3800 Balcones

Week 98 – Lots of little things

Lots of incremental progress at the house. The kitchen backsplash had grout applied.

The upstairs master bathroom tile is down and waiting on grout.

Here is Gitanjali and our builder picking grout colors.

Hardwood floors is pretty much done. Here is the upstairs master closet.

Upstairs master bedroom.

The outdoor kitchen had the black granite counter top applied with matching sink.

If it ever stops raining long enough for the soil to dry out, the black granite backsplash piece will also be installed.

The next two weeks should get all the floors finished along with the staircase including the cork in the kitchen. We should also get final electrical inspection so we can turn on power to the house and get heat and AC working.

Week 97 – Happy New Year!

It’s 2019 and progress marches on. We are in the home stretch and will hopefully be complete in the next 2-3 months.

Upstairs master tile is complete and waiting for grout.

Hardwood floor is done except for the upstairs master due to the tile work. Here is Akash’s room.

Here is the upstairs landing area.

If it ever stops raining long enough so the ground can dry out, they can start the auto-court pavers which would really help with all the mud and clay being tracked everywhere.

Week 97 – Tile and Floor Progress

Slowly but surely, the hardwood floors and bathroom tile work continues.

The upstairs master is very close to completion.

The hardwood floor installation upstairs has also started.

The limestone outdoor patio is compete and has been grouted.

The limestone at the front door entry way is also started.

I’m hopeful that all the tile and floor work will be done by next week!

Week 96 – Tile Update

Some more progress was made before the holidays.

Hardwoods started in the guest house.

Good progress was made on the tile in the upstair master bathroom.

Week 96 – Floors, Tile, and More!

Hardwood floors are mostly installed in the downstair areas. Sanding and staining will happen near the very end of the project.

The limestone lueders are also being installed in the screened patio area.

Tile work also started in the upstairs master. I’m really excited to see how these turn out.

They also started the cap work on the exposed concrete on the exterior of the house. The original plan was board formed concrete, but the conditions on the day of the pour (100+ degrees) made it difficult to achieve. So we are going for a smooth finish and a lot of it will be hidden by dirt and plantings anyway.

Week 95 – Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floor installation has started. The rooms have been floated first and then a layer of plywood is added before the hardwoods are installed.

All the AC units are also being installed.

Hardwoods continue next week as well as finishing up the bathroom tile.

Week 94 – Updates before the rain

Austin is about to get 3-4 inches of rain today so I ran by the house at lunch to take some photos since it is very difficult to get into the house after a heavy rain with all the clay making the uphill drive way very slick.

The pads for the AC units have been poured and you can even see some of the exterior light sconces have been installed.

They are also preparing an area on the outside of the flex room so people exiting have a small landing area instead of just lawn.

The metal trellis between the main house and guest house has been completed. There is a solid piece of metal between the houses for rain protection but then it is open after that.

The plumber has also started installing fixtures where the tile work is complete. Here is Akash’s room with the shower/tub fixtures installed.

There were also a lot of little finishes like electrical sockets and light switches being installed everywhere. Depending on how much rain, I may try and make it out Sunday depending on how muddy things still are.

Week 94 -Tile and Fans

Tiling work continues in the guest house. We went with a concrete tile in a starburst pattern which looks great.

The downstairs master has the infinity drain installed and the tile work is done around the toilet room.

Speaking of toilets, we’ve got lots in boxes!

Fans have also been installed in rooms.

I remembered to take a picture of the installed solar panels and all the electrical panels on the outside of the house.

We are hoping they will start the tile work on the upstairs master this week because we really want to see the tile on the wall.

Week 93 – Tiling continues

We checked on the house after Thanksgiving and the tile work is moving right along. The downstairs master is almost done and looks amazing.

Here is the entrance to the bathroom.

Once you walk in, you can see the shower area.

Here is a view from the closet.

In the kitchen and dining area, the built in bench is complete.

Even more exciting is the kitchen backsplash tile.

Finally, it looks like Akash’s bathroom is mostly done.

I totally forget to see if the solar panels were on the roof. If I have time, I may run by later today otherwise it will just have to wait until next weekend.

Week 92 – Tile and Solar

I made a quick trip over lunch time down to the house to see what was going on the week of Thanksgiving. It turns out quite a lot.

The tile work continues in the downstairs master.

The penny tile has been put down on the floor to Akash’s room.

The carpenters are back for the built in banquet seating in the dining room.

Finally, the solar company is installing the tracks for the solar panels.

I’m not sure how much time all the contractors are taking off for Thanksgiving, but it is nice to see so much activity and progress since we last visited just a few days ago.