Winter Wonderland

We have had a very snowy December. Here are some pictures to help you get in the holiday spirit. Merry Christmas everyone!

Floors, Cabinets, and Paint, oh my!

The finish work continues on the inside. The interior staining is essentially complete (we will have trim to do once it is put up). The biggest project was staining all the ceiling beams. It took a lot of scaffolding and patience. It was John's version of the Sistine Chapel. The hardwood flooring was started in preparation for setting the kitchen cabinets. It is laid in the kitchen area, hallway, pantry and master closet. All of the cabinets arrived yesterday. We got the majority of the kitchen installed (at least the hard part, which are the uppers). We called it a night before we could get the cabinets out that will make up the breakfast bar section (that includes our sink and dishwasher too). Next week we will tackle that, as well as the laundry room and master bath cabinet installation. John completed the laundry room tile and I painted, so that room will soon be ready for action (let the folding begin!). We have also primed most of the other rooms, so they are ready for paint also.

Basement

Bill (shown below) & the boys have been busy drywalling the last week. They finished the basement this weekend! Soon it will be transformed to John's mancave, the Wildcat Den :)
The gutters have also been installed, which is helpful since the rain is back :(

Lots of Progress

I know, it has been a looonng time since the last post, but I have a good excuse. We have been spending just about every free moment working at the ranch. We have accomplished a lot. The exterior is essentially finished. The siding on the upper floor and basement is up and John stained all the eaves (he learned new acrobatic skills in the process). The porch is finally stained, too (whew!). On the interior, we stained all the logs, insulated the whole house, and the drywall is up. It is starting to look complete! There is still a long to-do list, but we are getting closer (yeah!)

New Additions

Lots of new things to see today when I went up to the ranch after work. They finished the siding on the front facade. All it needs now is a little trim around the bottom window.
The garage doors were installed, the replacement window for Em's dormer was put in, and they hung the front entry door.
The HVAC and electrical are finished also, so we should be ready for a framing inspection soon!

Finishing the Front

Now that the windows are in, the next step is to finish siding up the front of the house. This is where they left off on Friday. I think it is starting to look like a real cabin. We finished staining our front entry door this weekend. I am excited how it turned out.

Big Windows

Yeah! The specialty windows arrived as scheduled and are in. I love them!

Windows and Roof

We are getting closer to being complete on the outside. All of the windows and sliding glass doors are now in and the trim work has started. (The exceptions are Emily's dormer window that had to be re-ordered because of sizing issues and the front entry door which I still need to stain). The large specialty windows for the great room are scheduled to go in tomorrow.
The roof is almost entirely shingled. We have also stained the entire exterior and most of the log siding that will finish off the second floor.

More Green

The color continues to appear at the ranch. The shingles are about 50% complete and should be finished when Rob returns from a short vacation. Because Rob was away, Bill made a grand return and facilitated getting the windows put in. He also finished up our railing and outdoor stairs. It was great seeing him back on site.

The weekend crew (Pop, John, and me) started the staining process. Here are the false corners completely finished (1 coat primer, 2 coats stain, 2 top coats). I think they turned out great. I like the color, especially with the green windows and shingles.

Seeing Green

The shingles are finally going on! There are not too many up yet, but it is enough to get me excited. It is hard to see in the picture, but the color really adds a pop.

Emily's window seat has been framed. I think it is a fun feature. It is also a very large space, as you can see by the picture with John standing on it.

I joined the crew and helped finish studding up the basement this weekend. We finished with no boards cut too short. I was very proud!

Bring on the Shingles

We are finally ready for shingles! Preparing the roof was a long process because of the many layers - 2 sheets of insulation, followed by OSB, and topped with tar paper. There is a picture below of a cross section that shows that. Plus, the dormer had to be framed. I am excited to see that last piece go up on the house. It gives the front a more balanced look and there is lots of room on the inside of the dormer (see the second picture).
The rough-in plumbing is finished and has passed inspection. The fourth picture is the plumbing work for the basement (that is John and Pop's handy framework). The electrician is just about finished up with the electrical boxes,and now the HVAC sub is on the scene. The vents have been cut and duct work started.
My favorite new addition is the porch railing. Bill has been hand making it at home, since he is no longer working on site, and a few sections were completed today. Now I just need my rocker :)