It is amazing what the monsoons do for the desert plants. This is a night blooming cactus.(This is training for my sub!) 

More Inspections

On Friday we passed the stucco mesh and final framing inspections. Tomorrow we expect to get the full approval for the electrical. And then the insulation installation begins.
I am leaving tomorrow to go visit my daughter in Atlanta. My oldest son will join us for the weekend. It should be a nice break from the house although I'm sure I'll be antsy to see what is happening while I'm gone. I think we will all have to wait until I get back--I haven't trained my replacement on how to post to this blog(just how to heat up dinner!). Stay tuned, Arizona build'n will continue after Labor Day, and possibly before.

Inspections Passed

We had six inspections (or one inspection of six different areas) yesterday. We passed five with no problems but one got a partial, meaning the inspector wants something else finished before he will approve the entire thing. But he also signed off on another inspection we didn't call for because we didn't think we had it all done. We are just a bit unclear whether we have to call that one in or are really done with it. We will have the lath inspection on Friday and then insulation can begin next week.
You may have heard about all the rain in southern Arizona yesterday. One normally dry riverbed on the west side of town was running bank to bank and crested a foot over the banks,at 12 feet. The thunder and lightning started at 5 am and continued for hours along with the heavy rain. We crossed a lot of dips in the road that had flowing water but that was after the heaviest rain had let up so we were ok. Arizona had something called "The Stupid Motorist Law". If you drive around a barrier warning you of a flooded road and have to be rescued, you are liable for the cost of your rescue. These dips didn't have barriers but they are posted with permanent signs that say "Don't enter when flooded" so we had to think about whether it was really safe. All the roads leading from our new house back into town have multiple dips which are subject to flooding so I guess we will learn how to judge when to drive through and when to wait. The rain has certainly turned the desert green!!

Another inside view-a bit lighter than those last week. 

The lath is complete, awaiting inspection. 

The view to the north. The monsoons sure green the mountains up! 

Inspection Day Approaches

As you can see, the lath work is coming right along. There is actually alot left to finish on the back of the house. They worked up on the roof, wrapping the parapets today. At one point it looked like they were about to get a cloudburst right over their heads but the clouds moved a few miles west before they dumped. This job should be finished by Tuesday and maybe even Monday. As soon as it is we will call for a group of inspections. Once we pass those it is on to insulation and drywall.
As we were on the way over to the lot after dinner we came around a corner to see all these javelina. We pulled over, grabbed the camera, and managed to get a shot. Every couple of seconds another one or two came across the road--we didn't get an accurate count but at least 10 were in the group. This is not an animal you want to tangle with. But they are cool to see.

The lath work is nearly done. Now if we could just get rid of all the leftover wood. 

The friendly??? neighborhood javelina. There were about 10 of them altogether!! (Try clicking on the picture for a larger view.) 

Laying On The Lath

Today they began putting the form board and chicken wire, i.e. lath, on the house. This will be the foundation for the stucco which will come after the drywall is up. This is the last thing which has to be finished before we can do all our intermediate inspections. We think there are six different inspections which we are just about ready to call for. Then we get to the things which really make it look like a home.
A couple days ago when we got to the house I heard a loud banging in the back of the house. I found the neighborhood roadrunner in the guest bedroom trying to get out through the shut window. He flew into the window at least 3 times before we were able to scare him out the other way. Silly bird!!

A closer look. This view shows the library corner and the entryway. 

Partially sheathed in lath for the stucco. 

Special Request--Visitor Sign In Week

When I began this blog I gave the address to a number of people and of course to others since then. My daughter put a link from her site to mine and she tells me some of her friends check to see how the house is going. I have been wondering who is still checking up on our progress so I'm asking for your participation this week. I would like everyone who visits

Arizona build'n

from August 14th through August 21st to click on the "comment" button and then leave me their name in the comment box. I'd love to have any comments about the site too, but just your name will do. If you visit more than once during the week you do not have to leave your name more than once. I'm trying to ascertain who is still interested not the number of visits. If by any chance, you visit this site regularly but I don't know you, please tell me your connection or attraction to this blog. Thanks so much to everyone for your help satisfying my curiosity.

Inside Views

For anyone who has been waiting for these pictures the delay was due to a storm related cable outage. Monday, about noon a huge storm blew through the city and that night we had a thunder and lightning storm which lasted a couple of hours. Didn't get our Internet connection back until 4:30 this afternoon. Anyway, we hope these will give you an idea of what the inside looks like. They are rather hard to see due to the brightness-I guess that answers the question of whether it will be light or dark inside. Since these were taken, we have electrical boxes and recessed cans. A bit more framing is finished and the decision making process continues.

Looking out the library windows. To the left is the great room, to the right is the entry hall. 

Another angle, showing the fireplace and the edge of library. 

Windows in the great room. Me in the corner. 

Response To Son

My son commented that our windows don't look very big. I realized that there really isn't anything in the photos to help you judge size. So here are a few window dimensions: the large picture window on right end of house is 6 feet by 6 feet, the window on the left end of house is 6 feet wide by 5 feet high. If you look at the shot of the dried in roof you can see another window around the corner, it too is 6 by 5. There is a picture taken at an angle from the right side of the house which shows a large door frame and 2 large windows next to each other. They are both about 4 feet wide by 6 feet high. We spent the day being laborers--I wrapped insulation around the hot water pipes all day and only got half way done. My husband dug trenches to drain off some standing water left from last night's storm and put caulking all around the foundation. Well, have fun figuring out which pictures show which windows. Oh yes, the 6 x 6 window is in the great room, the 2 6 x 5 windows are the library.

A Week Full of Progress

This has been a full and busy week. Monday we got the roof dried in. Thursday the fireplace arrived and was installed in its surround. Friday the windows were installed. We are waiting for one which is backordered. Having them in has sure cut the breezes through the house but on the other hand now the views are really framed in. The Hvac and plumbing intermediate installations are done. Hopefully, the electrician will begin the electrical installation on Monday. We had a lighting walk through to check if there were any lights to be changed or added. Of course, there were a few changes! We have been getting bids for tile installation and painting. Our exterior doors should arrive soon and they will have to be stained within a couple of days so we HAVE to get that person lined up now. Our erosion control efforts seem to be working okay, but the rain has brought the Bermuda grass to life again so I was out spraying Round-up today. This next week should be quieter at the house. We will continue to try to make all the little decisions which have to be done, i.e. what knobs for the kitchen cabinets, what about the bathrooms, which tiles for which rooms, and a design to make it look great!

As we were getting ready to leave, this desert tortoise came lumbering across our driveway. Just meeting the neighbors! 

The firepace is in. The plumber got the gas in today. 

Our windows have arrived and are installed. 

The clouds associated with a strong storm which swept through Thursday evening. Taken from my parents house. 

The roof all dried in. 

We Have Won At Last!

The weather today was predicted to be dry, the high was supposed to move over near the California border and send the moisture their way. At 6:10 am our roofer called to say he was going to roof our house today. At 8:45 am they were there, up on the roof beginning to get to work. He had sent 3 crews, we saw 10 people when we checked. At 11:15, when we came out of a meeting with a lighting expert, we were shocked to see a HUGE thunderhead building in the mountains directly north of our lot. After lunch we went out to the lot, the thunderhead has dissipated somewhat but there were still lots of clouds building all around town. The roof deck was now black and it appeared that they were laying another layer. At 4:00 pm the heavens opened up and dumped rain on that area of town. I was visiting a friend in that area and her gutters were overflowing. After dinner we went out to see the house, admittedly with a bit of fear and trepidation. We found some water in the house but it appeared it had all come in the window openings. While we were out there it began to rain lightly and we saw no leaks so it appears we finally, really and truely have a roof!!

We have roofers!!!!! 

Clouds above the nearby mountains, gathering for the next attack on our roof...well that's how it seems to us. 

Inside detail work. Arched room is the dining room. 

The Monsoons Are Still Winning

The above picture shows some monsoon clouds starting to build in the afternoon.Unfortunately, both Saturday and Sunday evenings the clouds produced significant amounts of rain. So we continue to try to dry out and stay dry long enough to let the roofers get their job done. The interior work continues...HVAC is finished, the plumbing is nearly finished, and the framers have nearly gotten all the niches and fixes done. Note all the arches in the photo below.