The Construction Phase is Complete, the Punch List Phase Begins

On January 7th, 2016, we completed the construction phase of our house. This came almost 13 months after we signed the construction loan.The final act of the construction phase was the hanging of Pam's mirror in the master bathroom suite. The flat work was completed the day before.

Now that we have completed the construction phase of the house, we begin to punch list phase. The builder has at least 66 different tasks to complete in this house before we can say that it has been handed off successfully and we are ready to take occupancy and full ownership.The builder plan to have all of this completed by Thursday, January 14th, 2016.   We will be moving in the very next day, Friday, January 15th.

It is an understatement to say that we are excited. The reality of the completion of this home began 13 months ago, but this home has been in our hearts and minds since the earliest days of our marriage.   We had always wanted the "house in the country".   We found the property by ourselves, we designed the house by ourselves, we selected the builder and architect, and now we have seen it through to completion.  Every element of our existence feels the currents of anticipation and excitement.

Concurrent with the punch list phase, we have begun the landscaping phase as well.   The landscape in itself will be done in two to three distinct phases or steps. This is in large part due to capital constraints. For now, we will be completing the drainage, the irrigation, the grading, planting of grass, and establishment of a few plants.

I will talk more about the landscaping in a future blog, but for now I will bring you the pictures of the last test of the construction phase:

The sidewalk from the lanai turned out very well.  It was the only part of the
flatwork which I was having trouble visualizing, but my concerns are abated.

The motor court and porte cochere from the far end of the five-care garage
gives a feel of continuity to the three buildings we have on-site.

Looking back to the five-car garage (the other slot is behind the left-most
slot of the left door) from the driveway adjacent to the two-car garage
highlights the stone in both buildings.

This pictures shows where Day 1 of pouring ended, just prior to the start
of Day 2, which actually came three days later due to New Year's. 

The concrete pour crosses the pipeline in front of our property and all is
well.  They are nearing completion as they head toward the "in turn" at
the entrance from the road.

Looking from behind of where they started Day 2...

...across the front of the house...

...around my oak tree...

...to the head of the drive.

The sun is setting as the structural construction is complete.  How can you tell there is no more construction outside?
For the first time, the orange fence protecting my oak tree is gone.  Landscaping will begin soon.

On another note, our 1935 PeDe No. 3 coffee grinder, which we found in an
antique store in Gruene, Texas, takes up its residence in the kitchen.

The hand grinder produces a very nice coarse ground coffee for our French
presses (it can do fine grinds as well, but coarse is needed for the French
press).  I only drink one to two cups a coffee a day, but I like them to be excellent.

The last piece of the formal construction phase was the hanging of Pam's
bathroom mirror.  This is taken from the hall leading to our closets.

This is taken with me standing inside my shower stall, trying my best to
stay out of the picture.  Now that the mirror is hung, the construction phase
is over, and the punch list can begin.  One last step before being ready for us.

The finish line is within sight, but it isn't over yet.

So close we can taste it; so very, very close...

The driveway is being poured, and after seven days, we can have vehicles on it.  This is the closest we have to a "move-in date", which projects to January 15th.  While that is happening and before move-in, the "punch-list" must be completed.  The punch-list is a list of those items which must be addressed prior to our bringing furniture and belongings into the home.

My job, after the walk-through with the construction manager on Thursday (yes, the last day of 2015), was to photo-document the issues on the punch-list, as well as put together an "expectation list".  The expectation list is the list of items the builder needs to address as a part of their final hand-off of the house.  Items include power-washing the exterior and outside living spaces, clean-up of the interior, construction trash pick-up, etc.  In total, there are 66 items on the punch-list and expectation list, which might seem like a lot, but they are very detailed lists, identifying even the smallest defects.  I created a presentation in Google Slides, and it has 45 slides.  The presentation mode of documenting works well because it includes both pictures and simple descriptions of the issues (very helpful in an English-as-a-second-language environment).  I have used it in the past to describe other issues around the house, and have seen the subcontractors walking around with it as they address the items.  It is hard for me or the construction manager to remember all the items and the concerns, so it is an effect check-off document for us, too.

My landscape architect is getting orders prepared for his part in completing our home, at least Phase 1 of the landscaping.  The next two items (after drainage, which is about 80% complete) to address are filling and grading.  Several areas need sand brought in to build up the areas which are presently too low.  Grading is needed to establish the ground's drainage patterns, add contouring, and prep for planting.  The landscaping is 100% separated from the construction.  We have hijacked the minor grading the builder was to supply so that we can work with our landscape architect exclusively.  He would have to re-work anything the builder did, more than likely, and the builder gave us appropriate credits.

Here are a few pictures of the flatwork pour; more will come in the next post:

The sidewalk connecting the lanai and the casita will require dirt fill work
to flatten the steep slope which now exists as a result of the concrete pour.

This is a panoramic shot of the porte cochere and motor court areas as they have been freshly poured and smoothed.

The rebar is being built and placed as the pouring takes place.

Rare moment of the crew waiting on concrete.  Having a large crew is critical
in keeping the rebar ahead of the concrete, working the concrete before it
sets, and smoothing the concrete to finish.

The concrete was poured from the truck into this tracked wheel-barrow.  It
went back and forth continuously, pausing only while the concrete trucks
switched out.  The total amount of concrete for this job is 85 cubic yards
(65 cubic meters), which is 8 1/2 truckloads of concrete.

Another shot of Leaning Oak at night, New Year's Eve 2015 (enhanced by Google)

Pictures post-cleaning crew...

The cleanup crew made its first major effort on the house.  This is a good sign, as it means we are really close to closing.  Still, there are items to be completed, but the nice thing is that we can get some photos of the house before furniture flies in.  Here they are (we also went over 1000 pictures of Leaning Oak, a fraction of which have been posted):

The kitchen is the most interesting at this point, since it is now complete with its appliances and looks how we will live,
minus our stuff on the counters.  We will get a photo or dozen after move-in, too.

The French doors to the Conservatory have
been revealed!  The protective plastic and
paint removed and cleaned.  This is from the
foyer side of the Conservatory.

The doors open to the Conservatory and
my office area.  I look forward to adding the
guitars, piano, and sitting area.

Always a favorite shot of mine, looking
into the Great Room and our mini-forest.

Another perspective of the Great Room's window mosaic,
taken from the hallway leading to the master suite area. 

Combining the kitchen and Great Room, with a little artistic enhancement, all central living areas come into view.  We
look forward to many good times here with family and friends.

Catching up after Christmas

Right now, as I write today's entry, I am sitting in the Conservatory of Leaning Oak, at my new writing desk, in my new office chair.  No, we are not moved in.  I had expected to be moved in when the desk and chair arrived, but who delivers two weeks early during the holidays?  Anyway, I am glad they did, as it gives me a "first glimpse" of what life in our new home will look and feel like.

Many things have happened since my last post.  The painters did a complete final paint, although they will return for some touch-up work as the last step.  Our natural gas service finally got installed and is fully functional.  This is helpful today, since it is 39F (4C) outside, and I am toasty warm inside.  Our shutters got installed, and they really look great.  Our appliances arrived, and all but the ranges are installed at this point.  We expect this to be remedied any day now.  We have internet service and DirecTV!  We are using Exede for internet, which owns the Viasat-1 satellite, in the Guinness Book of Records for the highest data throughput of any commercial satellite.  During the day, I get 22 Mbps (red zone on Speedtest), and in the evening, I get about half of that.  Both are plenty fast enough for any kind of streaming or video conferencing.

I worked with my landscape architect to develop and execute a drainage strategy.  We decided not to go with a gutter system, as our complex roof lines (owing mostly to the bay windows) made for complicated gutter routing.  As I pictured what the the gutter installers were suggesting, suddenly our beautiful home would gain the appearance of a gas factory.  No gutters, instead, we will manage the water once it hits the ground and drain it away from the house.

We have given up on an asphalt driveway.  The weather has made the base too wet, and it could be literally months before we could get it done.  The construction company has issued credits, and I am contracting a concrete tradesman for the work.  One of our "family activities" this past week-end was to "stake and string" the driveway so the concrete team can run forms as soon as possible.  A good time had by all.

There are a few things left to be completed, and some of them quite major.  Among the major elements are: getting the air-conditioning for the wine grotto installed, completing the cabinetry in the wine grotto, installing the back veneers in the Conservatory shelves, installing Pam's double vanity mirror, and completing the installation of the ranges.  All of these need to happen this week for us to sign the affidavit of completion (and secure a significant homestead exemption for 2015).  There will be additional warranty work to be done in the week or so following the affidavit, but the aforementioned items are potential showstoppers.

Well, how about some pictures?  Here are some taken since "Nightime":

My writing desk from the "Adagio" collection of Hooker Furniture.  It is the one I have always wanted.

Paint and staining complete in the Great Room (and the house).  The floors
have not yet been cleaned, but it is nice to see all the colors come together.

The kitchen still lacks the Thermador range, but the backsplash is completed
and the protective covering of the granite is removed.

Starting from the stake and going to the road, our natural gas service is
finally installed, and none too late for this cold Houston day.  If you go
back to the Great Room picture, you will see our fireplace in action.

The shutters as installed in the master bedroom...

...and in the Conservatory.

This is a "drawer" microwave oven.  Pushing a panel button causes the drawer
to come out (the oven face comes out toward you) and you place your items
from above, not the side.

This is our 48-inch (1.2m) side-by-side freezer and refrigerator.

Signs of our new times, two satellite dishes,
the one on the left for Exede's high-speed
satellite internet, and the one on the right
for DirecTV, both on the back side of the
house over the utility room.

This is the A/V closet, now with internet
and coaxial cables merging into the same
panel.  The wireless router delivers high-
quality signal to all the outside living areas
of the main house.  The casita will get its
own wireless router.

The drainage system is working, as we just had a day of rain, and this would
have looked like a lake without the system.  It will be refined and improved
in the landscaping phase, but our efforts are fruitful even now.

Stakes and strings for the driveway, as we try to protect the tree at the right.
Our driveway is 12 feet  (3.66m) wide, and I want to be 10 feet (3m) offset from
the tree, for the sake of its health and survival.

Stakes and strings get a little more challenging as we had to define the
curves for porte couchere and the driveway as it curves around the two-car
garage, keeping a consistent 10-feet (3m) radius, while making sure
everything remains aligned.

Nightime (sic)

"Nightime" is the name of a song written by the late Alex Chilton (misspelling of 'nighttime' is typical Alex) when he was with Big Star and released on their "3rd" album.  It has been covered by many, most notably the late Elliott Smith.  

Last night, I was visiting with the last of my gutter estimators for the day, and afternoon was passing to dusk, passing to evening.  We have between 550 and 600 feet of guttering to install (168 and 183 meters) with many wicked corners and valleys.  It is not an easy house to make a gutter plan and subsequently price it.  As I was waiting, I took a few pictures, enjoying the beauty of the darkening dusk.

Here they are, Leaning Oak at "Nightime" (and the link so you can listen to the beautiful song which inspired the title of the blog -- Nightime):

This is a silhouette of the tree around
which our driveway will curve. 

The entrance to the main house, now
adorned with its hanging light.

This is from the front of the house, looking WSW, and is the grove of trees we see from our front windows.  This small
grove is host to six varieties of trees, three of them being oaks.

"Nightime" at Leaning Oak.

The granite has landed.

The granite is finally installed both the main house and casita.  The granite installation paves the way for backsplash and plumber fixtures installations.  Yes, we are getting close to the end and the beginning.  The end of construction, the beginning of living in a home about which we have conceptually dreamed all our lives together.  Still, much has to happen before we get to the end (in addition to backsplash and plumbing fixtures): mirrors, paint (both touch-up and repaint of the casita), air-conditioning needs to be installed, flatwork areas are still too wet for asphalt or concrete (I hope a couple of more sunny days takes care of that), and landscaping.

We did have a SNAFU (Situation Normal: All Fouled Up) this weekend.  We discovered the countertop in the wine grotto had not been accounted in neither the cabinets order nor the granite order.  That will get resolved today (I hope).  I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to take painstaking time to reconcile the selection sheets and the drawings -- make notes everywhere and initial, and make them initial the same.  We have run into more than one issue where the ball was dropped in communications between the selection and sign-off stages.  Even issues brought up during sign-off, because they were not properly documented (and it has been a year since that event), resulted in us negotiating our position.  Sometimes we won, other times we lost, and sometimes we broke even.  Lesson learned.

Here are pictures from the landing of the granite:

This is a "French Fireback" installed above the range and stove.

This photo is in the casita, bringing together the colors of the floor, trim,
cabinets, and granite.  A different granite is used in the main house.

The kitchen sink of the casita wrapped in plastic for protection.

The vanity sinks await the drilling of holes for the plumbing fixtures.

This is Pam's area in the MBR suite, with vanity and make-up table areas.

This is one of the guest bathrooms.  The guest bathrooms have the lighter
cabinets.  The light countertops are Marlana, an engineered marble product.

The kitchen sink area of the main house with its granite, and waiting on a
dishwasher (all appliances arrive this week!).  The window is nice for
observing both the flora and fauna of our property while washing dishes.

Pam's office, immediately off the kitchen, has the same granite as does the
kitchen areas.  Another good opportunity to see the blends of color.

The kitchen island looks a bit larger in this photo, taken minutes before
three panels of granite were laid upon it.

The granite team works to level the three pieces of granite by judiciously
adding shims in just the right places.  It is not as easy as it sounds.  One
also gets a better sense of scale concerning the island's size.

Some kitchens have an island, our kitchen has a continent.  Plenty of work
space and plenty of social space.  Barstools fit nicely under the 18 inches
of front overhang.  Good for eating, good for buffets, good for keeping the
chef company while he/she/both work.

The kitchen continent in context of the kitchen as a whole, sweeping from the pantry on the left through to the
breakfast nook at the right.

Flora native to Leaning Oak

This is a post which will be updated a couple of more times, simply because the presentation below will be updated as we identify more of the flora on our property.  It is a rich ecosystem, and knowing what surrounds us gives a greater appreciation of our land.

The Chinese Tallow Tree is described as "an invasive" because it is not a true native of the region.  The Chinese Tallow Tree was brought to this area as an ornamental tree, but birds, doing what they do, have helped spread it to an environment in which it thrives.

Check back to this post in the days and weeks ahead to see updates, as we have more species we are trying to identify even now.

UPDATE:  I took a hike with my landscape architect through the dense woods of our property.  We found some water and white oak saplings which we will use to re-forest the front area of the property devastated by the construction process.

We made a rare find: blackjack oak.  It is a small oak,  typically attaining to only 30 feet (10m) in height.  This one was less than two feet (0.6m) in height.  We will transplant it to the front, also.

We discovered that we have a grove of yaupon holly, almost a forest unto itself.  We will harvest some of those plants and re-plant them closer to the house.