First You Must Find... Another Shrubbery!

Today, lots of work was done on the exterior to clean up the grounds. Our regular lawn care service, Wood Lawn, did an awesome job with mulch and flowers in the front. They even put all the stepping stones back in place (why they were moved in the first place, I have no idea... but at this point I've learned that, when it comes to construction mess, I should stop looking for logic where there isn't any!).

New mulch & trimmed shrubbery

Welcome Home!

The landscaping subcontractor for the expansion (I don't know the name at this time, but I'll post it when I find out) has also been working this week to plant shrubs, reseed the grass, and add trees throughout the property, mostly on the south and east sides.

New bushes planted near the new southeast patio.

Reseeded lawn outside dining room. Apparently this is some sort of miracle grass that will start growing in just a few days. I can't wait to see if it happens.

Not the best picture, but sections of the hedges surrounding the parking lot were removed to plant new trees. It was required by the city, but will add a nice variation and, eventually, some shade.

(Please excuse the Monty Python... I couldn't help myself.)

I Don't Know the Square Footage, But...

...the bottom line is that the DG house at Butler is huge. Here are some exterior pictures taken in the last few days. The guys at Meyer Najem are pushing to get the site cleaned up as much as possible before move-in day next Friday! Work will continue in the south addition after school starts, but things are looking good for total completion of the existing house before the students move in.

Yeah, it's big.

Glass will close the gap between the old and new.

A new (much-needed) sidewalk on Crown Street (on the west side of the property).

Larger parking lot (the other half will still be used for construction materials, dumpster, etc, through November).

View of southeast corner.

Dining room (the decking up top is still being completed and the arches above the windows are being reworked).

Back patio & ramp.

Moving Day

Yesterday was moving day - all the furniture (dressers, beds, and formal, library, & card room furniture) was moved back into the house. The house is a disaster, but we'll have it back together by the time school starts. In the end, it was a fun-filled day of rearranging furniture with house corporation board member, Michelle.

It was so much easier when everything was going OUT of the house....

I haven't posted many pictures lately, so here are few of the progress on the interior.

Bright, shiny and, new... the cold dorm is finished!

Mailboxes

First floor bathroom (now a full bath)

Kitchenette cabinets

More kitchenette cabinets and sink

Basement foyer bathroom

These Are the Things That Build a House - Part 2

As promised, part 2:

Duct stuff.

More duct work.

Fire sprinkler system pipes.

Light fixtures.

Electrical wiring.

Wood trim pieces.

Cabinetry.

Ceramic tile.

Again, I have no idea, but I'm sure it's important. (Actually, two days after I posted this, I'm pretty sure this is used to hang drywall.)

These Are the Things That Build a House - Part 1

This week, most of what's going on is the "behind the scenes" stuff, or MEP work (10 points to you if you know what that stands for!). Thus, there have been few visible changes of which to take pictures. Fortunately, I've been planning for this day all summer long! Here is the first installment of my "These Are the Things That Build a House" series... pictures I've snapped of the raw building materials before they became what is now the house!

Hardwood floor boards

Insulation

Carpet

Windows

Cinderblock

Brick

Lots of lumber

Even more lumber

Honestly, I don't know what that stuff is, but it looks construction-y.

Stay tuned for the next installments, as well as my second series, "These Are the Guys That Build a House." Fun!

Not Thrilled By Concrete?

I realize that not everyone gets super excited about pictures of concrete being poured, shingles being nailed, and muddy worksites. So here are a few pictures of a different variety.

Newly-painted shutters on the front exterior.

The new dining room with its first coat of paint and new hardwood floors (install finished Friday) that will be stained later this week.

New mailboxes (not yet complete).

Countertop in the new basement bathroom.

Toilet stalls in the basement bathroom.

New paint in the basement study rooms. The red looks bolder in the picture than in person, but it really adds some color to an otherwise... beige... area.

New flooring was put down in the cold dorm on Friday.

A Month's Progress

It's hard to believe that it took just a month to go from this:

Taken 06/29/09

...to this:

Taken 07/31/09

On Friday, the roofers finished the roof on the south addition and the windows and doors have been installed. In addition, the concrete floors were poured on the second and third levels, completing all but one minor bit of structural work. On the exterior, we'll start to see brick go up probably around the end of the week. Inside, MEP (mechanical, electric, plumbing) work can continue this week and then the guys will begin putting up the drywall. Wow!

Roofers working on the east side of the south addition where the old meets new.

Giant concrete truck pumping concrete up and into the third floor.

Close-up of concrete being delivered to the third floor. As it's pumped in, a crew of guys wade through the wet concrete in boots and push it around to evenly distribute it across the area.

The finished product on the second floor. Once again, I missed my chance to draw an anchor in the concrete - argh!