Getting Close to Finishing?

Today was the first day without rain this week, so we went to the house to begin catching up on the gardens.  The orange mesh fencing was the first thing taken down.  We no longer need it to protect the labyrinth.

The view from the garden to the front porch looks good.  The cedar planks are now on the pillars.

While we are in the garden, the second major project was replacing the large catch basin at the lower side of the labyrinth.  The three front downspouts now feed into a pipe that empties into this catch basin.  A large pipe goes through the berm under the juniper bushes, and out the other side and down the ravine.

When there are heavy rains, as in one of two inches an hour, a 2-4" sheet of water runs through the labyrinth.  Hopefully this catch basin will handle the flow.

Going inside, the bathroom is almost finished.  The cedar shelves have been installed along with the medicine cabinet. 

There have been varying problems with electrical switches in odd places, three way switches not working properly, and a couple of the fan switches not working.  I hope everything gets worked out soon.

We have ordered a house number sign online, and it is traveling from North Dakota on UPS as I write this.  We need it installed before the final inspection can be done.  But there are still lots of hook ups needed, such as the gas stove and the cable line.

Speaking of the stove, it is finally in place, even if the gas line is not connected.  The dishwasher is also installed and working.  We used the microwave today to warm up our lunch today, and it worked!  I need to move on to the next picture so you can see that.

David has wanted a drawer microwave so he doesn't lose counter space.  So there it is at the far end of the island. You can see the refrigerator is also installed, and working. 

You may see the top of the stove covered with dirt.  It was in the basement, and everything down there has a layer of fine dust.

Here is a view of the kitchen end of the Great Room, with the French Doors out to the Library, previously the Sun Porch.  The floors were stained and varnished two weeks ago.  This is just the first coat of polyurethane. 

Finally, a view the other direction with the media wall and fireplace.  See all the dust on the floor!  It is on the walls, window glass, and cabinets.  Everything will be thoroughly cleaned before we start moving back in.  Hopefully in a few weeks.