The Boring Part

This is the part where everything looks the same for months.  They are installing heat, air conditioning, electrical, vacuum systems, etc.  They did hang interior doors and we did do a lot of grading to bring the land back to the original contours.  The house is an unfortunate color of bright turquoise which is the waterproofing before the concrete panels go up.  So, what I am sending today are some views - what we are going to see out of the windows, which is starting to take shape.  There is a view of the upper office and guest bedroom building with the stairs, seen from the hallway of the main building; a view looking south from the living room; a view of the house looking north across the vineyard; and a view looking south over the vineyard toward San Francisco.  We are now expecting to move in at the end of April.  5 months.  Sigh.

Pool Party

The pool is finally in, at least the form.  The plaster won't happen until all the other work is done, so don't get out your suits yet.  The view from the front of the house - we are still figuring out the front door - but, we promise to let you in anytime.  The picture of the dining room has the table in it - a piece of white cardboard on the floor......and the other view of the house is looking past the pool house building where you would be taking your outdoor shower......!!

Sunset on Hale Road

I loved these pictures and found myself knowing what it will be like on Hale Road when I saw them.

Doors and Windows

The doors and windows are being installed and suddenly the house is feeling houselike.  The photos show the large windows of the kitchen and the section that will slide to serve as a door and disappear into a pocket in the wall.  Insulation - made of lima beans? - is being sprayed on.  The roofs are all done and the pool will begin this week.  The list of decisions is getting shorter.  A picture a house from down the hill shows how the vineyard has grown - fruit next year.  The only bad news is that the deer are eating the blackberry plants so the fencing is about to go in.  Good progress and 5 months to go.......  

Becoming Houselike

Now that the roof is on and the walls are framed, the building seems to be taking a real shape.   The first picture is the view when you get out of your car and walk into the entry, which we hope will be soon!  The second is the garage, which looks huge right now.  When you walk into the house from the garage you will see the view down the long hallway.  And the skylight over the edge of the living room and dining room is going to be great.  Windows and doors are to go in soon and that will be exciting.  

Taking Shape

We thought the rain was over.  Not quite.  But, we are forging ahead and the house is taking it's three dimensional shape.  The master suite is framed and the back wall of the garage is up.  The two other buildings, the pool house and the studio building have ceilings and have achieved house like qualities.  Tim has a camera on the site and is doing a time lapse film of the project which is very entertaining so far.  The photos are of the stairs from the pool up to the house level, the master suite framed, the studio building and, of course, the camera.  Also a view out of the gym looking south over the meadow and vineyard.  

Sticks in the Air

The rains have stopped and there is lots of progress.  Although the main house is not framed yet, the two other buildings are well on their way.  The building that houses the two offices and the guest room is almost completely framed and the building by the pool is very close.  The main house is still waiting for it's close up.

These pictures are of the studio building framed, Tim trying out the bathtub in the Master Bath, Tim in the Guest Room, and a great shot of the cupolas from 7th Street that have moved up on to the hill by the vineyards. 

Progress

They are starting to pour the floors and the view to the left is looking south from the floor of the guest bedroom, past the two offices and down toward the main house.  The picture at the top is the view looking through the entry of the house, through the dining room and out toward the south.  We hope to see some framing next week which will make this seem like a three demensional house-like building.........it is still more of a beautiful sculpture.  

Building in the Rain

We are finally getting some rain in California, but it is not the perfect thing for house building.  From this view you see:  on the left, the gray flat area is the guest room and our two studios.  There will be a four foot elevation change with stairs and when your to down them you head to the open area you see before you which is the front door, looking through the dining room to the view.  On the right will be a long hallway and the Master bedroom, bath, closet.  On the left will be the kitchen and garage.  Living room is on the right on the other side of the dining room.  

The main activity has been pouring the concrete walls which will also be exposed finished walls in the final building.  I think in a month things will look more "house-like."  Stay tuned.

Tim is standing to the left with his son, Sam and Sam's friends from Boston who visited yesterday.  Their room was not quite ready........

January progress

Because so many people have asked about the progress on the house we are building in Sonoma, I thought, "Why not do a blog?".  So here it is.  If you are interested please follow along.  I will do a posting every week until the move in which now appears to be in January 2010.  It is a very interesting house designed by Richard Gluckman.  Richard is a minimalist architect who has done many projects for art institutions, galleries and artists.  The house is on a 14 acre parcel of land above the town of Sonoma and is only 5 minutes from the town square.  It has a 4 acre flat meadow that we are building on, the rest of the land drops off to the West.  We have a view of San Francisco to the North (on a clear day) and of the Western hills of Sonoma and an 80 acre parcel to the East.  The land is covered with old oak trees of various types.  We had to take 40 down to clear the site, but there are many many left to enjoy.  The first thing that went into the ground was a small vineyard of pinot grapes.  Right now the process of pouring the concrete walls is the big excitement.  We have been lucky for good weather to accomplish all of this.  Here are some photos of the current progress.......the vineyard, the living room and the dining room.......