soaking up the sun

We had a big push on the landscaping at the end of last week through the weekend. To deal with the grade change at the front, we had Matt Collins and his crew of Weigh Bones put in a rock wall. They also put in a gravel path from the front to the back patio and they put in the patio.

There were about a dozen large rocks left over, so on Saturday I placed them around the patio to help with the grade change there. We only wanted 2 risers from the back deck down to the patio, so they had to build the area up with gravel. Originally we were going to put a step, but after using it this weekend when friends were over, we liked how it created seating.

We had a few friends over to celebrate the completion of the house and before we put it on the market. What a beautiful day it was! The south facing back deck and patio worked just how I had envisioned it and many of us ended up gathering there to soak up the sun. Inside, the house was filled with light and the raised counter in the kitchen was perfect for the buffet of cinnamon buns.

It was fun to have kids running around, exploring and finding their own spots to sit.

The Karina - update

It's always a bit depressing this time of year when daylight is gone by 4:30pm. No more long days. Yesterday we had a surprise visit from the sun and I was so excited to see the guys back outside working on the front porch! Trim-out of the house is 95% done, with just the fireplace bookcase to finish. The floor guys return today to put the final 2 coats on and the painters are due to start next Monday. We can see the light at the end!We pre-stained the cedar decking to jump-start it's greying. Here you can see Neil put a strip of sticky flashing over the porch beams to increase their longevity.Neil ripping down a piece of decking lengthwise as Alec helps guide it.Peter, the tile guy, (Petra Matters) was there finishing up the caulking and grouting in the main bathroom. It looks amazing. I'm am so pleased at how it all turned out. The tile, the layout of the tiles, the grout choices, the change in tiles, the shelf in the shower. More detail shots will come later, but here is Peter working.
This is the smaller bathroom in the upstairs...here we used a white epoxy grout and a strip of the floor tile to help with the layout. The stair railing is completed and it all looks great - Thanks Jeff & Alec!