Tuesday, March 23, 2010

fixed!

For years (now), we've known that we needed to make a fix on our septic system; today's it's done. :) After Roger succeeded in finding the septic line yesterday, Matt went up the hill this afternoon and repaired its connection to the tank.

Here, he tested the line by running water through it--everything worked beautifully.
Take a good look at these holes and piles--they'll be gone after tomorrow!

Also, Matt renewed our building permit yesterday (after surviving a fire drill in the county office...) All of which means we're now ready for an inspection on Friday. Here's hoping it all goes well!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

details, details

It's been a good couple of days of work this weekend, taking care of more details in preparation for an inspection (and for move-in!!).

Matt and I went up on Friday, and he lacquered the beautiful cabinet doors that Dad built. Isn't Matt's door-hanging-for-spraying trick clever?
And, of course, he lacquered the drawer fronts, too, as the sun set.
Saturday, Mom and Dad, Emily, Phil and Shan came up to take care of projects. Mom vacuumed. And then re-vacuumed. And, again, re-vacuumed.

Building makes a lot of dust.
Dad hung most of the cabinet doors, which is really pulling the kitchen together. :)
In the distance, you can see Phil and a piece of trim for the stairway.
Here are the kitchen cabinets after Saturday--looking good, don't you think?
Mom removed all the plastic from the appliances, and she and Shan took more plastic off the windows outside--our view is getting clearer and cleaner.
Emily and Matt did some landscaping planning, and began reshaping the hill in front to be more lovely.

I think that removing the giant pile of dirt by the road goes a long ways toward making the property look less like a construction site... :)

Shan helped Phil hang a few pieces of trim on the stairs--finishing touches that look excellent.
The fading light (and a cold) didn't stop Phil's work.

Today, Matt and I went back up the hill to retrieve the plans, as we realized we need to renew our building permit (again). This gave me a chance to hang some simple curtains in the downstairs bathroom. Now we have a door AND curtains--sophisticated.
When we arrived, we found Roger at work digging to help us fix up the septic system. But, when we couldn't find what we were looking for, our neighbor Bob decided to call on the memory of an old friend and neighbor, while Matt explored the options up close.

Happily, we've since found some paperwork evidence that should help the task. That, and it's still just exciting to have the help of a backhoe. Backhoes are WAY more fun than shovels.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

some crappy work

Lucky for me, I was away this weekend, while Matt was digging to the (overflowing) septic tank. Here he is bailing it out a bit. Crappy, eh?
Some quite nice things happened, too, though, including one most visible through absence: check out the yard without a trailer parked in it! Thanks to neighbors Bob and Eric, who shared 4wd and expertise to make it possible to get it up the hill to the road.
Here's the trailer, which Matt towed down the hill to Nona's driveway, where it'll get a little (much-needed) TLC.

Dad helped with lots of projects--including plenty of workshop time at home during the week, getting cabinet doors, drawer fronts and trim pieces ready. Here he is straightening out a 3-way switch that was just a little mixed up.

Matt went up again on Sunday, when the weather was more pleasant, and made good use of the space freed up by moving the trailer! Here, it's home to a new painting spot, for the last interior door.

Then, he continued to clean the garage, heartened by Mom's good work the day before. He built a clever rack for lumber and containing a bit of our mess.
Looks quite organized, no? Perhaps even like the kind of garage you could park a car in!
Ah, yes. It works.
Nicely done, all!