GETTIN' CLOSE

Howdy Y'all!

We thought we would post a quick update from the last one yesterday since it didn't include a number of the most recent pictures. We are now at the point where the team at the house today is doing a deep clean in preparation for the finish painters to arrive on Wednesday. We keep saying "two weeks", but we may have actually cracked that barrier finally!

We also discovered a small leak in one of the pool pump lines that the plumber is addressing. Apparently it went undiscovered until the Pool Guys did the startup this last week. It appears that someone may have stepped on a line and cracked it before the backfill process began. In any case, it appears to be easily solvable, so no big concerns now.

Pool view across the infinity edge. (Also now a possible cattle drinking fountain.)

Inside, the work continues at a steady pace. As we mentioned in the last post, all of the hanging lamps and chandeliers are now up, on, and gracing us with light. Thankfully, we didn't have to hang them because these puppies are heavy!

Dining Room 

Foyer

Fans and lights in the Great Room!

In addition, the Concrete Guys have been making steady progress at the pace of about three concrete trucks per day, or about 180 linear feet of driveway per day. Given the extreme popularity of concrete in Central Texas these days, we're hoping to get the driveway completed in the next few days.

Hoping that the cattle stay off the new pour!

The long winding road (in more ways than one!).

Entering the parking pad.

Part of our fence work started yesterday as the Stone Guys started work on the gate columns that will support the fence and gates into the house. Rather than keeping the bad guys out, the fence line is principally for keeping the livestock, deer and other animals from having a banquet of the eventual landscaping around the house.

People gate. (No, they aren't crooked. The pad is slightly sloped for water runoff.)

Motor Court gate.

Our Faux Lady, Shelley, has been patiently working on a number of projects in the house. She and Jan have been collaborating (and, of course, listening to my input - NOT!) on each of the rooms and what Jan's vision for the results are.

Shelley and Jan working on the stencil designs.

Foyer stenciling. (Means 'don't drink too much wine' in stencil language.)

Well, that pretty much sums it up for this week.

But Wait, There's More!

We had a visit this weekend from Matt's and Jennifer's little munchkins, Tristan and Lauren. It is always a treat to see and hear what these two have in store for us!

Lauren (17) and Tristan (9)

That's all for now. See ya later!

- Jan and John - 

SPLISH SPLASH!

Howdy Y'all!

When we last left you, we noted that there was a significant ramp-up of activity at the ranch. That activity has continued as the tasks get smaller and smaller, and fewer and fewer towards completion. The builder is starting to smell his payday, but certainly not before we are completely satisfied with the results. As a result, we are probably 8-9 days out to get everything right, and with enough time to 'blue tape' all of those little things we want corrected. Ain't building a new house just a ball o' fun??

The big push is on now to pour the entirety of the driveway (all 1000 feet) in the next few days. The building boom in the Austin-San Antonio corridor is so intense that the main concrete companies are moving trucks 18 hours a day nonstop. Miss a day and you get pushed out two weeks!

These aren't the best pictures, but it is the beginning of the parking pad. We'll have some better pictures in the next blog.

Pouring the parking pad. View facing the front walkway.

Roughing out the pad waiting for the next truck.

Meanwhile, around the back of the house, the finish plasterers arrived to put the finish coat on the pool surface. We thought we would beat them there since none of the subs ever arrive before 9:00a, but these guys showed up at 6:00a, and were finished by 9:30a. At that point they started filling the pool with our tank water to get a base fill before the city trucks arrived. We ended up using about 6000 gallons of our precious rainwater, and 18,000 gallons of Dripping Springs' best. 

The reason for filling the pool so quickly after plastering is because the plaster has a curative in it that reacts with the water to cure properly and, so that the plaster doesn't 'lift' as it is curing. So we're told. (Never had that concern with the fiberglass pool in Walla Walla!) 

Tomorrow will be the official 'equipment startup', so keep your fingers and toes crossed that all of the pipes, pumps, filters, etc, operate properly. We'll keep you posted!

The "before plaster" picture.

More "before" pics.

The "after plaster" pics with the sun deck (black part).

Starting the Big Fill. (Weeny little hoses.)

Ready for a swim. Start the pumps!

Inside the house, there is a flurry of activity as well. The electricians have started to hang all of the chandeliers and hanging lamps (more pics on the next blog post), the Tile Guys have done some additional work on the floors and bathrooms, and a slew of other subs are back finishing up detail work that we have been eyeballing. We'll post some pics here, but you'll get the general idea of the work activity.

The Paint Guys staining the garage doors. 

Setting the final cabinet in the Great Room against the stone.

Jan's bathtub surround finally completed.

Stone inlay in the kitchen.

Versailles stone inlay in the Foyer entrance.

Pantry door waiting for finish moulding.

Appliance Guys setting up guest washer/dryer. (Yep, you get to wash your own clothes!)

Detached garage floor finish (first sealer coat).

That's all for now. See ya later!

- Jan and John -