While waiting for more materials to be delivered and work to be performed, there is lots and lots of cleaning to be done. So after loads of paper towels and buckets of cleaning products, things are coming along!
But today was not a day to work alone in the house. The house manager for the Client arrived with some help to begin replacing the furniture that we are reusing in the various rooms. We also had more of the debris removed.
A really terrific tile man, Fred Blacker, (referred to us by Artesanos here in Durango) also started today. The island was a mess before but has been reconfigured. This has left voids in the floor. However, there was adequate existing tile to make the required obvious patches and I was able to locate materials which are being placed in the deep knee space at the seating area. He did a beautiful job scoring the old grout and removing the partial tiles. By hold the shop-vac close to the blade of his grinder, there was practically no dust. He cleaned away all the old thin set and prepared the floor for the tile. We worked together to select which tile would be place in which spot and he lay the tile.
In the morning Fred will return to put the next coat on these pre-sealed tiles. It takes about an hour to dry (in this almost zero humidity climate) and then he will grout them all.
The team of cabinet makers also arrived with the new pantry cabinets for the walk in pantry and the storage / display cabinet for the kitchen. It is most beautifully made. The cabinet is composed of four individual units with a single face frame which is "indexed" to the cabinet and glued into place making it very strong and sleek. The doors have not yet been installed. They are inset doors with glass on the top and solid doors below. These all match the existing doors in the kitchen.
In the first image you see the face frame in place with the first of 6 clamps that were applied. It has not yet been placed in the niche, but you can see the base upon which it will be placed. The cabinets are all built perfectly square so once the base is installed and leveled, the cabinet can sit directly on top. There will be a small reveal (shadow line) to the left and right of the cabinet. A base will be applied in the area of the toe kick in a finish material with a small offset. In the second photo you can see that the old light switch for the coffee bar has been relocated to the right of the fireplace. The outlet where we will power the transformer for the low voltage LED tape lights is place inside this cabinet. These lights will provide an even glow for the decorative glass pieces that will be displayed in the upper cabinets. The gap seen at the top of the cabinet will be filled with a top treatment. In the third image you see Matt attaching the cabinet to the base and Dan getting ready to install the outlet in the box which was cut into the side of the cabinet. In addition to his wood working skills, Dan was an electrician for 6 years prior. He is also studying engineering at the local college. Matt was a surveyor and a ski technician in his earlier work life. Both these men are very into numbers, level and plumb. Real assets to our woodworking artist here in Durango, Joel Schiavone.
In the laundry room, there is a small green table which was constructed at bar height. I asked the cabinet men to cut the legs down so that there is a bit more room to use it.
The cabinetry for the walk in pantry was also delivered. The base has been positioned and the baseboard behind it removed. The cabinets are positioned on the base and are ready to be attached. There is also a deeper cabinet which will be hung over the "all refrigerator" unit that will go in the pantry with a bit of space on the side to allow the door to open nicely and storage for the small step ladder. This deep cabinet is great for back stock of paper products.
Below you see the cabinets clamped together as Matt prepares to attach them to one another.
Three different packages were also delivered by UPS including the new prep sink faucet, hardware for the media and display cabinets and the down rods for the ceiling fans.
Lots of great things happening and more to come.
ALD
PS: and yes those top images are screen captures from a comedy special "Upstairs Downtown Abby" Check it out on YouTube.