The pergola has been built and it looks great. We were originally going to go with a galvanized steel structure, but the cost was five times a cedar pergola. in the end, I like that this cedar structure makes a nice transition from the efficient steel structure and large sliding glass doors of the home to the (eventually) more prairie-like yard. And after a season or two, the cedar will gray down and better compliment the grey siding and aluminum trim. Landhaus did a great job on this.
We had our first party -- my mom's brother and wife were in from California, so we got all her sisters together as well as grandma. Look at the spread! Everyone thought the place was wonderful, airy, with a great feel and nice views. My mom has also come over a few times now and today, she's comin' by for a pajama party with Carlos!
Through understandable miscommunication, the first round of landscaping only hit the areas originally disturbed by construction. But as anyone who had visited the property knows, the majority of the yard had pot holes and was generally a very poor surface. HG came back and addressed the rest of the property and placed mulch around the pine trees in front and the pine stand at the rear west of the property. We also had HG set up sprinklers and timers to make sure the lawn remained watered. Using an annual ryegrass, it sprouted quickly and now after about 6 or 7 weeks it needed a mowing. In the photos you can also see one of the catch basins that helps control roof drainage.
With summer fast approaching we wanted to get the yard in shape. We got bids from a few landscape contractors and were definitely surprised at how expensive this kind of work is! Certainly our location near the north shore means that prices are just generally higher. Through the bidding process and a few conversations, we chose Heynssens+Grassmans (you have to love the name Grassmans for a landscape firm!) to do the work. Our plan for this year was just to get the yard to a base state. That is, fill in the potholes, smooth bumps, and get a basic grass established to keep erosion at bay. It turns out we also needed to put in some drainage for the downspouts that we had routed under the concrete patio. Rene at HG suggested a series of catch basins and drain tile. HG has done a great job, doing high quality work and being very responsive. Here's the first round of progress. Manny our neighbor said he thought they were just painting the lawn green and we wouldn't have to mow. Good idea! But it was just the hydroseeding process...
Everytime we went up into the loft, we loved the light and change in feel from the main space and the bedrooms. But it was still just a dirty plywood subfloor, so our use of it was limited to showing visitors and talking about how nice it will be. Well, we finally got it carpeted! I'm currently in love with chocolate brown everything, enjoying its deep but rich warm color without the harsh feel a stark black can have. I think it is perfect for the loft because of all the windows and skylights -- it will knock down glare while complimenting the yellow brown of the exterior walls and white drywall interior. Now, the loft has a wonderfully comfortable feel and we didn't hesitate in getting up there to start playing and planning how we'll use the space!
We're coming up most weekends now. We should be doing a final punch list with the contractor soon. Big things on our mind now are carpeting the loft (Flor tiles here!), landscaping so we can have fun outside, and getting the inside set up so we can unpack things. We have to figure out how to best use the space. It is already filling up with our domestic accoutremements, but we should be able to restore some oreder once cabinets and furniture are set. Here are a few photos from today...beautifual day for many reasons.
Sorry for the long silence -- I guess it is a little reflective of the inability of the contractor to get this project finished! I really hate complaining in these posts! Yes, we are still waiting on things, although for the last three weeks, we have been spending the weekends here -- I'm posting from the house! So quickly, for those of you who have been waiting patiently in the blogosphere here's where we're at: 1) The main challenge right now is finishing the radiant heat system. While there are parts of the floor that are toasty warm and you could stand on them all day, there are others that are simply cold. We've narrowed it down to a few things including an undersized heat exchanger. 2) There is minor electrical and woodwork to finish inside, but when subcontractors come into the house, it delays doing things like installing new carpeting, etc. 3) The final grading of the site has yet to be finished so we can't start landscaping, yet. 4) There is a patch of concrete that they didn't pour. 5) The two gutter drains that go below the front concrete need to be extended out to grade for draining. 6) We don't think the contractor has any intention of doing the trellis off the east side of the house so we have to find our own supplier. My next post will be more positive, i promise! Pictures: looking at the east view; kitchen coming together, second weekend roughing it; waking up in the master bedroom.
Happy Holidays everyone! Well, Landhaus Construction pushed last week to get occupancy permit. This is where the village inspectors come to make sure everything is to code. They had to do a few things like move some sprinkler heads, cover insulation in the garage, fix a leaky pipe, cover the exterior condenser unit in oh so beautiful prefab lattice, and install a temporary hand rail. It is amazing how much can get done when someone besides us really wants things compete. They have done some grading to spread what fill and soil was in a pile around the property, but there is much to be done yet. Overall, when we went to visit this weekend, it felt like we were on the home stretch. Still a few frustrating things like the HVAC contractor finally telling us he has no intention of installing the on-demand water heater. For occupancy permit, they just tapped the hot water system and by-passed the issue.
Just a few more photos. Nothing spectacular, but documenting progress...
OK, we're starting to think the end is in sight. What does that mean? The punch list is probably below 100 items. ;) We haven't been going twice a week anymore since cilia arrived, but i popped up today to check on progress. bath cabinets went in, more of the woodwork is done, the driveway is complete, brass hinges are getting changed out to brushed nickel, window crank hardward is in. While there remains major things like finishing the radiant heat and internal hot water, the pergola, railings, grading, vent covers, and the like, we are starting to believe we may finish before the end of January! Pics are loft area looking south, on the driveway looking northeast, in the grand space looking south to the kitchen and domestic areas, and in the master bedroom looking east.
