American Clay Plaster Disaster (almost)

This week the American Clay Plaster was applied to some of the walls.

The color is Amber Grain......hum along

cozy and warm

But they ran into a few problems......they were given the wrong advice by EcoHaus regarding the base/primer product.

It began to crack....

And then pop off!

But the good news is that once they scrap it off all the walls.....it can be recyled and reapplied once the correct primer is in place. Our contractor feels terrible. However, I think he has gone above and beyond to solve this problem. He called the president of American Clay Plaster to correct the situation. I understand they will be contact ing EcoHaus to help clarify the right application techniques to avoid this in the future.

Before and After

Least we forget how far we have come in the last few months.....here are some photos to remind us of what we let go of in this process.

Yes, we lost a lot of yard and a few trees.

But, we will be much warmer...

And can get out of the car inside where it is warm and dry.

The trees will be replaced with flowers.

and long hours in front of the TV will be replaced with swimming!

We Rock!

A lot has been happening this past week.

Finally the rock arrived and was placed on the house. The stone is called Coos Bay Bluff stone. Bill and I felt it looked most like the rock in the Gorge....in spite of it's name.

First to be placed are the corners!

Then between the garage doors.

And now by the front door and along the south side.

Looking good.....

Looking better and better!

Oh, how handsome we are now!

It's Spring!

Signs of Spring are creeping up all over. One of the things I love about this old yard are the flowers that have been around for many years and make themselves know each spring.

Here is our Quince at the front of the house. I am hoping to move this over by the new structure.

More of the Quince with the TV cable!

Ah, the Forsythia hedge! I love the bright cheery color of this hedge.

Tucked in the rocks are pink Hyacinth's.

A few wild violets make themselves known by the back door.

But most of all, I love the cluster of Daffodils by the back door. Once they are gone, there are some lily's that spring up. With Bill's help, we will these dug up and replant for next year!

Grab Your Swimsuit!

On to the scene this past week came "Dave, the pool guy"! and his assistant Dustin. Now the installation could begin. Bill was standing by patiently with his swim trunks in hand.

Up go the walls of the pool...next to tie it to the concrete...and there was plenty of concrete to work with.

A nice insulation job to keep the heat in the pool.

Only to discover that the liner was not quite right and had to be sent back. At this point Bill put his swim trunks back in the closet for a while.

Zach dropped by to offer his fork lift driving expertise on Saturday.

Dustin and Dave are preparing to lift the solar panel in place. The solar panels will heat the pool 6 months out of the year.

Yes, Dustin, it is a long way down! Dave scopes out the positioning of the panels.

Up they go on to the roof of the dormer.

Slap them into place! NOTICE the SNOW on the hill to the left. It is the 3rd of April.

Final fitting of the panels....and yes sir, it is along way down!

In a couple of weeks we can add the liner and add water! Oh boy! Watch for your invitation to the pool party!

Kitchen to Come!

On Saturday Dad, Bill and I began to assemble the wall and base cabinets for the kitchen.

First we had to sort the pile of boxes. What was a cabinet? What was a door? What was a drawer? Soon we would have it all figured out....we think.

This a snapshot of the pile before we got started.

Another view of the parts and pieces!

Thank goodness, I speak swedish and was able to read the IKEA instructions and direct Dad and Bill on how to put it all together! Off they go!

And the pile of cabinets starts to grow!

We are in the rhythm now! Open a box, spread it out, pop in the hardware (this is where I am helpful), then lock it together.

The pile is getting bigger!

We took a lunch and tea break and still kept motoring forward!

This was the pile of cabinets at the end of the day. The next step will be to mount them in the kitchen space. After that the doors, cornice, toe kicks and hardware will go on.

Here is a sample of the wood color and cabinet style.

And a sample of the counter top we are aiming for!

Stay tuned for more updates!