While the insulators are spraying foam inside, the masons are back to continue patching the holes in the exterior brickwork.
At the kitchen window.Moving across to the wall between the kitchen window and side door. Using a string line to keep each course of brick level — and to match the mortar lines with the existing brickwork.Tapping a brick into place between the window and door.
Ron Dahlke reports he needs more brick for the masons to repair changes made to the exterior of Emerald Hill for new windows and doors, plumbing and other penetrations. Steven offered up the back wall of the garage, which can be easily re-sided with Hardieboard if potential plans for a new third garage bay do not proceed.
At the front porch, Silverio nails cedar siding — which we will stain, not paint, to define the front entry — an idea suggested by Mark Rehberg of Ranserve.
Meet Monday with Ross Britton to go over HVAC repairs
Finish mechanicals
Rebuild stairwell
Call in for inspections
Confirm tile quantities
Steven adds a “mea culpa” — the masons started one week early. Steven delayed them mid-job with questions about casing around the front windows. Mark pointed Steven at the plans, which call for the brick to meet the windows, no side casing, no top casing. Point taken.
Ron Dahlke took the day off. He missed “Multitasking Day.” Patrick Welsome from Ranserve stepped in to provide “adult supervision” and keep Steven operating within the lines.
Above … electricians, plumbers, cabinet makers at work.
Outside, the masons are rebuilding the brick wall in front of bedroom 2 — removed to put in the new window.Cris from Ranserve shows Steven one of the metal sill pans to be installed under each exterior door. The pan is another layer of defense against water entering the house from under the door — just in case.Here is one of the sill pans installed under the back door — the aluminum sheet folded down over the concrete slab, with the metal threshold of the door above it.Cris from Ranserve demonstrates how the windows are flashed — heavyweight peel-and-stick Straightflash VF taped over the window and door flanges, helping to make the window and door watertight.Kevin Oliver from Custom Plumbing demonstrates how to connect PEX tubing to a copper fitting that will be connected to the tankless water heater in the upstairs utility room.The PEX array at the master bathroom — red for hot, blue for cold, white for water supplies to toilets. This array will feed two sinks, two shower heads, and a toilet.Capstone Electric hung the service panel in the upstairs closet, with a road map hung nearby identifying which “home run” is to be connected to which breaker inside the box.Aaron Pratt from Central Texas Custom Cabinets sketches designs for the kitchen cabinets.With adult supervision from Patrick Welsome at Ransom, standing in for Ron Dahlke, who took the day off, Aaron and Steve plotted out the kitchen cabinets. After which Patrick computed with the electricians how to run electric power to the kitchen island. Cris and Kevin from Ranserve next pulled out the power tools and sliced into the slab for the cable run.Outside, the mason — Edgar in stripes and his father, Felipe, right, work with Cris from Ranserve to figure out how to set bricks between the narrow front windows — or to frame the windows with side casing, head casing, apron and stool, with Hardie Planks in between each window. The decision for the day is to discuss with Ron, because Ron, Cris and Steve earlier talked about using PVC trim over the window flashing, instead of running brick up to the window, which would make it impossible to remove the window if needed without first taking down brick.
At the front porch, Silverio nails cedar siding — which we will stain, not paint, to define the front entry — an idea suggested by Mark Rehberg of Ranserve.
