Shower and bathroom flooring process begins - 30 August 2009

With the help of credit cards (no thanks to the bank) we started the orders for the installation of the bathroom tile work. We are working with Floorworks of Slidell. They had just been through training on the Schluter flooring system and wanted to use our bathroom as their first installation. In return we kept the price at a normal Hardi-board base cost. the result should be a very durable and water-resistant seal for the laying of the tiles and tavertine stone.

Our bicycling friends, Sue and Sergio Derada, wanted a tour so we met them at the site and showed them around.

Fireplace, laundry, and bathroom carpentry - 28 August 2009

While we work to resolve the kitchen cabinet issues, the trim carpenter has been building the fireplace cabinets, the laundry room shelves, and master bathroom shelves. The painter has been painting the new color choices for the other rooms.

Color Problems with the Cabinets and Trim Paint - 27 August 2009

Wow, it has been a tough 2 weeks since my last post. Slow progress. We had some problems with the kitchen cabinets, namely a wrongly ordered side cabinet and some mismatched colors.

Ellen wanted the the Kitchen wood trim to match the kitchen cabinets - so our painter, Thomas Quave, had paint color-matched to one of the cabinet doors. The result revealed the differences in color amongst the cabinetry. We also had changed our mind on color choices for some other rooms. Meanwhile bills are piling up and the bank was being very tight-fisted on advancing funds based on progress. In the end we had to dip more into savings to pay the tradesmen.

Luckily in one of our weekly meetings with our builder we were joined by the retail cabinet store manager/owner and a regional cabinet company official. Both saw the color differences in the cabinets. The company rep agreed to have the entire set of cabinets repainted. So we have to wait for that to happen. The delay in getting the kitchen sink from Kohler and the missing cabinet has delayed the installation of the counter top.

The painter, in this down period, tried some different trim and wall paint combinations to improve the visual interest/contrast since we found the off white trim blended almost too well with the great room paint scheme. What a hot, miserable summer!

Trim carpenter goes to town - 13 August 2009

Ken Hamilton, our builder's subcontractor for trim carpentry was at the site and was busy putting up trim mouldings for windows and the kitchen structure. The replacement window for a wrongly sized window had finally arrived and was installed on the eastern dormer. The Water pump was reloctated to its originally designated location in the garage (which will not be built due to cost containment measures). Several thunderstorms have made the driveway tricky to negotiate at times.

Kitchen cabinets & more color on walls- 06 August 2009

Today we had our consulting architect, Vaugahn, join me, Ellen, and our builder, Joe. The Floorworks of Slidell shop sent a two-person team to work on the master bathroom shower. The kitchen cabinets have arrived and are being installed. Should be done within the next day or two. The painter was able to apply a color primer on all the walls. This has led to a re-evaluation of the color choices, so Ellen is re-thinking those. The outside decking made from recycled plastic called Trex has now been installed except for the portion where the screened porch is. This will allow contractors to get in and out without hurting the decking.

This weekend is a tax-free holiday so Ellen and I will shop for some lighting fixtures, etc.

A huge thunderstorm came at the end of our meeting, but luckily Joe had more gravel installed with a new culvert.

Great room and kitchen take shape - 31 July 2009

On Thursday my digital camera got stuck - probably from going from the air-conditioned car to the really humid outside. So I came back on Friday to get my shots. The sheet rock guys have finished the great room and are working on the other rooms. They should be done this next week I think. The painter has come and primed the great room with a tinted primer using the Benjamin Moore color "harmony". Earlier this week Ellen and I had to knuckle-down and finalize our color scheme and flooring choices. Hopefully we didn't make too big a mistake. The chimney now has a proper cap.

Stucco finished, color scheme begins - 16 July 2009

As I walked up to the house I noticed some color. Only Joe and Ellen were there. Sheetrock finish process is still on-going. The stucco guys have a done a great job applying the extra layers on this time with the colored stucco. The hardi-board will be painted next. The bank was able to do an inspection and we have more funds to pay sub-contractors. We will need to do decide interior color scheme next. The kitchen cabinets have been made and are waiting to be installed.

We saw a rabbit being chased by a cat! Our cats Marmelade, Leo, and Ember will enjoy this natural environment.