A TALE OF TWO WINDOWS............

Remember how excited we were when the framing was done and we could finally visualize how the front windows were going to look? And then they were installed and I never did put a picture of them on the blog. Well there was a very good reason for that!

The crew worked until noon on Saturday to finish installing the windows. That afternoon Shawn went up to the house to see them, came home didn't tell me he had gone and then waited till I had a chance to see them for myself. After my inspection I came home and immediately asked him "if he could live with that"? So after all the years of planning our dream house we had nightmare windows. The sashing between the two panes of glass was just huge, over 6 inches of a solid white band which was at eye level when you sat down. We had similar windows in the house we just sold and liked the fact we could open the bottom section, however the sashing on those was minimal. After very little debate and not caring what the cost was Shawn called our contractor on Monday and told him they had to be replaced. Now after waiting 7 weeks we finally got to see the new windows today, it was worth the wait.

So if anyone in the Juneau area knows someone who wants a really great deal on 5 brand new windows just give us a call.

WOW #2............

The driveway is finished!!! The placement of the boulders to form the rock wall is a work of art. Boulders were also strategically placed at the curves in anticipation of future winter driving adventures. Framing for the arctic entry will begin tomorrow. Just checked when the first WOW was posted it was exactly 2 months ago, wonder 2 months from what I'll be posting?

ONE MORE DAY.........

And the rock walls and driveway will be done. The entry pad is finished held up by massive boulders and the pilings have been buried. The front of the house took a beating in the high winds a few weeks ago, long strips of the house wrap are seen hanging down. Still looks like a big yellow box on the hill, but drastic changes are just around the corner.

TAKING SHAPE.......

Retaining walls, walkways and planting beds are emerging from the piles of boulders. Work should be completed in the next day or two, then the entry can be built and finally the siding installed. We lucked out as a friend of our contractor is a master of building with rock and wanted to do this "fun" project. It is amazing to see how the puzzle of all the different sizes and shapes are carefully set in place and the result is awesome.

SUNNY SUNDAY..........

October is Juneau's wettest month with an average of 8.3 inches of rain, any sunny days are truly bonus days for us. Sunday morning brought a clear sky so a quick trip to the house to see the sunrise was a must. More rocks have been piled up and the walkway is taking shape. The pilings are in place and the base of the arctic entry is forming. The forecast for the week is more sun, the entry and siding should be completed.

THE ROCKS PILE UP.........

A beautiful autumn day in Juneau with unexpected sun. Perfect weather to put the driveway back together and start the rock walls. Loads of rock are being delivered and the path up to the house has been started. The pilings for the arctic entry are ready to be move up to the top. And the most exciting picture is of a deer hoof print (thanks Tom) right outside the patio door.

LET THE DIGGING BEGIN AGAIN..........

Glad our contractor had told us that they were going to start to bury the utilities and things would be torn up while they did it. So when I stopped by at lunch to take a picture of the fresh snow I wasn't too shocked to see the driveway dug up from top to bottom right down the middle.

LET THERE BE LIGHT..........

There has been some progress in the past week......yellow electrical wires run throughout the house leading to the outlets, switches, lights, fans etc. Now the fun stuff starts, picking out counters, cabinets, fixtures, tile, flooring the list goes on. Sure wish we had a Home Depot super store to shop at.

TERMINATION SNOW.........

The first snow of the season has fallen making the mountains look like they are dusted in powdered sugar. We are waiting for the entry to be framed in, the siding and doors to be installed, it's time to get the house dried in before winter is here for good. Meanwhile the kitchen is layed out in black marker on the concrete subfloor, the plumbing is roughed in to the 2nd floor and the water lines are in place for the kitchen and bathroom. The electrician should start in the next couple of days.