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After the last post, there was a lull in construction activity for about 10 days.  More exterior stone was delivered for a total of 31 pallets.  We also received the interior doors and trim materials.  The carpenter built the base for the outdoor kitchen on the patio.  Otherwise, there was not a lot of activity.

However, when we visited the site on September 3, the first pass of drywall tape and float work was complete.   There is tape and mud everywhere, and not just the walls.  Some say that tape and float work is relatively simple.  But it requires a lot of skill to produce a nice flat wall.  Just as with the drywall installers, the tape and float crew is fast and still do a great job.  There are a lot of tips and tricks to getting tape and floating right.  Youtuber Vancouver Carpenter has a lot of very good drywall and finish carpentry content if you want to know more on the subject. 

The next step after tape and float is texture.  Drywall finish varies from level 0 (no finish) to level 5 (very smooth).  The GarageDominium interior has a “Monterey Drag” texture which requires a medium drywall finish.  But this build is all about the garage which gets a level 5 smooth finish.  I want a smooth finish in the garage and workshop to prevent dust and dirt buildup on the walls.  In the past I’ve found that wall texture can get very dirty when doing work such as metal grinding or wood sanding.  A smooth texture prevents this or at least makes it easier to clean.  However, it takes a lot more work to create a level 5 finish.  The entire wall gets a coat of mud that is then sanded.  This paper from USG has details on drywall finishes – Finishing Drywall Systems.

While on site we received a very welcome rain shower.  It has rained very little this year so other than excessive heat, there have not been any weather-related construction issues.  It rained enough to see how the lot is draining.  I’m very glad the drywall crew did their floating well, but we aren’t building a houseboat.  I hope there is no need for the GarageDominium  to float!  We still need a lot of site work, but water flows away well in most places.  But we definitely need gutters to handle runoff better in some locations.  Fortunately, our contract includes gutters all around.  Also, on one side of the house the rain created a small lake, so we need to address that area.  We thought that area needed work, and this confirmed our suspicions.  The site work contractor has been working on improving drainage and generally smoothing out the lot.

Masons started installing the exterior stone.  This is quite a transformation.  I really like the stone U.W. selected.  She insisted on stone with a light color, lots of texture, and varied sizes installed in a random pattern.  I think it looks great.   The fireplace is particularly impressive.  We’ve picked out a fireplace mantel that matches the patio columns.  Stonework is a slow process and there is a lot of area to cover.

As you can see from some of the pictures, interior trim work is underway.  Carpenters have installed crown molding, windowsills, and door trim.  They are also working on closet rods and shelves.  A few weeks ago, U.W. and I walked through the house and determined layouts for each closet.  This is not as easy as it may seem.  U.W. wants very efficient closets that take advantage of every square inch of space.  She also wants them to be useable for both young and old folks that are vertically challenged.  Even so, step stools will be a necessary tool.  Our 10 ft. ceilings create space for some very lofty shelves.

U.W. and I made a trip from the Texas Hill Country to Little Rock, AR to visit our granddaughters.  That is part of the delay in posting an update. We had a wonderful time with the girls and even visited with their parents a little.  My four favorite words just may be “I missed you Granddad!”  From Arkansas we traveled to Oklahoma.  We took my mother from there to Lubbock, TX to see her sister in the hospital.  Then we dropped mom back in OK and headed back to the Hill Country.

The GarageDominium build is progressing.  Sometimes it is slow, and other times it is surprisingly fast.  Much like the rest of life . . .