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.
 

Siding and Trim

The siding and trim is all done and ready for paint!  Kelly and I are thinking about doing the paint work ourselves.  Painters are hard to find right now and it will save us some money, so it makes a lot of sense.  We are going to have to let it cool down a bit though, we're looking at temperatures over 100 degrees for the next 6 days!  
 

Stairs

I had to go up to the cabin to do an inspection this afternoon so the bank will release more money.  Since I was there and the weather was so nice, I decided to finish the stairs before I came home.  Now there is only 1 more retaining wall to build up between the driveway and the tool shed.  We don't plan to do that one this year though.  Next we will finish the sprinkler system and fix the fire pit.
 

Bedroom Window

Since all the drywall had to come out, we decided to increase the size of our bedroom window.  It is now 6" wider and 18" taller than it was before.  We also changed it to a single window rather than 3 separate windows.  Add the vaulted ceilings and our bedroom will feel so much bigger than it did before.
 

Stairs

Today was the day to finally rebuild the stairs closer to the lake that we tore apart last year in order to build the set on the street side of the cabin.  Before we could do that though, we had to finish installing the sprinkler lines that run along the house and up to the shed, between the retaining walls and up to the sitting area.  With all that we only had time to finish 2 steps this weekend.
 

Radiant Floor Heat

We finished installing the heat transfer plates in the cabin this weekend, but we didn't hook up the manifold.  Since I had to make a trip to Post Falls last night, I decided to run up to the cabin and hook it up so I can call for the plumbing and electrical inspections tomorrow.