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Due to the immense pressure of some blog readers in Syracuse, NY (you know who you are), we left Massachusetts a day early so I could update the blog. |
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OK, actually, we left because of the threatening weather forecast, and it's a good thing we did. It's really starting to take shape. We're gaining a lot of outdoor space. These roof overhangs will be over a cedar deck. |
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| All Reuben wanted for Christmas was a new squeaky toy... |
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| ...or two... |
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| We were wrapped up in plastic, which lent an ethereal effect when the sun burst through. |
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| The dogwood tree at the front corner... |
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| And ladders... |
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And believe it or not, much work was accomplished in spite of the tranquil nature of the previous photos. |
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On Monday, they installed the slider in the dining room that looks into the courtyard garden (the center panel slides to the left). |
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They also installed the tall window in the adjacent wall (Jack's looking at the sliders shown above). We had been a little concerned that this room felt so big, but it's definitely feeling more cozy now. |
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| Work was also done on the rafters for the roof section that will extend over the decking-to-be. |
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On Friday, they had installed the sliding glass door (to the far right) in the living room. Today, they installed the rest of the living room windows. I guess we'll have to start dressing better. |
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Reuben is still trying to figure this out. I don't think he realizes that he can now monitor the sidewalk for other dogs. It's now MUCH warmer and quieter. Aaaah. |
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Unforunately, we realized that the melted snow on the roof is now running over the exposed wood on the outside, which is not yet sealed. So the guys are on their way over to wrap us back up again. I don't think it will be Tyvek, though... |
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Oh my lord, we have some windows. They installed the three windows that look into the courtyard from the new hallway. |
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And this is looking at them from the new dining room. We got an inch or two of snow, which naturally was blowing through the front opening onto the raw wood on the interior before it's sealed. I was the little obsessive-compulsive freak, running out of the kitchen with a hand towel every 20 minutes to wipe the snow off it, until we agreed on a way to protect the wood till it's sealed... They'll be so glad to be rid of me! |
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On Wednesday, I was still anxiously awaiting the arrival of the windows. It's been VERY cold and VERY windy. And when Tyvek flaps in the wind, it is LOUD. |
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And then the angels sang, the sun came out and this is what I found outside - THE LOEWEN TRUCK! A religious experience, indeed. |
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| Now we have windows and doors in the new dining room... |
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| ...and in the living room. Yay! |
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On Thursday, the house was buzzing with activity. They removed the form around the hearth. We'll have to decide how to deal with the little cavities and imperfections. |
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The concrete is flush with the stone surround on the sides. The front cinderblock suface will be covered with either tinted stucco or plaster. |
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| They put in most of the plumbing required - this is where the second kitchen sink will be. |
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| They had to remove part of the flooring to do the plumbing and adding ducting for heat and A/C. |
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| More flooring removed for ductwork here... |
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| ...and here... |
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| ...and a new heating vent! Please forgive all the excitement over heating vents - it's been cold! |
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| They also installed the SpecLam panels that provide a bit of slope for runoff. |
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| And playing catch-up on my part, they had installed a stone front door sill... |
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...and we're loving our beautiful plywood door. We haven't completely figured out the problem with mortar color yet. |
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We've had a very slow week housewise (again), but we had a very fruitful meeting on Tuesday, so I think everyone's off cogitating. Reuben's results from his biopsies have all been benign, but we're into our fourth week of stitches, and I just can't stand the fraying Rusted Root or Michelle Shocked t-shirts (both mine) on Reuben anymore to keep him away from the stitches. All the neighbors thought I was trying to make a cheap doggy coat. So I finally gave into the Petco fashion arena. Sheila thinks it's "too girly." Maybe it's too "fetching".... (which Reuben certainly wouldn't find to be a problem!) |
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But I think he's looking ready for his next Pilates class. Unfortunately, he can't be groomed until two weeks after his last stitches are removed. After just having seen the musical Hair at the Kennedy Center, his hairdo is seeming fitting to me. Are the '70's back in style by any chance? |
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| The good news is that the living room side of the house stayed dry on Tuesday. |
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| The kitchen side, unfortunately, did not. |
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| But I'm loving our version of a "kitchen island." I suppose "kitchen capsule" really is more accurate. |
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| After a very quiet week, they came back on Monday and put the firebrick in the firebox. |
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| The hearth has been drying very, very slowly, which has been kind of interesting to watch. |
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| And the stonework on either end of the fireplace is in place. |
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| They also removed the floorboards in the old front hallway, and the wall surface on the right. |
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On Tuesday, while we were busily visiting the Fairfax County Government Center, hoping we'd discovered the magical formula that cures the need to install a $17,000 drainage ditch, they poured the concrete. I'm kind of sorry we missed a chance to see and photograph the pour. That's a LOTTA concrete. |
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| Wet concrete... |
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| And inside the firebox, this wooden structure frames out where the linear gas burner will be installed. |
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| They thought they were going to pour concrete on Monday, but it didn't come to pass. |
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| But they did beef up the rebar infrastructure. |
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And they framed and rebarred (sp?) the back door stoop. This was originally supposed to have a 24-inch downturn, but when the soil turned up too soft, they wound up going down 8 feet. When the apocaplypse hits, our back stoop will be happily intact. Reuben is marveling at the engineering. |
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It's been a very slow week housewise, but a crazy busy week in almost every other way. On Friday, they removed another portion of the driveway... |
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| ...and prepared the spot where the back stoop will be poured. |
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| Barking for buddies... |
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No work was done this day as it rained all day. Also, Reuben was scheduled for surgery to remove two lumps, one from his back and one on the side of his neck. So here he is on a happier day, with his trusty girlfriends, Stella (left) and Lacey (right). |
