Happy New Year 2009!

First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a safe, happy and prosperous new years. If everyone would feel as safe and secure as Miss Blue does as she's napping on my office desk.

Miss Blue, Safe and Secure

Well, all except the crooks who caused the financial mess for so many. May they spend an eternity counting pennies and nothing but.

Our walls continue to go up and up. A lot of progress in just a few days. I'm impressed.

Southwest View

Southeast View

A view a little farther away, and one a lot further. Probably in a week or so, work will begin on the roof.

Farther

Further

Views now right from the deck. You can almost see the sliding glass doors.

Esidoro mudding in a switch box

Bob cutting a switch box hole

Esidoro and Bob

Here's a couple of views of the house Mae and Craig are doing across the street from us. I took a break and strolled over to kibitz and sight-see.

Upstairs Back

South Side

Front Quarter

It's looking pretty good. Well, whoever moves in, it'll be nice to have some close-by neighbors.

And again, we're wishing everyone a great new year. Stay safe.

Tuesday Evening Update

Now, after a fairly hard day for the guys, it's beginning to look quite like a house. As the walls go up, so does the preliminary work for the electrical wiring. Below is a shot of Isidor running some of the Polyducto - an orange-colored, supposedly semi-rigid, flexible tubing.

It works fine until or unless it's compacted by the weight of concrete, or if it kinks in a bend. Several "experts" say it doesn't get compressed by concrete. That I have to dispute. We've seen several instances where just that exact thing has occurred. It also tends to kink easily, and even if not compacted by concrete, simply will not allow any sort of movement to run electrical wire through its tubing.

Esidoro Working Polyducto

It would probably be better in the long run to do electrical runs using schedule 40 PVC, but that would take longer, more labor, and probably cost more.

The two photos below show just how fast the walls are going up on this project.

Walls Appear to Go Up By Themselves

Apparently They Are

Late this afternoon, we're at the height for window positions to begin to be seen. You can see the kitchen window notch on the right side of the photo. The three boards are down on the deck to protect the deck wood from the heavy traffic of the workers. Same for the chairs upended - to keep them from using the deck as much as possible.

Worker Pathway

Miss Blue is an excellent escape artist. She simply never gives up and is always near a door when you go out or come in. And she's fast too.

On one of her legitimate excursions this evening, while she goes in search of grass to eat, to help that "full-body experience" that only cats can emulate (throwing up furballs), I shot this picture of her being quite serious while she's looking for more grass to much while she's up on the drain field garden.

Miss Blue Looking for Grass

Here's a last glimpse for this evening of the guest house from the edge of the pool deck. If you look closely, you can tell that both bedrooms are chock-a-block full (so to speak) of blocks for work over the next few days.

The block company only delivered three truckloads of block here today, so we've got a sh**load of block for the guys to go through.

Sunset View of the Guest House

Tuesday Morning Update

Couple more shots from yesterday, finishing up the two block effort. The reason they only went two blocks is simple, really. That's as high as you want to go in order to put in the lower electrical outlets and run wire in the walls. Of course, later all the counter-top outlets will be put in in similar fashion after four or five rows of block have been installed.

Setting blocks in the Guest House

More setting blocks in the Guest House

Here's some more views showing the completed two rows of blocks.

From the Kitchen to Bedrooms

To the Utility Room

From the Utility Room With A Panorama of Sorts

More From the Utility Room

Here's a view showing the height of the foundation and the first two rows of blocks. The walls will be 9' high, so it will be a pretty tall structure even with just one floor's height.

Elevation View

Yesterday afternoon, the guys started digging the trenches for the septic drain field. This morning, they finished and began dumping gravel into the trenches. Then 3" perforated pipe will be laid over the gravel. This will be covered with another layer of gravel, then the whole thing will be covered with a layer of filo.

Digging the Septic Trenches

More Septic Trenches

Moving Right Along

Just a brief update on progress with the guest house... It's coming along quite nicely. As you can see from the photos below, the walls are actually going up.

This morning, the crew showed up and began laying the first of two courses for today.

First Course Growing Around the Building

Second Course Underway

Here the block work is done for the day. It's actually starting to look like something.

From the Utility Room

From the Kitchen

Although you don't see it here, work is actually proceeding. Two of the guys are working on the septic tank drain field just south of the septic tank.

Again From the Utility Room

Looking Back to the Utility Room

I'm sure there will be more progress tomorrow. the walls will be going up 9-feet, so there's just a bit more to do.