30 April 2016
Kaleb and Matt worked
six hours of overtime this morning, putting more paint on the main level
ceilings and then starting the first coat of paint on the two guest bedroom’s
window trim. Right after breakfast, I
tried to take to the Salisbury recycling venue the load of cardboard that is
completely filling (to overflowing) the Tacoma’s cargo bed. The man in charge there refused the load
unless it was cut up into 2 foot squares.
Get real! Tim stopped by
mid-morning to see how his guys were doing, arriving in time to referee further
“discussions” by Chree and me about wall paint colors. We released Tim after a few minutes to go
enjoy his day off, as our “discussions” looked like they were going to continue
for awhile… which they did. Chree and I
also cleaned all the slate tile areas and then covered those areas with a
protective cardboard floor covering, which should prevent them from getting
spotted by exuberant painters. Chree and
I spent most of the afternoon polyurethaning the first side of the rest of the
second batch of interior doors. Taking
one for the team, Chree forewent a concert in Middlebury, that she really
wanted to attend, in order to keep the varnishing project on track. After the varnishing was done, I applied
Durabond to an area just above the woodstove nook mantle that we decided (with
Tim’s help) should just be painted plaster vice a strip of wood (as originally
envisioned). I also repaired a
substantial rent in the drywall caused when the casing for the wine cellar
cleaning access was forced into place, obviously somewhat reluctantly.
29 April 2016
Tim, Kaleb, Matt, and
Brendin painted most of the house ceilings, did a bunch more drywall repair
work (including repairing two cracks in lower hall ceiling butt joints that
should not have cracked if done properly the first time…), chased the
carpenters around some more with Durabond at the ready, and primed more
baseboards. Sonny and Brandon finished
installing all of the baseboards on the upper level, which leaves only the
storage room (currently varnishing-central) needing baseboards. They also conducted a successful search and
rescue operation, locating and saving the missing shop HRV supply vent that was
covered by drywall when the shop ceiling was installed. Can we say, “Oppsie”? Tom grouted the master bathroom floor, shower
walls, and the (repaired) shower floor.
I consulted with Tim about how much paint to buy for the house interior
walls. (Answer: 27 gallons… to
start!) Lucien Garand from Granite
Design arrived promptly at 7 to measure for the bathroom vanity and kitchen
countertops. After Lucien left, I spent
most of the rest of the morning helping Marty and Merry with some small home
handyman tasks. (Yes, I will work
for food…) After lunch, Chree and I
started varnishing the first side of the second (and final) batch of interior
doors. That job was suspended at 3 to consume
fresh-baked chocolate cake (with sprinkles on top!) in honor of Sonny’s
forthcoming birthday. After the
well-sated crew departed, Chree and I spent some quality time cleaning the
house, as we would prefer not to have the painters give us textured trim
and baseboards.
28 April 2016
Tim, Kaleb, and Matt
continued preping and priming the basement door trim and walls. Sean came by first thing to inspect recent
work and talk about next steps. Sonny
and Brandon used my planer to make stock for the doorway thresholds throughout
the house. We’re planning to make those thresholds from the rough cut maple
lumber that Toby Rheaume created for me back in September 2010 out of the
triple maple tree that we took down next to the driveway. Unfortunately (or not… depends on your
perspective) there is quite a bit of color variation in the wood. The Sonny and Brandon camp think that may
make the lumber unsuitable for thresholds; the Doug camp thinks the color
variation adds beaucoup character to the wood.
The Chree camp thinks we should try a dark stain, so guess what we’re
going to do? After the maple was planed
and cut into lengths, Sonny and Brandon went back to installing baseboards,
finishing the upper hallway and half bath.
Tom finished grouting the entry hall, foyer, wine cellar nook, cedar
closet, and master bath floor (all of which look gorgeous). Tom also reinstalled the master bath shower
floor tiles; hopefully third time’s a charm.
Ron Highter, from Highter Custom Building & Cabinetry, came by right
after lunch to scope out the custom cabinets we want him to build. Those include: an enclosure for the living
room television; a cabinet above the wood bin to house the router and DVR, plus
some shelves above that cabinet; a writing surface, drawer, and shelves in the
kitchen; and a cabinet below the glass knick knack shelves in the upper
hallway. In amongst all those goings-on,
Chree and I put the second coat of polyurethane on the second side of the first
batch of interior doors. I also spent a
couple of hours attending the three COMCAST technicians who were fixing (for
the second time this week) the telephone system at Kate’s house. Oh, and the Orkin guy stopped by for his
bimonthly visit.
27 April 2016
Tim (for half the
day), Kaleb, and Matt spent their work time preping walls and baseboards and
priming door trim in the basement. They
caught up to Sonny and Brandon (busy putting on baseboards) so closely that I
thought Sonny was going to end up with Durabond on the back of his hand. The dynamic carpenter duo also finished
putting in the staircase stringer boards.
Tom laid the slate in the laundry, then grouted the upper hall. I put the second coat of varnish on the first
side of the final three in the first set of doors. That done, I transitioned to being a masonry
tender, helping Tom by cutting slate and then scrubbing clean (on my hands and
knees for three hours!) the areas needing grout. Tom and I worked on that job until 6:30, at
which time we both were desperately in need of some liquid restoratives.
26 April 2016
Kaleb, Brendin, and
Matt Pratt worked all day preping and priming trim and baseboards. Tim Ryan did touch-up Durabond work on
ceilings and walls where drywall seams weren’t up to his straightness standards
and/or there were blemishes he found unacceptable. Tom Hobbs (Boot Hill Metal Benders) was here
early morning to take measurements for the ductwork that will connect the shop
planer and radial arm saw to the dust collector. Sean and Kevin Haight also
were here early; Sean to review progress, budget, and get paid; Kevin to scope
out the patio masonry work we want done.
Tom Morrissey finished installing the upper hall slate and grouted the
half bath. He also started work on
putting down slate in the laundry and taking out the master shower floor tile
where there still are smoothness problems.
Sonny and Brandon came close to finishing installing baseboards in the
basement. Brandon also put on the trim
around the two basement pocket doors. At
9 Chree and I left to spend lots of money back in the Burlington area, stopping
to see Alverta on our way back south.
25 April 2016
23 April 2016
Tom
was here all day (Saturday) tiling the upper hall, which he got about half done
with minimal distractions from the peanut gallery. I spent most of the morning cleaning Kate’s
house and most of the aftetnoon cleaning the accessable portions of the new
house main level. Chree, meanwhile, went
into Middlebury and Brandon to do errands and get a haircut… which, being a
guy, I failed to notice even though she had told me that’s what she was going
to do. Me bad!!!! Me no get [fill in the blank] for a very
long time! Late afternoon, while Chree
was busy cooking up a storm, I went up to Vergennes to fetch the used but good
General 1,250 cfm, 1½ hp shop dust collector that Mike and Annie Poskas had for
sale. At eventide, Lynne and Perry and
Steve and Kathy Ingram came over for a house tour and a delightful delicious dinner.
22 April 2016
Kaleb and Brendin were
here again at the crack of dawn and spent their workday sanding all the places
they had caulked yesterday. Kaleb also
kindly filled the two gouges I put in the lower hallway drywall while moving
the bedroom #1 door… but that’s another story.
On the other hand, Kaleb nearly had a heart attack when I killed a
mosquito on the drywall ceiling… with my hammer. Sonny and Brandon, being old and getting
older (respectively) only worked a half day.
Sonny started to put in the casing for the pocket door that will hide
the water heater under the stairs.
Brandon continued putting in baseboards, finishing all of the main level
except where the slate flooring is being installed. Tom finished laying slate in the entry hall
and the grandfather clock nook, then started on the upper hall. I varnished the two pocket doors that will be
installed in the basement (thinking they would be dry to the touch by noon,
which, of course, they weren’t). While
waiting for the doors to dry, I removed all of the basement interior doors and
their hinges, getting them ready for varnish… and out of the painters’
way. After lunch (with the two pocket
doors still not dry), Chree and I thoroughly cleaned the basement.
21 April 2016
Kaleb and Brendin
Roberts (Ryan’s Quality Paints) were here (as expected) promptly at 6 and got
started filling nail holes and gaps in the interior door and window trim. Sonny got here at 7 and was, indeed, not
happy when I asked him to tear out the living / dining room baseboards and rip
them down by ⅜″ so that the tops of all baseboards throughout the house will line up
with each other (except in the study, which is a special case due to the ogee
pilaster base molding on the cabinets). Fortunately
for the budget, that retrofit only took an hour. Sonny and Brandon (until noon) then spent the
day base boarding, which they described as being similar to free basing… or was
that base-jumping???? Tom continued
putting down slate in the foyer and entry hallway. Sad to say, he has developed a severe
addiction to thin-set mortar mix. At
least, that’s my only explanation for why he’s going through so much of it. The upshot of his craving is that Chree had
to drive the Tacoma back to Burlington this morning to procure another 500
pounds of mix from Best Tile. I
rearranged and cleaned the basement storage room so that we can use it to
varnish the interior doors. Then I
removed all eight main level doors from their frames and schlepped them down to
said storage room. After lunch I got to
work spreading Minwax polyurethane satin varnish, with Chree joining the first-coat,
first-side, first batch door finishing endeavor upon her return from Burlington. Also killed the first mosquito of the season…
20 April 2016
Sean visited first
thing in the morning to check on progress.
We agreed that redoing the master bath shower floor tile would be a
warranty repair, i.e., Goose Creek will absorb that cost. Sonny and Brandon installed the guest
bathroom vanity. They then worked half
the afternoon putting on baseboards in the sun room and living / dining
room. Tom started laying slate in the
foyer. Chree and I left at 9 headed
north. First stop was in Vergennes where
we eyeballed, and made a commitment to buy, a used shop dust collection system
that a friend of Dennis Senesac has for sale.
Then we went up to Burlington, spent some more money at The Lighting
House, got new name tags for the dogs, and took Alverta out to lunch. After lunch we went over to Essex Junction to
Cocoplum Appliances, per Sean’s recommendation.
Unfortunately, Cocoplum doesn’t distribute LG appliances, but, this
being Vermont, the salesperson willingly directed us to his competitor just
down the road, who does sell that brand.
At Bouchard – Pierce Appliances we worked for an hour with Britteny
Bouchard (granddaughter of one of the founders) and found, agreed on (!!!!),
and ordered a stove, refrigerator, above-the-range microwave oven, dishwasher,
clothes washer, and clothes dryer. Even
better, the total bill, after discounts and rebates, came in at only 75% of our
budget for those appliances. Next stop
was at Lowe’s, where I returned the special-order door / drawer pulls that were
too long for our cabinets and then we ordered a lazy susan insert for one of
the kitchen cabinets and some crown molding for the study… that pretty much
used up the appliance discounts and rebates we garnered at the previous
stop. Easy come, easy go… Returned to Fern Lake at dog dinner time, we
also agreed that the 5½″ high baseboards in the living / dining room were too tall. Sonny is not going to be a happy
camper when I tell him that tomorrow…
19 April 2016
Sonny and Brandon
continued casing the window interiors. Sonny
left at noon and Brandon at 3 due to other commitments. Brandon also built and installed the trim for
the master bath pocket door. Tom started
laying slate in the coat closet, cedar closet, and wine cellar nook. He also retiled the area in the master bath
shower where the water wasn’t draining properly. Roger Desabrais from Desabrais Glass stopped
by early afternoon to measure for the glass door and half wall that will form
one side of the master bath shower enclosure.
He also measured for the glass knick knack shelves that will be
installed in the upper hall. I spent the
day trying to catch up on construction finances. What a thrill!
18 April 2016
Chree, the dogs, the
Kubota, and I returned to Fern Lake shortly after noon to find Sonny and
Brandon busy installing window casings and Tom putting down the underlayment in
the cedar closet, coat closet, laundry, and wine cellar nook where slate
flooring will be installed. Dennis Senesac
had been by earlier to look at the geothermal heat pump noise-abatement enclosure
and take amperage readings. After unloading
the truck, I went down to Vermont Specialty Slate to retrieve the rest of the
slate flooring. Chree and I got a good
workout moving that load from the truck into the master bedroom.
16 - 17 April 2016
Chree and I helped Alex and Katy excavate and
rototill plots for their garden, move furniture, and reinstall various wall
fixtures subsequent to some renovations they had had done to their abode. Chree got her monthly Devin-fix at the same
time. All-in-all a delightful
change-of-pace weekend.
15 April 2016
Brandon worked a couple of hours putting in
baseboards in the study, then joined Sonny installing window trim. Tom spent the morning driving hither and yon
collecting materials for his tiling work, arriving at Fern Lake just before
noon. He spent the afternoon chiseling up that portion of the master bath
shower floor where the water wasn’t draining properly. The lake level is 14″ below the level
of the dock and the water temperature is a sultry 43° Fahrenheit. Chree, the dogs, the Kubota, and I left just
after noon for Alex and Katy’s place in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The three hour trip took four hours and we got (yikes!) 12.8
mpg for gas mileage. Guess the Kubota
weighs just as much as all the “stuff” I hauled up from Virginia the other day.
14 April 2015
Sean
came by first thing in the morning to review progress… or maybe just to
remember what I looked like. We noted
that some of the floor tile in the master bath shower was buckled and one area
would not drain. Tom believes the
buckling occurred because the under-floor radiant heat caused the thin set tile
adhesive to cure at different rates. Sonny
and Brandon continued putting in window casings. I went down to Vermont Specialty Slate in
Ferndale to retrieve ⅓ of 410 square feet of mottled purple and green slate we had previously
ordered as flooring for the cedar closet, coat closet, foyer, ½ bath, laundry, upper
hall, and wine cellar nook.
13 April 2016
Left
our Virginia house for the last time, headed for Vermont by way of a contract
signing session in the office of the realtor representing our buyers. Traffic getting out of the Washington, DC
area, even at mid-morning, was absolutely miserable… took over two hours to get
through Baltimore, and 10½ hours to get to Fern Lake, consuming 40½ gallons of
gasoline en route (which equates to a whopping 13 miles per gallon… guess the
load in the truck and on the trailer was a little bit heavy). I will NOT
miss the Washington traffic!!!! Meanwhile,
Sonny and Brandon spent the day installing interior window casings and Tom continued
tiling the guest bath floor.
.
12 April 2016
Got
two offers for the Virginia house, one of which was imminently acceptable. Sonny only worked 3½ hours. He and Brandon built window casings. Tom started work putting in the guest bathroom
floor tile. Spent the day and evening emptying
our Virginia house and loading the Tacoma and trailer with all the “stuff” that
the movers wouldn’t take that needs to end up in Vermont.
11 April 2016
Sonny
and Brandon spent the day installing more interior door casings. Tom finished putting in all of the master
bathroom tile that he can do until the vanity countertop is installed. Ka blam!
After two stressful weeks on the market with lots of interest (mostly from real estate
agents looking for a lucrative commission), but no nibbles, the open houses
held over the weekend in our Virginia house prompted three second visits in the
afternoon and evening. Finally got a
good night’s sleep!
4 - 8 April 2016
Sonny
(back to working full days) and Brandon spent the week putting together interior
door casings and then installing them throughout the house. Chree returned from Massachusetts on Tuesday
with some cute pictures of our grandson in action. Sean stopped by
briefly on Thursday to check on progress and talk about cabinetry details with
Chree. Tom returned to the fold on
Friday and contined work on the master bath tiling project. Chree has become a believer… that Kate’s
house is haunted: music and voices heard when no one else is around; games
falling off shelves, not caused by Shlomo; metal banging outside the
house when the wind blows, with no loose metal to be found there; food
disappearing out of the animal trap in the attic without the trap being tripped. Not to mention the poltergiest that I know
is living in the master bathroom shower drain.
1 April 2016
Sonny
and Brandon finished the study cabinetry installation. Tom Morrissey continued tiling in the master
bathroom. Chree and the dogs left for a
long Devin-fix weekend at Alex and Katy’s.
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