Quite a night!

It was an interesting night. Quite unexpectedly, the lingerings of Hurricane Dean made their way up & over us. We had a really good thunder & lightning show last night, and a decent amount of rain. There was a little over 1/4" of water in the dog bowls this morning. It was also in the 60's, so quite balmy. It was kinda neat being in the new house hearing the rain sounds. One thing I noticed - there is a skylight in the bathroom now so the rain is really audible in the bedroom. That's OK, I like the sound.

Also, of course, we put a bunch of open & mostly used paint cans outside to dry out. Naturally, the night we put them out is the first night it's rained since April. Figures!

I managed to ding the floor myself this morning. Not sure what I did (that's why they are called "accidents" right?) but the coffee pot ended up bouncing off the floor (it's a metal carafe). The handle broke on the first impact, and landed with a screw facing down on the 2nd. Oh well. I'll always remember that coffee maker, right?

We unpacked a bit more last night and found a few bathmats and the bed side lamps. Not that we got them plugged in, but at least we know where they are. We also found the drum pendant for the living room which the electrician needed to put up, so that was good.

Oh, and we found a mystery light switch. In the office, by the garage door, there are two light switches. For the life of us, we can't figure out what they do. We'll have to ask the electrician if he remembers the next time he is over...

the first box

So this was actually Sunday, but here was the first box to get unpacked. Five kitchen boxes have been emptied now and we are trying to figure out where to put stuff...

Ahh, home sweet home

Well, it was a busy weekend. We really haven't done much unpacking, just a few kitchen boxes. We have a fair amount of stuff we had been carting from house to house, and we are presently dealing with all of that. It's going to take a while to figure out where to put stuff in the new kitchen, etc. Yesterday, we worked on a few of the sprinklers in the back yard that weren't quite right. We wanted to make sure the system was working properly so we can keep the sod watered & healthy. So far it's looking really good.

It's interesting being back in the house. In many ways, it seems so familiar. The layout is basically the same and the "travel patterns" moving through the house are similar. But, the look & feel of the house is so different. I notice the living room the most. When I walk in the front door, the living room seems so big! For now, we've just put the living room furniture where it was. There aren't too many placement options and it seems to work, but we'll see.

We need to coordinate with the electrician. They have to do a bit of work before the final so one day this week we'll need to get them into the house.

As I was opening a few kitchen boxes, I chuckled at what objects made me happy. The best find was the bowl I like to eat cereal out of. None of the places we've lived had the right bowls for cereal (personal preference, I'm sure) and this morning I thoroughly enjoyed my Wheaties in the proper bowl. That's the way to start a week out!

A couple of people have asked (and for all I know, only a couple of people read this) and I'm going to continue posting for a while. There is still much work to do setting stuff up and a few things to finish off with the house, so for a while, I'll keep posting, and try to add pictures as well.

Home

The dogs dont care the furniture isn't in its final position. They are just happy to be HOME! I have to say, we feel the same way :-)

the movers are gone

Almost everything is here, just a few things across the street and next door. As we guessed, some of the furniture doesn't fit but we'll figure it out. Now to start opening boxes. Thanks to Mr. Kimball for helping!

fire bowl

Waiting for the movers, just putting up window covering & putting in some shelf liner. The phone is back on and the cable guy should be here soon...

Final, not so final

Well, the building inspector found a couple of things to tweak before they will sign off. It does not affect us moving in tomorrow, but they are things that have to be dealt with. We had to call the fire district to schedule a fire inspection. Also, it looks like, somehow, the hot tub wasn't on the original plans, so even though it is existing, they may make us get a permit for it. We also have to change the emergency cut off on the hot tub too. That's it, which the inspector says is an incredibly small list. He also said that Steve, our builder, is the best in town. But, we already knew that :)

Backyard 2.0

The sod is in and it looks good. For some reason though, the guy installing it also put some into one of the planting beds. Go figure. Not a big deal; it's a very small space and we'll just yank it out today.

The plumbers were on site yesterday but need to come back today to install the toilet seats and hook up the fridge. Speaking of the fridge, all the appliances are in the kitchen now black/stainless steel. We did a stove switch-a-roo (selling ours & buying another used one) and now have a black & stainless model. We also had to buy a new microwave, which is stainless, and we've been working on a (rather complicated) procedure to turn our white dishwasher black. The idea was to try and find an inexpensive way to change the color of the appliances. So far, it's worked out, but we still have a white fridge. Oh well, we can live with that for now, it works fine.

Most of the quarter round is in, and I *hope* they are finishing that today. They also need to get to the wine rack today. I finished sealing the guest bath last night, and I got the kitchen & master bath grout sealed. Still have to do the entry & office floor.

The Pod comes today, and the movers come tomorrow at 2:00. Truth be told, we could use a few more days, but that's always the case with life, isn't it? I think we are going to work on the garage again tonight so we have room to store overflow furniture & boxes until we need them.

One night left!

Keepin' busy

Last night, I left work a bit early and jammed home so I could meet the head carpenter before he left. We needed to talk about how the wine rack was going to get framed in. I think we got it squared away. During the day, they had taped paper over most of the floor to protect it for the next few days while they are finishing inside. That was nice to see. About 1/4 of the quarter round was installed and it's looking good. I have a feeling we may not get the sod until next week, but we'll see.

I spent quite a while sealing the limestone in the master bath. Boy, that was an ugly job. The sealer is really stinky, and destroyed the thin rubber gloves I was wearing, so I had it all over my hands by the time I was done. It looks good though, but I want to do another coat on the shower floor pebbles. Tonight, I do the guest bath. It should be easier because that limestone is not as absorbent.

I also cleaned up the fridge because the plumber is supposed to be installing all the appliances today. The gas company came & turned the gas back on, and the cable & phone are on Friday. We are getting there, but still so much to do! FYI - Decker had three lumps removed last week and the biopsy came back negative, so he's just fine. However, dealing with the D-dog wearing a giant cone is a major PITA. He's managed to get out of it several times and done some major licking, but no suture removal yet. Another week of the cone and he'll be liberated from it...

And I keep forgetting - but a shout out to Cinn - who's now teaching High School English after many years of Jr. High. Hope her first week is going well!

Making progress

I was at the house working until about 9:30 last night. I got both the bathrooms cleaned so I can seal the stone tonight. I also assembled the wine rack, but I need to talk to the carpenters about installing it as it's going to need some trim work to make it look right. I got the remaining light fixtures ready for the electrician to install as well. They are working at the house today and I hope that they get all the quarter round put in on the floor. The sod is also supposed to go in today. I left the guys quite a list of things to so they should be busy all day. Three nights left before we'll be home!

I finally christened the outdoor shower on Sunday. The waves were really small, but it was such a nice day I went surfing anyway. The hot water had been shut off since Friday because they had to turn the gas off for the fumigation, but there was still enough warm water. It was really nice :) I'm definitely spoiled now....

The circus has left town

They took the tent down yesterday. I thought it would stay up the entire time, but apparently not. We still can't go in the house until tomorrow afternoon, but at least I can have access to the yard. I need to install pressure reducers in the drip system, so I can do that today. One of the builder's workers used to do landscaping and he finished up the sprinkler/drip system for us. Overall, he did a good job, but he did neglect the pressure reducers. Not a big deal, that's something I can do myself.

I bought another brand of enhancer/sealer for all the limestone and am going to try a sample of it today. The first one we got from the builder seemed to heavy. We also tried a "natural" look sealer, but it truly was invisible. So, I'll try this other brand today and see how it goes. If it looks good, I'll start sealing the master bath tomorrow night.

I've posted a before & after pic for you, just so you can remember how far we've come! They two pictures aren't exactly the same view, but they give you the general idea...

Hey, the circus is in town!

Not really, it's just our house. The tent went up yesterday and our house is basking in toxins until Monday afternoon. Kind of creepy, but a necessity along the coast where termites are a fact of life. We had active termite activity before tearing the house apart, and it was the builders recommendation to wait until we were done before tenting. Hopefully, we won't have problems down the road, but that's probably just wishful thinking.

The floors are done and they look great. I couldn't be happier. Tuesday will be a busy day at the house, with the carpenters back on site putting in the "shoe," which is the quarter round molding at the edge of the wood floor. Because our slab is so uneven, it was the builder's recommendation that we not put the baseboards in over the floor. His thought was that it would be too uneven & there would be a range in gap sizes. While we would have preferred the look of just floor & baseboards, the quarter round will be fine. The electrician will also be there putting up a few more light fixtures, and the plumber should be on site plumbing the fire bowl and putting on toilet seats.

We are still on track for next Friday. The final inspection is on Thursday and we are not expecting any problems. I can't believe it's down to less than a week!

I'm on ur floor and luvin it

Well, the last major step is well underway. They made really good progress today, and they *think* they might even finish on Friday. It's not a big deal if they go until Monday, but Friday would be nice. The wood is Maple, and this is what's called "character grade," meaning it has lots of knots, sap wood & grain. We did not want plain, blonde maple, but something with some verigation & character to it. This looks perfect! Plus, Maple is really hard so it should wear well.

In other news, the bamboo in the backyard is gone. While it was clumping and easy to control, as it gets older, the new stalks are really big and it was moving into the lawn. Plus, we didn't realize how messy bamboo is. It was constantly shedding. That said, we still loved it, but felt it was best for it to go. We'll replace it with some kind of small scale tree, but not sure yet.

The sprinklers are coming along well, and we might even have sod by the end of the week. Yikes - all of a sudden it looks like a house! I put a few more pictures up in the gallery...

So we don't have a cat. It's still funny..

The wood floor install is underway. I'll try to get a pic or two tonight.

In the mean time, enjoy this LolCat. You can see others here LolCats

Not the gravel we wanted

Well, everything can't go smoothly can it? I got home yesterday to find that this was the gravel they spread all over the place. It's not at all what we wanted. It basically looks like dirt with rocks in it. Granted, they had dumped the pile in the yard last week, and we thought it looked a bit heavy on the DG (decomposed granite) but we figured it was just what had settled in the bottom of the dump truck. It's about 75% DG which is not what we want, at all. So, now we will pay to have a bunch of it removed and taken away (after paying for it to be delivered & spread) and then buy some other gravel to go on top. Oh well. We aren't dealing with real money any more anyway ;-)

The floor installers were here yesterday working hard, and they are ready to put down the moisture barrier today. They'll start on the wood tomorrow, and will probably have to come back Monday to finish up. We are still looking good for the 24th.....

I put some new photos in the gallery if you are interested...

A few firsts

Well, a couple of firsts this weekend, even though we aren’t in the house yet. The hot tub is full & warmed up, and we’ve already used it twice. We have been missing it for seven months now and it was great to be able to use it. We saw a bit of the Perseid meteor shower last night while soaking. Also, the BBQ is hooked up & we took it for the inaugural grill last night (Johnsonville Brawts & Zucchini). How nice not to worry about the propane running out. Just turn the valve on & endless gas. Love it. And lastly, the washer & dryer are hooked up so we did a few loads of laundry.

Riley figure out how to get out of the yard of the house we are staying in, so we spent some time using a variety of materials to secure the place (an old door, some old shutters, a piece of lattice, some bird netting, and some wire. While it doesn’t do much for the appearance of the house, it seems to work.

I’ve attached another pic of the entry way tile. It came out really nice. All the tile is done & grouted, and unless we find a problem, the tile guy is done. Thanks Scott – great job!

We spent quite a bit of time installing some of the sprinkler lines on Saturday. We are trying to take advantage of the spaces between the concrete to run pipes in. This saves quite a bit of digging. They are going to start spreading the gravel today, so we really wanted to have everything run that we could. I think we did ok. I did take more pictures over the weekend, and will try and updated the album tonight.

Two weeks and counting...

We are still looking good for the 24th. The wood floor guy is supposed to start today and should be finished by the end of next week, which is the last major thing. There are lots of smaller things to finish up, but they are moving along.

The tile setter just got this set & cut last night. it's the entry way, and the wood floor will butt right up against it. The height looks just about right, so we are hoping for a really smooth transition between the two materials. It should look really nice. It's the same tile as the office. You can't see the texture in this photo, which is kind of odd, but it's there.

In other local news, the Von's in Morro Bay is closing. Apparently, it's not for lack of business, but the company is converting all their stores to a "Marketplace" concept and this store isn't big enough. It seems strange to me they would close a good store, but what do I know. We'll miss it. The space is rented to somebody else, but they aren't saying. We can always hope for a Trader Joes, but since they just opened a third one in the county, I doubt it.

Still don't know where the battery charger is for the camera. I'll try and find it this weekend and get some better pictures.

More updates

Here's a not-so-hot phone picture of the front gate. I can't find the battery charger and until I do, the regular camera is DOA. Regardless, this is so cool! I love the gate. You can see our builder is really into details & the Craftsman style, but he also managed to make this a little more contemporary. I love it. It still needs to be stained. The lock on it is an electronic keypad with a deadbolt so we can enter & leave the yard and keep it completely secure. Not really important where we live, security wise, but we always feel more comfortable knowing somebody can't just open the gate & let the dogs out.

Spent the first night in the neighbors house last night which is very strange. As most of you know, their house is/was almost identical to ours. They were both built with the same floor plan at the same time. Theirs, however, still retains all the knotty pine & old features. It's a blast from the past, and really makes me realize how much the small amount of space we added to ours impacts the space.

Master Bath

You can see the glass tile & limestone here. The back splash is taller than we thought it would be, but it's fine. The same tile will be used as a "liner" (decorative strip) at about eye level in the shower.

The house numbers are up - they look really cool, and the front gate is in. I'll post more pictures as the week goes on. Stuff is happening fast & furious lately, I like that!

News Flash....

No, the house isn't done. But....we are moving again! Another set of neighbors (who's house we haven't stayed in yet) has offered us their house starting tomorrow through August 24th. Needless to say, we said yes. It will be easier to have a place to our own for the next few weeks and it's as close to our house as you could be without being in our yard :) For those of you in the know, it's the house just to the west of ours - the one that used to be a fairly identical twin to ours. No longer...

So, tomorrow is move #7, but it should be an easy one, just schlepping a few boxes across the street. My remote sources tell me there were some nice additions to the house today, so I'll try and snag a few photos tonight for an update....

Front details

Jeff spent quite a bit of time cleaning up in the yard the other day. He moved all the old potted plants that were stored in the back yard around to the other side. We need to get an estimate for sod so this was necessary. In moving stuff around, he brought the pot we use as a fountain back to the front. I think it looks good. You can see here where the bench will go, to the left of the pot.

The tile setter has been working seven days a week and is making good progress. One of the builder's guys has been helping him and I think that moves it along well. He might be done by Wednesday, it's hard to say. The wood floor guy can't come in until the tile guy is done, and I think it's going to take the wood floor guy a week. So, you know what that means, right? It's highly unlikely we'll move in on the 10th. I would say the 17th is the earliest possible now. We are living across the street with our very generous neighbor Richard. We are trying to be good house guests!

We've got a few questions for the electrician and have only noticed a couple of problems so far. We had to use 4" can lights because of the depth of the ceilings and they are not super bright, but I think they will work. We have some really nice exterior lights, but they can't go up until after the building inspection. We have fluorescent bulbs to put in them, but because they *could* take incandescent, they aren't code.

At this point, we are so over budget it's not even funny. We are pretty much out of money, which is fairly stressful because we still have a number of things to pay for. We'll make it, I'm just not looking forward to the payments when we are done. But it will all be worth it, right? I posted a bunch of new pictures to the photo album. Enjoy!

More tile

This is the guest bath again, with the glass liner & pebble floor in place. It is not grouted yet, and the pebbles are not sealed. We are leaning toward having the pebbles sealed with a "wet" look so they will be darker, but aren't sure yet. I feel better about the limestone now that the glass tile & the floor is in. The floor really helps ground the shower to the room. You can't really see the floor in this photo. We've been trying to take photos at the house, but there have been so many people working it's been difficult. This weekend, I'll take a bunch & post them.

We move again today, back across the street to our neighbors, but this time, they are not on vacation. So, we are going to try and be good house guests for a week....or two.....

And now for something completely different...

This is not our new back yard. Steph & Greg are in town, so we took a day off. I had always wanted to hike out onto San Simeon Point and this is the view going out. The views on the hike are absolutely amazing. The sun was shining, it was warm, we saw a Cormorant rookery, I could go on. This is just a photo from my cell phone, so it doesn't do it justice, but the next time you visit, you can expect a hike here. It's beautiful.

In house news: the guest bath is almost done. Now that the limestone is on the floor & the glass tile is in, I'm liking it. It does look different than I anticipated, but I think it's looking really cool. The cabinet guy was here working on the kitchen. He's got almost all the trim in, and the microwave is installed. The range hood is in (he didn't do it) but it's not quite right.

The electricians have been busy and most of the can lights & other fixtures are in, as are the plugs & outlets. We got to turn on some of the lights yesterday - amazing! The hot tub is hooked up & we can get it cleaned and filled. Actually, until the gate is done, we won't do that.

All in all, things are moving along. I don't think we'll hit next weekend (the 11th) but we are sure getting close. Today is our last day back in this house, then it's off to our neighbors for a week.