Great Room Tile and Cove

We stopped by the house on Saturday to drop off the recently purchased grout for my office tile. We were on our way to a meeting so we did not have much time to check things out. The tilers were hard at work as we poked our heads into the various rooms. A lot of progress was visible. The bathroom tile was especially pretty and the great room was moving along nicely. The edges of the room are now tiled and the cove for the indirect lighting has been installed. It is starting to look like a real room!

Great Room Edges Tiled

Cove In Great Room

When we went downstairs to see how they had done with the tile in my office, we were greeted with this unpleasant surprise.

Len's Office

There was more water outside the office, too.



We think (hope) that the water came from a hose not being turned all the way off and left lying on the basement floor. We have not had any water in the basement since they poured the floor until this point.

Tiling, Trim, Countertop Template

A couple days later we stopped in again to check on progress. They were still tiling and trimming.

Master Bath Tile Started

The shower in the master bath is being done using a mud set (rather than the thin set being used elsewhere. It starts with a layer of mud applied to an expanded metal lath. We caught the tradesman, hard at work.

Mudding Shower

The tile in Pete's room was only a little further along than last we saw a couple days ago.

Pete's Room

The counter top guy was creating a template for the granite.

Kitchen Counter Top Template

We also caught the trim carpenter hard at work on the cove for the indirect lighting in the great room.

Cove Under Construction

Installing the Cove

The three attic access panels were trimmed in, too.

Foyer Attic Access

Tile and Oak Stairs Started

The much-anticipated tiling has started. Some prep work was needed in the master bathroom before the actual laying of tile, such as installing the bathtub and creating a shower base.

Bathtub Installed

Shower Base

Everything needed to be moved out of the great room and the bedrooms. A lot of it ended up stacked on the wood flooring.

Oak Floor As Storage Platform

The bulk of the great room has been tiled with a porcelainized ceramic tile. The edges, where tile cutting is required, remain to be finished.

Great Room Tiled

They were just starting to lay the tile in Pete's bedroom.

Pete's Room

And another crew was installing the oak risers and treads on the stairs.

Oak Stairs

And they continue to work on getting the exterior of the Trombe walls smooth. Most recently they ground the high spots off. You can see the white dust on the shingles to the east of the upper level Trombe walls.

Trombe Wall Exterior

Ready For Tile, Septic Tanks

No sooner were the kitchen cabinets installed, than they became a work area. They cleared everything out of the great room, bedrooms and master bath in preparation for laying the ceramic tile. The kitchen ended up getting piled high with "stuff".

What a Messy Kitchen!

The septic tanks were installed, probably a while ago, but we were not able to see them under the snow. There are two of them. I guess the technology has changed even in this very low tech field. I remember the house I grew up in having only a single tank.

Septic Tanks (Effluent Side)

Septic Tanks (Input Side)<

There is still plenty of mud and lots of piles around.

We enjoyed another picnic. It sure is peaceful out there!

Another Picnic