3/20: Shoveling what?

The two guys who really worked yesterday showed up early this morning and started shoveling "you know what" out of the truck bed and on the dirt. Doors and windows were quickly closed! They shoveled, raked, shoveled some more and rolled it all down.

By the end of the day we could see where the garden would expand, where the walkway will be and where we will be planting our California native garden. Hint: Maddie is standing on grass. Click the link on the left for more pictures of the last two days.

3/19: We expected a rototiller!

Imagine our surprise when these guys showed up with mattocks instead of a rototiller! We had two guys going non-stop (and one guy doing as little as possible) digging, raking and shoveling for hours. Tim's shoulder got sore just watching them!
They hauled away a pickup bed full of weeds and rocks when they left in the late afternoon. It looks like we are growing sprinkler heads!

3/15: Sprinklers up!

Tim put in more pipe and added a few sprinkler heads today. Maddie continues to take her job as Inspector and Superintendent very seriously. Rob taught her well. Tim expects to have this part of the job finished on Saturday. Instant lawn will be installed on Monday.

3/13: In the trenches

As you can see, Tim has been very busy digging trenches for the sprinkler system this week. He rented a machine to help him do this huge job and managed to get it done in under four hours! He did have a problem at one point and had to use the truck to unstick the big ol' machine. Sadly, I wasn't here to document that part of the adventure.

3/1/07: The Landscaping Begins

With the danger of frost finally past, we are ready to begin the process of landscaping the front yard. Since Tim is currently "between jobs", he is taking on a large part of the job himself. The first picture shows Tim enjoying one of his final days of rest and relaxation!

Today Tim finished up breaking out all the bricks around the corner garden and the tree well. Next week he will put in the sprinklers and drip system in preparation for someone else to prepare the soil and lay the sod. We will then create a large native garden in the front part of the yard and add to our flower garden in front of the windows. Add a pathway or two, and a few things to dress up the front porch and voila! The landscape will be complete! Stay tuned....

10/16: Garage Update

My apologies to all for keeping you waiting on the garage update. I took these pictures a week ago and I'm just now getting around to posting them. As you can see, Tim has been very busy unpacking boxes and organizing his hand tools. This wall arrangement is temporary and will change after he builds his bench which will live to the right of the door you see in the picture on the left.

I am assured that there is a use for each and every one of the vices in the picture on the right. I'm pretty sure I've actually seen them in action over the years. I do know that Tim is very happy to be able to walk to his garage and get the tool he needs without going through a dozen boxes.
Happiness is parking the car in the garage again and having a dog to protect our belongings. See the tower of boxes? Those are either empty or they are holding garage sale items.
A few more pictures are available here: Garage Update I'll keep you posted as more gets done. By the way, how about those Chargers?

10/4: The Kitchen is finished!

We are enjoying our new kitchen even more than we anticipated. Adding our own personal items really makes it feel like it belongs in our home, and we are enjoying all the counterspace. We are also having fun figuring out where things are now!



For those of you who want to experience the transformation one more time, I've included a before and after photo montage.
I find it amazing to look at and I was here to witness it! Remember, you can click the photo to view a larger image.

I will post before and after garage images later this week.

9/20: Appliance Day!

Big day today! All the appliances were installed and hooked up. My kitchen doesn't seem quite as spacious as it was with no appliances, but it certainly is more functional.
I am using the sink and counter while I'm fixing dinner tonight. Tomorrow I may even use the stove and the dishwasher. I don't want to rush into these things, you know! Tomorrow should be the final inspection and this weekend will be the grand "moving in". Yee Haw!

9/18: Countertops and Cabinet Hardware

Today was countertop and cabinet hardware day! There were times when both crews were in the kitchen doing their work. That called for some fancy footwork and a bit of ducking at times!
The frosted glass doors for the cabinet on the right should be installed tomorrow or Wednesday. Appliances will be installed around the same time. It won't be long before this is a finished project.
Meanwhile, the plumbing joint that caused us problems a couple months ago reared its ugly head today. They can't figure out what caused the joint to break, but it was leaking big time so it had to be fixed. I told the plumber that he really put himself into his work!

9/10: Floor and Cabinet Stain

Last week was a busy one for the kitchen. The guys came to stain the cabinets on Wednesday. I think I really surprised Jarrett when I went with the first sample he prepared. It was perfect, so why complicate it?
On Friday, Mirek came to put down the floor tiles. He returned on Saturday to do the grouting. He did a fabulous job with it. All the subs that K-Co uses have proven to be excellent workers.
My own personal K-Co worker cleaned all the grout off the floor today and will seal everything on Wednesday. Once again, my expectations have been exceeded!
I believe the cabinets get their hardware installed this week and I think it's time to install appliances. It won't be long before the countertop is in and the kitchen is complete. Yippeee!

9/2: Cabinet Hardware and more...

Handles or knobs, or a combination of the two? Those are the questions we asked ourselves today as we explored the huge expanse of kitchen hardware available for the weary consumer. We ended up choosing handles for both the cupboards and the drawers, thinking the different orientation will be enough of a contrast. We both really liked this one. It's about 3" long and is brushed nickel like the faucet.
Several people have asked me just where in the kitchen the pullout pantry is. The picture on the right will answer that question. We had to leave room on the left of the refrigerator for the door to open so we had space made into a shallow pantry. It's pretty dark in the corner right now!
And finally, a picture of the new K-Co Construction Company Cat. Rockie has taken a shine to one of the blankets the crew uses to cover things up while they are working. I'm not sure she is going to let them take it back when they finish the job. It's one of her favorite spots these days!

9/3: Good Fences...

Tim started a fence yesterday to extend the backyard a bit. We had to take down the old one when they started building the garage. Yesterday was brick laying day and today was "putting the wood up with two screws so it can dry" day. As you can see by the picture on the right, we will need to get one more board and have it dry for a month or so, too. Then the boards come down, get put back up and will probably all fit in that same space Now I need to get to work on the overgrown side garden!

9/1: Meanwhile, back in the garage ...

Tim has been busy building the shelves for his garage. He had a big incentive as appliances were being delivered on Thursday and we needed a place to put them!
As you can see by the picture on the right, he filled the shelves quickly. He will be organizing all that stuff at a later date. Meanwhile, there was plenty of room on the garage floor to create a holding area for the sink, the appliances and the floor tiles to wait for their turn to be moved into the beautiful new kitchen!

9/1: It's Cabinet Day!

The long-awaited cabinet installation took place today. I'm so glad I was able to stay home and document this. It was great to watch it go from beginning to end. Tom and Matt from Cabinets Experts were terrific and put up with my candid shots and comments all day.
In about 6 hours they got all the cabinets up and the doors on. They need to return later for some details but the majority of the work is done. I am thrilled beyond description to see it all come together and have it be even more beautiful than I imagined. The full album of pictures is available for viewing on the left side of this post with the other albums.
The cabinets get stained next Wednesday and the floor gets installed on Friday. In the meantime, the template will be prepared and the countertop will be cut. The appliances are waiting in the garage for their new home. We expect to see our finished kitchen in just a couple of weeks!

8/28: Shelves and Paint

Tim is off this week and his number one plan is to build shelves for the new garage. He's been working on them on weekends for awhile now, and you can see how far along he is with the project.
As many of you know, I've struggled with the paint for the kitchen for weeks now. I'm happy to say I've chosen a color and I'm very happy with it. It's called Friar Tuck and is in the light brown family with a hint of orange. I think it will hold its own with the oak cabinets and look great with the floor and the countertop.
We will find out soon. The paint goes on these very white walls on Wednesday and the cabinets get delivered on Friday! We are nearing the end of this long road. Yeehaw!!

8/23: Driveway Update

Here's how things looked when I got home on Tuesday. The framing was all set for the driveway, the walkway and the new porch. They promised rebar and concrete on Wednesday. Sure enough, the guys were here at 7 a.m. ready to get to work before the heat of the day.
When I came home at 5, everything was finished and looking wonderful. It's so nice to see the things we've only imagined come to be after all these years. We are happy!
My favorite part of all this cement work is our new front porch. Tim is already imagining what the cover will look like and I'm already seeing a fountain in the corner. Meanwhile, here are some more before and after pictures for you to enjoy: Driveway Pictures

8/20: Weekend Warriors

Karen was here this weekend so we put her to work! Here she is demonstrating the size of the passthrough from the kitchen to the living room. In the full album she also demonstrates the size of the window on the opposite wall.
Sunday we gave her a ladder and a paintbrush so I could see the new paint color on the wall. I think it's a brownish gold but it's been declared a member of the yellow family by several people. Since the previous color was yellow it may appear that I'm in a rut!
When the painting was finished Tim and Karen headed for the garage and they put the growth chart up in a place of honor. I'm so glad we saved it! Of course there had to be measuring when the job was completed. I'm sworn to secrecy about whether anyone has grown or shrunk in the last several years. The weekend work is documented here: Weekend Warriors. I didn't get any of Tim digging the trench for the new sprinker system but he worked hard on that in the Saturday sun.

8/16: A Splash of Color

The garage got its color coat today. I was home around noon and managed to get this picture of the color coat job in progress. I was more than a little concerned about the color being so dark. I held out the hope that the color would fade as it dried.
As you can see by the second picture, the color is much lighter now that it has had a chance to dry in the San Diego sunshine. We will probably have to do a little painting on the front of the house but maybe it will all be fine in a few weeks. Time will tell! I'm not sure when the trim will get painted. Maybe tomorrow. The driveway, walkway and front porch will be poured within a week and then the garage will be finished! Party time is almost here.

8/16: Window Installation

Yes! Today was window day and I just happened to be home at the right time to witness the installation. Despite my heckling, Martin and his helper managed to install it perfectly.
On the right is a picture taken from the living room. As promised, you can now see all the way from the living room through the kitchen and into the back yard! The kitchen album on the left is updated with more installation pictures.

8/14: I Can See Clearly Now...

On the left is the view from the kitchen passthrough. It's still a bit obstructed by the plastic but it gives you a better idea of how it will look. During the day the plastic wall is pulled over to keep some of the dust out, but we are opening it in the evening to get some air!
On the right is the passthrough view from the living room. The view isn't so clear from here since the old window has been removed and the space is boarded up. Soon it will be a clear view to the back yard.
Garage update: The color coat goes on today or tomorrow! They will pour the driveway and walkway at the end of the week or early next week. Meanwhile, Tim is busy building shelves and I've been enjoying the washer and dryer being next to each other. Big smiles at the Miles' house this week!