Saturday, August 22, 2009

"Papa! Papa!"

Every morning as Granddad arrives, the baby cries out "Papa! Papa!" He immediately runs to get his favorite book, scurries over to the reading chair, and pats furiously until Granddad comes over and reads him a book before any building begins.

Views from the play loft

The play loft created by putting a ceiling over the bedrooms in the "first house" provides residence for the air conditioning system, but there remains ample play space for train tracks and legos. Since it is a terminal destination, with no through traffic, fantastic constructions can remain in place for days. Here is a view of boys down below playing Baseball on Mommy's I-Phone.



Another view from the play loft across the cupola to the east gable end. The AC duct cozies up to the south side of the cupola.

Sound system



We installed a few speakers, the beginnings of a sound system for the house.

Bushwhacking

Four boys headed out early Saturday morning to clear the bush of invasive species, i.e. weeds. Some of our "weeds" are over 10 feet tall.

Clearing out the storage unit



After four years of being tucked away, we have cleared our final remaining possessions out the storage unit, happy to save $180 per month! All the stuff is now on the porch and in the addition.

Connecting into septic


Chuck the plumber was here last weekend connecting the addition to the septic system and tying in the water. As soon as Remy is done tiling, running water and flowing sewage is ready to go.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Bathroom tiling begins

Remy has a dream. He is using chiseled travertine and glass tiles to create something beautiful and unique in the downstairs bathroom of the addition.
















































If you need a tile installer who can play with your children and take breaks to read to them, just let us know. Remy is a keeper.

I-phone break

He loves his i-phone. It never leaves his side.

Plumbing vent pipe through the roof

After our fearless plumber got everything roughed in, it was time to go through the roof. It went remarkably well, now that we've done it before.

Here's Chuck roughing in behind the knee wall in the upstairs bathroom.

















The extension ladder strapped to a scaffold creates a stable access way to the roof. It provides a comfortable working area up there.

Shiplap wood treatment


All wood is sprayed with Timbor borate solution to protect against termites. When it is dry, we paint Chevron Shingle Oil on the smooth side of the shiplap exterior siding, and a 50/50 mixture of shingle oil and solid body stain on the rough side for the finish look.


We're siding the gable end above the roof line of the first phase of building.

Interior wood finish

Andy Knott, friend and painter, came over to help us again. He sprayed the interior wood with a clear oil-based exterior deck sealer. Thank you, Andy.

Addition floor tiling complete

The new living area and bedroom in the addition are all tiled, grouted, and ready for dancing.



Here's the view from the bathroom into the bedroom.
















The living room has four north-facing windows, and at the back of the room are stairs going up into the loft. The loft will have a wood floor, with a bath to be tiled later.