Scratch coat of stucco!

Scratch coat of stucco!, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

The front of the house is no longer clad in chicken wire. At last we have the start of our finish coast. First layer of stucco is now applied here. More to come around the house. We had crappy weather today. Hoping for more sunshine!

Vandalism sucks

DSC_0395, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

This window in our foyer was broken. It was broken from the outside and a very small (tiny!) hole looked to be about the size of something from a BB gun. It's gotten worse now and the glass needs replacing. Another window bit the dust and it's all very suspicious.

Skateboard heaven?

Skateboard heaven?, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

As the weather gets warmer I have been looking upon my pool-in-progress with longing. Right now, it's just a skateboard park. But someday it will be an inviting oasis of cool, dark water flanked by teak deck chairs, green grass and a bubbling wall of water. Someday....

Stained cedar siding

Wood siding, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

Here is the one place on the house exterior you can currently see the stained cedar siding going up. The stain is meant to be close to the dark bronze color of the window exterior so it's a bit on the dark side. Our color palette evokes a Spanish Colonial vibe, albeit expressed in a modern vocabulary. The wood is dark stained and the stucco will be a sandy, creamy color.

Yeah, I've been spending too much time talking to my designers.

Slot light framed into the hallway

Slot light framed into the hallway, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

Instead of "normal" sconces for the hallway we are using long, linear, fluorescent lights that are recessed into the wall. Sort of like slots of light. The idea is that the light will appear as kind of a knife-edge of light at intervals across the hallway. That's the idea anyway.

Dining room insulation

Dining room insulation, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

I guess no more Pink Panther insulation from Owens-Corning. This stuff looks like it came off an alpaca - or my dog.

Great room ceiling (shaved)

Great room ceiling, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

In contrast, you can see the great room with the foam "shaved" so that it's flush with the ceiling joists. The rooms are now so acoustically "dead" that it's weird to be in them. Of course once the dry wall is up it will be reverberant all over again. Maybe we just leave the drywall off? With 3 kids and a dog, I could use as much acoustical deadening as I can get.

Unshaved foam insulation

Unshaved foam insulation, originally uploaded by Clean_Freak.

This is the foam insulation in the foyer. It's "unshaved" so you can see how the foam expanded.