to go over selections of brick material.  Hubby is in town to make dinner, while he waits for me to roll in after 7 PM, pack our bags and head out to Baton Rouge LA for our grandchildren's birthday party.....

Friday March 6, 2015  
On the way out of town, stopped by the granite yard to show the hubby the granite choices that I've been thinking about...... 

Came home 
Sunday March 8, 2015   to rain, forecast for 
Monday March 9, 2015 , rain.........

So this has been a month about rocks, paper (paint sample tear sheets), cutting the cord with some fabricators, and shooting from the hip without a builder available to man the ship.  You just wait! Once we move in, the forecast will be drought!

Keep warm and safe everyone!!! Til next time.

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!

"Rain rain go away, come again another day."

The Start of a New Year!  Happy New Year!

Discount Pools completed the tile work, brick coping all around the pool, as well as the concrete decking in a pebble finish. We will now let the rest of the work still to be done on the pool wait until we move into the home.  Once we move in, we will be able to finish the plaster work and fill the pool. Once filled, the pool will have to be monitored to keep it clear.

Since the gutters have yet to be installed the dirt around the pool has been contoured to keep as much of the run off from heavy rains from going into the pool.  You can see that the pool already has quite a bit of rain water in it.  We really do get a lot of rain in this part of Texas, so different from the Dallas area.

The photo on the left, shows the beautiful detail and care taken by the mason as he cut the brick special in the corners. It's the little details that really add to the overall look of the place.  You really can't put your finger on it in the grand scheme of things, but every once in while your eye sees something that really shows a tradesmen pride in his work.

The photo on the right, shows the overall coping around the perimeter.  We selected a red brick with a "lye white wash" effect to help it look a bit "old".On the inside of the pool just under the coping the blue tiles have been cut and set around the whole perimeter. There will be little blue diamond tiles inset into the plaster later on.

One of the biggest issues we have on this job site is the mud!  There has been so many days of rain that it has really slowed down the project because the crews can't drive into the driveway and get their tools close enough to the site.  On this particular day the sun was shining, the weather mild, BUT no one was working on site.....except me.  I decided I had to fill some of the ruts made by the dirt moving equipment just so the workers couldn't say they can't get around the house.

BEFORE(at 9AM)

AFTER(at 5PM)

I worked all day with my wagon, gloves, shovel, and stone rake.  I found the wood around the site. I was able to drag them over to the areas I had just filled with dirt. I was using the dirt removed from the pool area.  I slept well that night! lol

Step 1- Install plywood
to the ceiling

Step 2 - Figure which side
is the right side

The cabinets are due to arrive soon, so my builder scheduled the tin ceiling installation for the scullery.  It will be far easier to install the ceiling BEFORE the cabinets come into this room.  No one on the site had ever installed a tin ceiling before so it was a bit serious first thing in the morning as 3 men and myself are trying to understand a 1 page installation sheet, that had VERY small pictures. Fortunately the owner of the tin company was readily available and walked the installers through the process.

Step 3- Start in the middle
of the room

Ceiling complete, but
molding issues

These men were very patient.  Took their time and measured and remeasured before cutting. I had given them only 11 sheets to work with, and the product had been shipped to me from Houston, so it was really critical not to waste any of the sheets.  They did a fine job.  But, unlike other parts of this home building project, I was too nervous to hang around and watch. So I left. I came back the following day to see how it had all come out.  The next day, my birthday, I got a surprise!  The tin ceiling was up and looked great, but my hunch was something must have gone wrong while trying to install the tin egg and dart cornice molding.

Yes, there had been a problem and the installer just didn't want to go any farther and waste the product.  Now that's SMART!  The builder and I discussed possible solutions to the problem, including using another product, such as wood trim.  The following day, I decided to call the tin company and low and behold we had installed the product inside out and upside down.  Now that wasn't the installers fault at all. In the very beginning, I thought the nails went INTO the dimples. Turns out the nails were suppose to go in to the convex circles, which in turn would push the dimples around the nail head. Once we updated the installer on the "right side" of the tin, he had a MUCH easier time installing the tin cornice! It looks GREAT!  Since it's real tin, it will need an oil base paint coat to finish it off to keep it from rusting.  Can't wait to see it all painted up!  You can also paint it and antique it BEFORE it goes up, but I wasn't up to doing this kind of prep in this area.  I have enough going on just now.  Thank you Glenn Eldridge for taking our calls to walk us through this installation. For more information on tin ceilings go to: thetinman.com

What to do with all that dirt?  The excavated dirt from the pool area created a mountain of a dirt pile.  So much dirt in fact, and so close to the house that the gutter installation couldn't take place until I moved it.  It was suggested that we truck some of it off the property.  But that didn't sit well with me, after having gone OVER budget to bring in dirt to build the house.  No, I think I'll try to be resourceful and find a way to use it in shaping the hardscape of the "new and improved" property.  After installing the pool in the back yard, there isn't much room for the boys and the grandchildren to throw around a ball and just run, run, run.  So I asked that the pool contractor come back and push it down and out.  There is hope yet that the "extra" dirt will find a good home here.

Ceiling done, walls primed
accent walls taped 

Okay, those of you who know me, know that I can be "a piece of work", as my father so often said to me.  So here I am working again, doing my thing when the builder comes up to ask "what are you doing?"  "Painting", I reply.  Needless to say, he does have that figured into the project.  But there is so much that I can't do laborwise on this home, and painting is something that I can do,  I have done my very best to keep within the allowances of the budget. Just as everyone tells you, expect to go over budget somewhere. Even though you are told that, it is a very scary process to walk through when you haven't done this scale of a project before. Although so much detail has been put into the construction drawings, 15 pages worth, certain parts of the project have been overlooked by myself, my builder, and very possibly the contractors that submitted their budgets before the contracts were signed. So whatever I can do to keep costs down, I'm in!  No matter how hard the work is.  But not only is it my home, it is a home that the builder wants to walk away from with pride and confidence that the very best efforts were made. I'm quite sure seeing me on a ladder and painting the 9' ceiling in my art room, wasn't entirely comforting, poor man.  He is getting to know me better though.

January 21, 2014 

All the interior doors arrive today, with the exception of two pairs of mahogany doors for the foyer.  These doors will hopefully arrive mid February.  I was really excited to see the doors arrive on this gorgeous sunny day, because the next day we are due to have over 3" of rain in the area.  That means none of these trucks can get up close to the house.  So, just having the doors inside, and dry, means a lot to me.  If a tradesmen can get into the house with his tools, we have a shot at installing them.

The electric company also came out today to check the service panels installed on the house.  My builder would like to TRY to put in the driveway next week.  But before we can do that, we have to get the electric 3' underground from the transformer box to the back panel box behind the garage.  It might be good to have the gutters in too, so we can tie in some drainage pipes under the driveway. Sure do get alot of rain.

This is such a big day!  I'm so excited I had to take a picture of the truck when it arrived.  What is so exciting?  What is in the truck?  A whole team of cabinet makers and a trailer full of cabinets!!!!!! What a day!  Can't wait to see what comes out of that box truck.

From the second floor you can really see the color of the dirt.  This is really a mixture of clay and sand.  Nearly impossible to walk on when it's wet. It's a day before a forecast of 100% rain is due to roll in.  So glad they made it!

They decide to bring the cabinets in through the front door. There aren't any steps yet, but the porch is really wide.

Once the cabinets are inside
they set up on the porch for
their "shop".

The builder + Cabinet
owner going over
plans.

The truck was filled to the top, and they still had to leave some behind. The team got busy unloading and placing all the cabinets they had. They determined if they fit, and what, if any, modifications could be done on site. All the sink cabinets were cut to accept the rough plumbing so they could fit tightly against the walls.  Together, we spotted 3 cabinets that were made too deep.  They put in nearly 5 hours at the job site.  Without a word they repacked some of the cabinets, putting them back into the truck. The plan had been that they would be on site the next day, but with the rain coming they decided to take their work home and return the day after.

Thursday, January 22, 2014

"Rain rain go away, come again another day."  However, one should try as much as they might to look at life with the glass half full.  So with that in mind.  Today, I slept 1 hour later than usual, curled my hair, ate lunch at the ladies luncheon at Juls, went to Morrison's Plumbing Supply,

ordered additional hardware as requested by the cabinet maker, and got this blog back on track for 2015!  Not bad for a rainy day.  How was your day?

Till later......