Only A Matter of Days Now

Howard purchased a digital camera last weekend with some special features and he's been looking forward to visiting the million-dollar house with camera in hand. He took about a hundred photos today, but he's considerate enough to only show the best sixteen -- some of them showing areas unseen before now because the old camera didn't have the optics capable of producing a photo worth showing. The downside of such a nice camera is that all the dirt, sawdust, and grit is now highly obvious.

The cleaners came into the house this afternoon -- started while Howard was there, as a matter of fact. They'll be done by Friday.

This weekend, Howard will be showing the house to relatives coming town for the holidays, and he will be taking a lot more photographs of a clean house, as you might imagine.

Please don't hesitate to let Howard know what you think of the house, if you wouldn't mind.

Bamboo floors have been installed throughout the house now. In the family room, the darker amber bamboo was specified. Also, note the entertainment center and the beautiful ceiling fan.

This photo has been shown before, but using the old camera. All the dust is now highly visible with the new camera. Most of the kitchen cabinets still need hardware, but the sink, floors, and lighting are finished throughout the house.

Photos of the eating nook have been shown many times before, but never from this angle, which was made possible by the wider angle capabilities of the new camera. Note the support for the table which matches the newel posts at the stairway. It's called design.

Here's the landing of the stairway showing protective pads used during construction to prevent damage to the coastal maple hardwood floors and treads. Also, note the glass blocks which are visible from the study on the other side of this wall. Kids should love these. Howard does.

Built-in dresser drawers in two bedrooms show a bit of Arts & Crafts influence.

One of the two vanities in the master bathroom -- his and hers -- with a large storage cabinet in-between. Note the same trim detail around the mirror as used throughout the house. The light fixture was selected by the client -- she vetoed the architect's choice, which was a bit larger and more contemporary.

This great view to the southwest towards Terry Lake has been shown before, but not with the new camera. The exact location of the house on the lot, the location of the master bedroom on the plan, and the design of this deck were consciously chosen by the architect to create this great view through the neighbor's backyard.

The view to the southwest from the same upper deck hints at how the back of the house was oriented directly towards the best views of the foothills of Fort Collins.

The landscape plan starts to become apparent from up above. The concrete patio nearest the house will be covered by a cedar pergola -- currently under construction -- so the owners can enjoy their great views of the foothills and sunsets year-round while being screened by the garage from the prevailing winds.

One of the special features of this house is a dog room accessible through a dog door from outside so the dogs can come into the house anytime they wish. With stained concrete floors in the basement, a floor sink for easy cleaning, and a dutch door (shown to the left), which can be left half-open when the owners wish, means the dogs can have a very pleasant yet durable interior space of their own.

The extra large shower to the 3/4-bath in the basement is lined with the same slate as used in the master bathroom two stories above.

You can see a few branches from one of a dozen scrub oaks left untouched per the architect's instructions to the contractor. The two-acre site was substantially revised except for one corner of the site which had these trees on it. Howard hates to cut down trees if it can be helped.

The contractor's superintendent and a carpenter talk about construction of a wood fence leading from the dog door and dog room to a fenced-off area for the dogs. The carpenter should begin framing the cedar pergola on Wednesday. Note that the upper floor hasn't been painted yet as the painter needs a cherry picker and good weather. Also, lots of cedar fascia and posts still need to be stained.

The air conditioning fan coil units amidst landscaping rocks and trees on the northwest side of the house. This whole side of the house hasn't been painted or stained yet.

A close-up view of the landscape rocks and boulders creating a step path up to an elevated outdoor seating area. This was designed by the landscape designer.