The House is Hospitable

The house is hospitable!

There is now a real driveway.  Inside the house, the first floor is tiled and the second floor is complete with wood flooring.

The electrical work is completely finished.

The kitchen is practically usable, with electricity, a granite countertop, and half of the appliances.  The cooktop is induction rather than conduction, so it heats the pan using a magnetic field.  The cooktop itself won't get hot!

Earthquake checking out the kitchen.

Additionally, we have access to water, since the installation of plumbing, a water heater, and a water purification system (so the water no longer smells nasty).

On Wednesday, the final survey was performed.  Surveyors checked to make sure the house was in the right spot and each floor was on the right elevation.

We were thankful to have the family home for the holidays and we wish you all a very happy holiday season.  Stay tuned for frequent updates on the construction of an ultramodern beachfront soon-to-be home!

Many New Developments

My parents talk like things are moving so slowly at the house, but it seems to me like every day something new is happening.

Putting in underground lines for landscape lighting and irrigation.  "That was some hard work," said my dad.

Outside the house: A new well has been dug; the septic system is in; back patio pavers have been laid.

In the kitchen: Most of the kitchen cabinets are installed and the granite countertop is finished.

On the first floor and in the bathrooms: The tiles will be finished on Monday.

In the laundry room: My parents and sister found cabinets at Ikea and a sink on Amazon.  My sister assembled the cabinets on Friday, so they're ready for installation on Tuesday.  The tiles are almost finished in the laundry room, too.

On the second floor: We stacked the wood floor boards, so they are ready to be laid- the wood is sustainable eucalyptus.

In the whole house: The walls are painted; the air conditioning is running; lights are in, including special turtle lights.
The elevator is installed and working to connect the three floors!

 Stay tuned for frequent updates on the construction of an ultramodern house that is equal parts sensational and sustainable!

Heather

Railings

The last post from Heather had pictures that she took with her phone on panoramic setting.  The hurricane didn't really blow the building into a curve.

Railings are up on the balcony and roof deck.  They were built by RDS Industrial and are gorgeous.  They will be building the interior spiral staircase too.  Interior paint will be completed in a couple of days and the kitchen cabinets are being installed.

We ordered tile today and the elevator is coming next week.  I took this picture when the sun peeked out for a few minutes.  It has been raining and blowing for days and days.  Fortunately, most of the rest of the work is inside.

Hurricane Irma: The After

Just like we hoped- the house looks the same in the wake of Irma as it did before Irma!

The photos look funky because I used the panorama setting on my phone camera.  The house isn't bent!

The only damage the house saw was some leakage from the windows on the east side.  However, this might be not from the windows but from the electrical outlets.

Stay tuned for frequent updates on the construction of the ultramodern beachside stronghold with withstood a historical hurricane!

Hurricane Irma: The Before

On Thursday, we prepped the house for the hurricane.  This included sealing all windows and doors, bringing plywood, pipes, etc. in the garage, and picking up the loose scraps scattered around the property.  Then, on Friday, my mom and dad meticulously double-checked everything.

The yard is a lot more spacious, now that the old garage is removed.

Doesn't look much like hurricane weather, yet.

Hopefully, the "after" photos will look the same as the "before" photos.

Stay tuned for the "after" pictures of an ultramodern, beachside, Irma-enduring fortress!

The House Takes Shape

The house looks like a house.  Where once loomed dull, hulking blocks of cement, tall white walls stand proud and clean.  The Leisure-blue roof folds into the building in fitted layers.

So what happened?  What caused such a big change?

It's all in the stucco.  The stucco, which every day is closer to being complete.  This week, the workers began what my dad calls a synthetic stucco.  The synthetic stucco contains the acrylic colors we picked out.

Stick around for frequent updates on the construction of the ultramodern home with a backyard where Juan Ponce de Leon probably landed!

[and check out The Blergh.]

Blue and Gossamer

The first thing I said when I stepped around the house into the backyard was, "Wow."

Then I said a few choice words of which I will not post here.  Then, "Dad, come look at all the dragonflies!"

The air was thick with them.  A hundred, nay, a thousand dragonflies filled up the sky, humming and flitting back and forth on flat wings like airplanes in the early 20th century.  It was like nothing we had seen before.

Zoom in anywhere to see what I'm talking about.

We picked out the colors for the exterior and they've been painted in some places.  The choice for the accent color was between three shades of blue.  The three of us- my mom, my dad, and I- unanimously decided on "Leisure Blue".

Here are some other shades of blue I like:

Stay tuned for frequent updates on the construction of the ultramodern beachside abode watched over by a loyal legion of dragon(fly)s!

Heather