Geothermal Ground Loop In

On Sunday we packed a picnic lunch and headed out to the house for a day of painting. But first, I took some pictures outside. The geothermal gorund loops had been installed earlier. We were not able to get up to the house while they were doing this, so all we have are pictures of the aftermath.

Geothermal Trench

When they were about 200 feet from the house, they ran into an underground "river", as it was described to me over the phone. It turns out this just means there was more gravel in the clay and water was running through it. However, they need to head in a different direction to avoid it, so they took a sharp turn and headed east.

Geothermal Trench Sharp Turn

The back of the house looks kind of cool through the trees, almost like it is in the middle of a woods instead of a meadow.

Marlene setting up the picnin lunch.

The only change to the front of the house is a grayer color to the Trombe walls as they continue to get them smooth enough for the high-adsorptivity, low-emissivity film.

Still Smoothing Trombe Walls

While we were out there, Karen and Tim and kids stopped by after Mass. The girls looked cute in their dresses.

Picture taken at their house.

Michael enjoyed the view from my shoulders.

What a smile!

We ate lunch on the picnic table (how peaceful!) and then got to work on the painting. We were able to get the ceilings done in both bedrooms and my office.

Oak Doors & Trim, Marble Caps & Floor

We met with the builder at the house today. Afterward I took pictures while Marlene tested exterior paint colors. The trim is mostly installed now, including the railing by the stairs.

Stair Railing

The oak, 2-panel doors are mostly installed also. The only doors not installed are those that were not delivered by the lumber yard.

Doors in Pete's Room

Pocket Door in Master Bath

Also the marble caps were installed on the shower threshold and the tub half-wall.

Marble Caps

And speaking of marble, my office tile was laid and grouted.

Office Tile

Marlene bought a couple samples of exterior paint to try on the siding. We chose the darker of the two.

Painting Test Colors

And this is what the front of the house looks like. Still no front door or porch columns.

West Face

Bedroom & Bath Tile Laid

We went back on Sunday to check out the beautiful bathroom tile and take pictures. Marlene had picked out all these different tiles and the listello and it all looked fine to me. However, I was not prepared for how beautiful it looked when it was actually installed in the room. I was astonished.

Master Bath

Shower

Shower Detail

The bedrooms were tiled but not grouted yet.

Master Bedroom

Pete's Room

The oak trim is installed on the half-wall at the top of the stairs and going down. It looked better than I was expecting.

Oak Trim

My office was not tiled yet. Marlene had laid out the tile in a pleasing arrangement taking into consideration the amount of white veins in the black marble.

Tile Staged for my Office

Not only was there progress this week, but the tile looked better than I anticipated. How nice!

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

Kitchen Cabinets, Trim Started, Trombe Wall Plaster Finished

The kitchen cabinets arrived and were installed.

Kitchen Cabinets (North Wall)

Kitchen Cabinets (East Wall)

Kitchen Cabinets (Island)

All the drawers and other paraphernalia was stashed in the pantry; filled it right up.

Pantry Full of Drawers

They also started trimming out the windows. The first jamb extensions were installed in our closet.

Window Trim

The plumbing fixtures arrived and were piled in the basement. Marlene noticed that they were assigned to the wrong bathrooms, so she wrote her directions on the boxes.

Marlene Checking Plumbing Fixtures

And the Trombe walls have the finish coat of plaster.

Great Room Trombe Wall Plastered