First Brick Arch

I guess the bricklayers are close enough to finishing the brick walls that they started working on some of the more interesting brick features. 

Just these last two walls to be bricked.  The front wall is waiting to go in because the arch has to go in to hold it up first.

This is the first brick arch to go in.  This one is on the back patio. 

This is the other side of the patio.  This will have the same arch put in. 

View from other side of wall.  I am very pleased with the quality of the brick work.

End of brick wall waiting to turn the corner.

I had the cabinet maker design in a small section of desk in the kitchen underneath the window. 

Arch and crown moulding detail over desk area

Laundry room has plenty of cabinets built above and a small section of lower cabinets with counterspace to fold clothes.

This (very short) door lets you walk directly into the attic storage over the garage.  There is also a pull down ladder, but this is a nice shortcut. 

More Cabinet Work

Most of the crown moulding is up around the cabinets.  It makes them look even better. 

Cabinets are already filling up my big empty kitchen.  Doesn't look as big as it used to and the island isn't even in yet.

Shelves have gone in, but no doors yet.  They will be delivered, but not installed until the painter has stained and varnished them.

Speaking of stain...here is the approved stain color on some crown moulding next to the wood floor sample we were trying to match. 

Just this little corner section has more storage than my entire current kitchen.  I am going to have to buy more stuff to fill all those empry cabinets up!

They are slowly working their way through the house adding this nice crown moulding to all the cabinets. 

Kitchen Cabinets

The kitchen cabinets are almost installed.  Just a little more crown moulding and the island left to install.

View in to kitchen from dining room

These upper cabinets have a built in microwave

This cabinet is for my wall ovens

Wider view of this cabinet.  I like all the extra storage he built in around it.

The doors will be ready on Friday

I like the details they put on the cabinets

Master bathroom vanity

Most of the light fixtures are installed

Kitchen Cabinets

With only 2 1/2 weeks to go before move-in, our kitchen cabinets finally started going in.  There are some pieces missing, the island and the wall oven section.

sitting in dining area waiting to be installed

Lower cabinet

Upper cabinet for built in microwave

cabinet for french-door fridge

Peninsula with sink and bar seating

Cabinet makers hard at work

set in place, ready for stain, then granite

Front door also arrived today and was installed

What a mess of wires.  The electrician has lots to do still.

Problems and Solutions

The electrician was hard at work today.  He installed many of the recess light trim kits and ceiling fans today.  I will put those pictures in today's post.  The cabinet guy called with a problem.  (the cabinets should have been in on Friday of last week, by the way!)  He wanted us to move a wall plug over 30 inches in the kitchen the accomodate his cabinet design.  I had no idea what he wanted until we actually met with him at the house.  He sketched out a design on the wall to show us. 

Not sure how well this shows up in a photo, but what he wanted to do was move the built in microwave to the middle of this wall of cabinets to make it look better.  The electrician happened to be there and said it would just be a $30 change.  We all agreed that it looked much better this way. 

Problem number two today.  The cabinet maker is also supposed to build the frame that surrounds the jacuzzi tub.  The jacuzzi is 60" long and the space it is supposed to fit into is about 59".  He said that usually there is at least 3 inches of space at either end of the tub.  My contractor doesn't want to move the wall, so we are going to try to make it fit. 

Not everything was bad news today.  The eyeball trim kits went in today.  These point at a wall in the dining room where a large piece of art will hang.

This brushed nickle trim is the standard throughout the house.  There are 35 of these throughout.

Very happt with the ceiling fans we chose.  I love the modern look here.  There are 5 of these fans in the house.  I like that they are all the same.  The only different one is the great room fan.  It is a bigger fan to accomodate the large space, but it is also a brushed nickle finish, just with metal blades instead of this black laquer.

This fan is in the master sitting room. 

Fixtures and Finished Tile

The electrician came today, but did not do much.  He installed a couple of light fixtures outside, and started distributing plugs and switches, but didn't install any of them.  He will be back tomorrow to walk the house with me.  All the fixtures are sitting in a warehouse and I need to tell him where to install what fixture.

Outside garage

These were installed on the front porch and the back patio

Front Porch

The bottom wood is the the stain sample.  The top piece if a sample of my wood floor that they are trying to match.  To me, it looks way too dark and way too red.

Shower Tile floor in downstairs bedroom is done...looks really good.

Downstairs bedroom closet

Light switches hanging in place, waiting to be installed.

This is the master bathroom shower.  We picked this pebble tile for the floor. 

I really like the way this came out.

Another view of the shower floor

Dual vanities in master bath.  The space in the middle is kneespace for a chair or stool

Upstairs guest room shower

Quite a mess left in the garage today.

Jacuzzi tub waiting to be installed