Driveway and Grading Completed

These first photos are taken from the road. You can see how Paul brought the topsoil up to meet the level of the driveway. He also smoothed out the ground, getting rid of the divots and ruts left over from construction.


These next two photos show the same stretch of the driveway from two different vantage points. The photo on the left is taken from the straight section in front of the garage, looking toward the road. The photo on the right is taken from the straight section to which the upper parking area connects, looking toward the back yard.


The photo on the left here shows the side porch in a view similar to the photo above, just closer. Paul also removed some small trees and the concrete slab that Sara's shed stood on. The photo on the right shows what the back yard looks like now. This photo was taken from the western corner of the house, which is in the back on the side near the row of leyland cypress trees.

These photos could almost be stitched together. The one on the left does not show the full depth of the upper parking space, but the one on the right shows the curve of the driveway toward the space. I think the design that Don put into the connection to the walkway worked out very nicely.

Driveway

It has been a long time since I have posted last, mostly because we have been busy getting settled in the house and the spring semester has been underway. Now that the semester is over, though, things are a more reasonable pace. So here is the driveway! All of these photos are from after the first day of pouring.
The left picture shows the upper parking area looking about from the corner of the front porch.
The upper right photo shows the same area from the concrete pad (which had been poured months ago) at the bottom of the front porch steps. Don suggested the design at the end of the parking area, and I think that adds a lot.
The picture to the right here shows the driveway from the street. On the left of the photo you can see the section that they waited until the following day to pour. In the center you may be able to make out the lower parking area at the end of the driveway, after the garage area.

This is the master bath vanity; it is quartersawn oak. A sample of the granite we plan to use is on the right front edge.

Here is the children's bathroom vanity, which is birch.

Here is the guest bath vanity.

This is the utility room cabinetry. The washer and dryer will go underneath the counter. The laundry chute comes down just outside this room.

On the left is the view of the kitchen from the dining/living area. The cabinets here are quartersawn oak. On the right is the wall of the kitchen which is not visible in the other picture. At the right side of the picture on the right is the entry into the dining area.

This is a close-up of the corner cabinets from the left above picture.

Tom has been working on our tile for more than a week. Now it is nearly done.

This is the master shower, done using Rialto white and beige.

In the master shower, the grout is all that remains to be done. That will probably happen early next week, then the bamboo installers can start sanding and putting on the first coat of finish.

This is the children's bathroom. We asked Tom to do the glass accents on the floor to add some fun to the room. I am very happy with it and, thankfully, the children are too. The tile here is Marble Grey, whereas the tile in the guest bath and the utility room (see below) is its cousin, Marble Beige.

Here is the finished tile in the guest bath.

The tile and grout in the utility room are the same.

We used multicolor slate in the side entry. The original sample we had was in the blue/gray/green range, but when they picked up the materials to do the job it was a red/brown/orange batch. Tom showed it to us, since it was different from our sample, and we decided to go with it. I think it looks very nice, and will compliment the bamboo nicely.

Finishing begins

Here is the vertical, unfinished bamboo which is in the living room, dining room, kitchen, main level hallway, office, master bedroom, and hub. We've asked them to finish it with three coats of tung oil based Waterlox Original Finish & Sealer.

This is the master bedroom. The paint here (as well as in the guest bathroom, utility room, boy's room, play area, and children's bathroom) is Sherwin Williams' Meditative.

Here is the view from the dining room into the living room. The paint here (as well as in the office) is Sherwin Williams' Ruskin Room Green.

Here it is with the exterior paint 80% done or so. Since the sun was behind the house, the colors did not come through the best in the picture. The board and batten siding is Sherwin Williams' Roycroft Bronze Green, the lap siding is their Weathered Shingle, and the trim is a match they did to the Integrity by Marvin Stone White windows.

A lot can happen in a month and a half

Here is some of what has been completed of the interior trim. Time is short, so I cannot add more photos now, but hopefully this gives an idea of how far things have come!

Here are two front views. The siding is done, the columns are on, and we are very happy with how it looks!
There is a month-long gap here, but for now I am just going to skip ahead to recent photos.

MONTH
G A P <-- See the month-long gap?
The fixtures for the guest bath shower are in.

The fireplace is in, but bricks are not yet installed.

The framing around the HVAC ductwork is done.

Here is the chimney.

I have not posted in a couple of weeks. During that time there was a a little bit of a lull but, as you can see below, things were getting done. This week the plan is for the fireplace to be installed on Monday, the gas lines to be run on Tuesday, and the rough-in inspection to be completed on Wednesday. Perhaps by the end of the week the insulation will be underway!

The concrete for the front porch floor is poured.

Here you can see the flashing that Doug put in beforehand.

Here is what the duct work for the upper level looks like now. This picture was taken from the playroom near the attic entry door.

This is the upper level tub/shower, with the shower head, tub spout, valve, and trim installed.

The plumbing in the master shower is in.

Jim framed in the ceiling below the duct work on the lower level, so it can be covered with sheetrock.

Here is where the electric energy meter will go.

Here, in the workshop, is the electrical panel.

It is somewhat hard to see, but the air handler for upstairs is in above the bedroom with the double windows.

Here is where the heating and air ductwork going to the back of the house comes through the crawlspace wall.

The washer and dryer hookups are in, and in the background the main bathroom shower is visible.

The fireplace framing is done (taken June 18th), and the fireplace itself is scheduled to be installed on Monday (June 29th).