Landscape Edging & Rock

We finally got the edging run along the grass under the deck today.  We finished both the side facing the lake and under the stairs.  We also hauled a yard of 3/4" rock using 5 gallon buckets down from the driveway and filled in behind the edging.  Once the bottom of the house is skirted in, we will probably bring down another yard and completely fill in under the deck.
 

Granite

The new granite counter tops were installed yesterday!  They managed to get everything cut out of a single slab and there are no seams.  This time around we even had enough granite to make a full size bar above the sink.  The sink base needs a little massaging in order to make the sink slide in under the cabinet, but that should not be too big of a deal.  Next up is paint!
 

Drywall Texture

The drywall texture started today!  He got everything done except for the primary walls in the second bedroom.  The closet in there is done, so is the ceiling.  He even got the loft done.  So with any luck it should be complete on Monday and ready for paint on Tuesday.  It's hard to see in the picture, but it is a skip trowel type texture.
 

T&G and Mud & Tape

There has not been much progress inside for the last couple weeks.  The tongue and groove for the ceiling was white washed and the base cabinets in the kitchen were set, but not much else.  This week we have started seeing more progress though.  The tongue and grove is hung on the ceiling and the mud and tape is done on the walls.  It is finally starting to look like a house again.  Texture should start going on the walls tomorrow!

Boat Lift

I have been keeping an eye out for a boat lift for a long time and I finally found one that I could not pass up.  This is a hydraulic 4000lb lift that we picked up in Seeley Lake, MT for $1100!  It needs a little cleaning and minor repairs, but nothing too serious.  Because we are so close to the end of the season, we're not going to get it in the water this year.  That will give me plenty of time to get it whipped back into shape.
 

Grass

The grass on the lake side of the house is all done!  The stuff over by the deck did really well, even with all the heat we had this last week.  The sprinkler system looks like it has great coverage over there.  Once this new grass is rooted in a bit, we'll start working on finishing the firepit.  While we're waiting for that to happen, we'll work on the sprinklers and grass next to the house.  
 

Sprinklers, Firepit and Under the Deck

Today we finished the sprinklers in the area around the firepit.  We also took the top cap off the firepit so we can add 1 more row of blocks and turn it in to a smokeless firepit using a special ring we bought. Finally, Kelly cleaned out under the deck where the pile of firewood used to be kept behind the stairs.  We also started to clear out the area outside the kitchen. Next weekend we will roll the sod around the fire pit and work on the sprinklers outside the kitchen. 

Grass

This area has been such a mess since we bought the cabin.  It had gray outdoor carpet originally and we decided to leave it for the first 3 years just so we didn't have to deal with the weeds.  Last year we thought we would get to the sprinklers and the lawn, so we took out the carpet.  Of course the lawn didn't get done, so the weeds started to grow.  But now we have grass!  I think we will use this space much more now.
 

Sprinklers

Today I finished installing the sprinklers in the strip between the house and the lake.  There was a ton of prep that needed to be done and all the lines for the other parts of the yard are run as well.  I still need to hook up the timer, but the heads are all adjusted and look like they will do a reasonable job of watering.  We need to figure out what we are going to do for edging, then we can lay sod!
 

The drywall is hung in the cabin.  The mud and tape crew is coming up from Texas to help the contractor with several jobs, so it will be a bit before they finish this one.  In the mean time, we will get the tongue and groove on the ceiling and the base cabinets set in the kitchen so we can have the granite crew come in to do the templates.  We are still hoping to be able to stay overnight by Labor Day.