Back Porch Progress

A tiny bit more progress on the back porch...

They removed the support beam from the side, so that the wrap could be applied to rest of the exterior.  It was switched to a board that is standing where the column will eventually go.

There will also be railing on the side.

We debated back and forth over whether the column should be round like the front porch, or square to match the details of the exterior trim on the back of the house.  We decided upon the squared off.

Venting

Lots of vents installed last week...

Inside, we have the vent for over the stove.  The only problem with this one was that they have to lower the ceiling in the butler's pantry about 5 inches to accommodate for the duct.  I don't think it will be noticeable, and as long as the cabinets still fit we were fine with it!

Outside, the vents under the eaves were added and the bathroom vent was put through the roof...

You can also see the new gutters in that photo!

The gable vent isn't the one we want... we'd prefer a triangle instead of the square.  Mike has to discuss that with the contractor, and hopefully it will be changed out.

Back Porch Flooring

One huge improvement that's been made is the back porch steps (this happened about 2 weeks ago now- I'm a little behind on posts!)

The steps are so much better than the overturned bucket we had been using to get in & out of that back door!

We chose mahogany wood, so it matches the front porch.

Once the contractor put them in, he advised getting them sealed as soon as possible.   This lead to having to decide on the color of the stain.  We tested some out on some scraps that were left over...

Once we decided, Mike sanded down the bare wood, used tack cloth to get rid of the dust, and then did 2 coats of stain.

Sanding in progress

Applying stain- just 5 boards at a time.

We will have to paint the risers, but waiting to do that until the construction is done!

I love the warm color of the stained boards.  I'm hoping that the kitchen floors come out similar!

Three Inspections Passed!

The rough electrical inspection was passed a few weeks ago, and then we had the rough plumbing inspected two weeks ago, and it passed as well.

Mike filled in the trench, so we have a little bit of normalcy on that side of the house!

The framing inspection was done last Monday, however there were a number of little things that still needed to be completed (like fire caulking where the wires run through the framing in between the floors).  Our contractor took care of those thing and the re-inspection was last Thursday... we passed!

The contractor did a few other odds & ends during all this... the subfloor of the laundry room needed an extra layer of plywood so that it will be even with the hallway flooring once the tile is put down.

He also needs to frame out this door way- the opening is currently larger than needs to be, however we need to make sure it will be wide enough that we can get the washer & dryer in and out of there.  The doorway in our bedroom that goes to the master bath also needs to be framed out- he's left it intact for as long as possible to contain the mess.


Next up- insulation!

Standing Seam Roof

Last week they installed the standing seam roof that is over the half bath, butlers pantry, and back porch.  I LOVE it!

Over the back porch

Looking away from house

Looking towards house

But there's still a lot more work to be done...