Settling in

We are settling into the new home. The weather is getting cooler and we have the first snow on the mountain.














We started the first fire in our kiva fireplace.













Friends come to visit and warm up by the fireplace.
















and look how organized the garage is becoming!





This will be my last post on this house. We start a new job on Monday. Watch for the progress on the next great strawbale home.

Certificate of Occupancy

Suzie holds up the C of O which we got on Friday after the final inspection. Now we can legally move in.













We finish little details like this one, Suzie is putting sealer on the grout.













The hot tub was also delivered this morning. We are getting ready to celebrate out first night in the house.







We jump in at sunset after watching the opening ceremonies of the olympics at a neighbor's house.



So we're done now. Just need to move our stuff in. Hope you can come out for a visit. The guest room is ready and the hot tub is fired up.

Final grade

We got the final grade today. That is where we bring in soil to bring the earth up to the house so as to aid drainage and make it look beautiful. Here Rusty looks on as Kenny uses his backhoe like an artists brush.

The front of the house is all smoothed out.












View from the back. That is a terrace on the left.

Finish details

Roger from affordable gutters sets up while Patrick talks to him about another project.












Mario from Northern Lights woodworks installs cabinet doors.
















Kitchen is looking good with the cabinet doors installed. We put glass inserts in the corner upper cabinets.













Gutters are finished by early afternoon. Note that the downspout feeds into an underground pipe that fills a 500gal. cistern.







I installed doorknobs today among other things.

The unveiling

We take up the tar paper from the floors and start cleanup.



The greenhouse










dining room,














living room,














breakfast nook,













and kitchen.

Final plaster

The plasterers spent the week finishing up.













They take a break after a hard morning.













Ramon works on the fireplace.

Countertop and backsplash

The countertop is set into place. The color is Indian Prana.













The plasterers come in and start the final coat. The color for this part of the house is called Scotch Ale. It will lighten up quite a bit when it dries.










They make this coat very smooth.














Meanwhile I set the tile backsplash in the kitchen.

Outside color & countertop

The outside color coat is finished,














and we installed the courtyard gate,













then the countertop arrives















the guys from Granite Concepts lift the heavy material.

Color coat

The plasterers start the color coat. The final step in the outside plaster.












Moving quickly around the house, this crew should finish the house in two days.












Meanwhile a prickly pear cactus blooms blissfully unaware of the goings on just 100 yards away.

Interior plaster

The plaster crew comes in and puts on the first coat of plaster.













It looks great already.













The living room facing the guest room hallway.
It looks great. They will start working outside while this caat dries.

Plumbing

Ivy and I worked on the front gate,














While Greg and Eric, the plumbers work on the mechanical room. This is a real work of art when it is done. All the water, heating, filtration and natural gas originate from this room.

Railing

Ivy assembles the rail for the hot tub deck














Railings are in place.














Our friend (and faithful follower of this blog) Dennis, arrives in Taos and visits the site while Ivy sets the top plate.











We admire our work at the end of the day. This is the final structural part of the house. Now it is all finish detail.

Final tile detail

We are almost ready for plaster. I finished the master shower and the deck and backsplash on the tub.












Meanwhile Ivy works on the guest shower.

Hot tub deck

Today we built the structure over the hot tub deck. Here I brace the post.











We lift the last beam into place.














Suzie hands Ivy a drill bit so he can put a lag bolt into the post and beam.

Plaster prep

The plaster guys are here again. They set up the compressor and unwind their hoses. They will put lath on all the corners and over the straw.










The guys work their way around the house lathing all the doors and windows.











Ivy inspects his truth window before the plasterers bring the lath up to it.