Hoity-Toity

Just so you know...when you spend a RIDICULOUS $1600 on a rain head they provide you with white gloves for the installation.

I know it seems absolutely over-the-top frivolous (and I suppose it is on some level), but we did try out a bunch of heads and we found the differences in their outputs to be significant. This one produced large, steady rain drops, like what you'd expect. Like actual rain. Much nicer.

Cha-ching!

Doink

I hope this isn't an indication of the overall construction quality.

Pipes

Shower valves and associated plumbing. We do inch forward on this project from time to time.

New Blog?

We are We're thinking of starting a new blog called Strange Crap that Washes up on our Shore. Because the prevailing winds blow across the lake towards us we frequently find things washing up. Today's entries: a plastic inner-tube, and what I believe is a zucchini. There were actually three zucchinis, but by the time I took the photo two of them had floated further away. Today was a good day. The other day we had a life vest. Normally it's just junk, like plastic trash bags or grass clippings. Hopefully there won't be any dead bodies.

Blisters and Sore Backs

We were pretty disgusted with the pile of dirt left from the foundation work so we decided to move it ourselves. They seemed to think it was fine, though I'm sure if pushed enough they would have tried to move it -- probably doing a crappy job. I didn't want anything distracting them and slowing them down from getting the important stuff done so we just got out there and did it one morning (before it got too hot out). Man, that is HARD work. We both got multiple blisters on our hands, and our backs? Forget about it. But the dirt is moved closer to the water. It actually extends our yard by a good 6 to 8 inches -- who-hoo! Of course most of it will probably erode away.

Makeshift Bedroom

We have company coming so it's time to move out of the guest room and formally move into the room where we were storing the stuff from the master bedroom during construction. So, here we are, set up to sleep in what will eventually be the dining room or a study (undecided).

Granite Installed

The granite is in. That part of the operation did go rather smoothly (unlike almost everything else). I'm still not sure how smitten I am with the colors in it, but at least it's something that's DONE, and I'm a fan of that. Of course there is still a lot of work to get the overall kitchen completed, including backsplash tile, cabinet work and refinishing, painting walls, and there's still the specter of new floors looming out there.

Sanfords

It's a necessary evil, but I'm not a fan of a big, ugly dumpster living in front of our house. Also not a fan of the fact that part of its contents include much of the lumber we asked them to save for future use.

Just Make it Up as You Go

So, continuing with the theme of, "what the heck are these guys doing?" we have some more examples of poor communication and execution. 

We had discussed that there would be an access door to the space under the porch. We were told that when they came to dig and pour the foundation (required to support the roof) we'd figure out the specifics. Well, there's been no discussion. We returned to find the foundation poured. No door. No clearing out of dirt under the porch. The only dirt that got moved was what had to go to make room for concrete. That dirt was just spread right in front of the porch, no doubt killing what little grass was growing there after weeks of being trampled. We would have asked them to move it a few more feet to the edge of the pond, where it could actually have done some good.

And this (below) is totally not what we discussed. We wanted a space for the (to be purchased) grill to go. This is it, but it was supposed to be two steps down to that platform, which was to be integrated with the pre-existing walkway there. They made it one step down, and did no integration to what was there. In fact, you have to take another step down at that point (not shown), which also now means that stairs would have to be made to get from the grill area down to the actual yard. We didn't want that, and it was all made clear to them. Redo? Not sure yet. Depends on what possible solutions they have.

And then...where is this drain spout headed? I mean, why not connect it back to the already existing drain pipe that goes to the pond? All they would have had to do is cut one board six inches short to make room. Guess they can take another stab at it when they redo it!

There are a variety of other little issues, of course. It seems like they just make decisions and roll with them without being 100% sure of what the customer wants. Or maybe they are sure. It's hard to tell. Either way they are wrong. There's going to be some interesting conversations this week. 

The lesson of it all (between this and the bathroom issues) is, as I have been told, you really have to stay on these guys every step of the way. Going out of town for a few days was, in hindsight, not the best idea (even though we really needed a break from everything). The beaker of our little experiment in trust and communication is broken on the floor of the lab.

Close only counts in...

 One of the new shower walls has been installed. At a glance it looks like the top is a bit crooked.

Survy says...

 ding, ding, ding...



And then we noticed the new position of the HVAC vent. Also crooked. Jeez guys.

They jack hammered a bunch of concrete out to make way for the new plumbing necessary for the shower. And they were supposed to wait for us to return before sealing all that back up so we could confirm the correctness of it. Well, let's count the problems: They appear to not have allowed for two of the four shower fixtures at all. The vent above is finished in crooked. It's unclear how they ran the plumbing. They had to pull the hot water over from the old shower basin area, but cold water was available in this local from the old toilet. So, did they run that back over to the new toilet spot or just use the nearby ones in their respective areas? It looks like they may have to dig it up again, so I suppose we'll find out.

There are a variety of other concerns as well. It's becoming demonstrably clear that -- as others have told us -- we're going to have to stay on it with them every step of the way. 

There's more. Stay tuned.

Window to the World

They did finally cut out windows in the wood panels. Still seems weird. They've also shingled the roof. Not sure why they left those supports up there. Must be more to do.

The inside is beginning to take shape as well. Still a lot to do though.

As I've mentioned before, this blog doesn't really go up in real time. In real time we've just returned from a short vacation. Not entirely thrilled with what we've found upon return. Details to come. Stay tuned.

Studio Reassembly

David's Kilroy Pose

I've been working a bit here and there to try to get the studio reassembled. It's surprisingly difficult, for a variety of reasons. Mostly, it just doesn't fit as neatly into the space we have as it did in the old house. But there is also the raging debate in my mind about exactly how I want to hook things up, and what specific functionality I want to have. My tendency is always to prepare for any contingency: have it all hooked up multiple ways. This time around I'm trying to go for a streamlined approach. For instance, I'm going to have much less on-line storage. I'll just hook up drives for short times as I need them. The audio routing will be simplified, etc.

I've been putting a lot of thought and work into making it have a neater appearance. In the pic above I am finishing the installation of a home-brewed cable system, which will keep the mass of wires off the floor and hidden. Unfortunately there will still be a few that have to live on the floor to get to the other side of the room where the keyboards are. But if it bugs us enough there is a remedy ($$) for that.

Kitchen Destruction

The prep for new countertops is surprisingly extensive. Removing the stuff around the cooktop necessitated quite a bit of destruction as well.

The new counter will all be at one height, unlike the two-tier bar vibe we had before. We had to buy these metal brackets to support the weight of the granite. Expensive for a few pieces of metal. I guess they figure if you can afford granite...

Note in the background how the whole insert around the fridge had to be removed, which also meant the wine rack had to go.

Kitchen Before

Much like the bathroom we're tearing apart there is nothing really wrong with the kitchen. But there's not much we love about it either. The biggest problem we both agreed on is that the counter top needs to be replaced. It looks okay (to me), but there are a lot of dark colors in there (none would be our first choice, and we're probably going to change the floor out as well). In the winter, when there isn't as much natural light, it was pretty cave like.

So there will be new counters and sink. We picked the counter top out months ago -- a decision i've been second guessing since, as we've been taking our little sample around searching for backsplash materials. I hope it ends up looking okay. We sure spent a lot on it. Worried.

The other thing we really didn't like was the inset around the cooktop. Wasted counter space, and it's even darker than the rest of the kitchen. Plus we're really not fans of the corbels -- too old fashioned looking for our sensibilities. So all of that is going.

Bathroom Destruction

...And the destruction begins...

Before

Here are a few pics of the bathroom before the destruction. It was perfectly "fine," we just wanted something different. The shower and toilet will trade places. The shower is pretty small, so that's the impetus for most for most of it. The pocket door will move over to make room for a wider shower. There will be new countertop, sinks, and fixtures.

This commode was removed months ago and given to my brother to use in one of his remodeling projects. Unfortunately it didn't survive the trip back to Louisville, which is a big bummer. We've been down a toilet since then.

The Story of My Life

There are STILL a few issues outstanding on the A/V system. One of them is getting my old Marantz receiver set up to drive the whole house audio system (ceiling speakers). They came back the other day to tackle this and some other things. I had to work and couldn't be there. Liane called asking where the remote is for the Marantz. It hadn't occurred to me that they'd need it, but of course for some of the more arcane commands it can be useful to "learn" them from the old remote rather than relying on a database of commands available on-line.  This is a problem because the remote is no longer functional. I bought an extra one a number of years ago and it also eventually failed. Fortunately prior to these failures I had programmed all of the commands into the Harmony remote systems I replaced them with. Those had been the backbone of controlling our A/V system in the old house. So my idea was to dig that stuff out so they could learn the commands from them. The problem is there are four active remotes, which between them share three RF receivers and IR repeaters. The idea is that the remotes broadcast an RF signal, which is received by the RF receivers and translated into IR commands that are then sent to one of a number of IR transmitters, which are affixed to the IR receiver on each of the hi-fi devices in question. Realizing I had to now explain a lot of this to Liane so she could cobble the system back together I knew we were in for a long and frustrating conversation. But I wanted to get it done, rather than wait for them to have to come back again another day. Because I had some meetings to go to I had to talk her through it and then hope that between her and the integrators they could make it work.

(Believe it or not I edited this down from the real dialog that ensued)

David: You need to go to the mechanical room and find a box up on the shelves labeled Harmony Remotes.

Liane: Which shelf?

David: Not sure, but I think it's on the top of the east one.

Liane: Which one is that?

David: The one in the direction of the master bedroom.

Liane: No, that's the west one.

David: No....oh yeah, you're right.

Liane: (reading what's written on each of several boxes)...I don't see one labeled Harmony. Some of them aren't marked.

David: They are all marked, but I'm not sure it's there. We need to check.

Liane: (getting frustrated) I don't see it.

David: Try the south shelf. Top.

Liane: I don't see it.

David: You have to look carefully. I am 99% sure it's on one of those.

Liane: What does the box look like?

David: About two feet long, by one foot wide, and eight inches high.

Liane: What color?

David Brown.

Liane: Are you sure it's marked?

David: 100%. I marked it in big black marker.

Liane: I think I found it, but it's going to be hard to get to.

David: Yeah, I had to cram a lot of stuff in there.

Liane: I have to get this VHS box off of it. I hate this crappy-ass ladder you have down here. It's so rickety. If you hear a loud crash call 911.

David: Ha, ha, okay.

Liane: Oh my! This VHS box is really heavy, and it's coming apart.

[Loud Crash]

Liane: OW! 

David: Hello? What happened?

Liane: I fell.

David: Are you okay?

Liane: Yes. This is such a pain! I told you this ladder sucks!

David: Do you want to just tell them to come back another time?

Liane: No, let's keep going. How do I open the box?

David: Uh, cut it? There is a razor knife out on the table next to the door.

Liane: Hang on....

Liane: It was over on the window sill (read, you were wrong dumb-ass) Okay, I am in the box. I don't see any Harmonies.

David: Well, they are in there. Tell me what you see.

Liane: (frustrated) I don't know...a bunch of wires, some boxes. I see boxes for the Marantz remotes. Feels like they are in there.

David: They are.

Liane: Can't we just give them one of those?

David: You can try to put batteries in them and see if one of them will wake up and kinda' work. One of them does sorta' work I think.

Liane: Crap. With the kitchen all dismantled I don't know where the batteries are.

David: Well, I'm not confident they'd work anyway. Let's just try to get a Harmony one going. You need to dig through there and find them.

Liane: I see three Harmony boxes, but none have anything in them. Oh, wait! One of them has a remote in it.

David: We can't use that one. It doesn't work. There are three or four in there loose. In total there are two silver ones and two black ones.

Liane: I don't see them.

David: I am sure they are there. You have to dig.

(This goes back and forth several more times.)

Liane, there is a brown box in here.

David: Yes, look in that.

Liane: That's it. I have them.

David: (frustrated) Jeez - when I say you have to dig I really mean through everything. 

Liane: You could have packed this a lot better.

David: Probably, but if you remember that was one of the last things to go, and we were in a bit of a hurry. Tell me what is on the back of them.

Liane: Nothing

David: No, some of them have labels on the back for what they were for, like bedroom, etc. I programmed each of them a little differently depending on where we would use them most. 

Liane: Nothing. Oh, wait, one of them says bedroom.

David: Which one?

Liane: Huh?

David: Is it one of the black ones?

Liane: No, it's a silver one.

David: Okay, let's not try to use that one. Let's use the other silver one. First you will have to get it charged. You need to dig out one of the charging cradles and a power supply. Get it on there and get it charging. Then we need to find its matching RF receiver.

Liane: Huh?

David: So you can understand what we're trying to do I need to refresh your memory on how these worked.

Liane: Oh no...

David: (summarized) Remote sends RF to RF receiver, then it translates to IR, which then sends the proper codes out of the four independent IR ports on the RF receiver. ONE, and only ONE of those four ports will carry the proper codes to operate the Marantz receiver, but because those ports never got marked anywhere but in the programming software we will have to try all of them.

Liane: What's the RF receiver?

David: (explaining it all again) It's the little bulbous looking thing that has a wire coming out of it, some jacks, and some LED's.

Liane: Okay, well, I found one that has a wire to a little jack thingy.

David: We don't want to use that one. We want one that has a wire that goes all the way to a power supply.

Liane: Here is one.

David: What does it say on the back of it?
Liane: Nothing.
David: Some of them will have labels, just like the handheld part, however, the writing got pretty faded towards the end from the heat of the hi-fi cabinet, so you may not be able to read it. But we need to try to find one with a label on the back.
Liane: This one does.
David: And what does it say?

Liane: Bed.

David: Nope, we need the other one.

Liane: Why?

David: It might work, but I can remember how to get where we want better on the receiver for the other sliver one, or either of the black ones.

Laine: Okay, I have another one, but it isn't labeled.
David: Does it have a power supply attached?
Liane: Wait, I have to dig separate all these wires from it....Yes, it's attached.

David: Good. That's the one we'll use. Now, you see those four jacks in a row on the one side?

Liane: Yes.

David: That's where the little Inrfra-Red eyes plug in?

Liane: Eyes? 

David: (frustrated) Whatever you want to call them. Tell me, so we can communicate. Those are the infra-red nodules that will send the actual IR signal to the device in question. You need to find four of those -- one to plug in to each of the four ports.

Liane: Where are they?

David: (frustrated) In the box. There is a plastic bag with all of that stuff in it.

Liane: Oh, hell. That's a rats nest. I got one out. It actually has two on it. It's like a Y-cable.

David: Oh yeah, each plug went to two of the IR transmitters. That doesn't help us. We actually need four plugs, which I know means we'll have a total of eight of the little IR nodules.

Liane: Huh?

David: (explains it all again)

Liane: Here's a big, red bulbous thing. Will that work?

David: No, that goes to something else.
Liane: Here's one of those Pyramid things? Can we just use that?
David: No, that won't help us.

Liane: (frustrated) David, I don't have time to do all this?

David: Do you want to just tell them to come back?

Liane (martyr voice) No.

David: Okay, once you dig four of those out we have everything we need. But then I need to explain to you how to get it working.

David: (Explanation of how each of the four jacks actually has different info that will run through it, so we have to hook them all up and try them).

Liane: What do I push on the remote?

David: Go to Activities, remember how to do that?

Liane: Yes.

David: Then press 'watch TiVo,' or whatever. Then go to devices and select...I think it was called A/V Receiver, or it may be called SR-18.

Liane: Can't I just go to Devices?

David: Maybe, you can try. I never did that. I had it set up to turn the proper devices on from the activities, and then it would all work from there. I don't know for sure if going to Devices first will work.

Liane: Then what?

David: When you do all that you have to make sure to hold all four of those IR blasters up to the Marantz unit to make sure the commands are working. Once you have verified operation you can give it to Carlos and he can use those transmissions to program his Control 4 stuff.
Liane: Why do I have to hold them all up? That's a pain.
David: Yes. It's because I don't remember which jack on the repeater box is programmed to carry the commands for the Marantz. Three of them will not work. One will. We either have to try them one at a time to learn which one works, OR just hold them all up to it and who cares which one it is. One will work.

Liane: Okay.

When I called her later to see how things went she told me they left without getting it done.

David: What?!

Liane: Well, they were trying to get hold of Marantz for some reason, and they told me that usually in those situations they want you to have the remote in your hand. So they weren't sure they would need it, but wanted to be prepared in case...

David: Oh my. That's frustrating. What a pain. 

Liane: I know. And I'm going to be bruised from falling off that crappy ladder you have down there.

And this, my friends, is the story of my life.

Never Say Never

I said I'd never move again, but....we're packing it up again. We have to move all our stuff out of the master bedroom and closet to make way for the encroaching construction. For the next few weeks we'll be living in the dining room and guest bedroom. Sigh...

We're also discombobulating the kitchen to allow for counter and sink removal. I will be SO glad when all these gyrations come to an end. By the time we return from our vacation the new counter tops and sink should be installed. Very nervous about all of this happening while we're gone, but if it works out it will have been a brilliant move.

No Progress

I'm beginning to get a little annoyed at the fact that we sometimes seem to go days without any work progress. Sometimes they communicate that they won't be on our job site for a day or two, and other times what they tell us isn't what actually happens. And it seems that there isn't much consistency in the stories of the various people we talk to. I've told Liane to get clear on who the project manager is, but even that hasn't been easy to concretely determine.

I fear this thing could drag on well into the fall if we don't get them moving faster.

We're going to be leaving town on a short vacation in a few days, and during that time they are planning to tear into the bathroom. I'm nervous about us not being able to be around to stay on top of things.

Update (I don't always post these in real time folks -- sorry -- I do have a job that needs to be attended to): In a subsequent conversation about this issue I asked Liane to begin documenting things. There have been some explanations, and I really do expect that it will get better, but just in case...I want to have the details logged.

I Like This

This is Steve, the guy who sold us the two big remodeling jobs. I like that he's out on the job site digging in the dirt assessing what's going on. 

Electric Amish

That's what we call them around here. Just about every construction crew has Amish people. Some are ALL Amish. They pretty much all use power tools, which I thought was a no-no. Some have cell phones. But very few of them drive automobiles. In fact, it's not uncommon to see a van full of Amish being driven to a job site by a designated non-Amish driver.

I don't know how hard-core of an Amish person this guy (below) is. He doesn't have the beard. But on this day he brought along his daughter, who clearly was Amish. This is the second time kids have been brought to our job site. And they work.

Roof Started

The roof is starting to go on.

Cocoon

Well, this is weird. They've barricaded us in. Something about structural integrity and protection from weather. Everyone I've shown this to says they've never seen it done like this before. Weather? There's no roof! Guess that is next.

And...what is this board supposed to be for?

Security Cameras

I put a couple of security cameras in. I have one pointed out the window above the front door, and the other pointed inside the front door (a shot from this one is above).

One of the first contractors to come to the door after I installed them saw one and asked Liane if this is a bad neighborhood. I guess it does kind of raise that question. Realistically they are probably about 40% practical value and 60% me geeking out -- just doing it because I can, and it's interesting. If nothing else the outside one will enable Liane to see who is at the door when the bell rings. And I have them set to record on motion detection, so if anything were to ever happen I'd have a record of it. If it works out well I'll probably eventually drop in another one pointed out the back.

Shown in the picture is Paul, our A/V integrator. Phase one of that installation is finally just about wrapped up. The system is cool, and deceptively simple (just complex behind the scenes). I can show any of four sources (TiVo, Cable, BluRay, TBD) independently on any set in the house. I can also route any one of them to the whole house audio system (ceiling speakers). Next I need to integrate the security cameras into that somehow.

High Roof Line = $$$

A high roof line provides for nice curb appeal, but is expensive. I've already shown how much (arguably) wasted space there is in the attic of the house.

One of the major reasons why the screened in porch project is so expensive is due to how they have to tie in to the roof line (shown below). The roofing -- and therefore structural -- part of the project is extensive and complicated.