Main bath tile

Tiling has now progressed into the main bath.  Additional tile is applied so the room will not require wood baseboards and will be much lower maintenance and easier to clean. 

Deck membrane

With stucco complete we were able to have the deck membrane installed. Aluminum railings have been measured and will be powder coated to match the stucco. 

Tile progress

Our tile setter, pat, is now making progress in the bathroom wall tile. 

Tile prep

Our journeyman tile setter, pat, is extremely particular when it comes to deciding on the underlayment for his tile. For example, he doesn't warranty tile that has been installed on plywood subfloor, instead he uses the schluter matting system.  For showers, he uses the complete waterproofing system and in the master shower we are using the upgraded linear drain, to match our linear basalt tile.

The shower walls are installed and the various penetrations for the shutoffs and water connections are evident

thin set is used along the joints to prepare for waterproofing

edge tape is applied

tub is completely waterproofed and ready for tile

prepping for the linear drain in master shower

base of drain is installed and now connected to the house plumbing system p trap.  Once tiled the trim kit for the drain can be installed

Stucco completion

After a few weather delays the stucco crew was back to apply the pigmented acrylic top coat to the scratch coat.  The finish of this work is always a plus as it dramatically alters the look of the house, plus the builder can then remove the scaffolding and likely construction fencing from the job site.  With all the planks, buckets, scaffolds and other stucco related garbage either packed up or in the dumpster the job site is much cleaner and safer.  Here are a few photos of the progress.

 house and garage now complete in stucco

A massive load on top of the stucco truck

Interior spraywork

The trim, doors and built in can get as many as five coats of paint.  Initially the edges and joints are filled, then a spray primer applied.  Following the prime, a bondo patch is applied to any areas that require it, such as the still visible nail holes or joints.  A second primer coat is applied and then two lacquer coats are used for the finish.  Much discussion has taken place regarding the relative safety or toxicity of the paint material, so we are attempting to use all water based lacquer on the first job.  The painters didn't recommend that as the product cannot be made as hard or durable.  

The polished slab is covered and the doors are laid out ready for primer

The entertainment unit has had a lot of prep work to fill the joints

First coat has been applied

Stair railing and cladding complete

With the stair railing and cladding finished, we can prep the house for painting of the doors and trim, and the staining of all the stair material.  The railing job required about two weeks of patient labour, and the end product is very nicely done.  We may adjust our stair supplier next time we do such a complex stair in order to make the site work a little easier, as we have found that our railing carpenter likes to build the stairs himself in his shop.

the stairs viewed from the dining room after the dust is swept out and the many tools packed away

looking down from the second floor

looking up toward the skylight from the basement

nice hardware was located for the hand rail bracket

The final piece of maple that completes the job

Radiant heating component install

With the water tank in place, the pipe and manifold in the basement slab connected and the pump board mounted, we are ready to fill the system and test the in floor heat. With the insulation below the concrete we believe the slab should warm quickly and be extremely comfortable for the occupants.

This is the plan provided by the plumbing wholesaler.  This modular system has been used many times in the past and has proven to be extremely low maintenance

The bulk of the work for the plumber to do is mount the panel and make the copper connections to the tank and other components such as air separator and various valves and fittings

The manifold contains a thermometer to determine water temperature entering the slab and has a mixing valve for each loop to adjust it for occupant comfort.

Stair cladding and railing

We have now moved well into the finishing stage of our stair project that features an integral landing three piece open tread staircase.  The job of cladding and railing these stairs has proven to be more complex and time consuming than we initially suspected and our three initial carpenters weren't able to commit to the job to our satisfaction.  Fortunately we were able to locate a new stair builder and railing expert and he wasn't intimidated by the project.  Here are some initial shots of his work to date.  Note that he is cladding the middle stringer components in such a way as to portray the appearance that the stringers are solid, rather than veneered hardwood.  He also has cut some of the material in such a manner that it mimics the upper 'birds mouth' style of joinery between the stringer and floor structure.  We are using the type of hand rail called a 'd rail' profile.  It achieves the modern look we are after.