The grout under the shelves in the master shower is separating between the underside of the quartz shelves and the vertical wall tiles. The gap is one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch wide.
Jacquela makes the discovery while cleaning the shower — which means this fault is new, because the shower was cleaned two weeks ago and this problem did not exist.
Are the shelves lifting? Are the walls and floor of the shower settling?
Steven takes pix and reports the new problem to Ranserve.
Julian and Samuel today completed work on the new floor in the master shower. Tomorrow, we scrub-a-dub for the first time without walking down the hall to bath 3 — if the plumbing is not blocked.
Kyle and Andrew from Cowart arrived mid-morning to tweak the garage doors. The checked the sensors — looking for what triggers an intermittent error message on the door to the new garage bay. Nothing. So they opted to install a new wall control — in part because one of the paddle switches was broken.
After that, Kyle and Andrew drove to Sea Eagle to inspect and adjust one of the garage doors that would not operate — the sensors were out of alignment.
Jacquela objected to the mis-alignment of grout lines in the master shower. Jacquela and Steven debated what to do with Ron Dahlke and Mark Rehberg.
Today, Julian begins remediation.
Above, Julian mortars 12×12-inch sheets of 2×2 black mosaic tile, using the 12×18 black tile as the underlayment. This requires acrylic mortar to help prevent the growth of mold between the two layers of tile.
Julian returns tomorrow to grout the tile.
Team Ranserve continue working through the punch list as we count down to moving in.
Odell called for the Final Inspection. The inspector arrived. Emerald Hill failed. As expected. This inspector is new to the remodel. He requires more documentation of where the two layers of fire-resistant drywall are and are not installed in the garage, around the mudroom. The previous inspector approved two layers around the mudroom and one layer on the walls that do not connect with the body of the house. Odell is attempting to contact that previous inspector for clarification and resolution.
Above, Julian test fits the 12×12 sheets of 2×2 black tiles that will become the final floor of the master shower. This is how we resolve an issue that has festered since November, when the shower floor was first tiled. The grout lines do not line up. Jacquela objected — the first issue she ever raised on this project. Julian laid out the mosaics. Jacquela arrived to inspect. She approved. Julian is five sheets of tile short. Odell ordered the tile. Now we wait for delivery and install.
Upstairs in the master bath, Odell discovered that the left-hand medicine cabinet is not centered over the sink faucet; he will take it down and recenter it. He also ordered a replacement for one of the sink faucets, which seems to have developed a permanent slow leak via the cartridge.
Ron is back. Yay. Still recovering from the attack of the nearly-killer virus, eager to get back to work.
Above, photo of the red glass tile that is pulling away from the backsplash wall in the kitchen — discovered yesterday by Steven and reported to Ron by text message.
Above, Luis from Landers Flooring is back to remove and replace one stair tread. The balusters for this tread were drilled in the wrong place. Today, Luis removed the balusters and existing hickory tread, then fitted the replacement. At the end of the day, he clearcoated it with polyurethane.
Yes. It is.
We’ve been waiting for this.
Jacquela wanted a red glass backsplash behind the cooktop. We researched and priced a sheet of red back-painted glass, four feet wide by five feet tall. The estimates came in at more than $2,000 and the installer refused to warranty the glass against breakage, because we are mounting a pot-filler spigot above the cooktop, and the exhaust fan above that — and every hole in the sheet of glass compromises its integrity.
Plan B is red glass tiles, four inches tall by 12 inches wide.
Julian and Ernesto today installed the tile.
From the Oxford Dictionary: “A piece of journalism that presents a chronological account of an event or series of events.”
Steven visited Emerald Hill three times today while also working from his desk computer and by phone — at 10 am after dropping off Jadin at school, at 2 pm to meet with Ron and before meeting with Renee at ProSource to select tile for the kitchen backsplash and master shower floor, and again at 4 pm after leaving ProSource and before Jadin “walked home from school.” Here are photos from the evolving day.
In between the 10 am and 2 pm trips to Emerald Hill, Steven received the first quote for the two-bay garage door from Cowart Door Systems.
At 4 pm, Kathleen reported by email that Ranserve had received the wire transfer payment of Draw #5 from SouthStar Bank.
Brandon Pettit from Thomas McCarthy Inspections inspected Emerald Hill today for SouthStar Bank, as part of authorizing payment of Draw #5.
Rain cleared out. Above, the construction team is back to compact the road base for the foundation of the new garage bay.
Outside work on the garage is called off because of heavy rain. The crew protected the open pit with plastic before closing up last night. A cold front blew through overnight, dropping the high temperatures into the 60s with an overnight projected in the 40s. Welcome to winter in Austin.
After 5 pm, Julian and his team of tilers arrived to grout the kitchen floor.
The plumbing fixtures are still on schedule for delivery Wednesday/tomorrow.
