Fireplace will add the WOW to the kitchen

Alfredo starts the base of the fireplace after constructing the wood storage box below.

This pic shows the wood storage area below that is roughed in as well as the beginning of the fireplace.

Ash clean-out on firebox floor and damper for the fresh air on the side wall. Please note that there is no-where in our town that has the fresh air kit for REAL masonary fireplaces so we had to fly one in from Tennessee overnight. Many places had the kit for fireplace inserts as they are the primary type that are use in our area.

A picture from the firebox floor picturing the flue in the top/ceiling of the firebox.

The whole unit to date. Firebox is 4 feet wide, 2 feet deep and 32" from bottom to arch top. Side walls are 24" high. There should be no problem placing 36" logs in the forebox to build a fire.

Just a view also showing the new doors/window with the new fireplace.

Outside coming together / big door is in

Showing stairs from the back yard. Still needs some landscaping done to finish off.
A view of the screened in portion of the deck from the back yard lower level.

Ditto

Santos installing the doors and windows

Ditto again

How the look from inside the addition.

A view of the doors and windows from the new deck. The board is not going to be permanent.

A view of the ceiling in the sceened room of the upper deck. Sandy asked for bead board and got it. This outdoor room measures approximately 16' x 14' and boasts a gr8 view of the backyard and pond.

Rough-in complete

Another good week of progress on the kitchen project. Also had Megan, Sam and Eleri here from Albuquerque (pictured above at the Riverbankc Zoo last Saturday). We had another great meal on Saturday starring pork chops marinated in apple cider, allspice berrys, and a bay leaf cooked on the grill. These were served over a bed of leaks creamed and topped with cooked granny smith apples with candied sause favored with some apple cognac. Leslie, Koty and Tyler had to go home so were unable to share eating that meal but Lauren and Vinny came making it another memorable evening with our family.

Kitchen side wall which is now sided but not pictured.
The trash from the roof project is loaded into the dumpster. The Home Depot dumpster was more than $200 less expensive than the company that picks up my weekly garbage.

Here is a pic of the steps leaving the new deck on their way to the back yard. Notice how the step treads, made out of deck boards, run 90 degrees from the way they would normally run. They are also 4' wide and 2' long with 7 1/2" rise. They go to alanding then down to the yard in back.

A view of the new deck. It is elevated from ground level approximately 10' which gives it some drama. Everyone that has seen it is truly impressed with the view and its overall appearance.

Rocking is certainly a pleasure but the opportunities to do so will not be very great until the project is complete.

Leslie and her niece Eleri at Riverbanks Zoo. Eleri is wearing a tie dyed hooded long sleeve tee shirt that she got in Berkley, CA and Leslie is wearing her signature beautiful smile.

The gorilla hung out and allowed us to observe him lounging outside the primate building.

A flurry of activity on Thanksgiving week

All in all this post represents a week of activity. What didn't get captured in this post were the many trips to Lowes, Home Depot, 84 Lumber before and after work. Thursday was Thanksgiving and the whole family that could come was at our house. We all can't wait for it to be done so our family gatherings will be accomodated better by the new kitchen. It was nice to see so much progress on the project and it was GREAT to have the family over to share the holiday with us.

Just a note regarding the framers and the roofers. Both crews were highly professional and highly skilled. Both offerred suggestions and asked questions to insure that the job was done correctly. Watching the saw man on the framing crew was entertaining as he didn't miss a cut. His boss said that he had better saw gr8 because he will not climb a ladder and sawing good keeps him on the ground.

The framers started and the natural gas folks decided to also work that day and slowed the traffic on the street.
Framing begins as the lake side wall goes up first. 26' engineered beam acts as the header above what will be a full wall of 7' high windows/doors.

A piece of engineered wood also acts as the header above the fireplace and support for the roof ridge engineered beam.

Getting ready for for the ridge beam by finishing the back wall

Working on the extension of the 2nd story deck overhang to match the rest of the house.

The gas guys get the line to the house after a full day of trenching through the rock in the front yard and breaking the trencher once.

Friday and Saturday the roofers and the framers were here. This meant that 12 to 13 people were busting their tails from dawn til dusk on our house.

The roofers ripped off the old shingles, put 48 square of new architectural shingles down, installed all the new ridge cap and cleaned up in 2 days.

Worked continued on the kitchen.

Once the kitchen's roof was on the new screen porch extension got its roof so the roofers could get the entire roof complete.

A view of the new roof from street level

A view from the back yard.

The deck framing starts to be constructed

A view of inside the new addition showing the skylights and area for the glass wall.

A view of the side of the house where the fireplace chimney will be built soon.

Framing crew starts today

Santos arrives from North Augusta with his crew to start framing

Laying out the sill plates with PT 2x10's.

Installing the floor joists


Continued

5 guys on the crew

Cut off the soffit and facia on the roof lines that will be extended.

Ditto on the roof line of the main house

Getting ready to go up.....................

Haven't had an update in awhile so I just thought there should be one even though not much visibly has been done to the new kitchen. The structural engineering has been done, structural beams ordered. The glass wall has not arrived yet nor have the skylights. We have gotten bids on the framing and, once all the ordered materials arrive, we will have the kitchen framed and have new architectural shingles put on the house.

Here is a picture showing how far the pond is down. The water is usually almost up to the tree trucks.

The foundation has been backfilled by hand and the inside is being dug out to create a little storage for yard tools and fishing/boat stuff.

A view from the upper deck. You can see the sand (that used to be in the drivewayand was hauled down wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow by Jonathan) is down by the bank of the pond creating a beachy look. Also notice the vibrant red berry in the 50' tall holly tree.

Took a break this weekend

Koty and Tyler came down from NC to attend the South Carolina State Fair. They met up with their 2nd cousin Christopher for the fun.

Riding the Tilt-a-Whirl

Koty, Tyler and their mother Leslie went to view the fair from that of a bird's eye.

Jackie, after her mama and I got home from the fair, decided to catch a quick nap on her mama's shoulders.