the end of summer...

 ... and the final phases of the Craftsman Project are coming together.

The stucco was finished last week, and the final grade which leveled out the beat up backyard ground. Now we can pour two small concrete slabs. One will be for the small patio outside the laundry room and one for a landing area at the bottom of the deck steps.

The deck off the kitchen has been completed and last, we have a small cedar pergola to be put together above the concrete patio area. ...

The laundry room part of the project is coming together also. Once the homeowner is done with the tile, we can set the cabinet, finish the trim work, and connect the plumbing. And then after about 5 weeks I think, they can hook up their washer and dryer again. I think we said it would be about 6 weeks and I think we are pretty close. Considering we ran into one major delay with a bad concrete floor, we hit this one hard knowing it was separate from the main project, yet still seemed like it was part of it and things just continued to drag on.

If you have been following this since December, you know all of the ups and downs it has thrown at us. Next time I post, it will be about the conclusion of the project. A day that everyone involved has been looking forward to.

It is very common at the end of these larger jobs to feel like it is getting disconnected. Why aren’t those parts here???? Where are the subs???? Where is the Carpenter????? Questions… questions… questions.

This is normal. In a perfect world, we would all be on the job, patiently waiting for the guy before us to finish and just like a fine tuned clock everything meshes together. Well unfortunately the close out of a job can sometimes be like herding cats. Just as you think all is planned, a cat slips out, and the rest follow and now it is corralling time again.

Well folks, the cats are all together again, the final touches are being put in place and the great Craftsman remodel of 2013 is close to completion.

We still have a couple remodels for 2013 that are in various planning stages right now. They are all wonderful– they will all have their challenges and rewards and like every project before, they will be unique unto their own.

Finishing another one strong,

~The Carpenter

If you haven't been following this project through Facebook... take a look.. we've got tons of photos under "albums"- Craftsman Project. You can access Facebook here or through our website. You do not need a Facebook account to view our page. (https://www.facebook.com/ApplewoodINC)