OOPS!

You know that saying that without bad luck you'd have no luck? Well, there's Bob Kellogg.


On the first rock job he did for us someone on his crew cracked a fascia board that had to be replaced. Now on the second job there is this ding in the NEW stucco.

Oh well, I know it will be taken care of.


I also really appreciate how Bob's work is turning out! Backfilling above the original wall he built is pretty much done. This is the space you could barely walk around the back side of the house. Now there is plenty of room for a walkway and plantings. Yeah, Bob!







Inside, the sink and dishwasher are in. Love the 2 drawer dishwasher! With just two of us on a day-to-day basis, it will be nice to be able to run just one drawer. And as often as we have guests, I know I'll also appreciate the big capacity of having both.








Faucets are installed in the master bath, and yes, the doors of the recessed medicine cabinets do open above them thanks to some careful measuring and fitting by Scottie and Tony the tile guy.


I'm planning to move in 5/12, first guests arrive 5/17. It's going to be busy so if you are hesitating you'd best get your reservations in!

Cost could go up any time.

Got Color

I'm pretty darned pleased! The stucco is just a touch deeper in color than the boards, and the trim is just a touch lighter.


In this part of the world, spring green quickly gives way to summer gold, tan, beige, etc., and the house should fit perfectly into the colors of the hillside.






Even when things are green, these are such quiet colors that they won't feel harsh against the landscape.

Once we get a patio in on the side with the French doors, get some plants and furniture on both the front porch and patio, this place will start to look like home.

Can't wait to get my life out of storage! I've almost forgotten what we have.

Getting closer & closer

Mike, on the left, and ??? (whose name I missed) were up at the house installing appliances and putting in plumbing fixtures.


The grand old tub is in, but the new paint job is a bit messed up. No photo until it's fixed!







The same crew of young guys was busy putting on the color coat. Not recognizable in their coveralls are they? The color will lighten quite a bit as it dries & I'll put up a photo of the finished color in a day or two..










Meanwhile George (back to camera) imposed on their boss for a little assistance with some drywall repairs. Rumor has it that drywalling is NOT one of George's better talents.










And while all this work was going on the man of the house made his appearance behind the stove. Notice that the grates aren't on and of course the gas isn't hooked up. But I've got him in the right spot. Maybe he's trainable after all. . . . . Nawwww. Never happen.

A brief Mid-week Update

Busy, busy day up on Hammond Drive yesterday!


Tony was there grouting. He also took out one kitchen tile and re-set it, having spotted a slight degree of out-of-level in it. Tony is an artist in his work and very particular.

It's interesting for me to watch the different tradespeople. OK, tradesmen as they've all been guys. The finish guys are much more particular than the guys who do the various "rough in" stages. You can see why each has gravitated where they have with patience and attention to detail playing a big part.

Nice smile, Tony.




And this is what the new sink and faucet set up in the master bath looks like.

Sinks got set yesterday and the holes drilled for faucets which will be placed by the plumber when he comes back up.









Also among the many trucks up there yesterday was the one bringing this handsome crew. These guys spent the entire day doing very detailed taping off and covering up in preparation for the color coat of stucco going on today.

Wood for the floors got delivered to start acclimating. Power gets hooked up today. Appliances will come in either Friday or Monday. Plumber will do the setting of fixtures. Finish electrical happens Monday. There is a week's work for installing all the wood floors, and it can't start for 2 or 3 days after the heat/power is on, so we are looking probably at Mid-May to move in!!!!

Oh, did I mention I haven't even started packing at our little rental. . . . Volunteers??? At least this time we are moving within the same little area. The two big moves, San Diego to New Mexico, and New Mexico to here, where major deals with no chance to go back to pick up small items, clean after leaving, etc. Here we can pay rent until the end of May and come back and pick up odds and ends and do the cleaning after we are basically IN the new place.

And, just as an aside for my female friends, one of the fun parts of this has been all the cute, young guys working on the house. I'm so much older than them that I can flirt outrageously and not be taken seriously. Love it. I told the guys above to "look handsome" and that I'd put them on the internet for female viewers. They loved it. We've had really good people on the job with only one or two exceptions, and it's been great fun talking to them. I really enjoy young people and people of any age who are really INTO what they do.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THE TILE!!

So, here's Tony, cutting tile with the wet saw. He took time to show me - BY STICKING HIS THUMB UP AGAINST THE MOVING BLADE - that this saw works by friction, not by being sharp. Doesn't cut his thumb in two 'cuz the thumb has enough "give" to prevent friction. Still almost made me wet my pants!





In front of the fireplace are the floor tile, same as will go in the kitchen, back hallway and half bath. This isn't yet grouted, but you can get a pretty good sense of color, etc.

These tile are 17 1/2 inches square. Big dudes. That means fewer grout lines to keep clean.







Kitchen counters are black granite and will have a dark charcoal grout. The backsplash is called "chocolate" and is a tumbled stone. I love how it reflects in the granite and think it will be really good with the floor tile. It's not sealed yet or grouted, and will be both shinier and less "bumpy" when both of those things are done.








Here's the granite with the stainless sink, backsplash not yet done.


Are we seeing the vision yet? Black table in the corner with the built-in banquet. Nearly black cabinet at the dining room end. Light - natural - island in the center. Stainless appliances.

And, a very cool light fixture over the table. But, I can't tell you about that yet.





And, in the half bath off the back hallway, more of the tumbled stone. This photo is washed out from the flash. The walls are the pale wheat color and the sink is actually an almond color. I think when the stone is sealed it will be really gorgeous!


Now, moving to the upstairs:










This is the new sink for the master, two of them of course, and I like it better than the ones that didn't work. Funny how that happens.





And, in the shower of the master bath, notice how the tile inside the recess and on the ceiling run at a diagonal? That was courtesy of Tony. With tile on floor, walls, ceiling and in the recess, there was no way to make all the grout lines line up. So, diagonal it is in the two areas that would cause conflict. Brilliant, huh?

And yes another ugly photo. Scottie wanted to shoot from low to get the ceiling, totally ignoring the fact that any time you shoot a human from low it emphasizes every wrinkle. Ah well, priorities.



Finally. . . .




Sherwin Williams calls this Tomato Red, but it will forever be New Mexico Red to me. Our front door is the same color as many things on our ranch in New Mexico - the front door, back door, barn, window trim, a couple of pieces of furniture - over there it's thought of as Barn Red.




Should look really good when they finally get the color coat of stucco on.

Tony the Tile Guy

Tony has been busy. The guest bath is essentially done, the laundry room is done, and he's quite far along on the master bath.

This is Tony explaining stuff about ceiling tile to us.

Hi Tony. Be sure to show this to your kids!









This is in the master bath. The sinks we had selected have proven to be too large. Most of our day today was spent dealing with that problem. New vessel sinks and new faucets have been selected and purchased.

Unfortunately these were a special order and can't be returned. Ebay, here we come!






Here Tony is showing us where he has put all the leftover tile for the laundry room. Not the best photo, but something nice to show the kids, huh?


Tony's partner is sick and he is putting in long hours so as not to delay our move-in date. Thanks Tony!!

Tile's going up and we have a visitor!

For reasons way too boring to mention I haven't been up to the house for several days.


Meanwhile Tony, the tile guy, has been hard at work. He's doing the top floor first so the wood flooring guy can start upstairs while he works downstairs.


This is the guest bath. I really like the way the small trim tile is looking. Gives some dimension to the small bath.


And this, gentle reader, (isn't that what one of the old mystery writers used to say?) is my laundry room. Same tile as in the guest bath but without a trim tile.

Washer and dryer go under the counter to the right.






In the master bath, this will become the shower. Tony has put up the "mud" and will start tile in there next week.



Notice the blocking of the doorway? Can you read the sign?













Tony's careful & he doesn't want his work messed up. He also covered our kitchen island (did I mention it took SEVEN HOURS to put together) and wrote a big ole note that it is not to be used as a work bench.

Good idea.



While we lived in New Mexico we had a mountain bluebird build her nest up in the eaves of our front porch. Though we were getting ready to tear off the old porch and rebuild it, we waited for her two babies to fledge.


So, while we were up at the house today we saw a little bird fly out from under the front porch eaves, twice. Second time, I took time to look carefully and found the beginnings of a nest.

So, we have the good fortune to be host to nesting birds again.

Scene's from the Sierra

While not part of the building process, I thought I'd throw in a few photos from our Sierra hike:




This is taken from Moro Rock. I love the views when the clouds are low and settled into the peaks and valleys.






Another shot taken from Moro Rock.

Isn't it neat how the peaks look like islands? Islands in the Sky - great name for peaks.









And this is taken while we were walking up to Tonapah Falls (not sure if I've spelled this right), along the stream that is mostly from snow melt.

The flow is much smaller than last year since we've had such a dry year, but it's still beautiful.















And this from the same hike. This one is looking back to where the sun was shining through the big ole trees, leaving little splotches of light on the snow.




Once we are moved into the new house and can FIND our hiking gear (it's all in storage), I'll be spending more time in the Sierra. Count on it.

Takin' a Break

So - check out the kitchen. Doesn't that island look great? Does it look like someone spent SEVEN MISERABLE HOURS putting it together?

Anyway, I love my kitchen.









And, that dirt disturbed below the oak tree is where our septic system leach field is.

Mark and Brian managed to avoid a couple of small trees that we wanted to save and still maintain enough clear area that I can have a veggie garden.








Buck, who along with Cocoa has been banished from the bed, sneaked up again. Yours truly has been exhausted - and sick - and finally slept so soundly that I didn't even hear him come up to join me.

This is actually my best angle for photos.









And that break - well, good friends Jan and John Thompson came to visit. We got to know them while living in New Mexico, and it's so good that we have managed to keep contact.

So, up to Sequoia Park we went and managed to get to the top of Moro Rock on a beautiful, cloudy, misty morning.

Spring is absolutely my favorite season in the Sierra, and it was just awesome to be able to share it with Jan and John.

Back to reality tomorrow. I have stuff to do at the new house and laundry to do at "home".

Paint and a bathtub, and the injustice of life

Well, Jimmy and crew have moved on but will be back to the the last guys in the house. I'm told that the subs to come, e.g. tile, wood floors, etc., always manage to ding up the new painting; and Jimmy et al will be back to fix. I'm not sure how this will show up, but here goes:



Upstairs is a pale, sagey green. Not quite so pale as it appears here though.


I decided to go with one trim color throughout, one color downstairs and coming up the steps, and one color upstairs. Some of that will change once we are in and live with it a while.


Downstairs is a pale wheat color, not a yellow, not a gold, not a sand - wheat, but quietly.


So, that's it for the topic of "paint".






Moving along to bathtubs -


If you've been following this blog you know that my mother-in-law's old claw foot tub is going in our bath.


It's been all cleaned up on the inside. Now Scottie is de-rusting (ok, I made that word up), priming and painting the outside. Old claw feet are yet to be de-rusted and painted.

Pretty cool, huh?

Remember the story of the great old chandelier that my friend Yvonne sent me from Illinois? Well, it broke in transit. But, the breaking revealed old, icky (another technical term) wiring that would have been a fire hazard. So, a new fixture it is, but decorated with some of the crystals from the old one, and to hang over the tub.



And, finally, about the injustice of life:

Why, I ask you WHY, does Scott photograph so beautifully, even when he's putting on his ridiculous s--t-eating grin and acting goofy. . . .






While yours truly, who deserves much better treatment from the Universe. . . .





tends to photograph looking something like warmed over dog poop!


NO justice. None.

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

Scottie and I spent SEVEN HOURS putting together the island for the kitchen that I elected to order online.

Yes, you read that right, SEVEN hours. Miracle of miracles, I didn't end up in tears and Scottie only swore a few times.


Ya see, I showed the print out of this island to the cabinet maker and ask if he could do a similar one. He said sure - for about double the price.


And, yes, I did know that "some assembly" was required. I misinterpreted that to mean maybe put the top on and add the casters.



Boy was I wrong! It came in three boxes and about a zillion pieces. And it used those pain in the rear cam-lock thingies (yet another technical term) to put various pieces together.












So, after all those hours, we finally arrived home tired, grumpy (well, at least me), dirty - - but the thing is DONE.












But, wildflowers are in bloom all over. It's beautiful. The day was sunny and bright.


I'm trying to put a happy face on it.


But, any way you cut it, it was a long, hard day.








And, this is our good friend Syliva, who finally got up to the new house. She is NOT that much taller than me. I'm standing in a hole and Sylvia's on a hump. Really.












And - just for Nola, who also visited the house, though I didn't have my camera then. Nola was quite taken with the beautiful views we have and suggested that I might want to put more of those views on the blog.











Painting is almost done, except for some late in the game touch-up, but I'm waiting until the place is cleaned up to get photos of the painted rooms.

And, I'll be early-to-bed tonight!

Jimmy the Jenius

OK, I just had to do it. It's too good with the name.
Jimmy is the painting contractor. He goes out on every job, doesn't just send a crew out, and he's a craftsman supreme.

I wanted the small cabinet at the dining room end to be very dark, almost black, and look more like a piece of furniture. Jimmy mixed and mixed so it wasn't just solid black, but wasn't too brown, wasn't too muddy, etc., etc., and came up with a beautiful finish. The island, which we ordered online, will go in soon. It stays a light shade and sits in the center. I like having a mix of woods. Many kitchens seem to me to be a huge expanse of the same wood.

The fireplace mantle and surround are almost done too. I'm loving how it turned out, especially now that it is stained. Can't wait to see it this coming week when the walls are painted!


And, this is our bathroom vanity. The two bottom drawers and the small drawers in the center haven't been put in. The center section on each side stays open - for pretties. We have two old-fashioned white vessel sinks going on top of tile counter and two recessed medicine cabinets.
Keeping everything crossed it seems water issues are done. Power is set to go in soon, at a MUCH higher cost that we were originally told to expect. The power company rep originally told us a "ballpark" of $600. It's nearly $7000 - not even the same league, let alone ballpark. There are two other parcels, one on each side of us; and the power company is essentially charging us to bring power to the site for all three! VERY fortunately for us, the couple on one side of us are just terrific, honest, straightforward people. I emailed Bill, the husband, and asked if they would be willing to pay 1/3 and we'd absorb the third for the other parcel. It's up for sale and the owner has no interest in what goes on here now. Bill, bless him, said yes. So, it's still a LOT more than we'd planned on, but it's a huge help.

I could get on my political soapbox and ask where is regulation since we don't have competition in the power field, but my plate is just too full right now. We hope to add solar "some day", but when we looked into it at the beginning of the house project, the price is still way too high to be reasonable for a small residential project unless you are young enough to see the payback in 20 or 30 years. We aren't.

Actually, we'd hoped to build "green" in all aspects. Turned out the cost would be 30 to 50% higher. Added to already high California building costs, and it was just impossible. And, the much talked about tax credits are only a help if you are a tax bracket that makes it a good deal. Like most retirees, we aren't.

Alright, I said no soapbox. I'll quit. Here's another picture:

Notice anything about this dog? Like a leg missing?? This is Elvis who lives down the hill from us. He recently got a cancer, and his owners had his right rear leg taken off. He doesn't even seem to notice it. Still loves to fetch sticks, runs up and down the hills like always. Visits the workers at the house all the time. Elvis is a very cool dog, great personality. I'm glad his people cared enough to pop for the surgery.