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 -