Paving Done

The paving was finished by last Saturday when we went down to the house to check-in with our contractor.  The parking pad now has room for a big van or the big pickup trucks that are so popular in Calvert County.  Or if we park our two cars close to the front edge, there is room for a car to park across the pad behind them.  These are all things we have to think about with limited room for parking.

Here is the front porch and walk.  There will be cedar planks covering the posts. The porch light is also in place with some adjustments needed. 

Our contractor filled in the low areas with top soil, and scattered grass seed and straw.  I didn't have the heart to tell him I don't want a lawn there. 

The tile has continued to be installed.  Most exciting is to see the marble tile for the fireplace.  It looks wonderful, with a wonderful grain to it.  Hidden by all the junk is the tile on the floor. 

You are wondering what those square black things are.  They are metal posts screwed into the framing behind the wall which will hold the two mantels.  There will be holes drilled into the back of the mantels, which are then slid onto the posts, and a screw from the bottom to lock them in place.  The mantels will be cut out of cedar slabs, with the lower one as wide as the marble, and the upper one several inches in on the sides and shallower.

Here is a view of the Great Room from the Sun Porch, currently the carpenter's workshop, with lots of saw dust and scattered tools. 

We had no problems driving down to the house and back.  We were not sure how aggressive the police would be challenging people moving around.  Hopefully there will be no need to stop work since there are usually only 2-3 people working at the house at any one time. 

Late Breaking News

We just got pictures from our contractor of the kitchen counters.  They were installed this afternoon. 

They are really looking good. 

It has been a very productive week.

The kitchen backsplash tile is supposed to arrive on Monday.

Moving Along

A few days ago our contractor sent this picture of the completed sidewalk. It brightened up what you can see was a very rainy day.  Now it is very clear how to find the front door, and it is only two steps up to the porch. 

On the right are the stacks of pavers for the parking pad. 

They could not do any work yesterday because of the steady rain throughout the day.  When we arrived early this morning, they were setting a drain, filling and leveling the crushed rock layer. 

Looking from the street into the parking pad, it is surprising how much slope is visible from side to side.  They are creating a reverse slope away from the house to stop water from piling up in the corner.  We hope it will further reduce any water coming into the basement. 

Inside the house, the porcelain tile is going in, such as the bathroom here.  Both bathrooms are done. The front hall is done and looks fantastic.  I will get a picture when the front door can be opened. The office was being grouted as we were leaving today.  The sun porch needed to get "floated" to level a very uneven floor.  That was still drying today. 

While we were there, David sorted through all of the marble tile for the wall behind the fireplace.  He wanted particular tiles for certain places.  I couldn't tell the difference, but I am sure he is right.  They were planning to put that up today.

Finally, the upper cabinets over the island in the kitchen were installed.  While I was anxious they may be too low and bulky, I am happy to say they look great.  They are too high for everyday use, but will be convenient for larger serving pieces.

The counters are supposed to get installed this afternoon. 

Parking Pad and Sidewalk Started

Even though Covid-19 has closed down many businesses, construction workers continue to work. With only a few on site on any day, there is less danger of spreading the virus.  Our contractor has noted that most of his crew live paycheck by paycheck.  If he was forced to stop work because of state or federal rules, he is commitmented to provide them with some income throughout any shut down.  We appreciate his commitment and hope he doesn't need to do that.

The new parking pad and front sidewalk are going in. I am glad we visited Saturday, because I had to remind them to run the drain pipe from the corner downspout into the drain line running across the front of the house.  But they can easily fix it once the concrete is cured.

The front porch and door are now prominent on the house, with a nice wide sidewalk leading up to it.  The soil level is raised so there are only two steps up to the porch.  We won't need a handrail.  There will be more fill on the right side of the porch and house foundation.

The big change inside is the demolition of the solid brick bar in the basement.  For those who haven't seen the house, the outline is visible on the floor.  The wires hanging down are for the lights over the bar that are coming out.

To the left of the refrigerator is our brand new, much bigger circuit box for all the new wiring and 200 amp service.

Also, you can see our 1970's orange vinyl padded walls with big brass buttons.  Maybe we will replace that with the paneling saved from upstairs?

Kitchen Island and Window Trim

The carpenter has started the stained wood trim around all the windows.  This is in the master bedroom with a view of the garden.  The color is nice.

The walls are much deeper than most houses, because they are 8 inch cinder block.  Then 2x4s were added on the inside to add a layer of insulation with an R19 rating.  So the window sills are about 12 inches deep.

We are contacting the contractor because the trim around the window looks too narrow.  It needs at least another inch or two in width to look in proportion to the deep sills.

The kitchen island is in place.  This view shows how there is an open hallway space from the front door down the side of the kitchen.  Once the top is in place, there will be room for two people to sit at the island.

There will be two cabinets with glass on both sides over the island. They will have under-cabinet lights.

This shows the working side of the kitchen.  The refrigerator is behind the camera, the stove in that space to the left, and the sink in the cabinets directly ahead.

That cabinet in the foreground with the big open box area is for the drawer microwave.  David wanted that so the microwave was not taking counter space.

Kitchen Cabinets

The kitchen is taking some shape with the installation of many of the cabinets.  This is looking into the kitchen from the front entrance. The cabinet with the half-wall behind it will hold the sink, the dishwasher will be to its right and a bookshelf will be on the end.  Notice the hardwood floor is installed.

Looking back from the other side, the row of shallow cabinets along the South wall are visible.  There will be a small bar sink in front of the window.  The glass, which is not yet installed in the upper cabinets, had a small irregular pattern.

Past the tall floor to ceiling cabinets are the French Doors for the Sun Porch.  They need to be stained.

The North wall has the stove, with the vent for the hood hanging down. There will be another cabinet to the right of the cabinet on the right side of the stove.  But the wall needs to be built out another 6" for it to fit.  An easy fix.


The door opens into the bedroom area.  Left of it is the alcove for the refrigerator.

Final painting and staining

I would like to say all the painting is done. However, the section of white on the side of the closet makes it clear there are still things that need to be done.  That section of sheet rock covers the gas line to the fireplace which could not be put in until after the inspector's approval. There are several other places that also need the final preparation before painting. 
The color used in the closets is called Bold Brick. Very appropriate.

These are a few of the Douglas Fir doors that have been stained. We are pleased with the color.  Mike, the painter, was working today on staining all of the plywood and trim pieces to be used around the windows.  He is very happy that we are staining it.  He also complimented us on the color. 

I worked in the ravine today.  I cleaned up, cutting down dead stems and removing honeysuckle vines, and roots, that keep trying to grow up and over everything. 

This picture shows some of the blocks and bricks that have been put into the ravine to control the erosion.