Cool tile worthy! That shower looks huge - lucky guests!

They went from pallet yesterday @ 5PM

To the roof today by 5 PM.

I had never done this before, but my crew and I ganged up on it and got them done.

14.72Kw of Mission solar panels.

I designed the layout and submitted this as an addendum to the building permit, thanks to the fact that I had mentioned solar panels in my early permit process. The mechanical design was easier using the Unirac software that I stumbled on. It put in the proper values for seismic, wind velocity and exposure, etc. I then overbuilt it to my satisfaction. What is $100 more in attachment hardware when it gives you peace of mind when the wind is howling?

I did not have room for any more panels, so I built this alleyway to the roof right where the ladder is. It is wired down and attached properly for construction, and I like it so much that I will fabricate a steel bracket that bolts under the soffit should I need to go up there. I can attach it securely in minutes and it will leave no trace when not in use.

That little offset at the top row is for a plumbing vent that I may get to delete. Then I can scoot the panels over, fingers crossed.

@worthy that’s a beautiful shower! I’m not sure I’ve seen tile like that before

Our designer's choice. They're Oblong from CIOT. mrs. worthy is only sorry they're not in the primary suite instead!

***

Nice solar panel install! We have a flat roof so there would be no aesthetic concern. But too many deciduous trees on site. And we're required to put in at least 15 new ones.

I haven’t updated much the last year. We broke ground in August 2022. We’ve actually had a wonderful month of progress in February. We fired our interior trim guy who came for two weeks, then would seriously only come 1-2 times A MONTH for five months. Should’ve gotten someone else months ago looking back now. Our interior painter connected us with the new guy and absolutely no problems so far. He’s done except for building my mantles, bathtub fronts and odds and ends. The interior painter has been working for a few weeks. Today they started priming the walls (they tint the primer to match paint) and it was such a wonderful morning seeing it transform. My outside guy has been at the house for at least a few months now working on all exterior wood work. He has finished the garage cornice and started siding. He’s going to finish in possibly TWO days. I just cannot believe how fast it goes up compared to the other things we’ve had done. That’s been a huge blessing just seeing something get completed fast. Cannot wait to see them FINALLY build our back porch. Garage doors were installed last week. Masons have been able to work on and off depending on temperature. The front of the house is done, they are really just doing little things around the house then they’ll be done! Pictures include the mantle I designed for the trim guy to build, paint, siding, stone.. expect a few posts of pictures bc it only let me add 4. So thankful to have a HAPPY update.

Pics

Pics

@agbhw - it’s so nice when progress actually occurs, isn’t it? You are looking really good. I love those wall paper samples, too.

We had a massive delay early in our build due to our framers. We probably should have cut them loose, but the workmanship itself was excellent and we didn’t have many/any other options so we stuck with them. Most everything since then has progressed nicely. It is so unfortunate however to see what seems to be a total lack of concern with keeping the jobsite (interior and exterior) clean. Discovered a large mud stain on our carpet yesterday. With how slow this build has been, it is like watching sausage being made. I don’t recommend it ha ha. We should be in by the end of the month. Daily our feelings swing between excitement & frustration. At least it will be over soon!

@agbhw I was curious about the first picture with the furring strips on the garage, then I see that is how you are going over your ICF walls to make it all uniform. That is a very nice looking job they are doing.

Wonderful tile job in primary ensuite shower.

Or so I thought.

Until mrs. worthy pointed out the flooring was the same 12"x24" tiles as on the rest of the floor. A wonderful slip hazard! And not the much smaller octagonal tiles speced by the designer.

(I employed the same tile contractor for some 35 years till he retired. Slacking sexagenarian! He would have noticed immediately.)

Rather than rip it all up and start over, has anyone had experience with applied non-slip products?

@worthy I have some here I have not tried yet. I know, super not helpful.

EDIT:

I got it out and gave it a try just now for you :)

Slip Doctors Stone grip.

https://slipdoctors.com/products/anti-slip-ceramic-porcelain-tiles?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhMq-BhCFARIsAGvo0Ke71PElu9Tnel-UgyHSxwcoyq_oZLQpzpcOJtVSLoXDjkGklX622QMaAsf-EALw_wcB

I did the test on two porcelain 12x12 just outside our shower. We have the same tiles cut 2x2 for a center drained walk in shower.

First impressions:

Tiles do appear dull compared to untreated tiles, which would be expected.

Process is simple enough.

My traction in stocking feet is signicantly better. I cannot glide over those tiles with any down pressure, where I can glide elsewhere.

I will post up tomorrow after stepping on them with wet feet out of the shower.

It is quite effective! No slipping whatsoever on treated tiles, and easily slip slide on the tile next to it with a wet foot.

Great to hear!

Maybe I will add a grab bar as well.

bars are a must in my book. They also make the hand wand holder that clamps on a vertical grab bar, so you can grab that bar without worrying about ripping plumbing out of the wall.

Sure has been quiet on here lately! Hope things are progressing well for each of you. After 18 months that somehow seems even longer than that, I am very happy to say we got our CO and we’re in the process of moving in! Hardscaping and landscaping are not complete, and there are a few tweaks that need to be made here and there, but that’s to be expected. This forum has been so helpful, and I greatly appreciate all the knowledge sharing. Thank you! Here are some pictures.

For some reason I can only upload 4 at a time

Looks wonderful and consistent!

22 months in and I'm fast running out of energy. Aiming for June now. Can't figure how much is galloping senility (mrs. worthy's conviction) how much is overreach, how much is the sheer size, water problems, pokey subs.

......

Main Floor Powder room wall (12'high). One full day for the tilesetter. (Makes me dizzy!)

Basement Flooring finished Porcelain mimicking wood.

Feeling oddly buoyed by seeing hydro going in today for a nearby build where the owner moved in last November, trying to get by on temporary power, enough for a couple outlets a stove and a single furnace.

And amazing California having approved a whopping 4 permits for replacing the 7,000 homes burned down in the Pacific Palisades fires. (Ours took 2.5 years.)

@worthy is sure is a roller coaster ride, isn’t it? “Pokey subs”… ha ha that’s a much nicer way of phrasing my thoughts on our subs. By the way, the tile Mrs. Worthy has chosen is stunning! And I know you’ll love the look and durability of that porcelain in your basement.

Very nice :)

After the flurry of framing, I took a couple of weeks to do a Real Job <RJ> for the company. I mobilized the big excavator back to town for that, and got that forklift off rent.

I had it for 4 months and about $11000 of rent. It showed up every day and worked hard for us.

My brother and I formed up the first of a pair of stacked retaining walls front and back on the house. You can see where the upper wall goes at the step in the waterproofing. We used chamfer strips to finish the corners on the wall pour.

That is a deep window well formed up in the background.

I have a plan to build a water feature right across the front entrance of the house there, between those two forms. It will boil up next to the window well, flow across the path to the front door, and over a 4' waterfall on the upper retaining wall. The pondless waterfall will go into the pump chamber behind the lower wall pictured.

I have some tree grates from a job that I would use to bridge the feature to the front door. My wife can listen to the water sounds from her craft room, and we can also listen to the 4' waterfall from our bedroom window.

That 1" form plywood and those 4x6 timbers have a story. I salvaged that material off a floating bridge job I worked on. I was tasked with demolishing 5 million pounds of giant forms and loading it out to scrap with this.

I picked up the plywood and timbers very carefully.

The cantilever balcony above the entrance needs no support, but I am picturing some large faux beam work there as a possibility. I hope I can make it work with the water feature.

This is an example of what I have in mind. It would stand out from the rest of the structure's style though so it is just a dream at the moment.

Colorado Contemporary · More Info

My tree grates are similar to these. I can plasma cut an art feature to fill the center hole. Perhaps a sunburst or something. My friend has a CNC plasma table and we can write a program for that.

It will be fascinating to see the water feature.

For my part, I've always done everything possible to keep water away from the foundation!

We saw enough crumbling water-soaked clay while building!

It's all waterproofed and footing drains to daylight. Once the downspouts are installed that will be one of the dryer places on the property. I'll use a multlayered construction with liners and whatnot and drain rock down to the footing to account for any rogue water. It is funny to think about, bringing water to the house intentionally.

See April 2025.