Day 0: Family Room
Date/Time: Tue 04 Dec 2007 10:22:28 AM EST
Once the walls are removed, this will become the northern end of the Great Room
Day 0: Hall Door
Date/Time: Tue 04 Dec 2007 10:16:48 AM EST
This temporary door separates the construction area from our temporary living area.
Day 0: Kitchen/Family Room
Date/Time: Tue 04 Dec 2007 10:17:28 AM EST
Soon, this will be one big open space!
Day 1: Family Room
Date/Time: Wed 05 Dec 2007 08:30:41 PM EST
Ugh, what's that stuff under the carpet? It's certainly not hardwood!
Day 1: Family Room Floor
Date/Time: Wed 05 Dec 2007 08:30:52 PM EST
Is it butter?!? No, it's Parque!
Day 1: Kitchen/Great Room
Date/Time: Wed 05 Dec 2007 08:31:50 PM EST
The kitchen counter is gone, and the wall is on it's way out!
Day 1: Kitchen Floor
Date/Time: Wed 05 Dec 2007 08:31:32 PM EST
Underneath the kitchen tile was... linoleum! Oops! Well, that has to go too.
Day 1: Living Room Floor
Date/Time: Wed 05 Dec 2007 08:30:19 PM EST
Under the carpet in the Living Room was the hardwood that we had expected would be in the Family Room as well.
Day 4: Dining/Pantry Area
Date/Time: Sat 08 Dec 2007 09:36:03 AM EST
The wall is opened up in the former dining area.
Day 4: Kitchen/Family Room
Date/Time: Sat 08 Dec 2007 09:36:15 AM EST
A shot from the kitchen into the former family room. The sheetrock is off the walls, and the floors are bare.
Day 4: Great Room
Date/Time: Sat 08 Dec 2007 09:34:41 AM EST
A shot from our temporary Hall Door across what will soon be the Great Room.
Day 7: Preparing for the first beam
Date/Time: Tue 11 Dec 2007 08:37:53 PM EST
The ceiling is opened up to get ready to install one of the two beams.
Day 7: Kitchen Beam Prep
Date/Time: Tue 11 Dec 2007 08:38:05 PM EST
The ceiling is opened up to get ready for the second beam that will run across the kitchen (above where the peninsula counter used to be).
Day 9: Gutted Kitchen
Date/Time: Thu 13 Dec 2007 12:59:05 PM EST
Only the second day, and the kitchen is bare.
Day 9: Cozy Kitties
Date/Time: Thu 13 Dec 2007 09:43:43 PM EST
Meanwhile, at the other end of the house, the cats are getting used to the concept of electric heat!
Day 13: Polo's Toasty
Date/Time: Mon 17 Dec 2007 09:37:15 PM EST
By day 13, Polo has mastered the art of warming up next to the space heater!
Day 13: Construction Zone
Date/Time: Mon 17 Dec 2007 07:38:04 PM EST
Looking into the Kitchen from the former Living Room...
Day 13: Great Room
Date/Time: Mon 17 Dec 2007 07:37:42 PM EST
Once again, a shot from our temporary Hallway door across the new Great Room. Now that the former Family Room wall is gone, you can really start to see how cool this is going to be!
Day 13: Kitchen Wall Removed
Date/Time: Mon 17 Dec 2007 07:38:25 PM EST
The kitchen wall (next to where the table used to sit) is now gone, and we're hoping there are no earthquakes for the next week or so!
Day 13: Temporary "Wall"
Date/Time: Mon 17 Dec 2007 07:38:37 PM EST
These 2x4's are the temporary "wall" holding up the kitchen/family room end of the house until the engineered beams are put in place.
Day 15: Kitchen Viewed from Slider
Date/Time: Wed 19 Dec 2007 08:14:44 AM EST
A shot of the kitchen, taken from the sliding glass doors. This gives a good view of our temporary wall system.
Day 15: Slider Viewed from Kitchen
Date/Time: Wed 19 Dec 2007 08:16:07 AM EST
The reverse of the last shot -- from the Kitchen towards the sliding glass doors.
Day 15: Great Room
Date/Time: Wed 19 Dec 2007 08:14:08 AM EST
Another updated shot of the Great Room taken from the Hallway door. A lot of progress has been made in a week!
Day 17: Beams Installed
Date/Time: Fri 21 Dec 2007 03:59:21 PM EST
The beams were installed today. You can see the beam that runs across the kitchen parallel and slightly to the right of the temporary wall. The second beam, running across the Living/Family Room, runs to the left in this picture.
Day 17: Trench
Date/Time: Fri 21 Dec 2007 03:59:12 PM EST
This trench, which is roughly 24" wide and 18" deep, will run underneath the kitchen beam and tie to the posts on either end. This was not part of the original plan, but was added by the SJ City Engineer when he inspected the plans. He said it would be needed for earthquake safety. Yeah, right.
Day 17: Cement!
Date/Time: Fri 21 Dec 2007 05:04:21 PM EST
The trench is being filled with cement -- a LOT of cement!
Day 17: And More Cement!
Date/Time: Fri 21 Dec 2007 05:05:09 PM EST
Actually, it's being filled with boatloads of cement!
Day 17: And even More cement!!
Date/Time: Fri 21 Dec 2007 05:06:36 PM EST
Nate, who is supervising all this (he's the one in the white t-shirt) says with all this cement and these beams, ours will be the only house standing when "The Big Earthquake" hits!
Day 32: From the Entry
Date/Time: Sat 05 Jan 2008 04:47:35 PM EST
A shot across the Great Room from the Entry. This view shows the two Living Room windows on either side of the fireplace, as well as the slider that used to be in the Family Room. Between the right-hand window and the slider, you can see the beam in the ceiling that replaces the wall.
Day 32: Great Room
Date/Time: Sat 05 Jan 2008 04:47:55 PM EST
A shot from the corner of the Great Room towards the kitchen.
Day 32: Great Room #2
Date/Time: Sat 05 Jan 2008 04:48:17 PM EST
Another shot across the Great Room, this time towards the former Family Room.
Day 32: Kitchen-Great Room
Date/Time: Sat 05 Jan 2008 04:48:41 PM EST
Looking from the corner of the Kitchen out across the Great Room. There used to be a wall in the way of this view!
Day 33: Bay Window
Date/Time: Sun 06 Jan 2008 03:33:18 PM EST
The Bay Window went in in the Kitchen this week. Very cool. The post that holds up one end of the Kitchen beam is visible on the left side of the window.
Day 33: Beams
Date/Time: Sun 06 Jan 2008 03:32:27 PM EST
Here's a shot of the beams after they are fully installed and the temporary supports removed. Those things are massive.
Day 33: Beam Close-up
Date/Time: Sun 06 Jan 2008 03:32:42 PM EST
Here's a close-up shot of where the two beams come together.
Day 33: Beams: Great Room
Date/Time: Sun 06 Jan 2008 03:32:56 PM EST
A shot of the two beams from the standpoint of looking across the Great Room. This beam is directly above where the old Living Room/Family Room wall used to be.
Day 38: Kitchen Lighting Installation
Date/Time: Fri 11 Jan 2008 08:45:57 AM EST
Lighting installation is in progress!
Day 38: Kitchen Doors
Date/Time: Fri 11 Jan 2008 08:46:11 AM EST
The new door is in, and the old one remains for the time being.
Day 38: The Cabinets Have Arrived!
Date/Time: Fri 11 Jan 2008 08:46:28 AM EST
26 large boxes, plus a host of smaller ones. I think we'll have enough cabinet space!
Day 38: A sea of boxes!
Date/Time: Fri 11 Jan 2008 08:47:04 AM EST
All the cabinet boxes -- viewed from the entry way.
Day 38: Two doors, no waiting!
Date/Time: Fri 11 Jan 2008 08:47:24 AM EST
A close-up view of the old and new doors. The old door will be filled in, and the stovetop will go right where it currently sits.
Day 38: Washer/Dryer Hook-up
Date/Time: Fri 11 Jan 2008 08:48:15 AM EST
The washer and dryer had to be moved down the garage wall to make room for the new door.
Day 56: Sheetrock in the garage.
Date/Time: Tue 29 Jan 2008 08:21:44 AM EST
The garage wall with washer/dryer hook-ups after the sheetrock is replaced.
Day 56: Sheetrocking Done (almost)!
Date/Time: Tue 29 Jan 2008 08:23:15 AM EST
The sheetrocking is pretty much done at this point. Only one spot remains in the left-hand corner of this photo, where the new gas line runs through the wall (waiting for the inspection).
Day 56: Great Room Sheetrocked too!
Date/Time: Tue 29 Jan 2008 08:23:37 AM EST
The Great Room with all the sheetrock installed.
Day 56: Pantry
Date/Time: Tue 29 Jan 2008 08:23:48 AM EST
What will soon be the pantry, with the walls all done.
Day 56: Sheetrocking complete, taping in progress
Date/Time: Tue 29 Jan 2008 08:24:00 AM EST
Sheetrock is all done. Taping/mudding has begun. And you can see some of Carol's paint color experiments! :-)
Day 56: Great Room Ceiling
Date/Time: Tue 29 Jan 2008 08:24:14 AM EST
The completely sheetrocked ceiling, showing some of the new can lights.
Day 65: Cabinet Installation!
Date/Time: Fri 08 Feb 2008 12:32:15 AM EST
Things are starting to shape up in the kitchen.
Notice that the edge of the island is flush with the step. This is before the overhang has been added for seating.
Notice that the edge of the island is flush with the step. This is before the overhang has been added for seating.
Day 65: Across Great Room/Kitchen
Date/Time: Fri 08 Feb 2008 12:32:32 AM EST
You can begin to see how the kitchen will come together..
Day 65: Across Great Room
Date/Time: Fri 08 Feb 2008 12:32:40 AM EST
Looking from the corner of the room towards the entry and hallway.
Day 65: Kitchen/Great Room
Date/Time: Fri 08 Feb 2008 12:32:56 AM EST
This shot, taken from the corner of the kitchen, really lets you see how open the new design is.
Again, notice how the far side of the island is flush with the edge of the step down into the Great Room. More on this to follow...
Again, notice how the far side of the island is flush with the edge of the step down into the Great Room. More on this to follow...
Day 65: From Garage Door
Date/Time: Fri 08 Feb 2008 12:33:10 AM EST
The island as seen from the garage entry.
If you look closely, you'll see that the 3 pendant lights (at the top of the picture) are not quite centered on the island. More on this later...
If you look closely, you'll see that the 3 pendant lights (at the top of the picture) are not quite centered on the island. More on this later...
Day 65: Pantry
Date/Time: Fri 08 Feb 2008 12:33:55 AM EST
Now this is a pantry! The fridge will slide into the cabinet on the left, the oven and microwave will be in the center tall cabinet, and the far right-hand cabinet is all pantry shelves.
Day 65: Sink/Stove
Date/Time: Fri 08 Feb 2008 12:34:05 AM EST
The sink will mount directly under the window. The stovetop drops into the far right-hand cabinet.
Day 66: The (Improved) Island
Date/Time: Sat 09 Feb 2008 12:19:06 AM EST
Taken from the hallway door, this is after the island has been moved into the kitchen by 18 inches. The original placement -- with the edge of the island cabinets lining up with the edge of the step -- was encroaching into the dining area of the Great Room too much. Pushing it back 18 inches made a HUGE improvement!
Day 66: Great Room
Date/Time: Sat 09 Feb 2008 12:19:20 AM EST
Taken from the corner of the room next to the fireplace.
Day 66: Kitchen/Great Room
Date/Time: Sat 09 Feb 2008 12:20:00 AM EST
The view from the kitchen, across the island into the Great Room. The island is further into the kitchen now... much better!
Day 66: View from Garage Entry
Date/Time: Sat 09 Feb 2008 12:20:09 AM EST
Now the island is nearer as you enter the kitchen from the garage. Again, much better.
Day 66: Pendants over Island
Date/Time: Sat 09 Feb 2008 12:20:16 AM EST
It's not obvious in this picture, but in addition to being puled into the kitchen by 18 inches, the island has been shifted to the right roughly 4 inches. This centered the pendand lights (3 fixtures at the top of the picture) over the island.
Day 66: Cutaway in Step
Date/Time: Sat 09 Feb 2008 12:20:37 AM EST
In order to move the island back 18 inches and not have people fall of the step when they slid back their barstool, the step was notched out.
Day 66: Island Seating Area
Date/Time: Sat 09 Feb 2008 12:20:52 AM EST
A view of the seating area from the Great Room, which gives a better view of the notched step.
Day 67: Island from Hallway
Date/Time: Sun 10 Feb 2008 03:34:34 AM EST
The Great Room has been cleaned out (mostly), and the top on the island has been cut to our originally specified length. However, we're thinking of shortening it slightly... we'll see.
Day 67: Great Room/Kitchen
Date/Time: Sun 10 Feb 2008 03:34:47 AM EST
Cabinets are fully installed, so now you can really start to see how the kitchen will look when finished.
Day 67: Kitchen/Entry
Date/Time: Sun 10 Feb 2008 03:34:52 AM EST
Another shot from the corner of the Great Room showing the kitchen and entry... not to mention our floating refrigerator -- it's been everywhere over the last couple months!
Day 67: Kitchen Shot
Date/Time: Sun 10 Feb 2008 03:35:05 AM EST
A full view of the kitchen as seen from the sliding glass doors. LOTS of cabinet space!
Day 67: Kitchen/Great Room
Date/Time: Sun 10 Feb 2008 03:35:27 AM EST
One more shot of the Great Room as seen from the kitchen.
Day 67: Island
Date/Time: Sun 10 Feb 2008 03:35:45 AM EST
The island -- with doors installed -- as seen coming in from the garage. The two open spots on either side of the island cabinet are for the wine fridges.
Day 80: Great Room
Date/Time: Sat 23 Feb 2008 07:01:28 AM EST
Walls are painted, and the floor is installed in the great room. Wow, real progress!
Day 80: Kitchen
Date/Time: Sat 23 Feb 2008 07:01:47 AM EST
A shot of the new floor towards the kitchen. The kitchen floor won't go in until the granite and tile backsplash are installed.
Day 80: Kitchen/Great Room
Date/Time: Sat 23 Feb 2008 07:02:11 AM EST
Looking into the Great Room from the far corner of the kitchen. You can see the paint colors well, including the dark brown of the accent wall on the right.
Day 80: Entertainment Area
Date/Time: Sat 23 Feb 2008 07:02:41 AM EST
Taken from what will be the dining area. The wall in this picture will hold the TV.
Day 80: Dining Area
Date/Time: Sat 23 Feb 2008 07:02:59 AM EST
Taken from the entertainment area shown in the previous picture. The dining table will run lengthwise along the accent wall.
Day 86: Granite Prep
Date/Time: Fri 29 Feb 2008 10:03:10 AM EST
The day has finally arrived -- granite gets installed today. This shot shows all the glue in place. Next step is to put the granite slab down.
Day 86: Island Granite
Date/Time: Fri 29 Feb 2008 10:09:32 AM EST
There it is -- the completed Island. The granite looks great!
Day 92: Backsplash in place
Date/Time: Fri 07 Mar 2008 07:03:03 AM EST
Here's a closer shot of the backsplash and granite together, including the 1-inch accent tiles. You can see that the granite extends into the bay window as well.
Day 92: Kitchen corner
Date/Time: Fri 07 Mar 2008 07:03:18 AM EST
This is the back corner of the kitchen. The blue cable sticking out in a loop will be the telephone/TV/internet hookup.
Day 92: Across the Kitchen
Date/Time: Fri 07 Mar 2008 07:03:45 AM EST
A look across the kitchen showing the island and over to the bay window/sink and stove areas.
Day 92: Backsplash in place
Date/Time: Fri 07 Mar 2008 06:39:21 PM EST
The backsplash behind the stove area is complete. Nice accent tile pattern, don't you think?!
Day 92: Backsplash
Date/Time: Fri 07 Mar 2008 07:02:53 AM EST
Installation of the tile that makes up the backsplash started today. This shot shows a bit of how it will look behind the range top.
Day 94: Island from Hallway
Date/Time: Mon 10 Mar 2008 03:58:48 AM EDT
The completed island as seen from the hall.
Day 94: Great Room/Kitchen
Date/Time: Mon 10 Mar 2008 03:59:03 AM EDT
Here's the view from the corner as you look across the Great Room into the kitchen.
Day 94: Kitchen/Great Room
Date/Time: Mon 10 Mar 2008 03:59:27 AM EDT
This shot is from the corner of the kitchen looking towards the corner where the previous picture was taken.
Day 99: Island from Hallway
Date/Time: Sat 15 Mar 2008 12:13:13 PM EDT
Floors are done, and appliances are in!
Day 99: Kitchen view
Date/Time: Sat 15 Mar 2008 12:13:23 PM EDT
Looking across the kitchen, and the resident island dweller.
Day 99: Full Kitchen View
Date/Time: Sat 15 Mar 2008 12:13:48 PM EDT
Taken from the sliding glass doors, here you can see the full kitchen layout (finally!).
Day 99: Backside of Island
Date/Time: Sat 15 Mar 2008 12:14:23 PM EDT
The holes in the kitchen side of the island are filled at last, with 2 wine fridges!
Day 99: Island Kitty
Date/Time: Sat 15 Mar 2008 12:14:52 PM EDT
Polo quickly established ownership of the island. If we're lucky, he'll let us use it now and again.
Day 100: Backyard View
Date/Time: Sun 16 Mar 2008 07:31:54 AM EDT
Taken in the morning, this shot shows the nice view of the back yard from the kitchen.
Day 113: From Hallway
Date/Time: Fri 04 Apr 2008 02:48:36 AM EDT
Wow... furniture! Yes, we moved everything out of the POD and into the house on March 29th. There's still a lot of unpacking to do, but we're almost done!
Day 113: Family Room/Kitchen
Date/Time: Fri 04 Apr 2008 02:48:50 AM EDT
Lots of boxes about, but the furniture is in place in the living room,and there's even a dining table at the far end of the room.
Day 113: Kitchen/Entry
Date/Time: Fri 04 Apr 2008 02:48:56 AM EDT
The new entry doors are in and ALMOST done. After staining the threshold to match the doors, we had to wait for everything to dry. So for the time being, our weather stripping is composed of old bath towels...
Day 113: Kitchen
Date/Time: Fri 04 Apr 2008 02:49:14 AM EDT
Here's another shot of the kitchen as seen from the sliding glass doors. The place is starting to look lived-in again.
Day 113: Living Area
Date/Time: Fri 04 Apr 2008 02:49:29 AM EDT
The TV is out of the guest room... Yay! It's not mounted yet, but it's functional. The bookcases are in place too, more or less, but all the boxes laying around hold all the books.
Day 113: Kitchen/Great Room
Date/Time: Fri 04 Apr 2008 02:49:45 AM EDT
Taken from the Northeast corner of the kitchen, this shot shows the view of the TV from the island.
