Backstory Blueprints Photo Archive January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 Current Blog

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 So begins the official online record keeping of our hillside adventure. Oh, wait a minute... That was from last January. Has it really been a year this month? Yeah, it kind of feels like it. Manuel varnished and sanded more woodwork on the main level giving it that glowing, polished quality of fine furniture. While Manuel filled the house with toxic fumes, I met with Matt in the basement to discuss a few details on the cabinets that he and Stan are getting closer to completing. We planned the layout of the wood around the hearth to tie in with the rest of the cabinets, talked about how far to extend a frame around the TV, and detailed a small, open shelf unit that will attach below the uppers above the computer desk. He and Stan got cabinet doors placed including the ones in front of speakers which will have cloth stretched across each opening. When we came up in the evening I couldn't believe how much better the cabinets looked with doors. I hadn't been able to visualize the finished product very well up to that point. On Tuesday, Millennium Stone finished their work by installing left over marble slabs on the downstairs bar and bathroom counters. Saturday, January 7, 2006 Manuel and crew removed all the paper from the main level, revealing the windows and walls in contrast to the beautifully stained wood cabinets and trim. He took a couple days off to rest his sanding arm while Matt and Stan continued piecing together the basement level cabinets. They were also charged with hanging the bonus room's crown molding and tying that into the cabinets. Joy hung around and supervised for most of the day. I came by later in the afternoon and cleared the garage of Manuel's masking paper, assorted lunch scraps and empty stain cans. Matt's New Year's resolution to cut back on the work week gets broken with a Sunday showing tomorrow. Monday, January 9, 2006 I got a rare chance in the morning hours to snap some pictures of the cabinetry and woodwork on the main level with all the masking paper removed. Manuel was downstairs masking off Matt's cabinets to spray the interiors and was just getting ready for lunch when Matt and Stan showed to finish the last details of crown molding and placing of the computer desk. But that meant that Matt had to peel back Manuel's papering to get access to where he left off on Sunday. Manuel has literally been following on Matt's heels for weeks now and Joy and I are getting a kick out of it. Friday, January 13, 2006 This is a monumental thing to be able to announce: Matt is officially done with the major cabinet work and Manuel has stained every piece of wood in the house except for the garage. Over the last few days, Manuel and crew worked down the stairs and into the basement bonus room. They still have to go through the sanding and varnishing process next week to bring out that Manuel glow that he's famous for by now. They also turned the garage into a staining room where the wood wall base and other trim pieces are getting their treatment. Wednesday, January 18, 2006 Manuel and crew are putting the finishing touches on the shiny part of their process today and tomorrow. When I arrived this afternoon he had just put a fresh coat of lacquer on my downstairs cabinets. This was especially evident on the corner desk which looked like a pool of water. The next phase will be starting upstairs again and working down to the basement with the "real" coat of paint. What Gary sprayed back at the end of June was a preliminary coat, almost a primer. This should all be done by next Thursday. Monday, January 23, 2006 Our tile man, Tom and crew snuck in on Sunday and set slab marble on the master vanities and spa tub deck, along with the laundry counters. This had actually been planned for some time but we were never sure when he was going to get the time. We went with a creamy, Botticino color which has light veins and contrasts nicely with the dark wood. Instead of a marble edge, we'll have a wood trim installed on the cabinets just below each edge to give the edges support and cover some of the exposed plywood support board. Manuel started his partial week of painting by cutting in those areas where he won't be using a roller. Thursday, January 26, 2006 Excavator, Shawn, took advantage of a rare clear day, Tuesday, after over thirty days of rain, to grade around the house. Back in November I had cleared two 100 foot paths down our hill side for him to lay perforated pipe connected to our east-side gutter system. This was the compromise we and the city came up with to get rid of the rain water without causing too much erosion. We're hoping we can come up with a natural way to obscure these black pipes. Also starting Tuesday and going the rest of the week, the electricians installed switches and plugs and can lights, keeping out of Manuel's way as he rolled the last of the final paint coats. Today when I visited, Manuel was putting the last coat of varnish on the front door. The electricians actually had some lights connected, able to be switched on and off, not that monumental of a thing, but a novelty nonetheless. To avoid a thick coating of dust, they opted not to set any can lights in the kitchen because Marcel is due for most of next week to sand the heck out of the hardwoods on the whole main level. Continue on to February

Backstory Blueprints Photo Archive January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 Current Blog