Day 46 - Almost a Frame Job

The tasks today at the site included completing the pool house framing, some general clean up of the area, and completing the banquette window wall framing.  Freddie, our main man for framing, revised his completion date for this part of the job until Monday.  Sounds good to us, Freddie really knows his business.

Here's the pool house after framing. Isn't it cute!!!!  In addition to pool equipment, this building will house filtration and purification equipment to make potable water from the rain water we catch on the roof and store in two cisterns that will be constructed out of view of the house.

 A new member of the framing crew (he joined the guys yesterday) is going around the house and area picking up scraps of lumber, nails, and other construction debris.  We think he might have been a framer in his younger days and enjoys being on the job site.

Keeping It Clean

A very interesting task of framing performed today was doing the very detailed finish out work on the curved wall for the banquette.  Here is a sequence of shots showing some of the steps in the process.

First level Inside

First Level Outside

 Notice how the wood on the second level is cut to match the slant of the patio roof. The outside surface above and below the windows will be stucco.

Second Level Outside

Another View Second Level of Framing

Curved Wall at End of Today

We are looking forward to meeting with our builder tomorrow at the site to discuss some next steps.

Furry Friend of the Day

I'd like to introduce a part time resident of Bridlewood, Baci Miller.  Sweet little Baci currently lives with her human support staff - Mom, Grandmother, and Grandfather - her three canine sisters, some equine buddies, and a whole lot of bovine pals at her family's ranch.  She has decided rural life is not for her and will be moving to a bigger city soon.  But she will be back for frequent visits.

Baci Miller

Day 45 - Building Burritos

The framing crew has been working very hard and doing such a great job on shaping our house.  We've been taking out homemade cookies almost day as a treat.  But since they are about to wrap up this phase of work, we wanted to do something special to show our appreciation.   Today we provided lunch - homemade burritos and the trimmings made from our dear friend Mary Lopez' delicious recipe.  The guys really seemed to enjoy the food.  So, thank you Mary for your wonderful recipe!!!!

Burrito Lunch Break

While the crew was eating lunch, a load of new building material was being delivered to the site.

Additional framing of the pool house was one of the tasks the crew accomplished today.  The two big cedar beams will be part of the pool house porch structure.

Pool House Porch Beams 

Cedar will also be a feature of the front porch structure.  Here the crew is placing the big beam.

Placing Front Entry Cedar Beam

Beginning of the Entry Structure

Another View of the Entry

Work was progressing on the back side of house with framing the outdoor fireplace structure.

We thought you would enjoy another picture of the view from upstairs.

And here are a few shots of the entire structure.  It is so much fun to watch the house rise up out the ground!!

Garage End

Front Right

Longer View Front Right

Left Side Master Area

The framing crew should be done with this phase of the their work tomorrow.  On to the next phase!!!

Featured Flora of the Day

We found this pretty little wildflower today.....can someone tell us its name??

Day 44 - Up, Down and All Around

We had a really busy day taking care of house tasks in San Antonio and New Braunfels.  So, we didn't get to the build site until 5 o'clock and were very excited when we arrived.  More about the excitement later.

Our first stop in San Antonio was to look at a chair for Nancy's study.  The study will be a very cozy room and a Stressless chair just seems right for the space in front of the bookshelves.  It's going to take more trips to the store to make a final selection, but the picture below shows the style of the chair - not the leather or wood color.  There's no rush to buy furnishings, but it is fun to start looking!!

Stressless Chair Style - Dream

The real purpose for our trip to San Antonio was to finalize our granite selections.  We had fun at the granite design center looking at the slabs of stone with Geoff Zickler of Delta Granite and Marble.

Geoff Zickler - Delta Granite and Marble

Geoff is great to work with and he gave us some wonderful ideas for our selections including granite colors, edge treatments, and surface finishes.  And the other guys working in the granite yard are real artists moving around the large slabs of rock.

Stone Mover

Here are some shots of the stone we picked (or reconfirmed) today.  Clockwise from the the left: Alaskan White granite for kitchen islands, Crema Marfil marble for downstairs guest bath,  Giallo San Francisco granite for utility areas; and Honey Onyx for the master suite.

 We made a brief stop at a cool old hardware store in New Braunfels to start looking at cabinet hardware.  The selection of hardware is going to be a tough job since there are sooooo many options.  But we will reach a point when we have to make a decision...........

So, now to the excitement at the build site.  WE HAVE STAIRS!!!!!!!    Bruce was so excited that he practically ran into the garage and then up the stairs.

Bruce Upstairs

 Melinda and Craig hurried over from their house with some adult beverages to help us celebrate the stairs.  Craig couldn't wait to see the view and headed up the curving stairs.

Bruce and Melinda; Craig up the stairs

Here's the view from the windows on the back of the house.

Upstairs Rear View

Another exciting addition to the framing today is the chimney for the inside fireplace.  The roof line is really shaping up.

Since so much of the framing is complete, we are getting a real feel for the rooms and doorways.  We had heard from friends that this would be the point when we might want to make a few changes.  We identified a few "tweaks" this evening and will meet with our builder later this week to talk through our thoughts.  What a great day!!!

Day 43 - Taking It to Another Level

Today was another bright clear day for our hardworking framing crew. They made a lot progress on the second floor in addition to continuing to shape up other areas of the house.  Here's another progress shot of the house taken from the same location ten days apart.

February 15, 2013

February 25, 2013

The crew did a lot of climbing today as they continued the second story work.  Here are a few action shots.

Saul silhouetted in the sky

Freddie climbing up the ladder one more time!!!

The back wall of the upstairs took shape and you can see where the windows will be placed.  One window protrudes providing an area for a window seat.  I see myself spending many hours there reading and looking out at the view..........and maybe sipping a little wine.

Window seat area is on the right

Same area with patio in foreground

The guys did some work on the stairs which are located off of the utility hall right before you get into the kitchen.  A storage closet will take advantage of the space under the stairs - good place for luggage!!

Starting floor framing for the staircase

Getting to top area of staircase

And the banquette area is taking on even more definition with the additional 2X6 framing to provide structure for the installation of the four windows.

Banquette area basic window framing

We have had many days of clear weather which is great for framing.   But we wouldn't mind a little rain for our trees and other plants.

Featured Flora of the Day

Because of warm weather earlier this winter, some plants are blooming much earlier than usual.  Bruce spotted this beautiful redbud tree starting to bloom on the southeast boundary of our property.  We have only two of these pretty trees on our 26 acres.

Redbud in Bloom

Day 41 - Another Great Day in the Neighborhood

Saturday was a busy day at the build site.  I arrived early to meet the neighborhood gang to go for a morning walk.  Bridlewood is a great place for a brisk walk since it has rolling hills, beautiful views,  and very little traffic.  After we finished our walk, we went back to the build site and did a little pose at the front door.  We weren't just showing off,  I wanted to get another comparison shot of the construction progress........ check out these pictures.

Jan, Melinda, Cindy, Kathy, Nancy at front door Feb 23

Nancy, Bruce, Melinda at front door Jan 14

The framing crew was hard at work even though it was a Saturday.  I caught a couple of action shots of Bernardo climbing around up high.  He has a great sense of balance and is very good at what he does for a living.  I get dizzy just watching these guys climbing all over the structure!

Bernardo bending down nailing on a small ledge!!

Bernardo walking with lumber way up high!!!

Working on support for second floor

Support Structure for Second Floor

When the crew stopped for the day, they were kind enough to pose for a picture so you can see the great group of guys who are creating the important framework of our house.

Left to right: back row - Saul, Carlos; front row - Juan Carlos,  Freddie, Manuel, Bernardo

Another one of the folks who is working hard to help us create a comfortable, functional home is our expert in audio, video, security, lighting controls, home automation, and all other things related to low voltage wiring.  Sammy Falletta of Falletta Security and Stereo came out to visit us at the build site today and to further refine the plans for the "nervous system" of the house.  Sammy is a lot fun to work with and he really knows his stuff!!

Sammy and Bruce working hard on plans

Here's one last shot of the house on this Saturday......it was another great day!!