We have frameage and a roof!!!

9/29/09:  Today's work was a huge transformation!!!  It's incredible what a difference this whole project makes on the look of the house...it looks so nice as you walk or drive up the street!  The guys got the framing up as well as the roof boards and the columns out front!

Notice the beautiful "blue" borders?  Garrett is going to come back and change those...

Once the border color is changed the front entry will be complete with the exception of landscaping...

Patio cake and a broken arm?!?

I almost forgot to add the picture of the cake I made for Garrett and the rest of the guys from Cornerstone Concrete Development... It's a replica of the patio!  I've still not managed to get it to them as they
had to work on another project while Mike works on the deck...

As far as the arm part goes...it's not actually broken.  Cassandra was running UP the new staircase and mis-judged her stride.  She bailed and along with several cuts and scrapes she bruised the elbow bone.  She is in a fiberglass splint until Friday "just in case"...she is thoroughly loving it!

Destruction and artwork all in one day!

9/28/09:  Mike and his guys started demolition of the deck today!  We had to leave for Yom Kippur services so I don't hav too many pictures but what a treat to come home and find a beautiful new deck floor laid...it looks spectacular!

Jeff came up with the diamond pattern!

Now that's what I call a real fire!!!

9/26/09:  Jeff was so bummed that he didn't get to do the first "official" burn in his new firepit and he has been trying in vain ever since to make up for it.  With the rain and all the wood being soaked he had resorted to burning old bills and cardboard boxes - anything he could find that was dry!  But today he finally had a real burn and he was so happy!

View from the bay window in the kitchen...

Of course we also had a "pool"...or two from all that rain...we still have to figure out the drainage issue...

Picture doesn't do it justice...there was several inches of water pooled up under the deck...

Have a seat!

9/25/09:  The additional benches were added today - those guys are so fast!  Now that it is in, I can't believe we ever thought about not having them - they look fantastic!  The fireplace was finished off and the border stained out front....of course that will be changing as the darn color looks blue LOL!  Garrett still needs to come back and pressure wash again, finish sealing the whole patio and re-staining the border but Mike is itching to get started on the deck. :-)

Poor Paul, Billy and Garrett didn't have too much to do once the stone guys got started as they coudln't work on the back at all...

I caught Garrett bonding with Kobe over Doritos and Lord of the Rings LOL!

Such a GRAND day!

9/24/09:  Today started off on the wrong "foot" for me...when I went outside to meet the crew I slipped into my flip flops only to find some flying thing was comfy inside and didn't care for my foot being there...the darn thing stung me!  I should have know then that the day would be a long one.  Nevertheless, I greeted the guys with coffee and biscuits while they waited for the concrete truck.  Once the concrete arrived they were buzzing around like that flying insect...Garrett, Billy, Tony, Tommy and Paul worked together to get 7 yards of concrete poured for the new grand staircase...Brantley even showed up before long.  All 6 worked like crazy to get the stairs filled.  As I watched from the deck I leaned on the railing which apparently had the extension cord on it - only to get yet another rude awakening...I got zapped by the darn cord!  Go figure...Murphy's Law!  At least I gave the guys something to chuckle about as I screamed and bounced around LOL! :-)

The staircase took a good portion of the day but they managed to also pour the step to the pool and seal 1/3 of the patio (which looks amazing!)  Tomorrow they will finish the rest of the seating wall, finish sealing and staining the borders and pressure wash and seal the new stairs.  Hopefully mother nature co-operates and it doesn't rain...we did get another downpour about an hour after everyone left today!

On a final note...happy early birthday to Paul who will be celebrating his special day tomorrow! :-)

They're Baaack!

9/23/09:  Mother nature finally decided to give us a break in all the darn rain (10" in 9 days!)...yesterday was beautiful and the ground was able to dry up (a tiny bit) so work was able to resume this morning at 7:20.  Garrett got the entry way and entire patio pressure washed and sealed the walkway...it looks fabulous!  Out back Tony, Tommy and Billy were hard at work forming the very grand steps and landing area prepping it for tomorrow's concrete pour.  They also got the step leading to the pool area formed and final decisions were made in regards to the new addition....instead of just having the bench seating around the firepit, we decided to make a wall around the entire patio (which is slightly large!).  I am so excited with how this is all turning out!

TA DA!!!

Tomorrow they will seal the back patio to look like this (above) and add the border stain

That's it for today...stay tuned! :-)

A short break

9/16/09:  For the past three hours we've had a slight break in the rain and I actually see the sun shining on my beautiful new patio as I type....  The stone guys were out here all day yesterday working in the rain and they finished off the stone retaining wall.  This morning was actually the first time I could see it because it is so muddy and I kept slipping out there ever time I tried to go look. :-(  Sadly I think this break is only temporary and not long enough to dry anything out so Garrett and the guys can get back to work...I think we are still looking at a week or so before anything else can be done.