People Door Is In

The garage people door is installed.  We heard the back patio concrete will be poured next week.  So we expect to see some rebar going in soon.  And our well hook-up is supposed to happen at the end if this week.  Can't wait to have water so we can stop hauling storage containers full of it to water our blueberries.

Progress Despite the Heat

Our temperatures passed hot and entered the "inferno" category today.  We didn't expect anyone to work, but somehow they did.  The dirt around the back patio has been compacted and the concrete forms are in place.    Plus they leveled out the backyard and completely changed the contour out front.  We're not sure if the front is quite right, but the back looks great.

Chasing Dirt

Dirt!  They raised the grade around the back patio by at least a foot.  We thought we were done hauling in dirt, but now we're asking for more so we can flatten out the yard again.  I realize we're chasing the grade here, raising one area then having to raise another.  But I think we're close to it being just right.  

There are bulbs in about half the recessed cans, and switches in all the important places.  We even have a fancy bulb hanging in the study.  😉  And bonus...he swept!  The house looks so tidy and feels nice and dry.  This heat is saving us thousands of dollars because we don't have to rent heaters to dry out the house.  Nature is handling that for us.

Electrical Inspection Passed!

Electrical inspection passed!!!  He's busy putting in temporary switches and bulbs so we'll have light soon.  Permanent power has been ordered, so within the next 7 business days hopefully we'll have real power!

Shower Valves

The plumbers were back today working on the plumbing rough-in.  We had an issue with hose bibs not fitting, but we found a way around the problem.  There's new shower valves and Maya's tub is in.  Looks like they have a bit more to do but they're close to wrapping things up.  

The electrician is still there tonight finishing off the last of the wiring.  They've requested the inspection for tomorrow.  

More dirt arrived.  We've said once they finish hauling in dirt this week let's call it good and work with whatever we've got.

Family Room Fireplace

We have a fireplace!  With these 90 degree temps you can almost pretend it's turned on.  😉  I'm guessing the liner and log set went home with the builder.  But at least the unit is here.  And the chimney finally looks finished with it's cap on.

No Saggy Mirrors

The door for the garage is really here!  

Can lights are in the dining room.  Panels look great and we can see the electrical coming together inside.  

They trimmed the concrete footings so the forms will fit around them. 

And today we installed some nailers so all bath mirrors and floating shelves will have wood to mount to, not just drywall.  I asked permission from the builder to do this because I don't like mounting heavy things in just drywall, and sometimes the stud spacing just isn't convenient.  This way we should be covered.

The Fireplace is Coming!

Not enough hours in the day today!  We'll grab pics tomorrow, but I did get the scoop on a few things from the builder.  The person door for the back of the garage arrived.  It's not installed but at least we have it!  They aren't easy or quick to get ahold of these days.  

The patio people did a little bit of prep work but mostly just took measurements and came up with a plan.  

The electrical inspection happens Wednesday and about a week after that we should have regular power.  The builder will put in some temporary bulbs so we'll have light.  

And Monday our family room fireplace is being installed!  The brand we chose has several ways you can customize it, so we've never actually seen a unit with the specs we chose.  Fingers crossed we like it because there's no going back.  It took a long time to get here!  

Here's some bad catalog pics until Monday.  One shows the size and log set.  The other is the gray brick interior liner.  We chose to go with a gas unit this time around, but the patio fireplace will be woodburning.

Pretty Panel

The electrician does such beautiful work!  They have a few more days to go, then it'll be ready for inspection.  Once it passes we can lose the temporary power pole and have the permanent service hooked up. 

I think tomorrow the concrete crew is coming to build the forms for the back patio.  The pour won't happen for a while but at least it's getting started.  And I hear gutters might be happening soon.

We learned the painters will start painting the interior walls and ceilings August 23rd.  Which means everything that needs to go in the walls will be finished, the house will be warm & dry, the studs will be shaved and shimmed, insulation will be finished, and drywall will be taped mudded and textured before then.  It's exciting to think about!

Electrical is Moving Again

The electrician has most of the lines run to the panel.  The can lights are installed in the family room and he was working on the porch lighting out back when we stopped by tonight.  The siding crew finished the front porch ceilings.  I think they've wrapped up all they can do until our other exterior doors are installed and the concrete patios are poured.

Back Porch Ceiling

They finished the back porch ceiling today!

Dolomite Drama

We were out of town today and it seems like everyone else was too.  No new siding or electrical progress.  Since there's nothing new to share, here's something from a few months ago.  

This is the countertop material for most of the bathrooms.  It stopped me in my tracks when I saw it.  It was WAY too early to select stone, but they only had two slabs left and this wasn't something they regularly stock.  Jeremy came to see it and liked it as much as I did.  So we put it on hold and asked the fabricator to make an exception and buy this early.  They agreed and it's been sitting in their warehouse in some back corner for the past couple months.  

We were so excited to scoop it up.  We've been to nearly every slab yard in Seattle, and hadn't seen anything we liked as much for the bathroom counters and our shower ledge and bumper. The stone is Silverstone Dolomite, so we refer to the fiasco of getting these slabs as the "Dolomite Drama".  I still think it was worth the hassle.  It looks like a beautiful stormy sky in person.

Porch Ceiling

We're loving the tongue and groove porch ceiling!  They're blind nailing it so there's no exposed nail heads. 

 Most of the wiring is done.  There's a few things here and there, and they need to wire up the panels which is a big job.  But as far as lights and outlets, they're mostly done.  There are 15 recessed cans and 2 pendants in the kitchen.  It won't be dark! 

 And more dirt arrived today.