Finally made decisions on what to do with front stairs

We have had multiple plans for the front which were talked about, and priced. In the end the decision was made to do a lower set of steps with concrete for now and then a second set of steps using metal stringers and 2x6 Ipe wood. We may still come along and replace the upper stairs but definitely will finish the lower one with either flag stone or some other material.

Progress is sloooooowwwwwwwww to say the least.














Pouring the retaining walls....













Front view














There is going to be a 7 foot pad which will be followed by 10 steps. 3 of the 7 foot pad will be a landing.

The finish has started....

As you can see even the moon looks good in the day time... It was quite a nice day.















The first floor is now wrapped in tar paper over the Tyvek. The windows have also been covered. They expect to be full force on it next week, putting up the mesh and starting the scratch coat. The columns and the fire places will get stone while the rest will be stucco.















Close up of the front corner.













The front with all its windows...














This is what it looked like this morning.. Not a bad days work...

The progress on the house can be summed up by a single world... Slow...
The fireplaces are getting plumbed... slowly... The fire protection sprinkler system is in but not inspected. Since we decided to use foam insulation it has been nothing but a challenge to convince them that the pipes need not get insulated since they will be in conditioned spaces.. We hope to get that inspected and then get the framing inspection next week... God willing...

In the mean time here is the progress on the roofing....














The back of the house is currently getting shingled today. The roofer is a one man operation so it is taking a couple of days but I must say he is deliberate and I do like the end result.















As you come up the drive, the roof looks and is complete...














The front of the house is also done...Roof is a color pretty consistent with the rest of the neighborhood. The shingles are 30 year Tamko Architectural.














The south side of the main roof is done... You can also see the framing for the master fireplace.













The inspector is happy with the progress he is seeing...

Trades winding down and some fixtures in...

This has been a trying couple of weeks... Expecting that we would have all hands on deck to finish up for a grand finale of a framing and rough-in inspection.... but alas it was not to be... All the same some progress is happening. Of course now that
we have holes in the roof and shingles stocked, the roofer does not show up and we are expecting rain... Murphy's law at work in full force..




















One of the best sites.... The master tub looking into the fireplace and one day into the master bed.... :)













The Rec room with the fireplace installed.














The backyard is all graded and ready to be cleanup...














More of the back yard... This is where the small retaining wall will go next to the bedroom...




















Two sided fireplace installed in the great room... You can also spot some of the sprinkler system.














The volume of the great room space is best experienced from the back stairs.














And finally the shower and tub in the guest room... See Ma... It has a seat in the shower...