October 19th, More cedar, garage doors and gutters

Another week has passed and while I was gone to Mississippi again, progress was made in several areas. More cedar was wrapped around the gazebo and patio. The color doesn't show up as well in pictures as it does in person. See those blue pipes on the ground? That is part of the system the builder devised to carry water away from the base of the house. Our house is on a slope and water has always been a bit of a problem. Eventually some type of deck/walkway will be built over those pipes and to that back door that leads into the mechanical room.

The cedar is just about done on the gazebo and there are now gutters in place. We've never had gutters before so that's exciting to us.

These gutters and downspouts carry water to those blue pipes you saw in an earlier picture. The trim, gutters and downspouts are a pretty shade of green that matches the roof.

This picture shows the gutters and part of the patio cedar from a window in the pool room.

This is the west side of the house and that hole that was cut into the new siding (always a scary thing) is the location of the future wood box. Inside the house will be the main part of the box that will hold wood for the stove and also serve as a window seat.

Now here's something we are really proud of -- garage doors with remote control openers! We are going to feel downright citified, getting to park in a real garage and have the door open without having to leave the vehicle. The doors are that same pretty shade of green as the trim and gutters. Annie obliged me by serving as a model for this picture.

October 13th, Wrapping the porch in cedar

This month the most picturesque thing to happen with the house is that the back porch and gazebo are being "wrapped" with cedar. The plain wood that was used to construct the porch and gazebo are covered with this very lovely cedar wood which was cut and milled just about 4 miles up the road from us. It smells wonderful now. I don't know if it will smell that way after it is sealed. We are also having them line the master bedroom closet with the cedar.




The french door leading into the kitchen is now installed. In fact, all doors are up now so the house can finally be closed off to the elements and critters.


And here's Nigel, sitting on the porch looking out thru what will be a screened section in the future. We'll be able to keep the dogs out of there if we want, like when we are eating.