Arrivals and no-shows...
March 10th -- Not only did the first crocus of spring appear among the ruins of what used to be my nicely landscapped yard, but the finish carpenters also arrived at 8:30 am and put in a 10-hour day. When they told me they would be back tomorrow, there is no doubt that they will.
The plumber, on the other hand, continued to be a no-show. I am trying to be very patient and understanding. Many of these craftsmen were hit very hard by the recession, and those who were able to survive the lean years are now trying to take on as much work as they can. However, each day the plumber does not come to complete his work on my house because he has taken on bigger projects, is another day with the work out of sequence and the longer it will take for this project to be completed. I contemplate asking the contractor to fire the plumber and find someone else to complete the job, but with the increased demand in building, it isn't even clear that is an option.
The finish carpenters are great and they have a big job ahead of them, but they are always up for the challenge. For example, they are installing all the hardware in all the doors. Here is one of them cutting the openings in the library doors for the recessed locks and handles.
They have set up their chop saw on the deck and they enjoyed 70-degree temps today. One of the main tasks was to use the chop saw to cut the 3/4 round trim for the baseboards throughout the house. Oh, did I mention that the weather forecast for tomorrow is a 30+ degree drop in the temperature from today's high and 3-5 inches of snow? Such are the vagaries of springtime.
There is a lot of mill work in this house, and this photo gives just one example of the installation of the 3/4 round trim. By the end of the day, ALL of the trim work was installed!
Another carpenter assembled the library ladder rail system and put the ladder together. When it was done, they came to find me to ask me if I'd like to "take a spin" by getting on the ladder and rolling it across the wall of bookshelves. It was great!! As you can see here, they also installed the hardware to hold the shelves. The painters, who are scheduled to return later this week, will apply stain the same color as the hardwood floors, to the wooden sides of the library ladder.
The carpenters also assembled the custom chest of drawers for the master bedroom and installed the black knobs. The front face of the drawers will be painted white to match the chest when the painters return.
The painters worked on the closets, installing the shelving between the two bars in the master bedroom closet.
They also installed the shelves in the linen closet:
Here is another photo of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and library ladder, with the additional shelves in the corner adjacent to the AV cabinet.
There was also progress on the outside -- the windows, skylights, and glass door arrived for the green house, as shown below, and depending on the weather, they should be installed soon.
Despite the lack of appearance by the plumber, things are moving forward, mostly to the good work and will of the carpenters, and I can't wait to see them again tomorrow morning!
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