September 1, 2009: Final prep for concrete

On Monday, I made it out to the house after work. The brickers had been there to finish off the arch modifications and to support moving an outlet. In the meantime the last of the forms for the concrete were put in as well as the supporting rebar. Some light interior work also went on which I mostly didn't take pictures of (second coat of paint in the garage, some polish on the granite, veneer on the railings).

I hadn't taken this a picture from this location in a while so I thought I would. This is from the tree on the northeast corner. Basically all that's left on the outside of the house now is pouring concrete and seeding (and a couple minor things).

How did the water cross the sidewalk? A little French drain.

Forms for concrete pads on the west side of the house. The closer one is for propane, the one further back is for the air exchangers.

Forms for a little pad outside the basement door. Eventually this will expand when we build the deck, but that'll be a while.

Another view of the basement forms and the forms for the garage stoop.

We're going to eventually have lights out by the driveway entrance controllable from the foyer so wiring is running underneath the sidewalk.

If you look for the off colored brick you can see where the outlet originally was (about chest high).

Some panels on the master tub. They're supposed to be doors, however, for access to controls and shutoff and such.

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August 27, 2009: Granite and front steps

On Thursday, we went to the house twice. Once during lunch to meet with the granite guys and then again in the evening to inspect the results and go on a walk. Work was also proceeding on the sidewalk and the front steps had gone in on Wednesday.

The granite in the kitchen in the evening after installation (all in). Preethi's playing "find the seam".

Your turn to find the seam. I promise it's there. What is easier to see is where the installers intentionally tore out a little drywall. Basically, the granite is perfectly straight, but drywall is not and if you'll be putting in a backsplash you can cover over the hole later.

Earlier in the installation process with the granite around the sink and dishwasher going in.

Same piece as in the preceding pic, but just after being dropped in (not yet glued and the sink has not yet been attached).

The granite around the sink post installation.

A closer view of the island. The island has a 1/4" bevel edge while the rest of the granite has a pencil edge. (granite edge types)

Another view of the installed granite in the kitchen.

We also put granite on top of fireplace. Oddly, the granite and the crown was cheaper than a traditional mantle piece.

The brickers were back installing the front steps the day before and while they were there I asked them how hard it would be to tear out some bricks rebrick a part which I thought didn't look right. (see the vertical line in the mortar in this picture). Turns out it's not that hard for the masons to knock out selected bricks and re-lay a few.

Preethi, Danny, and W.D. discuss the exact path of the sidewalk during lunch.

The sidewalk later that night. The curved wood is actually masonite.

This is mostly to see the bricked floor in the entryway. Still has to be cleaned.

Dan drops off a fresh load of dirt to build up the support around the piers that will support the garage backdoor pad.

Dirt filling in around the pillars. Eventually, the concrete blocks will be covered.

Glass samples we were considering for the cabinets. The left is "ridged" the right is "bubble". We're going with the ridged.

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