...On The Outside...

Well, it's been a few weeks since I posted an update so I better get things caught up here.  Much has happened since the end of May; I went on vacation, I turned another year "wiser", and there have been wayyyy too many people working on the house.  Shortly after the last post at the beginning of June, framing was basically done and we had started on exterior finishing and began moving inside with trade work.  Although the house doesn't appear terribly different on the outside in the pics below than it did in the prior post, there has been close to another $40k worth of work done since then.  The first and most obvious change is the addition of Windows as seen in the pics below:

This is a major step toward achieving the next significant milestone in completion which is called "Dry-In".  That means all the openings are sealed and the inside of the house is basically protected from the elements.  We have a bit of a way to go yet to get there, but at the time of this posting, we're about 2-3 weeks away.  Aside from the garage door still missing, everything else is pretty much closed up and ready to be finished on the outside.

 If you look closely at some of the 2nd story dormers and gables on these pictures, you could also see that we were in the process of boxing, trimming, and siding the gables, and putting up soffit - which is the majority of exterior trim work.  This is now complete, although it was still in progress when these pictures were taken.  I'm thrilled to have found an excellent exterior trim crew that knew how to work the complex roof-line, and I REALLY like how the Nichi Sierra Shake Siding looks and the high quality of the Nichi brand board.  For whatever reason, everybody is using "Hardi-Plank" these days, but I think that's just because it's more a "fad".  I'm telling you, this "Nichi" product is MUCH better than the "Hardi-Plank" (same 50-year concrete-based siding concept) and about 30-40% less expensive in material cost than the "Hardi-Plank".  And it looks a TON more custom and high quality.  Love it!

With all the Boxing and siding done, along with the Brick pockets and stone pockets now formed below the soffit, the exterior trim will now be painted it's first coat of final color prior to installing the roofing material (shingles).  Exterior Brick and stone work will also be completed in roughly the same time frame as the roofing, all hopefully completed and "Dried in" by 4th of July - which believe it or not is EXACTLY on schedule from my day-1 schedule.  

Alot of other major work has also been completed on the interior - technically speaking, all the "Rough-in" of the plumbing, electrical, and Mechanical (HVAC) systems.  We passed the plumbing inspection about a week ago but still have a few punch list items remaining to pass the electrical.  That will be done in the next day or so.  However, I do have a bit of a horror story to tell on the Mechanical.  The very day that the HVAC rough-in work was all completed, the house got hit that night by bandits (or banditos) - thieves - who ripped out all the copper pipe that was just installed the day before.  This is a very common occurrence nowadays with the price of copper on the black market.  I have pretty much evidence as to who probably did the dirty work and will use the legality of my contracts as written to have the repair work done at little or no cost to me.  This is the kind of thing where it pays to know what you're doing with contracts, completion criteria, and explicit instruction and responsibility.  Someone did NOT follow instructions on this and I plan to hold them to the repairs.  Since the local Sherriff's office is involved and charges may be pending, that's all I'll say about that.  You can see some of the damage done though from this invasion in the pics below.

I knew it was just a matter of time til I invested in some pretty sophisticated surveillance and security system along with lighting for the site at night.  I just was hoping to get around to it before getting hit.   Nonetheless, charges may still be filed and perps prosecuted.  

So, onward and upward.  I also had the fireplace installed during this time which was a large effort.  I can't believe how the guy climbed up to the top of the chimney, and with NO HARNESS carried that huge cap up in one piece and secured it to the top of the chimney.  The fireplace will be a beautiful centerpiece feature of the family room, large enough to burn half a forest in the winter months for a toasty cozy feel.  I'm sooo glad I didn't get a pre-fab fake gas-logs thing, which IMHO you might as well just put up an LCD screen with a picture of a fire burning if you're going to use one of those.  Call me Pyro, but I need a REAL fire!   

Here's a few pics of the inside downstairs to end with.  By the next posting, I should have all the brick and stone done! 

 Til then - let me know if you happen to see a white/silver '99 Ford F350 Diesel Dually with a "ShowTime" trim package driving around your parts.  It's mine.  Someone stole that right out from under my friends nose last week who had borrowed it to tow his race car to a race in Wisconsin.   It was stolen from a Hampton Inn on the south Side of Indianapolis - truck, trailer, race-car, and all.  Major loss, mostly for my friend that races.  Prayers for him cause it meant everything to him.  Little chance of it ever being found though at this point.  Some people just SUCK.- REALLY REALLY hard!. 

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