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August 27, 2006
Productivity Strikes Again
The punch list grows smaller.
The big event of last week was the removal of the old driveway. I think it took longer than they had expected. The driveway was original to the house and was a solid 6 or so inches of concrete through and through. No rebar, no clay foundation. They had to score each section twice and remove it with a bulldozer (a real treat for the younger boy).
It dramatically improved the face of the house in my eyes. It shifted the focus of the automotive section of the home to the backyard and it left plenty of room for the crepe myrtles I plan to plant in front of each post (once they are painted white, ahem).
Ace's guys also hung the shutters and awnings, so now all we need are the screens on the front of the house, and we're going to be close to perfection.
There was much ado about storage this weekend. Financial considerations made us cut the driveway, carport, and outdoor storage/garage from the original plans. That meant that, for the past few weeks, our guest bedroom became the garage and was piled to the brim with boxes, tools, and whatnots.
Realizing that it might be a while before we get a garage built, and seeing as we have company coming for Labor Day weekend, David bought a little shed to put together.
Who knew it would be such a project! Luckily, he had helpers :-)
In the meantime, I organized all the schtuff and tried to put it in piles that could be moved--to the storage shed, to the attic, to somebody else's house. By sundown today, David had cleared out the guest bedroom of all the miscellany and set up the bed and shades. A few curtains, and The Official Justin and Edie Wolfe Suite will be complete.
This coming week we are hoping to get things squared away with our bank. We met with our loan officer on Friday and, well, let's just say that he didn't seem to have ever read through our loan paperwork. David is keeping a list of things they have royally screwed up, and I think that one meeting added three or four new items to the list. Can't wait to see what they do next. In theory, they should have the construction loan ready to rollover to a mortgage within the next week or so. Then the ball is back in our court.
Posted by Christiane at August 27, 2006 08:53 PM
Comments
Hey guys, How did you get your front door? We really need a new front door because ours is broken in many ways, the most recent is that the door has swelled so much it's almost impossible to open. I like your door...
Posted by: Laurie at August 29, 2006 12:23 AM
Wow! A privileged place in your house and on your blog. Can't wait.
Posted by: Justin at August 29, 2006 09:45 AM
Laurie, the door was custom-made by a local guy. Our contractor set the whole thing up, and I don't have any idea what the cost was. David gave him a sketch of what he wanted, and Ace went to town. We love it!
Posted by: Christiane at August 29, 2006 11:20 AM
(Not sure if you are still reading comments on old posts, but . . . .) I have a question about your shed.
We have been considering getting one - but I have hated the ones I have seen. I like your taste in general - which one did you get? Where?
Many thanks for your help!
Posted by: Shelly at September 2, 2006 06:42 PM
I, too, am interested in the shed.
I'm looking for a DIY storage bldg that's easy on the eyes.
Where did you get it?
Any final pics?
Love the blog! I discovered it mid-summer and have been a regular reader. Congrats on this fantastic accomplishment (the beautiful house!) and, Christiane, did you ever live at Taos?
Posted by: Amy Mac at September 5, 2006 02:21 PM
It's an Arrow shed from Sears. It's really the cheapest thing we could find. The whole thing cost about $300 and about 12 hours of work. They put these small shrubs in front of it in the pictures to make it look bigger. It's actually too small to stand up in.
Posted by: David E. at September 5, 2006 03:02 PM
Why, yes, I did live at Taos! 1993-1995, if memory serves... somewheres in there. Started out on the 4th floor across from Glenn Sands and eventually moved to the quiet floor. I was a geek like that ;-)
Posted by: Christiane at September 5, 2006 04:57 PM
We both did. I was Taos 87-89. Under the regime of President Moleson.
Posted by: David E. at September 5, 2006 05:17 PM
I thought so!
Christiane, I lived on the quiet floor down the hall from you in 94-95. Small world!
We hang out with many Taos-ans regularly. Shoot me an email and I'll include you on the next evite. amy_mac at earthlink.net (Amy McCormick)
I was just sharing your site and wonderful home with two other dear friends from Taos - Brendan Volk and Jennifer Mathis (they are married now). We love it!
Posted by: Amy Mac at September 7, 2006 09:39 AM
wish i lived at taos! :) me, just ucsb. new to the blog. new owner of 1953 ranch in So. Cal. Look forward to more reading!
Posted by: mxzm9 at September 27, 2007 07:50 PM