The punch list...begins

You know it by the trade name "punch list", or just by your own experience of getting to the end of a project or renovation, where the big things are done but there are those little details or minor omissions that need correction.   We met today with Matt and Ed to go over the punch list.  At the same time, Gino was starting on sanding the floors in preparation for natural staining and several coats of clear coat on the hickory floors, so the house is his for just over a week.  Other developments:
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Starting construction of the second set of basement doors.  Evolving the design to a steel frame instead of the hardwood frame.  Had a local welding shop produce the two door with hinges welded on.  The outside will look very similar to the first set of doors, but I think it will be more rigid and definitely a time saver for me, while still fitting within the budget.
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 In  addition to the door frames, I asked the welding company to make door handle brackets for both sets of doors.  A pair of these with 1 inch wood dowel between them, will be set on each door.
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Fridge in place.  Width fit was perfect but now realize we need some trim panel over it.

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Stove in place, hood install in progress.  Notice how Matt pre-stained the floors under the appliances before the main floor sanding & staining that began today.  Toekicks will be installed after the floor finish is complete.

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Powder room vanity.  Jenny chose the walnut slab from Vienna Hardwoods.  I cut to size and finished it.  This will get us thru the final inspection, we have some cool ideas for some stonework and wall colors after that!

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Stairs down to the basement. Continuing the nautical look with the sconces...

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Utility area detail.  Blue tank is the water pressure vessel fed by the well head pump.  The yellow lines are the propane going to the on-demand water heater on the right, and also the stove above.  No more water company bills, but now need to ensure electric power for the well head pump or have a standby source in the event of temporary power loss.

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Lamps installed by back basement doors.
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A different view of the screened porch.  Exterior lamps in place, additional trim boards to be added, screen panels between the columns, and screened doors.  Now our minds turn to what will be in front of, and behind the porch...

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View of the house from across the swale.

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We are blessed with many Dogwood trees around property (see the white flowers), some in better health then others, after having grown in the shadow of pines.  We will try to save the healthiest but many will probably go in the land clearing. 

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Another Dogwood flower view.

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Hey, we're on the map!  "7817" Our neighbor built this new mailbox post on the left since the original was full and today I set our box in place down there on the end (thanks Dean!)...

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On the way home past the local dairy, I noticed the Holstein dairy cows seemed to be in heaven with the lush spring grass and warm sunny day temps....so I snapped a quick pic.  The Virginia countryside is in prime spring, everything is blooming, cool & lush ready for hot & humid...we're ready for it!

Spring color

We bid welcome to Spring... and the color it brings!  Pinks and reds, as the cherry trees in DC have just peaked (one thing I miss from my daily commute to & from the Washington Navy Yard, witnessing the day-by-day progression), and the redbud trees are out in force.  We have a few redbuds sprinkled in the woods about the property but mostly on the small size.  There's a magnificent redbud down by the marina dock that I noticed today.  Some blue, as I noticed a Bluebird pair has made a nest on top of the front porch light, and they hung around the nearby trees all day today while I was in & out. I didn't remove the nest as I've never observed Bluebirds before, and I remember it's good luck when animals feel safe around your home.  And some color for the house exterior...Nevada Sand, but it seems a bit on the yellowish side...we're still trying to get used to it.  May change it in the near-future but the budget requires us to stay the course for the time-being.  The painters did a great job though!  And the screened porch is really coming along (see the photos).

Other progress: fridge, stove, & dishwasher have arrived and will be installed in conjunction with the hardwood floor finishing next week.  Jenny found a great mantel timber and I cut it to size, sanded it, and cut corbels from it.  Final plumbing and electrical work should be done in the next few weeks, moving steadily towards final inspection!

So, a photo tour around the outside:

Hooking up & heating up...

Back from a chilly but inspiring vacation to London, Devon, and Cornwall.  A nice warm, sunny day at the house site to see the fireplace stonework, light fixtures installed, most of the tile work complete, and kitchen granite finis.
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AC units installed, good timing for warmer weather to come.

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Siding complete, including the screened porch, or the "Parthenon" as I'm calling it.

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View into the screened porch, the center beam will host a ceiling fan...and maybe an old wooden canoe suspended over the top beams.

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Fireplace stonework, really love the way it turned out!  Awaiting a wood beam mantle supported by four wood corbels.

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Living room view over the hearth looking south.

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Front view of the fireplace (woodstove).  The stone veneer is from Eldorado and the hearth stones are travertine.  Jenny picked out the mantel timber today from Vienna Hardwoods, and I'm looking forward to band sawing the corbels.

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View over the kitchen island.
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 Over the kitchen island toward the sink, pendant lighting fixtures installed as well as the sink faucet.
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View of the kitchen from the living room.  Chandelier will preside (once lowered) over a round dining table.  Wood floors will be clear coated, and after testing the finish, we found the polyurethane will warm up the wood floors nicely.
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As the bath tile completes in each room, vanities and light fixtures are going in.  Need a nice picture frame mirror here...and we have plans for some guest-oriented side cabinets.

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The cabin room gets some ship lamps, and Jenny simulates some underway heel....

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The east bay of the basement gets some light shed on it.  This will be the workshop and tractor garage.  The wall insulation might well get this space nicknamed the "Looney Bin"...and maybe we were a bit crazy to jump into this property,  but Jenny & I are looking forward to some furniture-woodworking, boat-fixing, wine-making in the years to come.

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So, some old-world inspiration from our England trip.  This is the Bishop of Winchester's mansion.  The house is so-so, what I like is his pea-gravel driveway leading right up to the house, with green lawn bordering.

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A carriage house in Winchester, fits the bill for a future art studio-over-barn at BramaSole.....