December 26, 2007—Boxing Day at the site

It was a very cold and quiet Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) at the site. Jim drove me up because we had left the truck there on the Solstice and I needed to drive it home today. We also left late because it was the day after Christmas and we were taking our time. Abe, Kai and Janver are on vacation. My assistant had car trouble so he did not show up either. I got a lot done in the quiet.

We took a load of household goods up for the cottage, because we hope to spend New Year’s Eve there. Jim is determined to start the year out at the property, so it looks like we might actually stay the night.

This photo is of wood that will be added to the top of the carport to slant the roof. I am presuming that now all the screw holes are all drilled, Thomas will cut the slope in these pieces, but he wasn’t at the site today to ask. (This will make more sense as time goes on.)

Here is a better shot of the outside of the front wall than the one from last week. You can see the hole for the gate and the little lattilla window. The robot will be mounted to the right of the gate.

I had thought the roofers would be working today, but evidently they are not going to roof until the coming rain is over. It is supposed to rain Thursday through the weekend.

From the inside of the courtyard, we are looking through the front gate. Again, I can’t express my relief that this wall got redesigned and is not as tall as the original version. The courtyard will look much different with the walkway around it, so this is one of those views that we will only be able to see during construction.
The beams in the kitchen/family room did clean up better than I had hoped. I am kind of worried about what the forecasted rain is going to do to them now that they are cleaned up, though.
Looking through the door from the guest room into the guest bath, the pipes you see are the vent for the sink plumbing.

This is a stud next to the guest bath with some mold on it. Because of what we went through on the cottage and barn last spring, we wrote it into the contract that the structure will be sprayed with a borate compound to kill the mold. We will wait until the building is closed in—that is, roofed and doors and windows installed—and then spray.

The spray is a totally benign compound made from borax which has the added benefit of protecting the structure against termites. What I don’t understand is why they do not just routinely spray all wood-framed structures with this compound. It does not add much cost and would eliminate the liability to the contractor for mold incursions.

I went to Cost Plus and bought some supplies so we could stay more comfortably at the cottage. These seat cushions match the terra cotta on the walls exactly. (I knew this at the store because I had brought the paint swatches—for once.)
I also bought the rug you see and several other items. I spent the day finishing cleaning the refrigerator drawers, lining the shelves and putting away the glassware and dishes I bought. I actually ran them through the dishwasher—which worked fine.

Until I get a curtain in the bathroom, this piece of cardboard will have to do. I cleaned the tub, tile, toilet and sink, mopped the floor and cleaned the medicine cabinet out. I put away all the towels, which had been sitting washed in tubs at home since last summer.

Four sets of towels—2 for us to use and two for reserve—pretty much fill up the whole linen closet. I will have to keep the clean sheets in the bedroom. I don’t know how people live in such a small space—I mean, where do you keep stuff? This will be a good learning experience for us—downsizing at it’s finest.

All the towel rods aren’t installed yet and we don’t have a mirror for over the sink yet either, but we can survive without these items.

 
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