One, zero

Erin says: The latest: Friday the stucco guys finished (at least as far as I can tell). They also finished all the necessary drywall patching inside.

Today the electrician was here, but he still didn't finish. Forgot some screws, he said.

But now on to the most interesting drama of the day. JD (our fearless contractor) has often mentioned how difficult it is to find tradesmen who are both good at what they do and dependable. The window and door guys have been pretty flaky through our whole project. They are awesome perfectionists, but have a habit of saying they'll be here on Wednesday and then not showing up until Sunday. And after today, they won't have to show up ever again. JD says he's taken them off the job and he's going to finish their odd jobs himself next week. I think I'll have to get some photos of that.

I am glad that the window and door guys got our towel racks and toilet paper holders hung before they were dismissed. We have a vibrant orange hand towel in the guest bathroom to match the orange stair tower. (I'd post a photo, but my beloved mac laptop is in the shop, and without iphoto I'm lost.)

For those keeping score: No certificate of occupancy this week. Hopefully the fire inspector will be here early in the week, because he has to sign off before final inspection.

Two

Erin says: You know why I like the fire sprinkler guys? Because they never park in our driveway. When you're coming home from the grocery store with six bags and a one-year-old, nothing will make you grumpier than finding that some subcontractor has parked in your driveway.

I'm also fond of them because they were here today. Alas, they were the only ones here today.

Three

Erin says: Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nothing. That's what happened today. The painters actually called to say they'd be here in the afternoon to seal the concrete floors, but unless they were wearing their invisible capes, I'm pretty sure they didn't make it.

I mean, come on, people! Maybe I should offer a bonus to the first subcontractor to finish his job...

Four

Erin says: The contractor was here today, as were the fire sprinkler guys. But they weren't able to cap all the sprinklers because they were missing some extender part, so there are still three left to do. I think that's the most frustrating thing -- couldn't just ONE sub finish his job, completely??

The floor sealer guys are supposed to be here tomorrow morning, then the stucco crew, who are going to patch everything that's left to do inside. Saturday will be the electrician for the lights and ceiling fans.

So there was progress. That's something, right?

Five

Erin says: Since our contractor said they'd finish up this week, I thought I'd write a daily update. There were some painters here on Saturday. They were mostly working on baseboards and touch-ups. They still have the baseboards in our old bathroom to paint, and an attic access panel in our son's closet. They also did a test sealer on the concrete floor. They have to seal the whole thing still, though.

Doorstops are installed!

Still waiting on stair railings, ceiling fans, floor sealing, fire sprinklers to be covered, can light trim, door hardware, new door on the old bathroom, and a big hole in the master closet to be patched.

It's 2 in the afternoon, so I feel fairly safe in saying that no one's going to show today. I'll be back tomorrow!

Squeaky

Erin says: For those who are keeping score, no, we haven't really moved into the new space and no, we don't have a certificate of occupancy. It's getting really depressing. The contractor has been telling us "two more weeks" for at least six weeks now, and I think we've hit two weeks with no work whatsoever.

It's frustrating especially because we're so close that it almost seems like we could complete the work ourselves. A few ceiling fans and light fixtures, touching up paint, installing mirrors and door stops, sealing the floor. Almost.

There are times when I wonder if being "the nice clients" has backfired. If we were more unpleasant, would things happen more quickly? Does the squeaky wheel get the grease?

Solar eclipse

We've been having lots of trouble getting the company who installed our solar panels (California Solar) to turn in the correct paperwork to Burbank Water & Power.

This paperwork is needed before we can get our inspection.

We need to pass inspection before we can see the correct power consumption on our electric bill.

We also can't get our rebate until the paperwork is done. It's a large rebate.

We aren't happy.

Here's what we've learned a little too late: If you pay the company doing your solar the full amount, they don't have much motivation to process paperwork. If you hold back the amount of the rebate check, they turn things in quickly.

I love my drill press

I've been searching for a good-old, heavy-duty, American-made drill press. I think I hit the mother load. For $100, I brought home this Delta 17" industrial drill press from a garage sale this weekend. It must weigh around 300 lbs.

It was probably made in 1939, the same year our house was built. It was from the Burlake Manufacturing Company, a WWII munitions factory, here in Burbank.

Crestview studies

These are the design studies that David Erwin of Crestview Doors sent me for our new front door. He said that he thinks the wider windows are more dramatic, and I have to agree. I love design #6. As David said, it makes a reference to the window architecture of our stair tower, without replicating it.

Buried alive

We have a mystery! The phone/data/cable outlet in the guest bedroom seems to have been buried alive. The low-voltage wiring guy (I wonder if that name gives him a complex around high-voltage guys) said he remembers installing it, but it must have been drywalled over. Luckily, I have an unprocessed fisheye photo that reveals its whereabouts, so we should be able to rescue it without too much damage.

The steps from the living room (old house) to the hallway (new house) just got installed today. Symbolically, this is huge. It means we're finally bridging the two parts.

In fact, we've got our first guests coming to stay with us in a couple of days. Why bother finishing the addition, or getting your C. of O., for that matter, when you can just plunge headlong into it?! It's going to be fun, and a great trial-by-fire of Park Haus Guest Resorts. Please book your room early.

LEGO soccer

To answer Silvia's other question, LEGO soccer is this. The fun part is that Ronan likes to bring a ref onto the field to admonish the players for dirty play. I heard him say, "Player nine, no more spitting on other player nine".

Fiorenzato Bricoletta

Since Silvia asked, this is the espresso machine I have and love. Its companions are a Mazzer Mini burr grinder, and freshly roasted beans from Phil Hand at Supreme Bean in North Hollywood.

For way more info, check out espresso master Chris Tacy's review on Home-Barista.

MAKE Magazine plug

Blatant plug time! I wrote an article for the new issue of MAKE Magazine on using the free Google SketchUp software to design a workbench. You can also follow along with my video version here.