Dreaming For Decades

Need to catch up? Watch the intensity ramp up by reading through the last few months of progress:January 2019February 2019March 2019April 2019May 2019June 2019 Well, here we are. The end of July. We knew we’d have a flurry of activity in the final month. Here’s what we got done: Cabinets & granite counters delivered & installed Vanities and marble tops also delivered & installed Tile laid/grouted in kids and downstairs bathroom floors Tile laid in kids shower too! Delivery of…

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Its not a sprint, its a marathon… that ends with a sprint. After all these months of work we’ve still been accelerating into the finish line. With our rental lease up July 31 the pressure has been on to get the house up to spec so we could move in. In anticipation, I took off the last 10 working days of the month, giving me almost two full weeks to finish projects (oh, and actually move all our stuff). All…

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Now that we’re nearing a finish line of sorts, many of the things we’re working on are the more visible finishing touches. No more days spent fiddling with fire blocking that no-one will ever see, now we’re installing kitchen cabinets, floor tile, and prominent light fixtures. Getting a particular room to a near-finished state looks and feels great. Its very motivating, which is good, as we need all the energy we can muster right now.

This project has introduced us to a whole host of interesting characters who have come to ply their trade or deliver their goods. This week saw a couple most curious fellows come and deliver our cabinets. Mr. Surly Beard was an imposingly large man possessed of an imposingly large beard, coke bottle glasses that made his eyes look like saucers and (as Amy said) “attitude for days.” He was sour that we moved the delivery back a day, sour about…

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We’re heading into the final push now. It’s hard to believe everything we’ve accomplished the last several months. But here’s what we did in one of our last months (before we hope to move in): Need to catch up? Read through the last few months of progress:January 2019February 2019March 2019April 2019 May 2019 Framed and laid the floor for the balcony Drywall finished Main roof finally finished (vents and cap shingles) Sheathed the back porch Ordered hardwood floors (and hauled…

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Now that the drywall is done we are in the final sprint before move-in. Just in case it weren’t already clear, that will by no means equate to being “done”. Rather, there are 5 weeks left before our lease runs out on our rental place and we become homeless, so there is ample motivation to wrap things up. Amy does project management as a part of her day job and I’ve also run my share of IT projects informally over…

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The key to modern green building often comes down to the details of what they call “the thermal envelope” or the building envelope. If you imagine a building like a great bubble, the envelope is the outer skin of the bubble. Its the part of your house that keeps the outside, well, outside. If you want to have a highly efficient home then you need a highly efficient envelope. Many of the design challenges of our house (and a few…

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The drywallers had a few days of delays due to rain making it hard to get materials onsite, but once they did they were a FORCE. The whole house worth of drywall was hung in a day and a half. Then the mudding/taping guy came in and worked 8 12 hour days straight with barely any breaks. Then they primed and painted the ceilings in another day. It might be hard to see some of the details/flow due to everything…

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It feels strange to say we’re taking it easy now, given all that’s still going on, but compared to a few weeks ago, its definitely true. Through most of May we were in a mad dash to get done everything that happens behind the walls – all the wiring, plumbing, ductwork, firestopping, insulation, and even bits of blocking for mounting your towel bars. Some of the last things to go in were the mail slot, the tub and shower drains…

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