What an incredibly productive two weeks, full of good moments and some challenging situations.
The new year started out with the excavator filling in the trenches that we had to dig to run the power from the electrical transformer. We now have permanent electrical power. Yay!
The garage door installation began with drywall installation around the interior opening, then the installation of the beautiful doors. Woohoo! We can now heat the house!
The great room and the master bedroom fireplaces were framed in preparation for the installation of the electric one in the master suite next week.
Perhaps the biggest WOOHOOO was the installation of the patio slider doors. They are gorgeous! The opening is 12’, made up of four 3’ doors that completely slide into exterior pockets, so that the entire span of 12’ is open to the outside deck. The view is amazing!
To get the whole house buttoned up, the temporary front door was added and Tyvek was added to the exterior of the turret and to the facia all around the house.
Avdo and his crew started to install the HRV system which is required in new construction in WA. It’s a system that provides airflow throughout the house. The Zehnder Heat Recovery Ventilator is a high efficiency ventilation system that continually brings in fresh outdoor air while exhausting stale indoor air, significantly reducing energy loss and improving indoor air quality. It requires two 3-½” flex tubes to run to every room in the house.
I left on the 8th to visit my brother, Johnny, in LA who is suffering from a horrible disease called Primary Progressive Aphasia. It’s very similar to what Bruce Willis is dealing with. He’s 7 years post diagnosis and we lose a bit more of him every day, which is why we visit LA often.
While I was gone, the team continued with the plumbing, electrical, audio rough in and HRV installation. Unfortunately, our architectural team made an error on the mechanical drawings they provided and the installation team informed me that we needed to order another THOUSAND feet of flex tubing to complete the job. When I walked into the lower level of the house I felt like we were being eaten by a sea monster with large tentacles in every direction. Gone were my beautiful ceilings and in place was a 4’ soffit right by the curved window wall. How was this intentionally designed?? I was on the phone with the manufacturer that afternoon, trying to determine where things went sideways. Unfortunately we discovered that our architectural team provided incorrect drawings without doing the research necessary to design it properly. Likewise, the local distributor of the Zehnder system, Small Planet in WA was unhelpful and just wanted us to purchase another 1000 feet of tubing. I’m SO grateful to Joe at Zehnder for his kindness and expertise in helping us solve this problem.
After a few days of tearing things out and reinstalling the manifolds then running new flex lines, the problem seemed to be solved. The huge, ugly soffits by our beautiful windows are gone and instead, we have a well designed small soffit in one room only. What a difference! Thank you James and Joe for your diligence and positive attitude when I was ready to jump off a bridge.
My reward for hanging in there came the next day, when I was able to actually stand on the floor of my meditation room at the top of the turret. Thanks to Patrick for the design and to Loren and Aiden for your time and talent in creating such a beautiful wood floor! This was the first time I’ve been up in the turret and I was literally jumping up and down with excitement!
Thanks to Blossom Solar for the quick installation of our solar panels on the south side of the swoopy roof over the great room. It’s actually pretty- if solar panels can be pretty!
We’re getting ready for the trades coming in next week now that the house is buttoned up. Darryl and James and the team installed heaters and dehumidifiers throughout the house. It’s toasty already! Thank you Darryl!
I had hoped to share photos of the spiral staircase, but although Patrick and Garret worked hard to accomplish it for the last two weeks, the first steps have not yet been laid. They are built and hopefully next week they will be installed and completed.
I’ve been busy finalizing a bid for the future subs and sourcing the rest of the materials, as well as designing the plans for the hidden staircase behind the bookcase, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
We’re looking forward to maintaining the pace and moving in soon. Thank you to James who has made a huge difference in the momentum of this project. Know that we appreciate your kind spirit and your positive attitude.
