More Posts on Breezeways & More Electrical

Additional posts were installed on the breezeways. The green posts are new.

Breezeway looking into the main house from the guest house

Breezeway to the master suite.

Electrical in the bedroom (and bathroom on the other side of the wall)

Wires that will be connected to the breaker panel

Cumaru floorboards after two coats of finish.  We're finishing them in the master bedroom because there isn't enough space under cover outside.

More Electrical Work

The electrical rough-in is continuing.

The electrical panel with the electrical plan for the main house

Boxes in the laundry room and bathroom

Master bathroom.  The square in the middle will be an alcove above and to the right of the bathroom counter. We want an alcove to store small electrical appliances (e.g., hair dryer) with an outlet, so we made sure they put an outlet in the right in the alcove.

The mother hen with an undetermined number of chicks

Electrical Installation Starts

The electricians have started installing the wiring inside and outside the house.

Wires and boxes inside the master bath

Master bedroom

Laundry room (looking towards the kitchen)

Power supply to the shed

The short wall (a "pony wall") that will become the kitchen island and bar was built.

Cabinets and a cooktop will go on the far side, and the closer side will be a bar.  (On the other side of the wall is a stack of posts for the lanai railings.)

We also have some new additions to our semi-wild chicken flock. These chicks just hatched ...

Roof (almost) Done

While the plumbers have installing the plumbing, work on the roof has been proceeding, and it's now done (except for a few details).

Roof & office from the guest house side

View from the other side

We're also getting ready to put down the floorboard on all the lanais and the deck.  The wood is cumaru, and extremely hard and dense tropical wood.  Each board will get two coats of deck finish on all sides before installation.

Plumbing Rough-In is Finished

After a couple more visits, the plumbers have finished the rough in.

Shower and faucet in the main building bathroom

Faucet valve in the master bathroom. The faucet is wall mounted and the valve goes inside the wall.

Master shower valve with diverter for handheld shower head

This is the wall mounted toilet--everything except the bowl goes in the wall and nothing touches the floor.

Pipes for the solar hot water system in the attic space

This is the plumbing trench--two lines are hot and cold supply, and the other two are for the solar hot water system (which will be located on the roof at the front of the house; the wire is for a temperature sensor).

Hot and cold water lines to the master suite

Lanai Joist Taping and Plumbing Trench

After the lanai joists are painted (primer and top coat), the top of each joist is covered with roofing tape that has tar on the bottom and foil on the top. This is another layer to prevent water from collecting in the space between the joists and the floorboards, which could lead to rotting. The tape is also painted, so it doesn't look shiny in the spaces between the floorboards. (All of this painting and taping is my job.)

The breezeway from the main house to master suite and the front lanai.

This plumbing trench goes from the shed (where the hot water tank and pump will be) to the main house--only about 15 feet--but much of the rock was solid, and it took three people several hours with a jackhammer to get it done.

More Plumbing

The plumbers have returned to continue the rough in. They started with the drain pipes and vents, and now they're doing the water supply lines.

Refrigerator supply

Kitchen sink

Bathroom

Laundry room

This is the main drain, which extends the entire length of the house, under the front lanai

Connection into the septic system

Back Lanai

Work on the back lanai is progressing ... the pier blocks are in place, the posts are installed, the beams are in, and the floor joists are installed. The joists (and beams) are painted brown (my job) to protect the wood and so they aren't visible in the gaps between the floorboards.

View through the back door

Also, the connection to the septic system was uncovered and a trench for the drainage line from the main house was dug.

Plumbing Rough-In

Since the roof and siding are (mostly) done, we can start with the plumbing. Even though it's just rough in at this stage, the plumbers like to have all the fixtures on site so they know exactly what they're installing and where, so for the past several weeks we've been doing a lot of shopping and ordering things online.  We don't have quite everything yet, but it's enough for them to get started.

This is the laundry room (looking through the wall into the bathroom.  This is the water supply and drain box for the washing machine with the drain and vents.

Pipes, drain and vents in the bathroom. The pipes are PEX (crosslinked polyethylene). The rainwater is somewhat acidic, which over time corrodes the pipes. The PEX is also easier and faster to install, as there is no soldering of joints and fewer connections.

Bathroom toilet drain and vents (and back of the laundry box)

Shower pan

The free-standing, cedar soaking tub with the wall-mount toilet carrier in the background (left)

The wall-mount toilet carrier. This entire unit is installed inside the wall. It contains the tank and all of the operating parts. The blue frame is made of metal. The toilet bowl (seat) is mounted on two large bolts that attach to the frame and go through the wall. The only part of the toilet that is visible is the bowl, and nothing touches the floor.

First Exterior Stairs

The first stairs -- or at least the stringers -- were cut, painted, and installed.

The painted stringers.  They are painted the same color as the trim.

First one in place

Completed installation of the main house front stair stringers. Now we just need some treads.