Landscaping (with new driplines)/Mailbox/Numbers

Landscaping and Exterior finishing

Finishing the outside of the house is the object of the game right now. The basement outside patio area was "colored" to look as similar as possible to the tile inside the door. Here is a picture before it was sealed.



Here is the picture after sealing. A good attempt.



A large number of arborvitaes were planted along the back and sides of the house for some exterior shaping and future "privacy." large 6+ feet trees were planted (rather than the 4 foot ones).






The major concern over the next year or too is watering the trees. I set up a drip system (with hose wrapped pretty close to the stem of each tree). I have put the hose on timers to water automatically. Hopefully I am getting enough water directly to the root system without wasting much water.

Pictures of fence and backyard cement pour

It has been a while since the last update. Here are some pictures from last month.

Skim coat for the backyard stairwell.



Protection over the path and driveway cement pour from the cold.






A wheel for the sliding gate in the back.




These pictures tell me where the wiring and piping are for future reference.





Front entry



South side entry on east and west side of property

Floors refinished, Railings intalled inside, Doorstops, Electrical Outlets fixed

The floors in the house were completed by Mike Brown. At certain points along the walls, some cork was used a shims to press down the floor (and stop some incessant creaking noises). Some cracks and holes were filled, and a few of the two stairways small, almost unnoticeable head nails put into them to eliminate cracking noises. The floors were sanded a bit and re-finished. I looks good. It has a slightly matted feel (per design), and for a floating floor, it is pretty good in terms of feel, flexing, and noise.



The interior rails were installed. Two coats of powder coated paint applied by a guy who is quite serious about his quality and competency. It looks great. The design mirrors the outside.



Heavy duty, cylindrical metal doorstops with a rubber ring were installed in certain parts of the house. They screw down into the floor and just on the top of the concrete.





The remainder of the outside rails were being fabricated on site




Some difficult pictures to look at, but all of the metal poles for the fence are installed. The fence (including the two gated entries and the large sliding gate entry, should be finished by next week.



I guess someone decided to uncover the methane pipes.



Vent fan piping covers.



A rough coat of filler for the final skim coat on the outside cement was applied by Geoff. A backyard slab w.ill be poured out soon (it has been framed out, I just need to dig down in certain areas.




PSE put a flag for notification of the gas line for the fence people (I think).



I think this marker is here for some reason.



The kitchen receptacles on the black granite tile were replaced from almond to black, blending in better. Plus, the handles are all installed, and the cabinet doors were all adjusted by hand (with the nifty three-dimensional movement hinges) to make sure they were flush with all contact points, and the gaps and spacings lined up in closely and uniformly.