65. Installations: Ramie has work

Wednesday 2/2/22- (Look at all of those 2’s… I’m a numbers geek, things like this make me smile!)

Kris Aquino Pinoy GIFfrom Kris Aquino GIFs

I don’t have much to report on today, but I just wanted to mention that today is 3 months since Geiner took those first big scoops of dirt out with his excavator for the culverts and his guys started digging the holes for the footings of our house. Look how much has happened in only 3 months— we started with some reasonably flat land and nothing else. Now we have a nearly complete house! Some days it felt like time was moving very quickly and they were getting a lot done, some days it felt like it was dragging on and there has been no progress, but overall, to have a house go up and get to the point that it is in only 3 months, to me, is pretty amazing! I will say, though, that this is NOT typical. We have an awesome contractor with a fantastic crew, and it’s very probable that none of this would have gone as quickly if we didn’t have these particular guys doing the work for us. Geiner- if you are reading this- Thank you so much, your guys are doing a fantastic job!

Sunday 2/6/22- Today we made our typical Sunday stop at the house to see what had been done since the last time we were out there and have the chance to really look around when there was no one working. Today we were a little bit disappointed that not very much has happened since last week. We noticed that they had framed the gate for our driveway, but there really wasn’t anything else that we could see that had changed. We were told that the windows guy got COVID so he wasn’t able to come back out to finish installing the windows and glass. Our cabinet guy told us that he is running a little bit behind so he wasn’t ready to start installing yet. The electrical is going frustratingly slow so Ramie can’t even start installing the lights, switches, and outlets yet. It seems like since there isn’t much left to be done, there isn’t much that is being worked on at all and none of the partially finished projects are getting completed. I know that it will eventually be finished, and I’m sure there are things being done, I just feel like I can’t see them. 

Checking how the gates function

Wednesday 2/9/22- Jose, our cabinet guy, let us know earlier this week that he was ready to start installing the lower cabinets and the bathroom vanities and would be starting on them today. We were excited for this because once these were installed the granite countertop people could come out to take measurements and we could get rolling on that project as well. Ramie went down to the house to “supervise” and see the installation happen while I stayed home and worked (you will see a theme like this probably for the rest of the house build). I told him if there was anything that he needed me for, he should just video call me and we’d figure it out from there. If they really do need me down there to see something or to make a decision, it’s not like it’s far for Ramie to come and get me, so there is always that option too.

Lower cabinets are set in place

Master Bath Vanity and one of the doors

Thursday 2/10/22- Farmers Market Thursday and grocery run to San Isidro. Boy is it nice not having to look for tile!!! This gave us extra time to check out a few other stores that we’ve been meaning to stop at to look for household items that we would need. We stopped at the furniture place that made our couch to pay for it. It was finished and wrapped up in their store so we did get to see it. We ordered some bar stools today as well, and when those are finished they will deliver it all to our house. Hopefully the house will be ready for furniture by the time they are ready to deliver!! 

Friday 2/11/22- Today Jose came out to install the upper cabinets and finish up with the door frames and doors. Ramie was down at the house helping and directing again, and I, of course, stayed up at the rental to work but was always available for a video call if needed.

Saturday 2/12/22- I don’t have any house progress or adventures to report today, but I just wanted to say Happy Birthday Mom!

Lucile Ball Lucy GIFfrom Lucile Ball GIFs

Sunday 2/13/22- Here we are, another week has gone by and it is once again the day where no one is working on the house so we can go spend some time there without getting in anyone’s way. It was my first time getting to see the cabinets and doors installed and I thought it looked fantastic! Now I feel that it is really starting to look like a livable home!! The color of the wood that we chose matched perfectly with the paint, the tile, and the ceiling and all of it together looked so fabulous to me. Now we just need the counter tops, lights and fans installed, and we were pretty much ready to go. 

The rest of the lower cabinets and the uppers are installed

Monday 2/14 - Wednesday 2/16 - Things have finally gotten far enough along that we’re at a point where Ramie can start working on the things that he is going to do. Early on in the planning stages of the house Ramie decided that he would like to do things like installing the lights, ceiling fans, outlets, and switches. There were a few reasons he wanted to do these things including reducing the cost of the build (less paid labor and more of his own labor would mean less cost), so he knew that things were done to his (somewhat particular) standards, and, just for something to do since he hasn’t gotten to do any hands-on work of that sort in quite a long time. So, this week Ramie got up every morning, drank his coffee with me up at the rental house, and then he went to “work” working on our house, while I went to work working on tax returns. Since I didn’t get to go see everything that was happening all of the time, I would get texts and pictures from him throughout the day asking my opinions of things, getting updates on what was going on at the house, and just random silly messages like we sometimes send each other. It kind of reminded me back in the old days when we both had government jobs to go to! Hahaha

Pura Vida!! 

While Ramie is working at the house, I work from my office- I'll take this over a "Corner Office" any day!