Sorry about taking so long to get some posts out. We've been really busy as the end of construction nears and we have to start putting on the little finishing touches. Counter-tops, floor finishes, final plumbing, continueing electric install, and a whole bunch of little things are flying at us at a pretty good pace. The front door to our new home makes its first appearance. A spanish gothis design made by Masonite, the most popular feature is the "Speak-easy" door at the top. This is a very heavy door, just ask Alex. He had to hump it over from its storage place.

Mom's front door. Made of an unfinished walnut, this is a beautiful piece of work with leaded glass inset to the upper door.

Alex, Ralph, and Jose begin the process of cleaning up and preparing to move onto the next job. There is a lot of gear to be gathered, cleaned, and loaded after almost 6 months of building.

Sorry Ron, I really was trying for a better picture. Ron here is our cabinet installer and he has been doing a stellar job. Unfortunately, when these pictures were taken the A/C was yet to be hooked up and with temps in the 100 degree range outside the temp inside was slightly uncomfortable.

A crowded picture of some of Ron's work on the cabinets. Looking pretty good and considering he does this pretty much on his own he moves along at quite a clip. Kind of hard to see because the boxes and all are in the way, but you get the idea.

To fend off massive erosion of the hill side, I had to build a retaining wall. I used the left over rocks from the stone masons who created the exterior corner accents.

Putting the final stones onto the retaining wall. I had to carve the top back so that the slope wasn't so steep on this side. Erosion caught me off guard with some of the now distant past rains we encountered.

Alex getting things cleaned up. Soon we'll be moving appliances and furniture into the house.

Stone cutters for Artistic Counter-tops of San Antonio, prepare some of the green granite for our kithchen. With the temps at 100+ degrees, this stuff is hot to handle.

Working on one of our counter tops, craftsmaen from Artistic Counter-tops, mounts some of the green granite for our kitchen. Beautiful stuff, I do not believe I have the talent to show off this surface effectively. You'll just have to come by for a social.

A shot from the dive entrance of the build as it nears the final days of construction.

Taken a couple days ago, we are looking at the near finished build. Of note is the finished STO coat on the exterior, the copper-esque caps along the leading parapet walls, and doors and windows. There are still some electrical works going on inside, but furniture has started to arrive and the place is starting to look like a home inside instead of a building. The next couple of weeks will be the personalization of our new abode. Pictures of the home build will start becoming fewer and far in between at this point as we start getting into processes. Hopefully, we will be able to resume using the blog for our travels again.

3 Aug. The guys from Tri-County A/C have arrived and are preparing to get us cooled down. They especially liked the ability to drive onto the roof to place the condenser/compressor. Things are moving swiftly at this point, with finishing touches being applied all over the house. Ralph (our builer and crew from RC Smmot Construction, as well as the all the other folks involved, have really stepped up to the plate to make this one of a kind home come to life. The only major thing we're waiting on at this point are counter tops, another 2 weeks should see all that finished as well.

Shot from the gate, we can see in this phot that color coating is lacking only on the near retaining wall. The whole place is really coming together.

The final color coat is just about finished being applied. Really looking sharp, especially when viewed up close. Conrad, Alex, and Jose did a terrific job on this project.

Another view of the final color coat.

3 Aug. A view from the roof with the A/C condenser in place. Another sign of the nearness of completion. Can't wait. We still need to have power turned on, but that begins this Saturday.

29-31 July. If you are a reader of this site, you have already seen Jack's tile work in our bath . Now you finally get to see Jack in action. An elusive fellow, he tends to be a bit camera shy. However, when it comes to his work, there is no shyness about him. He gets busy and stays on the job till it's complete. Here he is working on the floor in my Mom's bath. His wife, Tanya, keeps a close eye for quality control.

Mom's kithen floor as designed and laid by Jack. Once the carpet is placed, this should be a pretty good looking room. As seems to be the case, Jack's work is excellent.

Jack and Tanya putting the finishing touches to my Mom's bath. Jack does terrific work and is often assisted by Tanya. He likes the work, so if interested drop me a line and I'll send him your way with a great recommendation.

Setting and hooking up the guest bath sink. A tight space to work, but Ralph is able to get curled up enough to get the job done. Almost finished the guest bath is turning out to be quite a nice piece of work.

Alex and Jose applying a loose coat of color STO. This the first step to application, the second will be followed by Conrad creating the texture affect as soon as there is enough room for him to squeeze in between Alex and the wall.

29 Jul- 1 Aug. Conrad and Jose getting busywith applying the color STO. A fast and furious job, their arms were still sore from earlier applications. Another couple days though, should see the whole house complete.