Adventing

We find that we are counting down the month of December - not in anticipation of Santa, but of another miraculous event: moving in.  My parents arrive on the 27th, and we want to be in the house.

To mark the sprint, I'll try to catch the jist of our days.

December 1st -  Sunday

Milled up closet rods and stair handrail
Installed air intake pipe under wood stove - ready for first burn
Continued install of shower doors - drilled holes for thresholds, found that Jan tilted one shower curb out instead of in: will have to grind it down
Jan grouted the final pieces of base, trim and backsplash in both baths, helped with adding and subtracting integers (Uma's homework), did laundry, cleaned the Cabin

December 2nd - Monday

Continued construction of the many pieces of the closet shelving
Milled and painted trim pieces for stairway

In crawlspace, insulated bathtub plumbing and added plywood
Cleanup of back porch in anticipation of wind and cold temperatures due tonight


Jan replaced insulation in crawlspace that Peter moved to install plumbing, ordered glass for kitchen cabinet, pulls for kitchen, and talked with Doug about scheduling our blower door test, talked with the County about the Notice of Value which increases the house to $185,000, for which we'll have to pay property taxes for 2013.
Amy stopped by to see the house
Salvador dug 12" trench from house to studio, Neal laid conduit and Cat5 wire for data
At 9pm, Neal went back out to put finish on more cabinetry wood

The temperature plummets tonight.  The morning finds the ground frozen, and us grateful that we completed the insulation and ditching yesterday.

December 2nd - Tuesday

The shelves and drawers are assembled and attached, awaiting facing wood from the mainland.

The first of the kitchen backsplash tile:  purchased at the Portland architectural salvage store a year ago, this tile - by absolute chance - was formulated to match the Kohler "biscuit" finish.  Which happens to be our kitchen sink color.  Bonus!  At 50 cents a square foot, this wins the Best Find prize.

December 3rd - Wednesday

Two small things left:  the faces, and switching the door swing from 'in' to 'out'.  My first closet in 15 years:  I am inordinately thrilled.

Kitchen backsplash continues...

December 5th - Thursday

Neal heads off-island with a list; wood and supplies and fitting his new ski boots.  Several phone conversations with him from the aisles of Home Depot:  which cover plates, which mirrors, which knobs...

I install another light fixture, several outlets, and the ceiling fan motor.  Was worried about this, but turns out to be the most readable, easily followed set of directions thus far.

Made the first forays into the "Obamacare" health care plans, which must be applied for by December 25th.  Did I need another paperwork task?  Really?

December 6th - Friday

Oh - one more thing in my closet.  The base.  He put it in today.

And the trim along the ceiling in the hall.

And built the shelving for the first floor bathroom.

In the morning, I ran around putting the last of the cover plates (that are ready to be covered, anyway).  Opened Chimera Gallery at 10, and Patty agreed to cover for me between 1:30 and 3:30, so I could be at home when Doug from Sage Building Solutions came by to run our blower door test.

This is big.  It's a new requirement for permitting in San Juan County:  it's a pass/fail test for now.  If you fail the first time, you can try to improve the problems, and then pay to run the test again.  If you fail a second time, you're grandfathered in.  The idea is to start getting designers, builders, and homeowners thinking about increasing energy efficiency and ventilation.

Doug set up this unit in a doorway

 and used it to bring the pressure inside our house to 50 pascals.  Then he used this gizmo

to monitor the air flowing back into the house through cracks, openings, gaps, etc.  He also took us around the house with an infrared sensor, and on the screen we could see the 'hot spots' where cold air was entering the building.  Then he used San Juan County's formula, and determined that -

Yes!  We passed.

Whew.  This means that once Neal installs the stair railing, we can ask for our final inspection.  Since the kitchen cabinet that houses the hood exhaust (that must be installed before the backsplash, that must be installed before the stove - and still isn't scheduled to arrive before the 12th) isn't in yet, the inspector said he's willing to show that as an exception, since the duct can be in place.

December 7th - Saturday

In the morning, we decided to try a different backsplash in the upstairs bathroom.  We held up two different bathroom mirrors that he brought home, and decided to keep one and look for another.   The cellular blind samples came in the mail:  I'm rooting for them in the bedrooms and upstairs bath before we move in.

Neal puzzled over the stair railing angles and regulations.  The brackets are up, and the pieces are cut and waiting on the living room floor.

And, of course, there's a step backwards: the designated rail height means that it will cross directly in front of the light switches.  So he went to Sunset to buy a cut-in box, so he can move the switches.  What's that, Nancy?  "Another Rookie Mistake?"  Yep.

I did another kitchen backsplash session, after thawing out the tile saw pump in a bucket of warm water which I had to bring from inside the studio since the hose bibs are all frozen.  Good news is that the kitchen is warm and sun-filled, a complete contrast to the Cabin kitchen, which is dark and Cold.

After a week of freezing temperatures - odd for Lopez - the ponds have ice ready for skating.  Neal took off with his skates, a thermos of chai, his hockey stick, knee pads, and a big smile. 

December 8th - Sunday

Ponds are still frozen - and Neal's still skating! 

I set up another section of tiling in the kitchen.  Then I installed the puck lights in the upper cabinet with glass doors. 

Turned to ordering more items, anticipating slower deliveries because of the holidays.

For once, our Sunday was more like a weekend day than another work day.

Acceleration

Only halfway through November...and the progress is astounding.  Due, in part, to the arrival of the subs.

Do you hear grumbling?

No, that's just Peter the Plumber.  But check out the toilet!!

Here I'm putting the legs on the tub, so installation can begin tomorrow.

It fits!  And is that a light fixture on the ceiling? Yes, Jan has been busy.  Lights that really turn on and off, all over the house.  Notice the door, one of many already installed.

Giant sigh of relief.   Neal and I tackled the install of the first shower door and managed it.  Whew.  The warnings on the packaging are daunting.

  Back in the kitchen, Neal goes back to the demo stage, and opens up more room behind the frig, so it will sit flush with the cabinets. 

Small idea, big results.  What you can't see is the line running from the new reverse osmosis water filter to the frig.  Filtered water AND ice.  Amazing, really.

More subs!  The guys from the stone shop are back.  At 7am.  It was like Christmas.  Neal and I were practically shivering from excitement.

We still adore our granite.  Look at this inclusion!

All of the counters are in, with the sinks siliconed in place.  What a difference a morning makes...

And the next morning (yep.  at 7am), the Kinetico installer arrived with the reverse osmosis unit and the conditioning system.

Mike did brilliant work in our pumphouse.  It was a rubik's cube of a problem, and he solved it in style. 

Now we'll just find out how to fix the little leak under the counter...

Meanwhile Neal, Kenny, Salvador and David wrestle the 625 lb. woodstove onto the hearth.

And we receive our least-local item: vintage door pulls from where?  Estonia?  A prize if you can tell me where that is without going to the google!

But of course, we found them on Etsy.  Don't you love it?

Had to open the package for you...

And finally, we were about to loose it.  Oh, that's right, we DID loose it a few times.  Good thing Jan got those tickets for the ballet.  Kilian + Pite, an incredible show.  Here's an excerpt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88mnjR9ejxs

And Seattle in a glitter storm, courtesy of the hotel!

We needed that.

October Flashes By

Big Exhaltation.  Neal turned cabinet installer, and true to form managed it beautifully.

But wait - what am I remembering - is it the discovery that 33"w sink base cabinets are no longer the norm, and the sink we have chosen is too large?

Or that the upper cabinet that was supposed to support the exhaust hood puts it at the perfect height for Jan, but directly in the line of sight for Neal, who happens to do the cooking? Our cabinet supplier hadn't mentioned this detail, and we didn't think of it. So now the replacement cabinet (that we'll have to pay for ) isn't due to arrive until December 5th. And won't line up with the cabinet you see above.

Or that two base cabinets were incorrect (not our fault, and not our responsibility) ... but we had to wait to start the install until one was modified and another was shipped to us...

There are a string of petit desolations for this photo...but I'll desist.

Because in the end, it's coming together.

Interestingly, about half of the people who walk in the kitchen at this stage comment on how small it is.  The others?  "What a big kitchen!"

Next:  the Saga of the Stone begins.
It's one of our big splurges - stone for the countertops.  It was a splurge because it's something we couldn't do ourselves, and so paid others to do.

This is The Pink.  We spotted the remnant during one of our stone runs to Seattle, tucked in the corner of a fabricator's boneyard. It had been there for years, waiting for us.  It is so unusual and delightful that we came home sure that we had to use it somewhere. 

After MUCH deliberation, we decided on a remnant for one bath that was from the same shop as the kitchen stone.  Easy:  they take care of the transport, fabrication, templates, and installation.

The other bath counter, though, was from the same shop as The Pink.  So Neal built this bomber support rack (which the guys admired), and drove to Seattle with the sink and a template that he made.  Uh - drove the night before, since it had to be at the shop at 8am.

Wait.  Wasn't that also when the sink was shipped to Everett when expected, but then sat in a storage room waiting for the Lopez freight truck to make its' twice-a-week-run?  And Pete, the owner, gave Neal the codes to the gate and the storage room, advised taking a headlamp, and let him pick it up and take it with him to Seattle?

 Exhaltation:  the counter made it all the way home.  We love it.

And check out that incredible cabinet that Neal made with Margie.  More Exhaltation.

But wait.  The guys at the shop suggested that because the sink has a rolled edge, we should reduce the size of the cut-out.  Too bad no one thought to hold the sink up to the modified hole.  Drive it all the way back to Seattle to fix?

Enter the guys who are providing the kitchen counters.  These are the templates that they built to take back to their shop.  Which is in Mount Vernon - much closer than Seattle.

Back onto the truck support goes the slab, to be modified and brought back to us by the this crew.

And a few simultaneous projects:

Here's a preview of the travertine for the hearth. Here I've set it, using a grinder for the soft curved edge. 

And the bookcase is in.  Hello - Exhaltation! 

I'm taking perverse pleasure in dedicating such a prominent part of the living room to the soon-to-be-obsolete BOOK.

Exhaltation Desolation Exhaltation Desolation Exhaltation

You get the picture.  It's been a ride since I last wrote on August 31.

"How's the house coming?" people ask.
"I thought we were working hard on it before", starts my most frequent response "but now it has taken over."

A typical day: up early (OK:  early for us),  breakfast, straight into the house.  I'm mainly installing the electrical trim-out, Neal is finishing up the thousands of pieces of wood that have to be cut, planed, sanded, varnished, and installed.  In the afternoon I leave to go to work, he stays in the house.  At the end of the work day I run with the horse, Neal runs with himself, and then we're back in the house.  He leaves to start dinner at 8 or so, and I come in at 8:30 to eat.  I finish washing the dishes by 9:30, and then we collapse on the sofa for a few minutes before bed.  We've become big fans of series reruns like Northern Exposure or Downton Abbey:  one episode to clear our brains, then it's off to bed.

And happily for all, that's all the details I'll give.

Instead, here are some images that illustrate the swings from extreme pleasure (we did it, look at that!) to desolation (one more problem to research, make numerous phone calls about, and take steps to reverse  --  or just learn to live with).

I'll start with September.

Starting with the most difficult tiles - the ones hanging against gravity -

and the shower base.  To be determined:  will it drain correctly?

Limestone wall tiles hung, but not grouted.

 Shower completed and grouted

What a joy, to do the second bathroom!  Not a question of the 'first time' anymore, and I manage installation of the under-floor heating quickly and more precisely.  Will it work?  We'll see.

The travertine remnants we bought for $3.50/square foot laid up beautifully. Now I've done the grouting and the first coat of sealant.  No base in yet.

 Elsewhere, the tinkertoys have changed a bit.  Now we have kitchen components in the living room, trim begun but not completed.  And is that green on the back wall?  Hm, seems to be a different color these days.

 After Neal's stint on San Juan assisting a master cabinet maker in her workshop, here is the first of the components that he installs -  part of the bookcase in the living room.  A big wow for us, to see cabinetry come into the house.

Hack Rabbit

Before I met Neal, if you had asked me - "Rabbit or Turtle?", I'd have known without thinking: Rabbit.

Ha.

Compared with this Aquarian, I'm just a hack.  And he, at this (after dark, after hours) moment, is embodying bunny, bunny of the plaster.  Here's why.

 

Orange plaster in the bedroom?   Blue plaster in the bedroom?  These are early phases.

This was in late July, when two walls were transformed into the final finish -  a custom, sumptuous plaster.  One of the ingredients is melted olive oil soap, which makes a smooth, glass-like texture on the burnished areas. While "chocolate leather" may not remind you of walls, we find it hugely satisfying, and love what he's created.

Then he worked on the flooring, went to Hornby, worked a bit, visited with relatives, and this week took the girls to the mountains for a few days.  On his first day back we had a meeting about Uma's back-to-school, and I came home at 8:30 pm to find this:

A new pile dominating Neal's studio, which is part of our interior door order.

And a midnight plasterer (with his trusty shadow), finishing the bedroom.

In this video, the (just released) Bowie tune perfects the scene.

The photo doesn't begin to show the quality of the plaster...or the amount of sheer intention it takes to mix, lay up and burnish...but Neal pulls it off.

a little B & E in the morning

So, while Neal was back up on Hornby, I was - where? As usual, here on Lopez.  The cat was pleased.

But I did get in some solid tiling sessions.

Because the wood flooring had fresh finish on it, there was only one way to get in the bathroom:  through the window.  So I set up a ladder, and crawled in and out, in and out.  Here's a shot through the window that shows the kickstep for the vanity, and the primer that I painted on the floor.

These are the cardboard dams that I built to contain the floor leveling compound.

And here's why:  we're splurging on heating elements under the tile, for our damp and chilly (9 month long) 'temperate' season.  Here they are, held in place with a glue gun.  I did this on a Saturday morning.  And found out that one of the blue tubes the electricians installed in the wall for the wiring (look to the left in this photo) did not end in the wall box.  Uh-oh.  Now what do I do?

I ended up taping the wire to the wall, and waiting until Monday.  And finding out that the wire exits under the box, not in it.  Well, the upstairs bathroom will be easier.

Then, two bags of leveling compound.  Much easier to use than I expected...how often can we say that??

The travertine floor tile, fully installed (four sessions later) but not grouted.

Here's the shower pan with grouting complete on the left side.  Looks nice with grout!

And here's a photo of the completed floor, grouted and sealed.  The photo looks plain, the actual is fabulous.  We love it.