7301 ava: agave . . .

Future Projects on my mind: backyard shade and front yard patio

2012-02-02T13:17:00.001-06:00

I've been playing with google sketch-up and trying to come up with a design for a shade structure in our backyard that is cheap to build, strong enough to withstand the winds we encounter up on the hill, complimentary of the house, and retractable in some way - a LOT to ask I know. Anyway, here are a few samples of what I've come up with thus far:

Here's the area that needs shade:

This design incorporates I-beans and metal square tubes or angle iron which would look cool, but makes it really heavy and expensive. Also not sure the cantilevered I-beams would work.

I like this one a lot as it's minimal in appearance but may not be up to holding off the wind - unless we drilled holes in the existing patio and sunk the steel posts well below grade - that makes this MUCH more expensive :-(

Obviously similar to the one above but more stable (but less minimal). The difficult aspect of this is how to attach the fabric and make it retractable. I've also seen my neighbors shade sail blow around in the wind like crazy which makes me shy away from fabric at all - which led me to move on.

To something along these lines! This design uses 1" square metal tubing for the uprights and angle iron for the upper "track" system. There are four (4) "trellis" portions on top, each designed using 2x2 red cedar (would love to use ipe, but too expensive) in 8' lengths that slide on the metal "tracks" (i.e angle iron) via stainless closet wheels attached to the ends of the wooden trellis work.

Here's another pic to help illustrate the sliding aspect.

And here's a close up of how the trellis sections would interact with each other and the tracks. I really like this from a function and cost aspect, but not as much from the aesthetic end.

On the east side of the house, I've also been dreaming of a front yard patio as the that side is nicely shaded in the late summer afternoon/evenings. I'm thinking metal edging with pea gravel or decomposed granite between saw-cut 2x4 ft texas limestone pavers as concrete is MUCH more expensive and a pain to form up.

End of the day - Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T20:27:00.001-06:00

A lovely way to finish the day (I love this place!!!!):

and here's my favorite present (fyi: a reproduction):

there goes the sun . . .

2011-07-22T23:45:00.000-05:00

good work tonight Mother Nature (P.S. a little rain would be nice)

moody weather . . .

2011-05-12T15:09:00.000-05:00

bluebonnets are coming . . .

2011-03-19T14:21:00.000-05:00

Nice contrast from the last post . . . Spring is really here!

I think we're done with it, but it's been an odd winter here in Austin . . .

2011-02-13T17:22:00.000-06:00

a little snow and ice from February 4 shut the city down:

cold . . .

2011-02-02T10:49:00.000-06:00

a picture is worth a thousand words:

framed . . .

2011-01-30T13:31:00.001-06:00

Over the years, I've picked up various pieces of art from my very talented brothers and sisters . . . most of which were created in the 50's and 60's. This is a period of time that I reflect on now with GREAT appreciation for the art, architecture, and music. I love having these original MCM "Carnochans" in our collection and display them in our house with sincere pride. Most of these pieces were unframed, so I've recently "Home Depot Hacked" some floater frames to help dress them up a little (I got better at this as I went along). Here are some works of my brother David:

a beautiful day in agave . . .

2011-01-27T16:11:00.007-06:00

Spring is in the air!

Spring is fast approaching and agave is indeed alive and well. Be sure to check out the Austin Modern Homes tour this weekend - two agave homes are on the tour: http://www.modernhometouraustin.com/homes.html

New houses being built and numerous large scale home improvement/landscaping projects have been undertaken by a bunch of current residents. Here are a few highlights from a walk around the hood today:

A couple awesome landscaping projects:
Ryan's House:

Nam's House

And here are a couple recently completed houses on Ava Lane east (another is in mid build on Agatha Circle):

Happy Holidays . . . a little late!

2011-01-14T14:12:00.003-06:00

Gotta take all the new led lights off the house now, but it's too cold!

Bamboo . . .

2010-05-21T13:38:00.001-05:00

Just like our friends Kim and Becca at Rain Lily Design (linked under "cool stuff" on the sidebar) said, the third year is the charm for bamboo - it started growing sideways and this year, all of the sudden, it goes vertical - YEAH!

Just for kicks, here's a shot from 2008

Plantings around the pool are really coming iin nicely as well.

Oh yeah, and finally got the remaining solar screen (the ones 10 feet off the ground) and ceiling fan installed on the porch too.

Wildflowers . . .

2010-05-13T10:56:00.000-05:00

The wildflowers have been beautiful this season, albeit later than last year. Unfortunately the weeds have been pretty healthy too!! Here are a few pics from the richest area of our back yard.

A lovely, hand picked Mother's Day Bouquet from the yard . . .

solar screens and more growth . . . life is good in agave!

2010-04-22T10:09:00.000-05:00

We thought for sure our soft leaf yucca was done for after the harsh winter (and being run over by a car earlier in life), but it's alive and well! Also moved some plants in our front planting area and added a few feather grasses.

We're also trying to control heat gain on the west side of our house in as cost effective a manner possible, so we're replacing all the screens on our porch with solar screen (only the middle and bottom screens on the 3 left hand panels have been replaced in the pic below).

We're using Suntex 80 on the bottom portion but will probably go with Suntex 90 on the top panels (the number indicates the % of UV blockage) . . . that is once I rent a ladder tall enough to get to those darn things! The 80% screens already make a nice difference, but when we hit June, July and August, having the 90's up top will be worth the slight loss of view. You can see a big difference between the original screens - still in place up top - and the Suntex 80s on all the middle and bottom portions in the pics below:

some new watch guards and there's growth in the garden . . .

2010-04-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

Fondly named, Curly, Moe and Larry . . . KSS always wanted Pink Flamingos!

Things are growing in our garden . . . but some bugs are threatening!

KSS suspects subterranean termites . . .

New Project: Garden

2010-02-18T14:51:00.000-06:00

With Spring threatening, we've decided to build a raised garden bed. We gained inspiration for the bed from my niece's company in California, heartbeetgardening.com. Now we just need her to come to Austin to plant and maintain the garden for us! Here are a few pictures of the progress to date(please pardon all the weeds and dead agave in the background - cold winter!) . . .

Luna . . .

2010-01-31T15:29:00.000-06:00

Got a new camera for christmas (Nikon D5000) and need to learn how to use it better, so I'm experimenting
. . .

nothin new, but still great sunsets . . .

2010-01-24T09:19:00.001-06:00

Damn . . . simply stunning!

2009-08-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

I grew up on the East coast and it took me 46 years to finally make it for a visit to FLW's Fallingwater . . . better late than never! What an experience!

Been awhile, here are some backyard shots . . .

2009-08-02T19:28:00.001-05:00

Interior Color . . .

2009-04-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

As promised, here's a series of photos of the paint we've applied inside . . .

Heading upstairs (Kelley Moore paint colors - Dark Gray = Defense, Light Blue = Odessa, Red = Leaf Rust, Orange in first photo is a custom blend by Karen):

The Loft:

The Master Bath:

The Master Bedroom

The Main Living Floor (Kelley Moore paint colors - Medium Green = Lemongrass, Light Blue = Odessa, Dark Gray = Defense, Orange in powder room is a custom blend by Karen):
The Entry Hall:

Living Room:

Kitchen/Dining:

Heading downstairs Kelley Moore paint colors - Brown = Latte Please, Blue = Bird Bath, Green (Behr Paint color) = Grass Cloth):

More Sunsets to remember and spring has sprung!

2009-03-21T18:02:00.000-05:00

HI All - sorry for the delay in posts. There's LOTS of color both inside the house and out. We've been doing a LOT of painting (pix yet to be taken of that) and mother nature is doing her thing outside, here are some pics of her work.

Since we had some significant rain last week, the wildflowers we planted back in November are starting to pop up . . .

. . . and the Sunsets continue to impress . . .

one year later, we still love our house, but it pales in comparison to this . . .

2009-01-10T12:27:00.000-06:00

Our view from the screened porch . . .

Ikeahacker!

2008-10-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a cool website for those looking for creative ideas utilizing Ikea products. My workstation made an appearance a couple weeks ago:

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-about-this-for-workstation.html

updated pics of backyard

2008-10-19T20:05:00.000-05:00

Hi all - here are a couple new pics - some plants are in and the outdoor bar is almost done . . .

FIRE!

2008-09-10T09:54:00.000-05:00

The firepit is now operational! Now we could use some cooler weather

landscaping continued, sod, but no plants yet (too hot)

2008-09-01T17:41:00.000-05:00

Irrigation and sod have been installed, plants are due in a couple weeks. Fire pit has been completed from the outside, but still waiting on the fire glass and fire ring for the inside. Here are random pics . . .

Pool update - we have water!

2008-08-02T10:42:00.001-05:00

The pool portion of our backyard project is complete - landscaping begins this week, here are pics:

Future firepit in foreground -

Sorry for the lack of posts, just returned from a European tour . . .

2008-08-02T10:32:00.001-05:00

with 75 of my favorite UT students. Here are some pics:

Switzerland -

London -

Spain (modern) -

The new Opera House in Valencia, Spain - still under construction . . .

This is THE BEST sounding (and one of the most beautiful) Hall in which I've had the pleasure of conducting, located in Zaragoza, Spain. Carnegie Hall, eat your heart out!

concrete . . . and lots of it!

2008-07-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

The Concrete guys poured the patio, planting beds, and firepit area last week. here are pix:

Patio Forms . . .

2008-06-29T08:14:00.001-05:00

The concrete crew has been hard at work once we finally got the gas line inspection taken care of (several issues there, but won't bore you with the details). We're still refining the final layout as the slope of the yard is even more severe than anticipated and the concrete guys are working hard to keep water running away from both the pool and house - which is very good, but may make us compromise on the design a bit.

Here are some shots . . .

Firepit in the foreground -

Opposite view (and there's Josh's house in the background being built next to us - good thing we like the design of his house!) -

Overhead shot, firepit on the left -

Overhead shot, BBQ/Outdoor kitchen slab on the far right

Just as a reminder (I have to keep reminding myself) - here's where we're heading with all this . . .

Shed is done and pool stuff still moving forward . . .

2008-06-22T10:02:00.001-05:00

Here's the finished shed - I think it came out very well (just like my rendering!) . . .

The pool guys have reached the point where our other subs come in- plumbers to run gas lines for BBQ and firepit and concrete crew to build planting beds, firepit area, patio and pool decking. We've made a few alterations to the original bed design due to how high the walls in the back come out of the ground.

Here's a couple quick pool shots . . .

And here's a shot of the progress of the back beds . . .

more great pool progress . . .

2008-06-13T18:18:00.000-05:00

2 weeks after breaking ground, we have what is beginning to look like a pool . . . of course it looks like an ugly pool in the middle of a war zone, but hey, we're gettin' there!

The coping crew just started today and should have all their work done by Monday, then comes the concrete patio, fire pit and planting beds.

pool and shed are both flying along . . .

2008-06-04T21:21:00.000-05:00

Both crews, pool and shed have been hard at work even in the 100 degree heat. Here are a couple quick shots of the pool - the shed should be done tomorrow, pics to come later . . .

pool construction . . . and shed

2008-06-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

Cody pools has begun the pool (codypools.com) - they got a lot done in 2 days, this is good!! We also hired Shawn Somerville (www.craftsmanshed.com) to build our shed. Here are s few shots of the pool . . .

And here are a couple shots of the shed in progress and what the final version will look like. Shawn has been great to work with and open to my ideas on how to dress up a shed in somewhat modern clothing.

landscaping . . .

2008-05-01T15:11:00.000-05:00

We've been in heavy thought and meetings with landscape companies and pool builders trying to come up with a plan for our back yard. The vast majority of the back lot will eventually be planted with native grasses and wildflowers, but we do want a nice manicured and very usable space right behind the house. Here are a couple sketchup rendering I made of our basic plan (the plantings pictured are not necessarily what will be actually used as there are only so many things to choose from in the Google Sketchup Warehouse).

family portrait . . .

2008-03-08T16:04:00.001-06:00

We splurged last xmas and got DNA prints (from www.dna11.com) of our family and finally got them framed, from left to right oldest (me) to youngest . . .

sun = good (and hot) . . .

2008-02-24T16:32:00.000-06:00

Just adding a bunch of pix of shades I recently put up (bought from theshadestore.com) and our re-upholstered 1957 vintage MCM couch and vintage 1970s daybed (I guess the 70's are now vintage???) - btw, all the Upholstery work was done by Ambrose Upholstery - they have no website, but call them at (512) 929-1905 . . .

The Sun is BEAUTIFUL, but does bring some heat . . .

We're fighting back the heat with solar shades on most western windows . . .
Master Bedroom . . .
Up

Down

Dining Room . . .
Up

Down

Livingroom . . .

Gameroom - sliding panel system, which I think is a very hip idea for shades . . .

The track system for the panels . . .

Our 70's Danish mod Daybed with new Knoll Fabric . . .

Our '57 Couch (which my mom and dad bought new back in the day - along w/ the Bertoia chairs, and chem top coffee table seen in these pics . . . I am blessed with parents who have GREAT taste - thanks y'all!

design within reach (dwr) . . . only when they're having a really good sale!

2008-02-10T13:06:00.000-06:00

Picked up a couple cool new toys (for the house) a George Nelson Saucer Lamp and some "Easy Stacking Chairs" from dwr - as I said only "within reach" when there's a great sale which there is right now at "http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=6950". BTW, if interested in a Nelson lamp, learn from my mistake and order straight from Modernica http://www.modernica.net - DO NOT order through Lumens as it's the same price and takes longer to ship (I received POOR customer service from the folks at Lumens).

A couple pics . . .

Odic Force Magazine . . .

2008-01-29T21:58:00.000-06:00

Well a new publication is about to hit Austin - its going to be a FREE, ad driven publication featuring arts/techno/architecture type Austin stuff - did I say it was FREE. It's due out in March. The reason I mention this is because they're doing a feature on modern homes in Austin and one of their photographers (Daniel Perlaky) came out today and shot our house (all came about through our architect, Travis Young) - kinda cool and a little stressful at the same time. Who knows if any shots of our house will actually make the magazine, but we'll soon see! Anyway, as the house was clean I took some shots myself . . . enjoy!

Exterior . . . (I love our new Bullet planters from hiphaven - http://www.hiphaven.com - seen in front of the wall as well as in our living room a few shots down)

Alex's room (painted) . . .

Interior . . .

let the weekend projects begin . . .

2008-01-21T20:11:00.000-06:00

Well, now that we're in, there are a plethora of things to be done to make our house a home (and a little more functional).

Project #1 has been in the planning process for a while - we intentionally left our loft/master closet area kind of bare bones with the intention of customizing it later - well later is now. We installed an Elfa closet system two weekends ago - which worked GREAT, I was very impressed with the install simplicity - here a quick shot of that . . .

And this weekend was my desk/bench project which has gone through many guises until landing on a final design. Google Sketch-Up was priceless in my design work (oh yeah, it's free) - here's what I planned in Sketch-Up . . .

And here are some progress pix of the build - BTW, all done with products from the good folks at Ikea (Pronomen beech wood countertop material and Effektiv cabinets and doors) . . .

Also kicked off some painting projects - kid's rooms first, here's Addison's new paint job . . .

Alex's room is in progress - more to follow when done . . . oh, and our new starburst clock, and contemporary twist on a modern classic . . .

getting set up and grass

2008-01-06T22:21:00.000-06:00

We're slowly getting everything where we want it and had a BUNCH of Zorro Zoysia sod installed late in the week. Here are a few pix . . .

Front left . . .

Front right . . .

Back . . .

Livingroom . . .

from the other side . . .

diningroom - I love the Blu Dot "Sprout Table" we got from IF+D - THANKS KRISTEN!! . . .

Downstairs gameroom entrance . . .

looking out the windows of gameroom onto the deck and back yard . . .

first xmas

2007-12-25T11:07:00.000-06:00

For our family around the Country, here are some shots of our first xmas in the new house. Thanks to all you all for the wonderful presents and warm wishes. We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The traditional Christmas Eve presents (pajamas of course) . . .

Alex reading Twas the Night Before Christmas (A Goblin's Tale) to me and Addison (and Samantha) . . .

Christmas morning highlights . . .

Alex talking to Aunt Carol (in Maryland) . . .

Addison, our budding Chemist . . .

We're in!!

2007-12-23T17:57:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a long haul, but we closed on December 14th and moved on December 17th. It's amazing that we've been unpacking for a week and we still have SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to do before the house is "company" worthy . . . oh well, it's great to be in! Here are a few pix for your entertainment . . .

Livingroom (w/ kids watching TV . . . they've been doing a lot of that lately while we unpack!) . . .

Our new pool table (w/ dining table top on for now) . . .

Pool table (and Alex) without table top . . .

Here's a shot of the loft with RED ceilings!!! Sliding doors have been frosted too - very cool at night!

Master Bed - more RED on the ceiling!

Here's our chem top coffee table from my mom and dad with it's new stainless hairpin legs from Ian at hairpinlegs.com - very nice work!!!

Counter height barstools (from Ikea - the price is right and design fitting too) . . .

from the front of the house looking east - moonrise . . .

from the back of the house looking west - sunset - LOVE this house!!!

interior shots

2007-12-11T22:00:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted any interior shots for a while, so here are a few . . .

Living room into dining . . .

Screened porch off living (plexi and screen inserts have now been installed in the cedar framing) . . .

Loft area into master bedroom . . .

Master bedroom . . .

Stairs heading down from loft/master . . .

same stairs from underneath . . .

North side or house/yard - haven't shown this lately either . . .

Closing this Thursday!

2007-12-09T21:14:00.000-06:00

Yup, finally here! Our closing is scheduled for Thursday morning at 10 AM . . . all body parts are crossed for smooth sailing! A few things will be finished outside after close, but we are READY to get in and completely trust that the agave gang will take care of us.

No good pix, but here are a couple low quality shots from this morning . . .

All cedar has been stained and a little landscaping going in . . .

A shot from the back corner (southwest) looking northeast - fence posts are in and fencing material has been delivered. you can also see some metal edging that will help define the grass (zorro zoysia) areas vs gravel vs patio vs the back native grasses/wildflower area . . .

exterior shots

2007-12-02T15:37:00.000-06:00

The house was all locked up today (I guess that means we're really getting closer to moving!!!), so here are some outside shots, enjoy . . .

Front . . .

New Palm Tree . . .

From the front yard/courtyard area . . .

Enrty sidewalk . . .

Looking back at cul de sac and neighbor's homes . . .

South side of home . . .

Back of home - sod to be installed tomorrow (I think) . . .

New Italian Cyress trees on North side of home (and our tankless water heater in the back corner behind AC units) . . .

looking good for an on time close . . .

2007-12-01T11:49:00.000-06:00

While there's still a million little things to do, at least they're little. We hope to close the week of Decmeber 10th. Here are some pix of recent progress . . .

Front - notice a new palm tree off to the left

Landscaping begins - metal edging is in to separate grass and pea-gravel areas, a few trees have been planted and sod to come early next week.

Appliances have ben delivered and installed - LOVE the Jenn-Air product line and our 36" gas range!

Closet doors and Barndoor sliders have been installed - glass inserts have yet to be frosted, but that's happening soon too.

floors, cedar framing . . .

2007-11-24T11:00:00.000-06:00

These pix are a few days old, not sure if the crew continued working over the raining, cold Thanksgiving weekend here in Austin. The bamboo floors on the main level are done (minus a few details) and the cedar framing for the screened porch is done as well. BTW, the ply panels are all being replaced with Plexiglas inserts, but we're trying to get past first round of COA inspections. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

This is looking from the front door toward the back of the house into the kitchen/dining area . . .

The Powder Room of the entry hall . . .

The main living space (sorry for the bad exposure) . . .

Cedar Framing for screened porch is in place (again, lower ply panels will be Plexiglas inserts).

lightning fast . . .

2007-11-18T13:30:00.000-06:00

The agave team is hitting on all cylinders now, props to Nelson, Denny and Bryan! Lots of stuff got done this week and additional good stuff in the works for next week! Here are a bunch of pix . . .

Front shots (check new front walls and paint in carport) . . .

Plumbing rough is in . . .

Bamboo flooring is awaiting install . . .

Spiral Stair case is in . . .

Back lot grading is done and has resulted in a nice, usable back yard area (saving every penny for landscaping projects after close!) . . .

Gramma Emi makes an appearance in this shot . . .

back . . .

2007-11-13T21:24:00.000-06:00

Just a quick shot of the back of the house - scaffolding has been removed and they're starting to clean up the lot. Things are moving REALLY fast and that is AWESOME!

cmu walls, more paint, railings, counter tops, etc . . .

2007-11-11T21:55:00.001-06:00

more great stuff going on, I can't keep up! Here are a few shots . . .

You can see the cmu wall going up on left, carport stucco work is just about done and most of it is painted, and a few more metalwork details in the carport have been taken care of as well.

All counters have been installed throughout - here's the kitchen (and Alexandra)

The paralam wood stair treads were removed from the I-beam and stained - they look VERY cool!

All interior metal work has been installed and painted, here's the stair railings - plexiglass inserts still to come . . .

crusin' . . .

2007-11-04T19:58:00.000-06:00

LOTS and LOTS of progress in the past week, too much to list really, so here are a few pix of some of the stuff . . .

All lights and ceiling fans are installed . . .

(master closet doors and barndoor sliders can be seen leaning against the far wall too)

Railing inside and out has almost been completely installed . . .

Tile work has begun in bathrooms . . .

deck framing and stucco work continues to move ahead . . .

All HVAC and AC units have been installed and one day during a drive by, I saw working lights and ceiling fans moving . . .

And a hint of what is soon to be a daily event . . . the sunsets . . .

more good progress . . .

2007-10-28T20:21:00.000-05:00

There was a brief lull at the beginning of the week, but LOTS happened at the end of the week!

Concrete has been poured for driveway, entry walk, and footers for entry wall that will provide a little privacy for a nice front courtyard. The drive entry had to be moved left and reduced to a one car wide width due to the drainage inlet off to the right . . .

This is from the carport looking back toward the cul de sac . . . it's lots of concrete, but will be great for off street parking during social gatherings and a great place for the kids to ride bikes, etc . . .

You can see the footers for the angled wall, that will be 3' tall and covered in stucco to match the house . . .

Interior paint has been applied -
Here's the livingroom/kitchen/dining room . . .

The kitchen/dining room - and nice view . . .

The master closet (minus the sliding doors)

Downstairs looking back the hall toward the bathroom, laundry room and Addison's room and up the stairs to the living room . . .

Some more detail has been taken care of on the rear of the house too - the horizontal beams across the left side of the house have been widened a bit to better match the width of the support under the deck . . .

a few more details . . .

2007-10-21T19:07:00.000-05:00

trim guys are working on, you guessed it, trim, the masonary guys have pretty much finished the CMU walls iin the carport, and the paralam stair treads are in place. Cabinets are almost done, should be finished tomorrow (Monday). Here are a few more pix . . .

Front . . .

Masterbath vanities . . .

Stairs . . .

quick update . . . cabinets, cmu block wall

2007-10-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

Masonry guys have been working on the cmu wall for the carport - this will be finished w/ stucco after it's all done (can also see the beginnings of the forms for the driveway and our neighbor's agave plant) . . .

Cabinet guys have also been hard at work assembling and installing the Ikea cabinets, they should finish up Friday . . .

moving forward . . .

2007-10-16T17:17:00.000-05:00

Tape, mud and texture are all done (what a difference that process makes!!!! . . . not that you can tell from my phone cam pix), kitchen cabinets arrived and are being installed, CMU block walls in carport are going up and signs of continued exterior stucco work are visable. Not many pics for now, but will get some shots later in the week . . .

Kitchen . . .

Living Room . . .

sheetrock is complete, still need to mud and tape . . .

2007-10-07T17:44:00.001-05:00

Sheetrock guys finished hanging everything on Friday and cleaned up a bit. Should see some mud and taping happening this week . . .

Enrty way . . .

From dining back toward entry . . .

From livingroom toward entry/stairway . . .

View up stairway to loft/master suite . . .

View from loft into master bath (Karen's vanity will be on left of "potty" room) . . .

Another angle into masterbath looking at our gaint shower (my vanity will be to the left of shower -- the HVAC door is on the far right) . . .

From Master Bed into loft area . . .

Drywall, retaining wall, metal

2007-10-04T17:55:00.001-05:00

Things continue to progress, here are some low quality pics of the progress . . .

Drywall and metal railing . . .

Downstairs . . .
hallway leading to Launry and Addison's room . . .

hallway looking onto Gameroom . . .

Main floor . . .
looking from livingroom toward kitchen/dining . . .

looking from kitchen toward livingroom . . .

Kitchen

Retaining Wall . . .

final details before sheetrock . . .

2007-09-30T14:35:00.000-05:00

a few interior details have been fixed and finalized and sheetrock has been delivered!

This will be our master closet, complete with laundry chute to ground floor . . .

Addison, modeling the lower portion of the chute . . .

Sheetrock stacked (as it is in virtually every other room of the house) . . .

insulation . . .

2007-09-23T10:37:00.001-05:00

The house has passed the first round of inspections with round 2 coming this week. Not much has changed outside, but quite a bit going on inside. With a little luck, we may have sheetrock by the end of the month. Pix below . . .

Front . . .

Livingroom . . .

Better pic of dining windows . . .

Upstairs Loft (study/office) . . .

flyin' along . . .

2007-09-16T12:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I am happy to say that things are going great at agave now. The pace across the neighborhood picked up a couple months ago and now that same fast pace has been applied to our house - YEAH!!!!! Lots of little interior things were taken care of before the glass arrived and now lots of great exterior things are happenin' too. Windows were installed late in the week, the stucco continues to go on and get painted, the metal roofing and siding has been applied, the ribbon overhangs on the west side of the house have been started, soffits on decks, and carport are in, etc, etc, etc. Pix below . . .

Front . . .

Metal Siding . . .

Metal Siding Close up . . .

South Side . . .

New game room windows . . .

New dining room windows . . .

New master bedroom windows . . .

"Ribbon" overhangs (I think they need to be a little taller and align with deck)

quick update . . .

2007-09-13T08:08:00.000-05:00

The new windows have arrived and are being installed and the painters are applying paint to the stucco that has been finished to date. We have a framing walk tomorrow morning to look for any last minute details before going to sheetrock. Here are couple low quality pix (camera phone) . . .

One section of the new windows is leaning up against our old windows, the new windows will be 4" off the ground and extend up to the ceiling. The bottom portion of one section will open horizontally to allow air flow.

Hard to really tell what the color is and the paint is still wet in this shot as the second coat was just applied (FYI, it's Kelly-Moore Lemongrass #213).

baby steps . . . (hmmmm, I think I've used this title before)

2007-09-09T10:18:00.000-05:00

STILL waiting on the correct windows to arrive, therefore things are STILL moving slowly. The Stucco guys have applied another coat or two and some minor framing changes have been made to the interior of the house.

Just cause this is more interesting, here's Addison obviously enthralled with the action of UT beating TCU last night . . .

And now on to the house . . .

The stucco looks very nice I think . . . of course the contrast of the beautiful blue sky helps . . .

Alex's bedroom door was moved to the left, which will allow us to put the piano in the corner, to the right . . .

The Gameroom closet was reduced in size, to allow for the 5' wide, custom sliding door and it also makes the room function better for all we want to put in there . . . although I do worry about taking away storage space . . .

finally, more progress . . .

2007-09-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

things have stalled as we wait for the correct windows to come in. The stucco guys have begun work on the outside and there are signs of updates and renewed progress on the interior as well.

Here are some pix . . .

Front . . .

Top Floor . . .

North Side . . .

Sliders installed leading to what will be a screened porch/deck . . .

nothing signicant going on with the house, so . . .

2007-08-11T18:20:00.000-05:00

I'm passing on a link to a locally owned (and internet sales) place that has VERY cool furniture featuring "Blu Dot" items (as well as lots of others) and some very hip, eco-friendly flooring made in Germany. The Owner, Kristen Bolling, is a friend (our kids played together at Shipe Park on 45th St years ago) and she's trying to compete against the likes of DWR around the corner and Nest Modern a few blocks away. So if you're in the market for awesome furniture, knick-knacks, or nice flooring, check out IF+D.

Here the web address to her shop and there a link to the left in the furniture link section :
http://www.ifdaustin.com

Here's a sample of their flooring in a local hip redo by Michael Parkes . . .

Here's our front runner for dining and counter stools (from Blue Dot) available at IF+D . . .

a couple exciting details . . .

2007-07-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, there's a similar version of our floor plan (the 2003/sf Studio Momentum design) being built down the hill from us that is much further a long than ours and the builders recently installed the "pipe curtain wall" next to their stairs. I was very curious as to how this was going to look and think the (almost) final product is awesome!!

Here are a couple pix . . .

We also found out recently that the types of windows currently installed on the west side of our house will be replaced with versions that look more like the ones in the same house mentioned above - we're also VERY happy about this!

Current windows . . .

The new windows will look a little more like this . . .

The elecrticians are scheduled to come in tomorrow (Monday) and start their part of the build . . . things are moving right along!!!!

progress, but not very obvious from the outside . . .

2007-07-24T21:27:00.000-05:00

Well, we've been on the road for the past 3 weeks and made it back out to the house this evening. While there's been progress on the inside, not much has changed on the outside. Here are some pix (nevermind the cute kids you see every once in a while) . . .

front view . . . fascia and eves have been painted and I like our choices so far! The gray metal roofing has also been installed on the 3rd story roof (but you can really only see this when onboard on of the SWA 737s approaching ABIA)

HVAC guys have been hard at work . . . looks as though most duct work is complete throughout the house.

The welders have returned and have the fabricated the stairway to the master suite (the treads will be fiber glue-lam material when all is said and done - just scrap wood in place for now).

another angle . . .

Here's a shot from the 3rd floor master loft/dressing area into the bedroom . . .

and another shot form the master bedroom looking through the loft/dressing area into the giant master bathroom (I'll get better pix later, the shower is gigantic!) . . . again, nevermind the kids, this may be the last time they're allowed to go up there!

the plumbers have been onsite too . . . I think the tub is only in the living room temporarily (I sure hope so anyway) . . .

ahhh, the wood . . .

2007-07-03T13:09:00.000-05:00

We now have our cedar wood siding installed. We're heading out of town for a few weeks so here are some pics from a variety of angles as the house is right now - I hope to see some substantial changes when we return on July 23rd.

almost framed . . .

2007-06-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

The framing stage is almost complete and they've wrapped the house. Windows are starting to go in the roof is on!

windows, wrapping, siding, decking . . .

2007-06-23T18:38:00.000-05:00

Things are movin' along, the house is being sheeted w/ plywood and Tyvek, windows are starting to go in, the cedar siding has been delivered and they added rough decking off the living room.

Tyvek and windows . . .

Cedar siding which will go on the left side of the house (the right will be stucco) . . .

Our future upstairs, screened porch now has decking . . .

steady progress and some google sketch-up fun . . .

2007-06-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

While not at blazing speed, work continues to progress. The kids and I walked the site and enjoyed seeing what's been happening.

Front view - the roof to the carport begins to take shape . . .

I jumped on the Google Sketch-Up band wagon a while ago - and created a very general idea of our house and color scheme . . .

Footer for the retaining wall outside Addison's room was poured . . .

Here's the view from the gameroom - the missing wall will consist of a 6x8 sliding glass door on the left and and floor to ceiling storefront glass on the right with a trex deck on the outside of all the pretty glass.

Doorway to Alex's room . . .

Doorway to Addison's room . . .

more trusses . . .

2007-06-11T08:29:00.000-05:00

The ceiling trusses for the living room are going on . . .

Got a new camera and was playing with iphoto . . . here's our skyline view . . .

lots of work today . . .

2007-06-05T21:40:00.001-05:00

The framing guys were out working til after 7:30 tonight, it's really starting to look like a house. Here are some shots from the road below the house looking east . . .

a little more progress . . .

2007-06-03T09:32:00.000-05:00

After a bit of a delay, due to being shorted 1 floor truss, action has picked up again. Some of the door openings have been adjusted and the framers have begun the 3rd story (the master suite). I can't wait to get up there and check out the awesome views.

Also, the plumbers have been out to run and tie in water/sewer lines and the concrete crew has been out setting forms for our South retaining wall.

pause in the action . . .

2007-05-30T22:32:00.000-05:00

Well, the framing frenzy has slowed as they needed to catch a couple updates in the framing plan. Glad they're taking care of this now rather then getting further down the road before noticing. Here are a few random pix . . .

The first glimps of our view from the kitchen/dining room . . .

A couple sliders are going to be slightly larger than what the framers thought - all sliders will be 6' wide and 8' tall . . .

movin' on up . . .

2007-05-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

Despite the rain, the framing crew is makin' very good progress!!! It's been so muddy, I have yet to venture down the hill and inside the house (wow, I just called it a house . . . cool!). Here are a few pix . . .

Bottom floor is complete . . .

hints of the middle floor walls before the heavy rains halted work on Friday afternoon . . .

The guys have been workin' all day Saturday and are making their way to the third floor . . .

We're being framed . . .

2007-05-24T20:45:00.000-05:00

Yes Ladies and Gentleman, the framing has begun . . .

site clean up . . .

2007-05-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

a little Bobcat was out today cleaning up around our new foundation . . .

more wood and foundation forms removed . . .

2007-05-18T08:19:00.000-05:00

here are a few more pics . . . seems as though framing should begin any day . . .

we have a foundation!

2007-05-16T17:35:00.000-05:00

Yes, believe it or not, 1 year, 1 month, and 10 days after signing our contract to purchase a house in agave, we have a foundation. I certainly hope the management changes that have recently taken place within Vincinia Inc. have a remarkable effect on the progress from here forward.

Here are some pics of the pour . . .

no concrete, but we have wood . . .

2007-05-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

The trusses have arrived . . .

almost there . . .

2007-05-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

Forms are set, rebar is in, pre-pour inspection is scheduled for today, concrete should arrive later this week and the foundation will FINALLY be complete! While I know the completion date is still a LONG way in the future, I am looking forward to the framing stage as that always goes very fast (compared to the rest of the process anyway).

baby steps . . .

2007-04-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

A little more progress toward completion of the upper slab (carport/entry). we're waiting for steel reinforcement, inspections, and another concrete pour. James said he hopes this will all happen this coming week . . . fingers are crossed!

Here are some more pics . . .

Front (east)

North Side

South Side

Back (West)

More Forms and choices have been made (mostly) . . .

2007-04-19T16:21:00.000-05:00

Progress continues on the forms and we had a good meeting with Julie to select (or reselect in some cases) our finish out material. The process was fun and kind of overwhelming - especially the exterior choices. I hope we made good decisions!

Are are some pics of the new forms - this will be our entry walk and carport slab . . .

Signs of more progress . . .

2007-04-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

After a couple weeks of little activity, forms are being set for the 3rd and final phase of the foundation. Karen and I meet with Julie to make cabinet, floor and exterior color choices tomorrow morning.

Giant Wall . . .

2007-03-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

The have poured the back wall of the house and polished the concrete floor. Next, they'll seal (waterproof) the wall then set forms for the carport portion of the house. Here are some pix . . .

We Have Concrete!

2007-03-13T09:43:00.000-05:00

Got an email from James (our building super) saying the 1st stage of foundation pour is scheduled for 7 AM today (Tuesday), we arrived about 7:30 and and they were well under way! Here are a few pix of the progress!

"Oh what a beautiful morning . . ."

60 yards (tons) of concrete later . . . smooth as glass . . .

STEEL

2007-03-04T17:06:00.000-06:00

Well, after a brief (relative) delay, the steel crew showed up and has installed the rebar inside the foundation forms and the electric guys have put up the temporary electric box. Here are a few pictures (sorry for the crappy quality) . . .

pipes and plastic . . .

2007-02-19T19:44:00.000-06:00

Foundation is blocked and covered with plastic, water lines are run, and the back (west) end of the foundation forms are set. Here are pix from this afternoon . . .

lookin' good

2007-02-18T16:05:00.000-06:00

With luck, maybe we'll see some concrete in the next week or so . . .

Guess we should make sure the kids arn't playing in there when they start pouring . . .

moving along - we have some plumbing . . .

2007-02-13T21:46:00.000-06:00

plumbing is going in . . .

Ahhh, the views will be awesome!!

more forms in place . . .

2007-02-08T21:27:00.000-06:00

Starting to look like there might be a foundation in the near future. The entire foundation will be poured in 3 stages and should take about 6 weeks to complete. Here are more pics . . .

. . . and so it begins

2007-02-06T19:08:00.000-06:00

Mark your calendars, February 6th - the forms are being set and a closing date of June 15 had been proposed (those guys are so funny!). Here are some pics . . .

Nothing is Happening!

2007-01-31T19:01:00.000-06:00

There are NO signs of our house being started.

Another contractor bites the dust . . .

2007-01-06T12:09:00.000-06:00

Well, we just received an update from James, our builder, reporting that Agave currently has no foundation contractor on the books. This is particularly frustrating since it appears that they're ready to set forms and pour our foundation! Murphy's law is alive and well in our build process!

We have received no communication as to when this situation will be rectified.

Broken Ground . . .

2006-12-29T16:08:00.000-06:00

We have a hole in the ground - YEAH! The initial dig and leveling was done and now we're waiting on a re-survey so forms can be set for the foundation. The foundation pour will happen in 3 stages although, I'm not exactly sure what each stage consists of. Here are the pic of recent activity . . .

Good Meeting!

2006-11-21T19:08:00.000-06:00

Our meeting with Adam (agave building supervisor) and James (head builder for our house) was good. It was great to walk the lot knowing where the foundation would be and get a true sense of the location of the house . . . the views will be terrific!

While I am confident there will be "issues" to solve between now and closing, I also feel better now about the future of our house and Agave as a quality housing development than ever before. I've always known it was a GREAT concept, I now have hope that the building execution will also be of the highest quality . . . that is in context of the price point of these houses.

Ground breaking should take place early next week (hmmm, I think I've typed that before) as long as all crew members return from the holidays on time. As soon as that happens, count on more regular updates and pictures galore!

Survey stakes, we have survey stakes!!!!!

2006-11-19T16:18:00.000-06:00

Yes ladies and gentleman, the first physical sign of our house now exist on our lot! We have a meeting with our new builder on Tuesday afternoon to go over plan details - can't wait!!!!

I'll update again after the meeting.

Meeting results . . . remember, low expectations . . .

2006-10-17T15:39:00.000-05:00

Went over a bunch details with Chris today - he was very accommodating and I believe understands our design wishes very well.

Met with Adam briefly and he was pretty straight forward regarding when our house MIGHT be started -- November 6th is his best guess -- and MIGHT be finished -- best case April, worst case June . . . assuming a November start date. WOOF, this is a long way past the original close date of September 15. BTW, we signed our contract on March 25, 2006.

Nope, noting this week . . .

2006-10-15T11:22:00.000-05:00

We have a meeting with Chris, plan supervisor, and Adam, construction supervisor, to go over construction details on Tuesday. We are hoping to get some reliable information then.

If nothing else, this process is teaching me to set my expectation VERY low in hopes of being pleasantly surprised (this is a hard concept for me to grasp)!

More after Tuesday's meeting . . .