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April 12, 2007

Construction Daily

Had a huge day today. Started off the day pissed off because the electricians didn't bother to show up, even though they know we're under an extreme time crunch. Seems like they make a little progress then disappear. Yesterday they got some of the lighting circuits working, then today nothing. One more missed day and I am firing their sorry asses.

First order of business was to grout the ladies bathroom in the tasting area. I'm getting pretty tired of grouting so I had put this off for a few days, but now I have to get the barrel vanities set so Fred can finish the plumbing. Aunt Gin and Ginnie Vizi stopped by for a visit while I was doing that, so I didn't get to chat too much so they had a look around on their own.

Fred is making some progress on fixtures - he got the little potty installed in the boys bathroom. That is the funniest thing I have ever seen! The painters have been staining doors in the tasting room, and the natural wood looks amazing against the deep purple - really loving the color scheme. I also got tired of looking at the plastic film on the windows so I began peeling off a few pieces and WOW what a difference. Can't believe the views of our property. Kind of weird how a seemingly insignificant thing can make such a big difference.

Next big task was to finally begin working on the newel posts for the catwalk and loft railings. I've been looking forward to this, as I've had a design in my head for months and now get to begin crafting the posts. As with all test pieces, this had a few mistakes along the way - incorrect measurements, cuts etc. Mom was actually on hand to help out - holding pieces in place etc. It was fun having her there - so many days I've been working alone it was good to have someone to chat with.

I didn't bother chamfering the corners at this point, I just wanted to cut the newel to the general dimensions and set it in place with some balusters. Reason being I wanted to validate the design before beginning mass production. Happily though, the design worked out great, so now the next step is to "operationalize" the process to make it more efficient. Considering I have 27 newel posts to craft, I better figure out some time-saving steps!

Daily hours = 12
Total hours = 430

Check out the pics.

Posted by Stephen at April 12, 2007 12:00 AM