From August 12, 2008

The price from our general contractor, Marty, for electric heat pump is $1600 over the budgeted amount for the HVAC. He suggests that we should hire someone else for the HVAC. We think that he does not want to be responsible for a warranty with us for 10 years.

He has also suggested that we find our own septic system contractor. We have a bid from a local contractor that is less than the budget line we have allotted, but it does not include the tree removal. So depending on THAT cost we may be on budget or over.

We got the shingle samples in the mail from Marty yesterday and they are asphalt, not metal roofing. On 2/27/08 I had gotten a price from Marty on what it would cost to upgrade to metal roofing and was given the figure of $2400. I asked him to add this extra cost to the bid. Now it appears that he did not do this, why he would ignore my request I am uncertain. Maybe he was afraid that we would be too happy at this stage. Also irritating is that about three weeks ago I emailed him with the direct question of whether or not he did indeed include this upgrade in his price and got the reply that he "remembered" the discussion.

So today it appears that we have at least $4000 to pay out of pocket just to get what we thought we had already taken care of in the budget. We still have not heard how much extra our electrical plan will cost. One is certain it will be more than the price we were given. Nor have we gotten fixture prices from the plumber.

I got the exterior doors picked up and delivered to Waverly today. The people who own the storage unit we are renting there very kindly helped me unload them. I could not have managed it alone.

8/11/08 The roof trusses are starting to be installed, giving the house more of a house shape.

Marty told me today that his HVAC suppliers either will not sell an electric furnace or will not back it if they do. I know that electric heat results in higher heating bills but as I do not have gas access on the property I was accepting the higher operating costs. A heat pump does seem to be available, and I like because of the higher efficiency, so I have asked for the cost for this. I assume that a budget overage is coming.

My vanity conversion

This post has nothing to do with Davis Caves, I just liked the conversion.

Converting a dresser into a vanity for the master bath. 5 coats of Marine grade varnish will (hopefully) protect the surface. Drawer cut to accommodate plumbing fixtures.

Composite image of the south side, taken 8/08/08. The roof trusses have finally arrived and are mostly stacked in the kitchen. Can a roof be far behind? You can also see that the stairs are roughed in.

Composite image of the north-west side. Near door is the main entrance, far door is the kitchen.

To compare here is a composite image of the south side taken on 7/30/08.

Pouring floor, 7/09/08
It turns out that Marty Davis of Davis Caves never did pay for this concrete even though we paid him for the materials.