These are the planters in the driveway...will put low type plants, maybe vines going over the wall to the hillside...

Sidewalk is there now, too. there will be 2 risers to step up onto the front porch...we think we will cover the front of the porch with azaleas (did I spell that right?)...

Like I said, it is still very, very steep and long...the mailbox is in a different zip code than the house is...(boy, was that a stupid joke or what...)!

Every time we go look, there seems to be more holes in the walls/ceilings..like we are paying the builder (and his subs) by the amount of sheetrock he has to use to cover holes in older pieces of sheetrock...and can't figure out their purpose or for what electrical/HVAC gear they serve???

Another view...the guy that will install the tile behind the cabinets and stove will be in next week...can't wait for that!

Little better picture...

They attached the leaded glass doors on the cabinets. These 4 doors are the only ones...they are beautiful!

T

They did the driveway this past week...easier to climb than dirt and gravel, but it's still a pull! paver" bricks in the open area at the bottom the driveway...

This is the front door from the inside...it is gorgeous! The floors have been done once, and though you can't tell from this photo the color is super! Got another coat to put on the end of this week coming, then after all the appliances and the last of the touch-up work is done they will put the last coat on that has the most polyurethane for gloss and sealing...not a high gloss, but a high satin finish.

Close-up of the front door and it's Mission rail...

I caught her checking out whether or not I had put the camera away...;-)!

BD was somewhat bashful today...don't know why...prettiest girl I have ever known! Can't think of anyone luckier than me (am I a little biased, here?)!

Good shot of the fireplace and the built-in bookshelves. Still have to finish off the fireplace...they are going to rock all around the face so there won't be any black of the firebox showing...just rock.

This is the laundry area. They put in the cabinets this week, and will cut and install the wet sink in the lower cabinet later on next week or the week after. The smoke/intrusion alarm went in today and there is a control panel next to the door here as this will be the dominant means of entering the house probably as it is adjacent to the little walk-way breezeway to the garage. There is a control panel in the bedroom and in the garage as well...

Dining area off of the kitchen...bought a 42" round oak table and 2 chairs to go here...the light will be raised to 7' off the floor...

Litle better shot of the garage doors. We took the hardware off. There was door latches and fake hinges in black wrought iron, but this just looks so much cleaner and attractive...BD's idea to get rid of the hardware...good one, huh!!

And the door...it is absolutely a work of art. We really got lucky on this one...the wood came available at a pretty reasonable price so we went for it. The finish is breathtaking, and will be even more so when they finish it off with another coat or two...I love the mission rail under the windows...

This is the front door sidelights. They too are constructed of Mahogany and finished with clear-coat varnish. The wood grain is absolutely beautiful up close...they are most stunning!!

Still have to finish clearing behind the wall...we think a couple of short trees in each of the second-in squares on the house side, then a couple of viney types in the middle two to add some cover and color to the wall. The rails will be stained the same color as the shakes...

They brought in dirt Thursday PM to start leveling and shaping the yard and driveway...lots of dirt!

Ruben has put a couple of coats of finish on the garage doors. Another coat coming, this time it will darken them much more like the shakes...different wood, though, so they won't be a perfect match, but there are 3 or 4 different types of wook around the front of the house (front door, cedar shakes, garage doors, porch ceiling and porch floor...)

Same shot with a little "zoom" effect from the camera. The shingles look very dark, almost red from here, but they are a very deep and dark honey color up close.

This shot was taken along Red Top Mountain Road about a mile from the entry to the community...the house is visible above the trees left/center.

This is from the corner opposite our house, looking out of the community. A left and 2 miles is Red Top Mountain State Park, to the right a mile is I-75 and Atlanta 42 miles South.

Little closer shot of the retaining wall..

From the land line but across the street...

Another shot taken next to the land line marker heading into the community.

This is looking up from the street that comes into the community...the main drag. Even with the silt fence finally removed, there will be lots of privacy for the back deck...

The little red flag on the left is the land line for our lot. It goes straight up pretty much to the left of the double trees on the left at the hill crest in this picture...it is mostly little fir trees and pine straw 'til you get to the rodk on the right side of the hill...

A shot of the retaining wall. It will step down on the left like on the right when they are finished, then the rails will be stained to match the garage doors and cedar shakes.

Better shot of the lights by the front door...

Finally got the mantle made and hung...it will be stained to match the bookcases.

Same theme for the light over the breakfast nook...

Front porch lights (each side of the door).

We got lucky on the front door...when we bouight it the guy said we didn't have much choice as far as wood type as they had all gone up. But a few weeks he got ahold of some mahogany and wondered if we would be interested...we were! There is a little ledge on the back side under the glass (the side you are looking at is the inside side...), and cut like the inside. Rather than stain it, we think we will have Hugo the Painter (some of the workers have very, very unusual names...probably on purpose...) sand and coat with a clear varnish to bring out the wood...

Mission style lights in the dining room as well...still not adjusted, but you can see the pattern and color better in this picture.

They started to put in lights today. This is the Mission Style lighting we picked for the main area...BD says it's California Mission Style...they haven't been adjusted for height, nor is there a light box for the fan over the Great room, but soon!!

This shot is from the bedroom French doors onto the back deck...the open space on the right of the deck will be filled with a full-width staircase down to the back lawn.

Another shot from the doors to the mud-room, this time down the back deck...the ceiling stain will be the same for the floor.

Nearly the same shot of the mud-room, but you can see the lights we bought that go beside each outside door.

This shot was taken from almost the same spot on the back deck. It shows the "pass through" effect of the mud-room. to the right and near is a huge pantry, then next is the washer/dryer, a cabinet/sink, then out and onto the wrap around front porch.

This shot is from the back deck where there will be steps down to the lawn (still brown dirt!!). The 2 doors are in the garage, the left one into the garage and the right one up to the office in the Bonus Room over the garage. I absolutely love the columns!! We asked for craftsman style and he had the carpenter fashion them to match the house style, color and dimension.

This picture shows the white trim pieces we added to continue the pattern all around the house. In this and 2 other places, the white under the Gables was absent, and the contrast between the Cedar Shakes and house was not very distinct...my idea, a good one I think, particularly because the builder thought it was an excellent one and he should know...;-)!