Tongue and Groove Ceiling is Completed!

The Last Board

We decided to write something on the back of the last board before we installed it, and add our signatures. We know that "in the old days" roofers used to do this when they thatched a roof by adding a message in a bottle and hiding it somewhere in the thatch for the next roofers to discover. We signed our names and also wrote some of the "sayings" we repeated more than once as we worked on it. ("Trim will cover that!" and "That's good enough for the goofballs we're doing this for!" are two of the sayings that Gary kept repeating if something didn't turn out perfect.) We don't know if anyone will ever see it, but it's there!

Installing the Last Piece of Tongue and Groove

The last board is installed by Gary and Charlie. There was a major celebration after this! We had promised George Kayser that when the ceiling was finished, we would treat him to "In-N-Out". Well, we didn't finish before George left for Nicaragua (as a Mormon missionary) so Charlie Kayser went with us for dinner. Yummy!

The Completed Great Room Ceiling

Here's a view of the ceiling taken from the kitchen area. Gary stood on the scaffolding to take this picture. Remember those "cloud" lights I wrote about several months ago? The county requires that we use energy efficient lights, (GU-24 plugs) and these were the least expensive that we could find. Once we get the final inspection, these lights will be replaced with something that fits a cabin decor!

The Solar Tube Lighting

One of the things we wanted to incorporate was solar lighting. We have three solar tubes in the great room, and several others around the house. The three larger lights in this picture are solar tube lights. They put out a lot of light! This picture was taken during the day, but in the next picture (which was taken at night) you'll see that the solar tubes are not as bright, but the "cloud" lights are glowing.

Lights on in the Kitchen!

Gary rigged up an extension cord so that we could see what the kitchen will look like when it is all lit up. We came home from our "In-N-Out" celebration and agreed that there is plenty of light! This picture was taken at night, so the flash came on; but, you can still see that the "cloud" lights are producing light. The three cloud lights are directly over the future kitchen island, and they will be hanging pendant lights someday.

Front Porch Stoop

The Finished Front Porch Stoop

This is what was accomplished today--the front porch stoop. There is a lot more work involved in creating a front stoop besides just mixing up concrete and dumping it into some forms. Setting it up so that there is the proper drainage and slope is one of the technical things that we left to the professional--Jeff Haskins. Gary and Jeff made a trade, and our end of the bargain is that Jeff Haskins, a professional concrete finisher, will pour and finish all six of our stoops. The county requires that each exterior door has a stoop for the final inspection.

We plan to have slate installed on top of the concrete to give the front entry a nice look. Eventually there will be river rock on the sides and top of the door, as well as in the peak above the door, but since neither the river rock nor slate is required for the final inspection, that will have to come later.

Andrew and Charlie

Andrew Eblen and Charlie Kayser helped mix the concrete.

Jeff Haskins mixing the concrete

Jeff Haskins pouring the concrete

The poured stoop as it cures

Tongue and Groove in Great Room Ceiling

Drywall is beginning to be taped!

This picture shows the drywall along the dining room wall. It is in the beginning stages of taping. We hope to finish it this week and start priming for paint next week!

Tongue and Groove in Ceiling of Great Room

The ceiling of the great room is getting tongue and groove installed this week. See the little piece of blue in the center of the picture? That is a speaker wire. Gary hunted through several boards to find one that had a knot in just the right place, and he made sure the speaker wire went through that knot! Pretty cool, huh?

Master Bedroom Ceiling

Debi is proud to say that she and Gary installed the tongue and groove in the master bedroom all by themselves! The ceiling in the great room got too high for her to help after about six rows, but since the bedroom ceiling isn't vaulted, she was able to help Gary do the entire master bedroom ceiling! The gray cement board in this picture is above the fireplace and will eventually have slate or river rock on it. We can't decide which one would look best. What do you think? Slate or river rock?

Gary and Charlie Installing Tongue and Groove

Once the ceiling got past six rows, Gary needed the help of Charlie Kayser to install the tongue and groove in the ceiling. George Kayser also helped out with the ceiling before he left for his mission to Nicaragua.

We are seeing progress! Drywall is getting taped, ceilings are getting tongue and groove, and tomorrow the cement will be poured for the front stoop!