Wednesday

Frank and John were back working on the AC. They positioned the two exterior condensers. They are huge. It is obvious that if we ever want to install a third unit (for the first floor of the main house) there will not be enough room on the slab remaining for the two trash cans. Therefore, we have asked the landscaper to include an extension of the east slab north along the east porch about six feet.

Frank and John will be back tomorrow to continue the installation. They have the air handler unit in the attic partially assembled. They will start on the other unit next week.

Main House Third Floor Air Handler

Third Floor Coil and Duct Work

Chris (electrician) spent most of the day on the wiring for the AC units. He also installed the remaining exterior wall sconces on the sunroom. These are the larger sconces and they look good.

Chris also told me that he thought he had located a replacement lamp for the one he broke yesterday.

Mike and Nate finished installation of the garage attic ladder, did some interior sunroom work and then started installation of the decking on the second floor of the main house.

Garage Attic Ladder

Deck Off the MIL Room

Mike also unpacked the hot tub cover and installed it. The hot tub instructions recommended covering the tub when it is not full of water to protect the surface material from sunlight.

T and I took a field trip to look at a large scale patio utilizing the La Grange aggregate. T is now firmly committed to using this aggregate. We were warned however that it is also a glacial rock which contains iron and subject to rust. It was suggested we seal it annually to minimize the potential for discoloration. We got a change order from Bob I for using the new aggregate. It is more costly, mostly due to shipping costs. The Old Monroe is quarried about 50 miles northwest of us. The La Grange is 300 miles away (close to Chicago).

Mike also informed us that, contrary to what he had told us before, he now does not believe the masonry people will take back the unused bricks and give us credit. They originally delivered 7,000 bricks. There are still 2,500 bricks sitting in the front yard. I could understand bringing in maybe 10% more than was expected to be needed, but 50%??? I asked Mike what he thinks we paid for each brick. He was not sure but thought, since they were special order (for color), they might be as much as $1 per brick. T and I discussed it and, without a doubt, we will not just let them be hauled away. We will talk with the landscapers about moving them to the garage and perhaps using them when we landscape the front yard.

Mike said he expected the masonry people to be here Friday or Saturday to start the installation of the interior stone on the chimney breast.

The landscaping crew continued with their work. They have the west raised bed walled and filled with dirt. They are now working on the east raised bed. They also dug a hole along the west fence line for the Red Maple.

West Raised Bed

East Raised Bed

Hole for Red Maple

According to the schedule (which they are not strictly following), the landscapers should finish up the walls either this week or early next week. They still have drainage to complete. The next major step is pouring the walkways and they start working on the water feature. The landscaping started on July 6, but due to the rainy weather, did not really start until July 13. Therefore, we are in the second full week of work. The schedule implies about six weeks to complete the work.