Painting an interior wall

We've targeted some interior walls to be painted, an attempt to break up the beautiful yet relentless interior wood. First we applied shellac to the knots, and now two coats of oil-based wood sealer (BIN or equivalent brand). Finish color is still being debated.

Filling in insulation

In preparation for sheathing the exterior of the house with ship lap, we've been filling the cracks in insulation with the expandable insulation stuff in the spray can.

Bleach attack

We've been cleaning up the wood, readying it for sealing, but unfortunately a drop of bleach found its way past the safety goggles and into the eye. Lots of rinsing water and 24-hours rest did the trick. Now onward and forward without further delay.

Boys Bunk-Closet Framing

In trying to conserve floor space, we've come up with the idea of framing the boys' closet to double as a loft-bunk area. Here's a picture of the boys testing the top of Mom and Dad's closet, and a picture of their framing going up, Granddaddy Kiker's brainchild.

Ship lap prep

We're oiling the backside of the ship lap with Chevron Shingle Oil, readying it for sheathing on the house exterior. Our good friend, a local painter, has offered to spray the interior tongue-and-groove and the exterior ship lap once it is up.

Grandmommy Kiker is home

We're saved! Grandmommy Kiker is home. We happily shared her with new cousin, Oliver, and what a joy to have her back.

Choices, choices, choices

Wow, when you get to the interior there are so many choices. We're down to the nitty-gritty details that will determine the look of the living spaces. We're also eager to get done and move in! This tension of research, testing, checking ALL options, interviewing experts, and eventually making decisions is joyous agony. What a privilege to be close to completion and choosing some beautiful materials for our home.
We made a trip to Jacksonville, port city on the Atlantic coast, to finalize some of the materials for floors, counters, and walls. The granite warehouse wins the sentimental award, with stones from quarries in Namibia, near our beloved South African homeland where we spent 10 happy years. Here are two favorite stones pictured with a piece of tongue and groove and the current favorite floor tile (a lighter-color version than the dark grey previously pictured).

House Plans

Security Guard

We thought we should have a security guard at the building site. This young man seems a little inexperienced, but he is sincere and actually pitched a fit when we expressed some uncertainty regarding his qualifications, so we decided he was determined to have the job. After all, he packs heat. What more could we ask?

Florida botanicals

We couldn't wait to start some landscaping. The native plant sale had some Florida botanical treasures. Here the boys each plant their azaleas.

It's October and the weather has cooled slightly, which means we still wear shorts and t-shirts, but we just don't sweat quite so much.

Insulation in internal walls

Despite doubt as to the effectiveness of insulation for sound-proofing in the walls, we decided to give it a try. We'll let you know if it silences the voices between bedrooms.



We also installed some in-wall speakers before we closed up the walls.

Mechanical Inspection

Getting ready for the mechanical inspection (electrical, plumbing, roof, and HVAC) we cut out the vent pipe and connected the water to the house, racing the sunset to completion.









We passed! The inspector liked what he saw, commenting, "How did those dowels in the bents pass engineering?! They're great!" Everyone loves the dowels.