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| September 15, 2013 |
Last week we traveled to Mississippi to visit our family there. What a wonderful, albeit, short visit we had. We left after church on Sunday and flew into New Orleans and from there traveled by rental car. I would need the car to go back to New Orleans on Wednesday in order to fly to Dallas for work. Brenda stayed through Friday afternoon and spent some quality time with Mom and Dad.
While we were gone the painters continued staining and preparing the rooms for paint which will begin this week. After the wooden cabinets were put in place the stain was applied and that made them really come to life. The rich brown stain brings out all the beautiful wood grain and fine details. After the nail holes were filled the stain was sealed with two coats of sand-and-seal. Then they were sanded with very fine sandpaper and cleaned. Finally, two coats of clear varnish were added to complete the finish. They have a satin sheen and are very smooth.
In addition to the kitchen cabinets, the entertainment cabinet in the Family Room, the top of each half wall surrounding the Dining Room, the Stairs, and many of the doors were also stained. The stairs have now been covered with paper to protect them for the remainder of the construction period.
Outside the house the tapered columns on the front porch and the Lanai were constructed. They are made of Hardyboard and will be painted the same color as the outside trim (olive drab greenish gray). The steel post which actually supports the roof is hidden within each column.
Some dirt has been scraped away from the foundation behind the house to make way for a stone retaining wall. The concrete footing will be poured and the wall will be constructed from cinderblocks. The blocks will be reinforced with steel and concrete and faced with the same stone we used on the house. Also steps leading down from the Lanai to the backyard will be poured and stamped to match the Lanai and Patio.