More Light, Color, Outlets, and Lights

On Saturday we had a local tree service company come out. They trimmed two trees and took out a large pine that was in our back yard. We feel sad about ending the pine trees life, but the area was too crowded. It will help with fire safety and also allow more space for the liquid amber that was beside it to bush out. There is now a lot more light in the downstairs. They also trimmed a large tree in the front, which should help that be healthier. The yard is still a long range project and there is a lot left to be done.

Before

During

After

On Friday there was another cabinet delivery with more problems. It looks like the cabinets are going to be a long saga.

We now have a second color coat on two of the bedrooms. With the paint nearing completion in those rooms we lights up and some outlets installed. The usable space in the house will be expanding soon.

Lights

More outlets

More color

Cheryl and I got back to painting since we were not able to do much with the cabinets. We got a color coat on the ceiling and the walls of another bedroom. This bedroom is on the north side of the house and has different lighting. The color feels a little different, but we still like it. Once we get another coat we will probably start using those rooms.

Cabinets

Cabinets arrived yesterday and we noticed some damage to the boxes. There were scratches on the front of the cabinet we opened while the shippers were still here. We noted the issues and hoped that other cabinets would be okay. Today we spent the morning opening and inspecting cabinets. Seven of the twelve cabinets that arrived were damaged. One of them was particularly bad. The drawers were crooked and it was poorly constructed. Let's hope that the vendor makes good on this. The cabinets were not cheep.

The Worst of the Bunch

The rock and dirt bin is gone

The rock and dirt bin just got picked up. It is nice to not have that in the front yard anymore, but we will probably need another before this whole project is done.

Yesterday the tile contractor wrapped up all the DensShield installation and today they placed the pans today. The next step is the waterproof membrane. That will be a hold point for inspection. Once the inspection happens we should be able to move forward with the shower tile.

Last night I pulled the formwork from the tiny little slab in the front. The surface finish could be better, but the compaction looks good with only very small bubbles visible on the faces where the formwork was. In general we get better compaction than most concrete contractors around here, but we still have a bit to learn on our surface finish. In a way I hope I do not have enough opportunity to get good at surface finish.

Lighter day

After 3 days of relatively heavy work we decided to take it a bit easier today. We poured a tiny slab on the front so that soil was not too close to the siding. We also did a little extra on the rat slab under the porch. It was nothing epic, but thing that needed doing. Cheryl enjoyed doing the rat slab.  It reminded her of making mud pies and brought out her inner child.

Dirt and Green Waste

Today was about getting rid of things. Our neighbor Rick came over and helped me fill the 5 cubic yard dirt and rock bin. I underestimated how much dirt we had and there is still more to deal with. However, most of the pile is dealt with and I am not sure we would have had the motivation to fill a 10 cubic yard bin. Cheryl spent the whole day chopping up and disposing of the green waste that we generated from clearing along the fence line. After Rick and I finished with the dirt, I joined Cheryl in dealing with the green waste. We got everything we generate this weekend cleaned up and ready to be hauled off. We are really looking forward to a new fence that is not literally held together with bailing wire, zip ties, and ivy.

5 Cubic Yard Dirt and Rock Bin

Dirt Pile Before

70 Year Old Grape Stake Fence

Dirt Pile After

Full Dirt and Rock Bin

New Fence

Painting took a break since our two neighbors to the West are going to replace the nearly 70 year old fence. Cheryl and I spent the last two days clearing plants that were growing on the fence so the fence contractor could replace the fence.

In parallel the tile contractor has been out for the last two days. We are really excited to see the progress there and are looking forward to real bathrooms!

The cabinets for some of the bathrooms should arrive next Friday. Things are starting to come together!

Ready for a new fence