Pool progress as of 2/27

Water line tile installation in the pool is moving along nicely. So far they have covered about 50% of the inside of the pool and are continuing all week with that and the infinity edge later in the week.

Close up of the coping edge and the waterline tile.

All the pool equipment, filters and pumps are now installed in the pool shed as well.

It's time to assemble cabinets

Very early on we decided that we are going to use IKEA cabinets in the kitchen, mudroom and second unit kitchenette. We rented a U-Haul truck and drove over to IKEA and picked up everything we needed. 

Now it's time to begin assembling the cabinets. The first one took some time to put together, but then we started getting the hang of it and assembled 30 cabinets pretty quickly.

Hey Caroline - can you help fasten that bracket underneath?

Pool progress and drywall wrapping up

The drywall crew is in the process of wrapping up their work. It has taken 4 or 5 layers to get a perfectly smooth level 5 finish on all the interior walls - they have been applying more mud, sanding, checking with side-lights, etc over and over again. Pretty impressive to watch - those guys are magicians.

The pool contractor has begun laying the concrete coping around the pool.

Drywall - third layer

These pictures are from two weeks ago - the next layer of mud was applied and was drying when we took these shots. 

On the outside the stucco scratch coat is drying up nicely

Stucco - first coat complete

Earlier in the week, the first coat of stucco was completed. Now it has to dry for 20 days before they can apply the next coat.

Interior update - first two layers of drywall mud going on

On the inside of the house, things are moving along really well. The drywall crew has been busy applying the first two layers of "mud" in all seams and transitions. 

North facing wall. The electrical outlets and boxes that are mounted high are for power and cable/LAN boxes so that all wires needed for the tv, the Roku and the Apple tv will be hidden behind the tv screen. Clever...

The kitchen. The cut-out for the cabinets is sized to fit the Ikea kitchen cabinets that we will be using in the kitchen, the mudroom and the 2nd unit kitchen. The joke of this week is that normal people build a house and do custom kitchen cabinets to fit - we chose to use standard cabinets and build a custom house around them...

Dining and living area downstairs.

Hallway upstairs. To the left is the only area where they haven't begun with the drywall mud yet. They need some more scaffolding to reach that area. Seeing the process of creating a "level 5" smooth wall finish is interesting. First they apply tape and a layer of mud, then another layer of mud, then sanding followed by two more layers of mud with sanding in between. Those guys are true artists with their tools and technique feathering the mud outwards to create a perfectly smooth finish. They have applied two layers so far and the plan is to have the final two layers applied in the next 7-10 days.

Upstairs by the staircase. We love how the builder is creating a shadow gap on the horizontal framing elements by the stair with a metal L-bracket to create a similar look as the gap by the door jambs and the flush baseboards.

Master bedroom.

Exterior update - pool and stucco

Things are moving quickly now. This post will focus on the updates and progress on the exterior. The tile and coping for the pool has been delivered, but the installation hasn't begun quite yet.

The pool company also drained the pool after all the rain we have been getting - so it looks like they are getting ready to finish the pool.

On the outside of the house things are changing as well. The stucco company began applying the first stucco coat (the scratch coat) Friday. It is really fascinating to see how the exterior changes in appearance with the first stucco layer applied.

Stucco crew working on the North facing wall.

A little later Friday on the East facade by the front door.

Stucco being mixed...

A little hard to see with the sun angle, but they were working all day Friday on the front facade.

By Friday evening, the entire front was done.

Garage doors

The plan is to complete the first stucco coat on the entire house by Wednesday of this week - before we get another couple of days with rain. The weather these last 4 or 5 days has been wonderful - sunny and in the low 60s (approx 15-16 Celsius for my European friends).

Mudroom and Pantry wall.

You can probably tell why they call it "the scratch coat"...