Two Weeks to Go!
Once again, Howard rode his bike for about 40 miles until he saw a beautiful sight -- his million-dollar house under construction.We are now about two weeks until a C.O. (Certificate of Occupancy) is issued, or at least a temporary C.O., so the new owners can begin moving in and getting situated over the holiday break. The intensity of scurrying about has doubled and re-doubled again.
The slate tile and grout are finally finished around the master bath tub. Howard selected the slate for installation around the shower only, and specified ceramic tile around the tub. But when the slate went into the shower, the owners loved it so much that they vetoed the ceramic tile, paying extra to put slate around the tub as well.
All the plumbing and lighting fixtures in the master bathroom, as well as the accessories such as towel bars, rob hooks, and toilet paper dispensers have a nickel finish as desired by the owners.Dark bronze light fixtures are in place throughout the house -- which now lights up previously dark and lonely nooks and crannies so that Howard can now take their pictures.
Granite countertops and the final group of cabinets are (finally) installed, as the kitchen now awaits brushed stainless-steel appliances such as gas stove, dishwasher, ovens, and refrigerator -- probably next Tuesday.The stone around the fireplace is in place, installed in one whirlwind day today, giving the family room that certain je ne sais quoi.
Next to the fireplace -- a built-in entertainment center designed by Howard to hold the family DVD collection and their 42" plasma teevee, which is only 3" thick.The beautiful contemporary nickel-and-walnut ceiling fan should be installed by the electrician Monday.
Landscapers have trucked in huge volumes of top soil, edging strips, buckrail fences, massive landscaping rocks, and sandstone stepping stones.
You might notice Howard's Fuji Touring bike, which sits in front of the house.
Also notice the dark bronze lighting fixtures adding another finishing touch.Howard took a lot of time selecting those. He must have reviewed every kind of residential porch and entry light manufactured before selecting these. They are used at the front and back of the house, and at the garage, so they had to be right.
The silver carriage bolts visible at the major connections of beams and posts will soon be painted black to match all the other hardware throughout the house.
Architects have to think of everything.
And if the great weather continues to continue, the overworked painter will finally have a chance to finish painting the northwest side of the house.Whew!
posted by Howard at 12:27 AM
3 Comments:
I hope you realized (or suspected) that I didn't have time to answer 'ause I thought a tie was a good idea and therefore was going to take a little bit of thought, which I have not given yet.
My sainted mother chortled at me from the ether, saying "ha! ha! Now if you're going to be the good sport you're touting to be, you can't just ride trouncingly off into the solstice!"
We have 19 days to play with and perhaps the best tactic is simply to cross 8000 on the same day... p'raps at the same time?
I've actually had to work fairly hard for the past two days ... so I don't have too many working brain cells left. Perhaps inspiration will come as I sleep...
Seems to me that since you ride your bike to and from work, and to get pretty much everywhere else, that you should just do your miles as needed. And once we get to the end of the year, I can tweak my miles, or shut down briefly, to match yours. This means that we could go over 8,000 if necessary (again, I'm thinking more of your necessary miles which may take you beyond 8,000 miles, as opposed to my recreational miles), but then we meet at some exact number (even down to the precise 10th of a mile) on December 31st. I'm all for this if you are. Like I implied, I can follow your lead.
I think a tie is the best solution since we both are of a like-mind. Just so you know, I'll be putting on some serious miles the next four or five days because I'll be out of town from the 26th to the 29th and don't want to be left wanting for too much if the weather turns bad on me.
And SueJ, what do you think of the house? Be honest! It may be a bit boxy, masculine, and robust for your tastes, but it's exactly what the client wanted. They are thrilled with it and are excited to be moving in at the Christmas break.
You should have seen the first design. Best thing I ever designed, but it cost too much, as is typical for an ambitious architect with an even more ambitious client wanting it all!
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