My trim carpenter is mostly finished with everything for now. He still has a few things to complete and then he'll be finished until I lay the tile and wood flooring. He's got all the crown moudling in except for one wall in the kitchen that we're holding on until the range hood is installed. All the interior doors are in except for the 3 pocket doors. He had some trouble with those and has to come back when he's got time. And there's the smaller crown for the back garage that still needs to go up. Attic stairs in the front garage are installed, but not in the back garage. Here are some pictures taken since the crown and doors are in.
My electrician came for a good long day to complete alot of things in that department. Many light trims, receptacles, outdoor lights, ceiling fans, and my patio support columns are now in. The HVAC contractor is now free to call for his final inspection since the attic stairs in the house are in place and a disconnect is now installed on the outside of the house for the A/C unit. (I need to follow up and find out if he did that yet.) There are still some receptacles, switches and one fan left to complete before the final electrical inspection.
Knowing that my driveway is not too far off, I started looking for the iron gate I'll need. This is another item on my purchase list that floored me with the price: over $1,000 for a 9-foot gate?!? I know I want something that won't get caught in the hurricane wind like a sail, so a wooden gate is out. I want something that will last, something to provide real security, and something that looks good. This is really the only thing that fits. Prices ranged from $1300 to $1800. I've chosen a guy in the middle of that range. It's someone who's been doing iron work in this area for generations.
I've selected my gutter contractor and scheduled his work to begin. This is a local guy who has been around for years. My mom has used him and she was happy with him. I had also experimented with a local company that installs "leaf guard" gutters that have a metal visor-type of flap on top to direct leaves and debris off the roof but still allow water into the gutter. I thought about putting them on the rear garage where there are some surrounding trees, but it's too expensive. The gutters are supposed to start on Wed. or Thurs. of this week.
Which leads me to the recent swirling vortex of decisionmaking about my driveway: I had always assumed I was getting a poured concrete driveway and that I would get my slab contractor to do it for me. I had a price from him, and since I recetly got my driveway permit from the parish, I had actually called him and scheduled a start date.
After this, my mom suggested I take a shot in the dark and call a couple of paver companies to compare the cost of poured concrete with laid paver bricks. This type of driveway is beautiful, but I always thought it was reserved for the ultra-wealthy. I dug out my brochures from the home and garden shows I attended and also got a list of installer companies from brick maker Pavestone. The first company I called (http://www.lapavers.com/) gave me a price that was 20% higher than poured concrete. I was impressed with them, and their customer references raved about them. Another company quoted a price at %140 higher then concrete! Later, I learned that the going rate is closer to this higher quote. I drove by a few of the jobs done by the lower-priced guy and they looked great.
So I've decided to go with the brick pavers for my driveway! I've got some financial help from my family to help make up the difference in cost, which is a blessing. Now I've got to call my concrete guy and cancel on him after I've already scheduled him to start. That's awkward, but hey I'm making a huge investment in a house I'll be in for a long time. I've got to go with what I think is best.
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