Inspections Completed

I wish I could finally say that all of the siding is done.  I cannot. They ran out of batten strips, and are waiting for the delivery of more. However, the South side is done, as well as two sides of the sun porch.  We are pleased with the results.  Eventually the foundation will be painted the same color as the siding, so it all blends together.

The columns for the front porch were being completed during our visit. The bases, which are being left as red cedar to match the cedar in the joists overhead, have a Craftsman look without being massive. I haven't decided whether I prefer the central section to be left white as they are here, or painted to match the color of the siding.  Your thoughts?

But more importantly, the county inspectors have signed off on the rough-in electrical and plumbing. Here is the view of the lines for the vanity and toilet in the master bedroom wall.  The big 2x6 is there to hold up the vanity which hangs on the wall.  At the floor level in white is the baseboard heater, which is the only available space for it.

I won't bore you with all of the pictures I have taken to document the location of pipes and wires. Hmm, I can hear my siblings thinking, "Just like Dad would have done." But here is one more. 

It is the business end of the Jacuzzi tub I have wanted for 20 years. I need it when I come in stiff and sore and tired from working in the yard.  I can call it a Jacuzzi because that is the manufacturer. This our third. The first had a scratch. The second had all of the pumps and motors on the other end. You can see the chimney in the back, which would have prevented access to do maintenance. So we had to switch it for this version.  There will be a removable panel in the guest bedroom to allow servicing.

The framing inspection yesterday had some minor issues, which should all be resolved by Monday.  Then insulating can begin.

Still Working on Siding

We visited the house today to check-in with the contractor and see how things are going.  In a word, slowly.

The good news is that the siding is almost entirely in place, and some of the battens.  You can see the pattern for the vertical battens on the left.  But there is more needing to be done, such as the window trim and soffit.

The back of the house is completely covered, even though it is missing the battens.  In this photo you can see how the white soffit, which follows the joists, has been done on this closest end.  It makes a very clean look for the house.  The cinder block foundation visible here, and around the house, will be painted in a color to match the siding.

However, the most exciting thing for us is that all of the rough-in electrical wiring is done.  It has been approved by the county inspector! One hurdle crossed.

Our contractor told us that the plumber is coming to work tomorrow, with the hope that the plumbing rough-in can be inspected this week.  After that the framing inspection can get done.  If we can get through both of those next week, the insulation and sheet rock will soon follow.  If.

Siding Started

After rain last week, the crew arrived on Tuesday to start putting up the siding.  They worked until shortly after Noon, when another wintry mix storm began shedding its load of rain and wet snow.  Much of the front and sides of the house received the large sheets of Hardie Board, such as the front wall in this picture. 

They did the South side of the house and the sides of the sun porch.  We are expecting them to finish up the remaining sides today.  That will include putting on the vertical batten boards.  We are pleased with how the "Cobblestone" color of the siding matches the "Clay" color of the window frames. I will get a picture with the roof so you can see how it blends in also.

Inside the electrical and plumbing work is continuing, such as the wiring in the half-wall side of the kitchen.  While we were at the house, we asked the electrician to move two of the recessed ceiling lights, and add one directly over the kitchen sink area, and other minor adjustments.  There is a lot being done, just not very exciting.

The other exciting project is the installation of the new gas fireplace.  I know it doesn't look like much here, especially since the cardboard covers the front of it, but we are excited.  They still need to run the new gas lines for the stove and the fireplace. 

We have asked them to include a line to the furnace area, so that in the future we can replace the oil furnace and electrical water heater with gas ones.  We have asked for a quote to convert to gas now, but are already spending $35,000 on change orders above the cost of the contract.