Re-entry into life in Seattle, and back to the work world, has been tough. All the sunshine in Palm Springs, and all the 85 º days over the holidays, left us unprepared for the rain and grey days. The past few days at the office have been a whirlwind for both of us. David has been meeting with new clients wanting to make a move in 2018 and I’ve been ramping my office up for the spring onslaught. My office is moving in a few months and the remodel of our new space is happening now and I stop in there daily. Busy. Only 11 days into the new year and BUSY. So it’s not surprising that I’ve lost track of what day of construction we are on with our new home. All I know is that it has been POURING rain and windy and cold out there. It rained so badly today the framing crew just took the day off. I stand in our current house and look out at wet wood and wet OSB while it’s pouring rain. I’ll update the count and get back with better photos this weekend!
Category: Flora Construction
Day 93 ~ The day After Christmas
Evidently it was just a one day break for the holiday because they were back at it today. These photos just in from our builder, Elliot Easton! Enjoy!
Day 90 ~ Georgetown Neighbors Are The Best!
How nice of our Georgetown neighbor Dave Simon! He knows we are in Palm Springs while the exciting part (the framing) is happening and without being asked, just out-of-the-blue, he sent us these six photos. We decided, literally at the last minute, to move from 8 foot to 9 foot ceiling heights on the first floor of the house. (In the rooms that have ceilings that is, a large part of the first floor has no ceiling and no second floor above it). Space, the final frontier. Volumes of space, an even better final frontier.
Day 89 ~ And We’re Not There To Watch The Progress
Today was a beautiful day in Palm Springs. The high was only 67º but it was full on sun and blue skies all day along. So I’m loving being here but then our builder texted me these photos and I was a bit sad I’m not in Seattle to witness this. Hey, there was a movie called Witness where they built a barn. It was inspiring.
Day 87 ~ Wow !
It was dark and cold and raining when I left for work today. No one was on the work site next door. David swung by (on his way from his gym to Palm Springs) around 9:30 and he said some guys had started to arrive but nothing was happening yet. I guess once they start it goes fast. When I arrived home at 2:30, a mere 5 hours later, it seemed as if the entire first floor was framed in. I almost wish I wasn’t going to be poolside for the next thirteen days.
Day 86 ~ Lumber Has Arrived
Driving down our alley after work today I found this pile of wood sitting in what will someday be our new garage. That pile does not look like a two story house to me. But what do I know, we’ve never done this before. Maybe that pile is a whole house. Rumor has it they are going to start framing tomorrow. David and Opal leave on a road trip to Palm Springs tomorrow. I leave on a jet plane on Thursday, also to Palm Springs. We’ll all be gone until after the New Year when we all drive back together. I’m sad they are getting to the exciting part while we will be out of town.
Day 83 ~ Waiting for wood
And by that I mean we are waiting for the framing lumber to arrive. In case you were wondering, this is what an obsessive compulsive homosexual building site looks like. All of the digging is done, the downspout drains, catch basin, and sewer connections were all finished but the site was a muddy mess. I couldn’t walk around it without either getting 5 inches of super sticky mud on my shoes or without having my shoe get stuck in the mud and come off. So I called my guy and last weekend we picked up all the trash and debris left behind by the various crews who got us this far, we leveled the site, and then we spread wood chips. David, and a few of our neighbors, and our builder, have all made fun of me for spending time and money doing this since it’s likely to get trashed as soon as the next crews arrive, but I don’t care. It can’t be as bad as it was. And it looks so nice. As I said to Elliot, quoting Oprah, “When you know better, you do better.” My point being when the next crews arrive perhaps they will SEE a higher standard for this job site and then work towards it.
As for waiting for wood . . . David and I have been joking about that phrase since the foundation was finished. We learned that the phrase, which we both like and find funny, is common in the porn industry from a New Yorker article years ago. Waiting for lumber finally gives us the chance to say it in day-to-day conversation!
Day 72 ~ Tuesday, December 5th
Well I am very happy to say Phase One of this project ended on a very high note today. I came home from work before dark to take these six photos. You may have noticed that the day we got our permit from the City I took six photos in very specific locations. (Scroll back, you’ll find it.) Throughout the building of this house I plan on taking the same six photos periodically. We just wrapped up all “the dirt work” on this house. Our project manager keeps saying, “We are out of the ground.” Obviously the 38″ thick foundation is complete. But also all the drainage pipes have been run for all future downspouts and all site water retention issues have been addressed. It has been a muddy mess around here (dirt work in October and November) but now it’s done. The ground has been leveled and all the construction crap is out of here. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Day 43 ~ This foundation is 38 inches thick on average
Wow. We are on our 43rd day and no cement trucks are anywhere in sight. These forms are being built on top of two feet of rock. (See the rock all around?) And they are 38 inches tall on average (I’ve been walking around the whole thing with a tape measure checking). This foundation is called “a raft” because (as Swensen Say Faget explains to me) it is meant to float on the liquified soil when the big one comes. The cost of this much cement is insane . . . . it’s over 10% of the total budget for the house.
Day 37 ~ Drains and vent stacks are in place
Yup, I am numbering the days in my calendar from the very first day that workers actually showed up here. Today is Day 37 and we have some progress! We passed our City plumbing inspection yesterday. Now rebar starts going in. Our contractor, Elliot, is talking about concrete by the end of the week. I’m hoping it is two days late as I’ll be in Miami at the end of this week. So this is when a delay would be in my favor as I’d like to see this cake pan filled with batter.
