The 90/10 Rule

There are variations on this rule, but the one that seems to apply to my project is that the last 10% of the work takes 90% of the time.

At least that's what it feels like when you're living in a tin box itchin' to move into your brand new house.

We really are down to the last details, and it's even conceivable that tomorrow or the next day the house could be ready for me to move in.

I'm not holding my breath..

Those of you who know me know we had a little interruption in the form of an 8000-acre brush fire that came pretty close to Sabado.. Close enough for mandatory evacuations, although I didn't wait to be awakened by someone pounding on the door in the middle of the night, so I hooked up the trailer and headed for Alpine the day the wind started blowing in my direction.

Hung out at the kids' house for a few days, sitting by the pool while the world's best firefighters took care of the situation, saved Campo and our beloved Lumber/hardware/feed store which was directly in the path of the fire, and only lost a couple of houses in the area where the fire started.

The other thing that has slowed things down, at least for me, is this:

On the back porch, in the shade

It's been over 100° every day for what seems like forever, including all the days the poor guys were fighting the fire. At one point today it was 106° inside the trailer! Needless to say I wasn't spending any time in here, but it was 100 in the shop.

But enough whining about the heat.  It is what it is, and the house has AC.

Most of what's left to do is really my stuff.  I have the basic kitchen and bathroom cabinets built, and actually made the kitchen countertops (more about that when they're done...) but I still have to make the doors and drawers, and also the wall cabinets. Once the bathroom cabinet is in and the sink installed, nothing I have left to do should keep me from moving in.

I've made a little more progress on the porch pillars, making and installing the bases for the tapered columns, but haven't made the columns yet.

Those green column bases will be set in mortar and leveled, then the columns will go on top.

Also built a Craftsman style mirror for the bathroom and today the guys installed a medicine cabinet on the opposite wall so I can look into infinity every day while I'm brushing my teeth...

The octagonal medicine cabinet fills the frame of this picture, reflecting the wood mirror, reflecting the medicine cabinet, reflecting the mirror.... to infinity and beyond! 

Bought a funky old table and chairs on Craigslist that will add furniture refinishing to my project list, but the clawfoot table is solid oak, and a perfect size for my little dining room.  Came with a wide leaf that makes it into an oval big enough to dine with guests, in case you were thinking of visiting me...

It's in the living room here, but has since been moved to the dining room.

Molly and I even had our first meal in the new house the other day.

  

Today, the gutter guy came and custom made gutters for the house and shop, and Alex brought a trencher and he and the crew put in drains and long pipes to move rainwater away from the buildings.  The gutter downspouts will also empty into these drains.

The next post will be the Move-in post.  Stay tuned!