You know how you get out of the habit of doing something that really is fun, and you just let other activities take over your time...........Well, that's what happened to The 44 Ranch Blog. We have had so much progress in so many areas, I found it a little overwhelming to try to get back in the blog writing groove. So, here is a synopsis of the last 20 days of work at the ranch.
Rainwater Collection System
The biggest news is the rainwater collection system is complete and we are ready for it to rain, rain, rain. The final filter and purification equipment is yet to be installed, but we can capture rain off of the roof and store it in our cisterns. Yippee!!!!
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| Connection from Downspout to Pipe to Cistern |
All of the downspouts have a filter basket integrated into the pipe as the first step in cleaning the rainwater.
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| Filter Basket |
The buried pipes around the house converge into a set of pipes going into the cisterns. Now we just need some moisture.
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| Very Important Pipes!!! |
The Septic Tank
Since we don't have city water, it follows that we don't have city sewer service either. So, we are the proud owners of a big, honking septic tank. It was quite an operation to get that thing installed in the huge hole dug for it. Here is a sequence of action shots!
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| Tank Arriving |
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| Tank Transfer from Truck |
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| Lowering Tank into Hole |
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| Making sure Tank is Level |
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| Tank will be covered with dirt |
The next step in the septic process is to set up the spray field located to the west of the house.
Masonry Work
The masons erected the half stone wall to provide the back side of the outdoor kitchen on the patio. The front of the kitchen area will be the same color stucco as the rest of the house exterior.
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| Back Side of Outdoor Kitchen |
The masons were also busy inside placing the stone on the outermost kitchen island facing the great room. In addition to being a cool design element, the stone will prevent the inevitable scuff marks of younger folks knocking their toes into the wall - you remember doing that at counters - don't you? A piece of "Alaska White" granite will top the rock wall to provide a serving surface and a cabinet topped with granite will be on the other side.
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| Rock Face of Island |
The other really cool piece of masonry work to watch develop has been the indoor fireplace. Check out the progress shots as it grows to the ceiling. The masons did a beautiful job.
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| About a Third Complete |
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| Just a Few More Stones |
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| Complete to Ceiling |
The hearth will be topped with a smooth stone to provide a stable surface. The mantel will be made of rough cedar to mimic cedar beams throughout the house.
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| Unfinished Hearth |
The other cool progress on the fireplace was the installation of the outside chimney shroud made by Hill Country Fireplaces. We chose this design to coordinate with the exterior lighting on the front porch.
The Swimming Pool
I had no idea all of the steps required in building a swimming pool! One of the major steps is to make the pool start to look like a pool with the application of a concrete like substance. So, imagine the color blue and a lot of water.......and you can see our pool!
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| Imagine Boulders and a Waterfall at the Back |
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| Imagine an Umbrella Pole in the Middle of the Beach Ledge |
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| Imagine You on This Bench with Cold Drink in Hand!!! |
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| View from Upstairs |
Trim Work Staining and Painting
A new group of workers is currently at the house staining the trim work. They will put an initial coat of stain, sand the wood, put another coat of stain, and then apply a matte finish to the trim work. After staining is complete, then a crew will start painting the walls and ceilings. Painting the 18 feet high ceilings should be interesting to watch!
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| Jose Vasquez Staining Study French Doors |
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| Door to Upstairs Closet |
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| Study Closet Doors |
Upcoming Events
We had our first arbor design meeting today with Jason - arbor builder "par excellance." The design for the arbor is proving to be much trickier than any of us anticipated and we are looking forward to drawings from Jason next week. He had some great ideas and I know his final design will be beautiful.
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| Bruce, Jason, Aaron |
So, that's a wrap on the last 20 days of construction. I will try to have more frequent postings, but we are getting to the point in the project where we are "watching paint dry!"
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