Modern on Meadow remodel tour - week 9


It was a busy day at Modern on Meadow yesterday. Plumbers, a sound guy (speakers in the bathroom? Yes, please.), and the crew working on adding new support pillars in the basement were all in and out of the house during our weekly tour.



There was an extensive discussion with our construction manager and architect about how to route the new upstairs plumbing down and out of the house. The discussion centered on how we could minimize the noise of the toilet flush from above while sitting in the living room. I really couldn't add to this discussion, but I hope they came up with a good solution.


The dimensions and locations of our kitchen cabinets were marked on the floor for us to see. This is the center island with the sink directly in front, dishwasher to the right.


The stove and cabinets against the front window.


All the plumbing parts needed for the kitchen - refrigerator, sink, dishwasher were splayed across the floor. It looked like a giant puzzle waiting to be put together.




There was some crazy work going on in the basement - the finished basement that we have been trying really hard not to disturb and leave as is.  So much for that. It was a complete mess as they prepared to put in new support columns. I know this is a good thing - having the additional columns in the basement allows us to keep the upstairs space wide open. But it was still hard to watch...


Just behind Ryan on the floor, was an open flame heater of some sort which was somewhat alarming. I know the house is cold, but I had visions of this thing tipping over and our entire house going up in flames.


They had to remove some of the existing walls in the basement to make room for the new columns. All but one of the columns is going into the unfinished section of the basement, so it really won't impact the space too much.



These are the guys in charge of putting in the new columns, as well as the excavation and concrete work for the deck and patio. This father and son company is one of the oldest customers of Geiger Ready Mix and they came highly recommended (the Dad is wearing a GRM hat which made me smile). They were waiting patiently for the plumber to hook them up with some water needed to run a certain type of heavy duty saw.


We went back upstairs and the sound guy joined us to talk about how to integrate speakers in the space. Putting in speakers is one of those things we've held off on due to costs, but having the opportunity to do it when the whole house is being wired is so very tempting. I hope we can make it work, as it's something we would really enjoy.


The HVAC work upstairs is mostly finished, although we discussed moving one vent in the bathroom. It is very interesting to walk through the house with both the construction manager and the architect. The construction manager takes the practical and probably most efficient approach to these decisions, and the architect always has the aesthetics and design in mind. The combined approach results in a thorough and complete assessment and makes me so glad we went with the Design-Build process.



This is the material for the new deck - massa, a Brazilian hardwood. We really wanted to use a material that will age well and won't require regular staining. It will turn a silver gray color over time.



While we were at the house, a truck arrived to deliver the cypress that will be used on the exterior of the house.


We stood around and watched as Adam helped unload all the wood. I cheered him on - that helps, right?


The cypress will be stained a bit darker but the natural variations in the wood will still be visible. I can't wait to see how it will look on the house. Work on the deck and the exterior of the house won't happen right away, but just seeing these materials on site is exciting. Things are moving fast, but I wish they were moving much, much faster. I can't wait to be in our new home...

We're in week 9, almost to double digits! And if I look back on these earlier tours, it sinks in how far we've come!

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