The "Blog"

Prior Journals

Monday, December 27, 2004

• Stair people did more Bondo work today, took off all the glass railings and made a bunch of dust (Bondo sanding). They're coming back tomorrow to put the finishing touches on the handrail.

• Non of the leak repair work has been done and tomorrow and Wednesday are suppose to be rain days, so it's back to the tarps and buckets.

• The block guys cut off the useless ledger bolts but missed the rebar on the top of the retaining wall.

• Jose delivered our custom steel sink base on the 26th. It's going to look great!

• First Xmas holiday at Hale Nani was marvelous.
  

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

• Stair people were here on Monday making notes of what they need to do to finish the job. When do you think they'll be back?

• Had a meeting with tile, stucco subs, and our contractor to discuss the roof deck leak problem. We'll be opening the ceiling in the great room and flooding the deck to see if we can determine the leak source(s).

• While the stucco sub was here, a plan was hatched to finish the stuccoing around the greenhouse.

• The electrician's here this morning fixing a few items, installing the cable to the driveway kiosks and hanging the dining room fixture. It needs to be moved about 6" makai (towards the sea:)), which will make for one dirty job.
  

Monday, December 13, 2004

• Per spec, the stair folks were a NO SHOW on Friday. They're suppose to be here this afternoon, but I'm not holding my breath.

• Spent the weekend doing garage organization. We have way too much stuff.
  

Thursday, December 9, 2004

• Finally, an update to the photos. Hot off the camera we have pictures of the greenhouse.

• SM Surfaces is back polishing up the areas around a seam kitchen counter and a crack in the master bath vanity. These areas were left "dull" after prior work to hide the cracks.

• Stair guys are suppose to resume work tomorrow (any bets on their showing up?) and we have a meeting scheduled next Tuesday to discuss the rainforest in the great room.
  

Monday, December 6, 2004

• It's been raining like crazy and the leaks in the great room have been dripping like crazy. The old leak near the stairs dripped most of Saturday and all of Sunday while the newer leak between the great room and dining room sliders started dripping (now in two spots) around 11 pm. Sunday. The exciting part came at 4:05 this morning when the water that had been seeping into one of the smoke detectors in the great room, finally set it off. There are 13 interconnected detectors in the house and they produce the most piercing of shrill, triplet bleats. At this point, I think are choices are to fix the leaks or place glass panels in the openings to the stairwell and dining room and  turn the 'great room' into the great aquarium.

• Plumber was here on Saturday to reduce the height of the of the main sewer cleanouts (they're now about 6" above the dirt), fix the diverter in #2 shower and put the proper strainer basket in the greenhouse sink.
  

Thursday, December 2, 2004

• Counter top guys were here yesterday to address a crack and a bad seam. The seam fill is better, but now there's a dull area around it. Fix one, break two.
  

Saturday, November 20, 2004

• Greenhouse installation wrapped up around noon on Friday. The are a few custom glass pieces that have to be fabricated for the gable ends and a little trimming and  patching, but the job's pretty much done. Close counts, and while there are still repairs and re-dos to take care of, were going to call this the end of the external construction of Hale Nani. A quick 636 days and we're pau! At the end of November, the live cam will be coming down and moved to the roof deck for some Phoenix city views. Have a great thanksgiving.
  

Thursday, November 18, 2004

• Day 4 of the greenhouse installation. We're getting close. Hans Lewald, the Underglass wizard, assisted by "Spider Man" Carlos did a fantastic job. Today's activities included installing the sun shades, sash vent motor and the upper glass panels. This involved 15 feet of scaffolding and a few non-OSHA approved climbs. It looks fantastic!!!
  

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

• Day 2 of the greenhouse installation.  All of the rafters, sill plates and the ridge plates are in place, as is the sash vent frame. Stucco on the east wall had to be cut because the installation wasn't done prior to stuccoing. That area has been flashed and is ready for re-stuccoing and painting. All in all, things are moving along pretty well. Only 4 trips to home depot thus far.

• The plumbers were here today to clean up some of their original work--centering strainer baskets in sink openings, aligning logos and trying to fix the shower diverter button in the #2 bath. They coming back to cut the main sewer cleanouts to soil level (didn't bring parts, install a strainer basket and fix the #2 bath thing.
  

Monday, November 15, 2004

• Greenhouse installation has begun. On Sunday, Laurel and I rented and set up the scaffolding and put down a layer of  Masonite to protect the tile. Per spec, it was raining a bit this morning. We've inventoried the parts and acquired a few supplies. As I figured would happen, the opening (area between the east and west walls) is too small, so we're going to have chip out some stucco. The plan is to do the chipping and frame installation tomorrow and the glazing on Wednesday.

• Met with our iron guy to work out plans for some fencing to keep that damn dog from running away and for the powder room sink base.

• The leak is back in the great room ceiling--bummer!
  

Monday, November 8, 2004

• Greenhouse installation has been delayed for 1 week because of a family emergency.
  

Wednesday, November 3, 2004

• I can't get anyone to do anything on the house, so with no progress to log, I present an observation: for the cost of the current folly in Iraq, you could build over 305,000 Hale Nanis. Constructed on top of each other, they'd reach an altitude of 1,770 miles. I'm still working on how many miles of stucco cracks that'd be.

• Good news is the old leak in the roof deck seems to be fixed. Bad news is we have a new one about 2 feet to the north.

Monday, November 1, 2004

• The Black Galaxy bar top was replaced on Thursday with the one-piece version--the way it was suppose to be. Looks much better. Getting the old one off took a lot of very scary prying. It came up in about 10 pieces. They also installed three granite "drink holders" on the parapet on the roof deck.

• I started building cornices for the kitchen on Saturday. I've got one installed over the kitchen/lanai door and it looks pretty OK.
  

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

• The vent fan in the #2 bath has been repaired and the folks from RC Cabinets (yes, there actually is a sub that understands "process") came and cleaned up a few door alignments, but other than that, we're not making much progress on the 4 pages of open items. This list was faxed to the contractor 5 weeks ago.
  
   

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

• Counter top guys installed the last piece of the backsplash on the west wall of the kitchen. On three places on the wall, the gap (now loaded with caulk) is big enough to lose a chili dog in, but I've given up. I surrender.  Maybe we'll do a little more "floating."

• HVAC cleaned up most of the items on their booboo list. Vent fan for #2 bath is on order.
  

Monday, October 18, 2004

• On Friday, we passed day number 600 since ground was broken on this Hale Nan project and progress has gotten slower than George Bush without a teleprompter. The open items list is not getting any shorter.

• On Saturday, we finally got direct broadcast satellite TV installed. I spent most of Sunday doing equipment hookups, including the snagging of some of my speaker pre-wiring  in the master bedroom. We went for over two months with only broadcast TV and the only things I really missed were The Daily Show and The O'Franken Factor on Sundance. It's kind of incredible that after pulling a couple of miles of cable, I'm still one coax run short in the master bedroom--I selected a receiver that has 2 tuners and I needed 2 runs to the dish and 1 to back feed the other TVs in the house. I've borrowed one from the bar area, so it should work out OK. 

• Greenhouse installation is now scheduled for November 8th. Hans, the installer, is traveling from New York to do the job.
  

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

• I'm beginning to believe we've built this place on an old Indian burial mound. For window treatments, Laurel selected fabric covered cornices for the kitchen, so on Sunday afternoon we made a trip to home Depot and dropped the requisite $200 on lumber, hardware, etc. It was a sizeable load, so to get our cache home, we borrowed our daughter's van. Backing down the driveway, I thought I smelled something a little funny, but didn't give it much thought. We unloaded a sheet of Masonite and going back to get the second I noticed a few light curls of smoke coming from under the hood. While Laurel called 911, I grabbed the fire extinguisher from the garage and emptied it into the front grill. The impact of my spraying was less than impressive and long story short, by the time the PHX FD arrived, there was quite a bit of flame coming from the engine compartment. No one was hurt; other than the van, no other property damage, so I guess we're pretty lucky. I have no idea what started the fire. Sorry, Lex.

• Painters are here today to cover up the patching from the stucco and drywall dudes. IAFT!

• Waiting for our dining room area rug to arrive. On Saturday, I think we found a couple of chairs for the great room.

• No comments about the Twinks, please.

• Top 10 reasons the neighbors are considering voting us off the block:
  10. Bouts of sudden flammability.
    9. No Mercedes or Beemer in the garage.
    8. "Is that the color it's going to be?"
    7. Thanks for stealing all the view.
    6. Liked the lot better with oleander and weeds.
    5. Crazy lady on upper lanai yelling "Zoë!"
    4. Only savages use charcoal grills.
    3. Too many 'dead soldiers' in the recycle bin.
    2. You can see your gooza through the glass block.
    1. Kerry signs verboten!
  

Friday, October 8, 2004

• Tiles are loose in the master bath again. One more item to add to the list on the left. Unfortunately, nothing's happening.

• ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVXYZ
  

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

• Citrus trees are being planted--margaritas and lemon poppy seed cake are on the way. We're also having a few deceased plants replaced (including the one that Zoë ate).

• We're gonna win Twins, we're gonna score.
  We're gonna win Twins. watch that baseball soar.
  Crack out a homerun, shout a hip hooray!
  Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today.
  
  No house chores tonight. Twinks/Yanks are on the tube.
  

Monday, October 4, 2004

• The drywall guys worked Thursday, Friday and today cleaning up drywall errors and trying to get the west wall of the kitchen fixed. There's still a about a 3/8" gap on the north end. Plan now is to do a little more "floating" after the backsplash is in. There are still several areas where I'm not real happy with the drywall, but I'm tired of playing in the dust and I guess we'll live with it.

• Saturday and Sunday were filled with putting up shelves, unpack kitchen stuff, glasses, toys (for Brett and Delaney) and cleaning up the dust from the prior weeks drywall work.
  

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

• The drywall guys and the framer are set to come by tomorrow and see if they can figure out how to build a wall that straight enough to attach a granite backsplash to.

• So I threw the red flag on the field, and after further review, our granite folks have decided that mistakes were made in the fabrication of the bar top and they're replacing it.

• Tile contractor is suppose to be here today to test out the leak repair. Sure hope we got this one.
  

Aloha Friday, September 24, 2004

• Drywall guys were in on Wednesday and Thursday and they're still not done. Lots of irregularities to fix.

• Tile folks were here on Tuesday and Wednesday fixing grout cracks, replacing cracked tiles, fixing the shower valve openings in the master bath and, most importantly, address the leak in the roof deck. They think they've got it fixed and are returning Monday to test it out.

• Granite guys were back. Yesterday, they caulked the under-mount sinks in the kitchen and bar. It's a nice touch--now we don't have water in the cabinets below. Today they returned to install the missing backsplash in the kitchen, but no joy. The damn wall is STILL bowed--a 3/8" gap on the north end. Maybe we'll jut put drapes over it :(.

• The cabinet door over the refrigerator was reinstalled today, along with the toe kick around the central vac kitchen floor slurper upper. They also replaced the skins under the master bath sinks that were ruined when the plumbers didn't connect the condensate drain line from the roof A/C unit.

• On Wednesday, I had a surprise visit from a film location scout who was looking for a house with clean, contemporary lines to be used to shoot a TV spot for a line of high end home entertainment systems. Yesterday, the scout stopped back with the director and a helper and took a bunch of still pictures. Should know by Sunday if we get the shoot.
  

Monday, September 20, 2004

• We haven't seen any scorpions in a few weeks. I think the little buggers felt unwelcome.

• Saturday brought us a pretty good rain storm and a continuation of our roof and greenhouse door leaks. The big problem is that we were away when it rained and the water ended up sitting on  the hardwood floor. I vacuumed up as much as I could from between the boards, but we still wound up with a little heaving in the great room and the warping returned to the boards in front of the greenhouse door. Bummer! Garret, our tile guy, came out this morning, flooded the roof and thinks he's located the problem. It's located in the flashing at the base of the roof deck stairs. He's coming back tomorrow to load up the area with caulk, plus fix other tile and grout problems on the roof deck, master bath, pantry and greenhouse.

• Laurel and I spent most of yesterday setting up the teak cabinets in the media room. There are four separate units and they get bolted together. On a truly flat surface, it's a piece of cake, but  the slab in the media room is anything but flat. I'm doing a little shimming to see if I can get all the door to work.
  

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

• The bug lady was here yesterday and sprayed the perimeter of the house and all the nooks and crannies she could get to. We'll see what it does for our scorpion population. A positive sign is that we haven't found one in the house for over a week.

• Trim carpenter is here adjusting a few door stops that were "auto locking" some of the privacy latches, installing pull cups on the bypass doors and repairing a stubborn deadbolt on the outside office door.

• We added a refrigerator to the bar on Saturday, further adding to it's status as the most completely finished area of the house.
  

Aloha Friday, September 10, 2004

• The most important room in the house, the bar, is up and running!!! I love my bar. There are still a couple of boxes full of bar stuff around here someplace. They were in storage at the apartment and I'm not sure where I'll put much of the content.

• (Sung to the tune of an old Pete Seeger song)
  Where have all the mudders gone?
  Walls need patching.
  Where have the mudders gone?
  And they're still bowed.
  Where have all the mudders gone?
  Gone to taverns, every one.
  When will the walls be done?
  When will the walls be done?

• These days, though finding subs around here's been harder than finding someone who knew Shrub in the Guard, today the stucco patch guys have arrived. If we could get the walls done, maybe we could get the painters back.
  

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

• Journal updates are getting to be a little rare, but that's because, on the construction front, not a lot is happening around here.

• I had a pest control service stop by yesterday to tell us what we can try to reduce the number of 8-legged guests we've been entertaining. They're coming back next Monday to do an initial treatment and then they'll be back every other month.

• Over the weekend, I finally got the low voltage lights over main stair landings installed. It was more work than I thought it'd be--the connection point on the upper landing is WAY up there. They look pretty decent and provide more than adequate lighting for the stairs.

• The door handle for the roof deck is of the keyed passage variety rather than the passage/deadbolt arrangement we have on all of the other exterior doors. This was done because of space limitations in the door when the window (still waiting) gets installed. The down side of this arrangement is that you can get locked out, it's already happened to the HVAC guys, and on Sunday night, it happened to us. Fortunately, one of the downstairs doors was unlocked and Laurel pleaded with a couple who were out for a late night stroll to come and rescue us. They were very nice, but must have thought we were nuts. I've taken precautions to keep this from happening again.

• Save for the office bath, towel bars and similar fixtures are installed.

• I must be getting really old. We've been here over a month and I'm just getting the bar set up. Cheers!
  

Wednesday, September 1, 2004

• The cabinet people are here installing a replacement door on the sink base, re-skinning a couple of cabinets, removing one of the doors over the refrigerator (it was an 1/8" smaller than it's mate) and installing a little corner bead.

• Plumbers hooked up the bar, roof deck and greenhouse sinks, installed the missing cover on the jet tub fill tube and adding a "deep rough-in" kit to the diverter valve.

• Our window manufacturer was here to install screens and lubricate and adjust doors and windows. He also opened a work order for things they need to fix (nice to have a firm that understands service).

• After much gnashing of teeth over the lack of ice babies in our big-ass refrigerator, we finally got the puppy working. The problem turned out to be a valve under the kitchen sink that's there to supply water to a RO filters. We don't have a filter, but the path to the ice maker water comes from this point. 1/4 turn of the valve and we've got ice. The shakedown cruise of Hale Nani is interesting.

• Finally got the drawers for the master bedroom closet organizer built. They provide a ton of space.

• I wonder if Zell Miller's had his rabies shots?
  

Saturday, August 28, 2004

• I should be unpacking, cleaning and organizing, but I'm up in Minneapolis taking care of a few family matters. Nice to be able to watch the sun come up on Hale Nani via the web, though.

• On Tuesday, the cabinet people are coming to replace the door and dead panel on the kitchen sink base, redo a couple of skins and hopefully, cut a new toe kick to go around the vacuum floor slurper.

• Our big-ass  fridge is not making ice babies. Suspected culprit is a kink in the copper water line caused by the tight fit of the appliance in the cabinet. The fix will probably involve moving the appliance out of its mounting and then the plumbers will rotate the water supply valve 90 degrees--a soldered joint. This means we need the plumbers and the installers there at the same time (tough scheduling trick). I know this is being a little picky, but I'd like them to pull this off without: a. trashing the refrigerator, b. trashing the floor, c. having water run all over the place. We'll see.

• Many of our new plants are blooming. A little water on this desert  vegetation really perks it up.
  

Wednesday, August 25, 2004

• On Monday and Tuesday, the stuccoing on the retaining walls was completed. A few of our new plants gave their lives in the process, but the final product looks pretty good.

• I chipped a hole in one of the lanai columns and fixed our pot water leak. Looks like someone used the PVC stub for a step.

• The stem walls and lower level floor got patched today. The guy did a super job and even asked me to inspect his work prior to leaving. I think that's a first for this project.

• I spent most of the morning assembling drawers for the modular shelving units that Laurel designed for the master closet.

• On Tuesday, Herb built a partition to enclose the lift equipment for the dumbwaiter. This afternoon we got our elevator GREEN TAG!!! The final inspection's scheduled for tomorrow. Who knows, by this time next week, we may actually have natural gas service.

• Note to burglars: the alarm system is now fully operational.

• I fixed the kitchen floor so the floor slurper upper will now work. Cabinet people need to make a new toe kick and we should be in business.
  

Monday, August 23, 2004

• The weekend featured more unpacking, hanging towel bars and other hooks and hangers and a little cleanup. The kitchen's looking pretty good. Now if we only had gas and could retire that one-burner hotplate.

• Stuccoers are here today to do the retaining walls, mauka (mountain side) bridge entrance, mailbox, etc.

• Drywall guys came and added the kerf to the pocket door that goes to the pantry. Not sure why it took so long to get that done. They'll be back tomorrow to do some sanding (yippee).

• I cut open one of the columns on the upper lanai to check out the broken plant water PVC. Looks like someone had used it for a step. I'll repair the break today and then we'll have more stucco repair to do.

• The stucco patch crew was here on Friday and repaired the many cracks in the parapet. On the roof deck, now, the house looks like it has psoriasis.

• I added a little Brazilian cherry under the kitchen cabinet where the central vacuum floor slurper upper is suppose  to go.

• On Sunday, I spent about an hour, getting plumber goop finger prints and smudges off the island faucet. It was one of those things that was driving me crazy.
  

Thursday, August 19, 2004

• It's been a week of almost nothing but moving in. On Wednesday, I focused on the office, but didn't make a whole lot of headway.

• The elevator inspector was here to day to do a "courtesy" inspection. We load tested the beast with 200 lbs. of salt and it worked like a champ. Stopped about a foot lower than normal on the down trip, but I guess that's to be expected. Anyway, he wants access to the operational equipment restricted (which I was going to do anyway) and that's about it. This does hold up our final inspection and with various parties taking days off, we're not scheduled for the redo of the final until Thursday, Aug. 26. Another week without gas :(.

• We had a giant rainstorm on Tuesday night. Our old roof deck leak is back. Also, we had a little water damage at to the wood floor at the entrance to the greenhouse.

• The electrician clean up their final inspection open items (175 amp fuses to panel B and a light in the greenhouse).
  

Monday, August 16, 2004

• Nathan's crew arrived late Friday afternoon to install the glass railings for the main stairway. The glass company made a few fabrication errors, but they very good. This is not the final installation. After we get past our CofO inspection, they'll be removed, the posts will patched, polished and painted. This was one of those compromise items. I couldn't afford the stainless steel rail system I wanted, but this is a close second and very attractive.

• Dumbwaiter latching system has been installed. We're all ready for Tuesday's elevator inspection. I also cleaned all the drywall mud splashes off of it and painted the cab.

• On Sunday morning, with a bottle of '93 Taittinger Blanc de Blancs, we said aloha to the Kitchen Kam.

• Movers arrived on Saturday to arrange the furniture in the office and move the dining and great room furniture out of the bedroom. We've finally moved out of the lower level.

• We got our garbage and recycle cans today.

• Time to get back to hanging shades, etc.
  
   

Aloha Friday, August 13, 2004

• SM surfaces is here installing the bar sink top, butcher block back splash and grouting the kitchen backsplashes. Nothing like the sound of drilling granite in the morning.

• I actually made coffee in the kitchen today!

• John, the alarm dude, was in to fix the central vacuum system, including installing the floor sweeper vent in the kitchen.

• This has been a stressful week. I've got tons of unpacking and move-in chores to do, but between dealing with 3-4 subs a day, calling to schedule stuff and keeping that stupid schnauzer entertained, it seems like nothing gets done.
  

Thursday, August 12, 2004

• I finally got the drapes up on the Juliet balcony. Neighbors will no longer be able to see my gooza (Delaney word) when I take a shower.

• On a similar topic, Laurel's bugging me to take down the  Kitchen Kam. One of those privacy things. The movers are coming on Saturday to get the living room furniture out of the bedroom, and after that I guess we'll bid aloha to the interior shot. The pole cam stays up until the greenhouse is done. Can you say "Mele Kalikimaka?"

• I had installed 1/2" PVC for a drip system for pots on the upper lanai. When they tore apart and re-stuccoed one of the columns to correct an alignment problem, one of the pipes got cracked now I have to re-open that column and repair the sucker.

• That big-ass built-in refrigerator had a rather pronounced lean to the left (very appropriate around here). The installers were back yesterday to fix the list and to try to figure out why the ice maker wasn't making ice babies. They determined water was getting to the control valve, so now the ball's in GE court.

• Sprinkler system timer was installed today.

• Put the air mattress up on the roof deck  and slept there last night so I could watch the Perseid meteor shower, but the remnants of Wednesday's storm action left a cirrus layer behind and when that cleared, the show didn't seem as good as previous years. Really tired today.
  

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

• RC Cabinets framed in the plumbing in the sink bases for the island and kitchen sink and finished up installing the door pulls in the bar and kitchen.

• Herb, the framer, tore off most of the wall under the vent hood in the kitchen in order to repair an alignment problem that impacts the back splash in that area. I love having drywall shards flying around highly prized and, as yet, unused kitchen.
  

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

• Landscaping rock was installed today.

• Cabinet folks installed the door on the dumb waiter.

• We may have a little installation problem with one of the anemometers for the sun screens. The south=most shade is quite exposed to the breezes, but the wind sensor's towards the north end of the house and quite sheltered. Time for a little rewire. :(

• Wood flooring folks returned to grout the tile/wood interfaces.

• Still tons of boxes around.

• I unpacked our dining room fixture, a real cool Italian job, but the steel cables may be too short for the ceiling height.

• And this is truly a red letter day--Chip's guys came and finished the mailbox column.
  

Monday, August 9, 2004

• It was a long weekend of unpacking, and it would appear we made very little progress.

• Cabinet guys are here to install drawer pulls and to cover the plumbing access holes in the rear of the sink cabinets.

• The sun shades are all wired up and operational. Four on the upper lanai (facing west), one each on the northwest windows in the great room and media room. They're automatically operated with sun sensors and include a wind sensor that makes them retract if the breeze picks up--don't want them sailing away.

• The floor sealing was finished on Friday and it looks fantastic. There's still quite a bit of residual "aroma" coming off of it. By tomorrow, were  planning on moving furniture to the living room.

• Friday night was so beautiful, Laurel and I took our air mattress and slept on the roof deck. Kind of warm up for the Perseid meteor shower later this week.

• Our warming drawer was delivered today.

• Laurel and I went to take a "jet" last night and found a scorpion in the tub. Gotta get those sprayers out here.

Friday, August 6, 2004

• First crack at final inspection today. We failed, but the defects are quite minor. We're waiting for the glass for the stair railings, we need a light in the greenhouse and the fuses on one electrical panel, should be 175 amp, instead of 200.

• Sun shade guy got 4 of the six shades wired today.

• Landscaping was pretty much wrapped up today.
  

Wednesday, August 4, 2004

• Glendon's crew was here with the rising sun to start our, what some would call, minimalist approach to  landscaping. All Xeriscape (low water use) natural Sonoran desert plants. It looks a little sparse, but we'll "grow" to love it.

• Flooring got sealed today. It's an oil-based product and right now, I'm getting a real contact high!

• Alarm / Vac people brought the tools for the central vacuum system, but it was the wrong set. Time for take 2--doesn't mesh with the wall outlets.

• Hard to believe, but at long last the windows were cut in the front door. They match the design (tall and narrow) of the windows in the stair tower.

• The office network (where I'm writing this message) is running off of a temporary punch-down on about 60 feet of the 1.5 miles of wire we pulled.

• Zoë seems to like the taste of the new plants. Not good.
  

Tuesday, August 3, 2004

• Finishing of the wood flooring is continuing with more sanding and applying a filler. The sanders are huge, 220 v., walk-behind machines. They're not helping my already sizeable electric bill.

• The customer service folks from RC cabinets stopped by today to see what kind of adjustments need to be made to the cabinet.

• Alarm system installation continues. The installer worked for a couple of hours and then left to get parts. More tomorrow.

• The telephone installers worked all day to get two phone lines up and running and when I went to use the first line, it was loaded with hum. When I installed the phone line for the web cam back in Feb. of 2003, I got a preview of just how hard it is to get a working pair of wires in this neighborhood. Qwest seems to have some infrastructure issues. Repair service has been called.

• As a part of the phone installation, I terminated (installed jacks) for station 101 (Kitchenette). One down and about 50 to go--not counting the equipment closet end.
  

Monday, August 2, 2004

• This journal entry's being written in my new office! I'm surrounded by packing boxes and furniture stacked in random patterns, but it's still WAY cool.

• We had coffee on the upper lanai this morning==marvelous to watch the early morning light spread from west to east over the city as the sun climbs above Squaw Peak.

• Today was also the first real use of the evaporative cooler on the lanai. We had more than a few naysayers on this design feature, but it works exactly as anticipated.

• The post-move mess is almost overwhelming, but it's a real motivator to keep picking away at the DO list.
  

Sunday, August 1, 2004

• Back to the apartment this morning to finish up the packing and moving. The movers were delayed by about an hour and when they showed up, it was only half a crew (two guys). Even though we'd spent 9 hours moving on Friday, there was still quite a bit of stuff in the apartment--amazing how much crap you can put in 1000 square feet--and we had two storage rooms and the garage to do. The remainder of the crew arrived around 11:00. By 1:30, the trucks were loaded and by 5:30 we had an exhausted crew and a house full of boxes, wrapped furniture, etc. The place is a disaster area, but it's a major milestone and it's has to be all down hill from here.

• A post-move dip in the jet tub is marvelous.

• For dinner, we went to our local neighborhood pizza joint, Nick's 24/7 Pizza. Yes, you can call for a 'za at 4 in the morning. When I pulled into the drive, Laurel spotted a pretty good size scorpion beside the garage door. The cleaning crew had reported seeing another scorpion in the garage last week. I don't mind black widows, but hate those scorpions.

Saturday, July 31, 2004

• Our first wakeup in the new house! After breakfast, prepared in the kitchenette, it was back to the apartment for more packing. I think we need to go on a serious clutter clearing binge.

Aloha Friday, July 30, 2004

• Our 4-man moving crew spent 9 hours getting us from "there" to "here." Moving when it's 106 is tough. Because the hardwood floors have not been sealed, we're living in the lower level--guest bedroom, media room and kitchenette. The master bedroom is loaded with living and dining room furniture.

Thursday, July 29, 2004

• Well, as of Thursday, July 29th, it's all ours!. Closed, sealed and delivered. Wow!

• Plumbers got the kitchen and kitchenette sinks installed today and fixed that ugly kluge under the master bath sink that drains the heat pump on the roof.

• We're packing like crazy. God! We have too much stuff.

• Ordered phone service. Installed on Tuesday.
   

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

• Brenda, the person who's been trying to make our place look spic and span, returned from vacation to find a mountain of drywall dust and other debris. After a full day of intense labor, the place is looking great, again.

• Rest of the fans and lights were installed today.

• No plumber--no kitchen sink.

• We're packing, movers come on Friday morning.
  

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

• Damaged butcher block edges were trimmed off today and the sink and faucet mounting holes were drilled. It'll be so nice to have a butcher block island again. It's a pretty piece of maple.

• The fixtures from Light Up Your Life and fans are being installed today. Lots of halogen and low voltage fixtures. I screwed up when I estimated the height for the lights over the bar, so we're going to need to order one replacement cable (at a cost of about 1.5 bottles of Cutty). Should have hung it long to begin with and then shortened it. Live and learn.

• Wood floor laying is complete, but the crew to sand it did not return today. I think it's some kind of wood layers holiday.

• Zoë was very proud of the dead pigeon she found yesterday. No more dog kisses!

• The rest of the door hardware (dead bolts, stops and weather stripping).

• Jose wrapped up the bridge and balcony railings today.

• The repair to remove the ridge in the kitchen wall was not done properly, so it's off to attempt #3.

• Master bedroom carpet installation was competed. I love the sea-spray green. Something about having wood floors and carpet down that gives the joint a certain je ne sais quoi.

• Mike hung house numbers (required by the city) today. Permanent address display will be in granite beside the mailbox (assuming Chip ever shows up).

• I was suppose to meet Nathan, the stair contractor today to discuss our railings, but he called at meeting time and canceled. I went over his deficiencies with one of his troops. I don't know what we're going to do to get these damn stairs finished.

• Finally, it's time for the real fun to start. Our closing (converting construction financing to permanent financing) is scheduled for Thursday.
  

Sunday, July 25, 2004

• Central Freight has declined to do anything about the butcher block top that they damaged and John Boos,  manufacturer won't either. Abestkitchen.com, from whom I ordered it, said they'd take it back if I shipped it, but that's expensive and I really want to get the kitchen done, so I've decided to see if we can trim about a 1/2" of the damaged side off to salvage the one we have. It's not ideal, but I really don't want to wait until August to get this done.

• These days, we seem to be leaving an inordinate amount of cash at Home Depot, Lowes, et al. On Saturday, we picked up the rest of the lights (garage, kitchenette), house numbers, three more dead bolts, faucets that hopefully will work in the roof deck and greenhouse sinks and a few other miscellaneous items. 

• Also on Saturday, I also picked up a 19" rack (tech. stuff) for the equipment room. It'll be used to mount patch panels, data, audio, video and telephone equipment.

• Laying the Brazilian cherry in the great room and dining room wood floors was  completed on Friday. All that's left for Monday is the kitchen. It's stunningly gorgeous and it makes the rooms look BIGGER. After the wood's in place, they'll fill any imperfections (few) sand and seal it. Schedule calls for completion by July 30.

• Block guy was a "no show" on Saturday, so we still don't have a mailbox.

• Laurel cut shelf liners for all the pantry shelving.

• I finally got the tambour door installed that conceals a passageway between the pantry and kitchen. The opening was a little short, so I had do a bunch of routing, chiseling and grinding of a 2x4 to get it to fit. Made on hell of a mess, but it's in place now.

• A couple of weeks ago, Brenda, our cleaning specialist, had the place almost spotless. Since then, we've had drywall repair, counter top repair, glass install and some carpentry going on and now the place is a dustbowl again. :(

• Jose got the Juliet balcony railing installed on Friday, but we have a few geometry problems to work out.

• Used the dumb waiter for the first time, today. There's a little wheel on the the switch that limits the downward travel that's missing a retaining clip. If the wheel falls off, the switch doesn't trip and the car would crash into the lower stop, but I did a little temporary tie-wrap repair, and it's working swell.

• With moving, continuing the building and taking care of the administrative task associated with closing, it's going to be a busy week--journal contents may get a little out of date.
  

Thursday, July 22, 2004

• It's a first! I actually drove on the driveway. It was a little scary, but worked just fine--no bottom dragging, no ending up in hjalmer's back yard. Getting out was just a matter of getting things pointed in the right direction and dumping the clutch. Zoom, zoom! Pix pix.

• Flooring guys showed up around 10:00 and immediately got to work. Every one agrees, it looks fantastic. Installation of the wood should be completed tomorrow with sanding and sealing completed by the 30th. Pictures.

• Painters wrapped up most of the upstairs and got a good portion of the lower level completed. What a difference some paint makes. They also got a dead baby pigeon out of our evap cool duct--yuk!

• The kitchen microwave got replaced today, but we're still waiting on the warming drawer.

• I did a temporary install of a wireless access point today. The cameras should be operating over the in-house network and broadband connection by tomorrow.

• As I type, Jose is installing the curved railing on the Juliet Balcony. This puppy turned into a real challenge.

• I packed our first moving box last night and I've scheduled the movers for the 30th. We MUST be getting close.
  

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

• The driveway was poured yesterday (still pictures to follow). I got stupid and didn't get the camera power moved, so the cement dudes had to pull the plug and we lost the pictures. It has quite a slope, but it should be manageable. Cement folks also poured the concrete on the bridge landing.

• There's one area of the west kitchen wall that protrudes quite a bit. Unfortunately, the counter top folks installed the back splash without addressing this issue. There are big gaps between most of the back splash and the wall. Fix is to remove the splash, repair the framing and the drywall and try it again.

• Drywall repair, except for sanding, was completed yesterday.

• Are stair railings are gone. Supposedly, they're off being welded and primed.

• Smokey installed several more light fixtures this morning.

• Stucco dudes are adding metal around the location where the lanai railing glass intersects with the columns.

• Garage door is being balanced. When it was originally installed, it didn't have insulation. Insulation was added, and that made the balance go bad.

• I'm finally specifying rack and cable management equipment for the tech room.

• Off to the granite store to find another piece of black galaxy, to replace the one that was improperly cut.

• This house stuff is HARD.
  

Monday, July 19, 2004

• Forming for the drive was completed today. This puppy's a definite 'E Ticket' ride. Pouring is scheduled for tomorrow.

• Drywall repair continued today. There was a big gap behind the west back splash in the kitchen. The fix is going to involve removing the splash, fixing a protruding stud (that should trigger the porn filters) and remount splash.

• The opening for the tambour door to the pantry is a bit short. I need to do a bit of chisel and router work on a 2x4.

• Glass for the north stairs was templated today.

• Sung to the tune of "Tomorrow"--The door will get cut tomorrow, but you've got to hold on 'til... We'll see.

• Cable service was installed on Sunday. Haven't had a chance to move the cameras to the broadband line.

• Wood floor install is now scheduled to start on Tuesday.

• I purchased our telephone PBX/KSU on E-bay on Sunday--a 2x10 Onq system. Does most of what I want.
  

Aloha Friday, July 16, 2004

• Our original hardwood floor provider decided they couldn't get to our job until October, but they referred us to an alternate. I met with the estimator for the new company yesterday, and they think they can get the entire process done next week. Only problem is that we've also got the drywall repair guys, painters, electricians and plumbers coming, so it may take a little juggling.

• The lanai railings are being installed today. They're made out of 3/8" tempered glass set into the columns. More stucco got torn out, but we've have a lot of patching to do, so it's no big deal.

• Found a crack in the master bath counter top.

• Gas service got installed yesterday, but no meter.

• Cox Cable is coming to install my high-speed internet service on Sunday. Hopefully by Monday, the Hale Cam should be running at warp speed.

• Driveway and entry concrete is ready to be formed. Pour will probably happen on Tuesday.

• We're getting so close, but it also sometimes feels like "Hale Hydra." Every time we cut off a head, two more appear.

• I'm varnishing the tambour door that leads from the kitchen to the pantry. Should be ready for installation by Sunday.

• Off to buy garage lights.
  

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

• Counter top people arrived to make the cook top cut-out, drill plumbing holes in the kitchenette and install some back splashes. They'd brought the bar sink top along, but the hole was in the wrong place--back to the factory.

• Cabinet folks are back to fix the base of the island dining bar, swap out warped doors, fix the door above the refrigerator and measure for the dumb waiter door.

• Plumbers installed the condensate drain from the upper heat pump and the swamp cooler water lines.

• Garret's doing the cut tiles on the bridge and Juliet balcony. He installed the rest of the rock tile in the master bath on Tuesday.

• The first big rain of the monsoon season found a couple of small leaks in the roof deck or surrounding parapets.
  

Tuesday, July 13, 2004 Second Entry

• On most days, building a house is a whole lot of fun. There are days, however, when it's a real pain in the ass and today was one of  latter.  Around 7:00 tonight, I got a call from our wood flooring contractor saying that they had "concerns" about our sub-floor and they asked me to sign a waiver saying that the floor may squeak. Prior to January, the sub-floor--the same one the bid was done off of--had seen it's share of rain, but since that time, it's been essentially dry. And dry it did (Arizona?). Also, Laurel had just sucked several months worth of construction dust and debris out of the cracks, so the gaps do look bigger. Bottom line is that I'm faced with the choice of building a bonfire with a thousand square feet of 3/4" Brazilian cherry or signing the waiver. Ergo, I'm probably signing a "Squeak" waiver. I'll also absolve said subcontractor of any responsibility for global warming, the tech sector stock crash and the Kennedy assassination.

• New pictures are finally up: Appliances, Railings. I've added a few new ones to plumbing, stairs and doors, too. Check out the photo section, if you wish to see them.

• I've been looking a hot deal on a phone controller on E-bay. Had a bid on an OnQ 2x10 KSU/PBX, but lost it in the last minute. Another one's closing this Sunday.

• A little Pastis is making the evening better.
  

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

• Last Thursday, I filed a missing item claim with Central Freight Lines for the missing butcher block. They admitted that they had no idea where it was. It had been in Phoenix for over 10 days. Good news is that on Friday afternoon, the butcher block was delivered. The bad news is that it had sustained quite a bit of un-repairable damage. Ergo, we still don't have a top on the island. A freight inspector came by yesterday. We'll see what happens with my claim.

• We spent most of Saturday buying lights for exciting places like the pantry, master closet and laundry room. We did buy a pair of cool cable fixtures for the north stairway.

• The remaining 400 sq. ft. of Brazilian Cherry was delivered on Monday.

• Interior cleaning crew was back hard at it on Monday. Tough part is that on Thursday and Friday, the drywall repair guy, plus Nathan's stair crew were in. Nathan's gang welded nuts to the stair rail support posts and ground down a bunch of weld spots, Bondo, etc., so then we had iron filings and abrasive grit all over the northeast corner of the house. Yuk The white dust, left by the drywall repair guy added a nice contrasting color and texture to the whole mess. Brenda and her crew haven't given up though. All the interior windows are spotless and the interiors of all the cabinets have been cleaned.

• Our vent hood arrived and was installed on Friday.

• On Saturday, I had intended to install the remaining appliances, but found a huge dent in the corner of the Dacor microwave and the Dacor warming oven was the 30" model (used when placing it adjacent to an oven). We needed the 27" model used in standard cabinet installations. I did get the lower level microwave installed. Same for the dishwasher, except there was no plumbing in place under the kitchen sink, so I'll need to wrap up that part after the plumbers install the kitchen faucet and drain. The cook top also needs installing, but it'll have to wait until the counter top guys cut the opening--now scheduled for Wednesday.

• Garrett installed the non-cut portion of the tile on the bridge and Juliet balcony.

• Zoë's latest trick is to dump her water dish and play with the bowl.

• South stair and roof deck hand rails were installed today.

• Grading and cleanup for the landscape was completed yesterday. Today sleeves were installed under the future home of he driveway slab and the driveway was groomed for concrete forming.
  

Thursday, July 8, 2004

• Interior clean up continues. Our crew's doing a marvelous job and the place is looking great.

• Appliances arrived today. In the kitchen, they included the GE Monogram refer and Dacor convection oven (installed by the vendor), plus Dacor cook top, microwave and warmer drawer and GE Microwave and Fridgedare refer in the kitchenette. The GE hood in the kitchen got damaged in transit, so a replacement should be here by Saturday. So far, the outlets for the fridge, oven and one microwave have had to be moved. During delivery, a couple of foyer tiles guy crushed--a little more work for Garrret.

• Drywall punch work continues. Almost ready for more painting.

• The replacement spring for the dumbwaiter is in town.

• Our re-keyed locks are finally ready.

• Not sure how this one happened, but our MIA butcher block top arrived. Sure hope I can cancel the replacement I ordered yesterday.

• The landscape crew reviewed the situation. They should be back on Monday.

• Major Blog catch-up day. Pictures tomorrow.
  

Wednesday, July 7, 2004

• Garrret's crew waterproofed (Red Guarded) the Juliet balcony and bridge.

• Drywall punch repair was started.

• Interior cleanup continues.
  

Tuesday, July 6, 2004

• The retaining wall railings were installed today. Another fast and great job by Jose.

• Interior cleanup continues. The windows have disappeared!

• Finishing carpenters installed weather stripping and linen closet shelving (we forgot about those on the first go-round) and finished hanging bypass doors.
  

Monday, July 5, 2004

• Had to do a little cleanup after the party--way too tired last night.

• Wiring for the sunshades was completed. The guide cable installation will have to wait for the repair of the lanai column.
  

Sunday, July 4, 2004

• Laurel and I feel like we have a pretty great house here, but it's no comparison for the wonderful friends and relatives we have. Our first annual 4th of July Fireworks party fantastic fun. Beer. brats. views and a ton of fun. Thank you Carol, Mike, Cindy, Dan, Alexis, Jeff and Kendra for all the help. And the fireworks--fantastic! We have a real party house, here.

• Surprise, surprise! The roof deck kick lights work! Smokie--oh ye of little faith.

• Our new bar stools look WAY cool.
  

Saturday, July 3, 2004

• Mike's clean up crew removed many, many pounds of construction trash.
  

Aloha Friday, July 2, 2004

• Sun shade installation was started.

• Mike pulled a miracle. At about 10:20, the meter was installed. By 1:00, I had the upper A/C unit up. We've got quite a few circuits that don't work, but it's getting  cool. The cabinet doors and wood floors are acclimating. We're gonna have an electric bill that'll choke a horse.

Thursday, July 1, 2004

• Bar top granite was installed today, but it's in two pieces. That's not what we wanted.

• Begged and pleaded with APS to get a meter installed, but with no success. I'm going to miss SRP.

• Herb got the dumbwaiter moved back to accommodate the door switches and we decided on a plan for framing for the face frame door for the upper car stop.
  

Prior Journals