Finishes, Part I - Counters and Plumbing Fixtures

Note to our email subscribers: To view this post on our website (recommended), click here.

Another hint: Click on photos to enlarge. 

While excavation was going on in front of the house the painters were giving the interior its final coat of paint. They finished the kitchen first so the countertops, backsplash and window sills could be installed. They are all made of Richlite, a post-consumer paper and resin material. Skateboard ramps, airplane fuselage, high school science lab desks, siding and many other things are made of Richlite. It is very hard, but can be refinished, and has the same heat properties as man-made stone products. www.richlite.com.

Brian has kept busy, installing the dryer (our first working appliance!) and the fireplace trim, while wrangling contractors and tracking down correct plumbing fixtures.

The plumbers were on site late this week. In the photo below you can see the dishwasher (connected but not working because no water) and the sink faucet. The disposal and air switch, which were on the bid, but not on the spec, didn't get ordered. It should be in this week. There is plenty to do.

I mentioned Brian was chasing fixtures. The plumber installed a complicated bright gold kitchen faucet that was on the original spec and Brian knew it wasn't correct. He found the updated spec, sent to the plumber's office in December, and called them to confirm. Turns out some things were ordered from the original spec. Not to worry, they had the correct faucet in stock and jumped to reorder other items that were incorrect. The big difference is the finish color. I mean, just look at that sexy black faucet!

Brian installed the maple butcher block counter tops in the butler's pantry/Beth's office. They look better than I hoped! They need to be sanded then finished with a UV poly sealer. That will happen in the coming weeks.

Below is the kitchen/living room wall, complete except for touchup and electrical work. The electricians will be on site next week to complete finish electrical. You can also see the steel shelf above the kitchen counter in this photo.

Across from the living room cabinets above is the pony wall surrounding the stairwell. It is topped with the same countertop material. The photo also shows the newly painted stairwell walls and the stairwell window, finally uncovered after almost 6 months! The shelves in front of the pony wall will be mounted to the wall.

The sink in the powder room is installed, but part of the bottle trap that came with it didn't actually fit the thin bottom of the sink. The plumber's office found a replacement, but we have to purchase the entire fixture. Looking at this photo now, I'll have to talk to the plumber about matte black waterlines and valves. The tiny sink is tinted concrete in mustard. There will be black shelves to the right of it.

The primary bath got lots of love last week, too. The black stripe above the steel shelf is now painted and the counter, faucets, shower head, hand shower and control are in place. The shower glass and all the bathroom mirrors will be installed next week.

The primary bedroom got its feature wall this week. It looks dark in the photo, but the color is just a shade darker than the wardrobe doors (currently covered with blue plastic). The painter has just a couple touchups to finish, likely on Monday.

And we can't seem to go more than a few days without an inspector onsite - this time it was the big guy checking in, not ten feet away from me when I took the photo. 

Next week we'll see a lot more going on inside - finish electrical, more plumbing and appliances. But the BIG news is that water main work is expected to complete this week - fingers crossed!