Windows, electrical, and shingles (week 6.5)

Week six and a half and we have seen some significant changes! We have enjoyed three days of sun and mid fifties which still hasn’t dried everything out from all the rain we have received, however it has been perfect weather for roofing. This morning the roofers finished installing the shingles. My neck hurts for the guy who draped pack after pack of shingles across his shoulders, put his head down and climbed a ladder all day supplying shingles to the two guys nailing them down. Windows were delivered and installed on Monday. Two windows were cracked somewhere between the factory and being installed, however the sashes can easily be replaced and are on their way from the factory. All of the windows are “Low E”, meaning they are energy efficient due to a coating that keeps out UV light. I heard yesterday that our front door arrived at Valley Building Supply and was supposed to be delivered today, however it was not onsite when we left this evening. The electricians started on Monday by installing all of the electrical boxes. All of the electrical receptacles on the main floor will be located in the baseboards and we specified one receptacle under each window. We will also have receptacles under the eaves of the front of the house for Christmas lights. Katie and I did a walk through Monday night and adjusted the placement of some of the receptacles and added a few in locations we didn’t feel had enough. Before leaving the job site this evening we had three large trucks pull up to deliver 25,000 bricks and a load of sand for the mortar. The brick is Jefferson Wade Tudor and we will use a classic gray mortar with traditional finish. Kim told us that colored mortar (i.e. buff or red) tends to date a home versus gray which has been popular for years. We got lucky with the brick because the local plant in Spring City just started making Jefferson Wade Tudor in November and General Shale had it on sale to promote the color in this area. We were able to really save on both the cost of the brick and the cost of shipping since it was made locally. The brick masons inspected the house on Monday and plan to start work next Monday. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve so I don’t expect there to be any more progress this week. I have spent the last two days on the job site cleaning, providing input on electrical work, and preparing for some trim work I plan to do later on. Katie and I couldn’t be happier with the progress and how the house is looking. We can’t wait to see the brick on the house to see how it looks. Merry Christmas!