Relocating to Puna II

[pslamont]

Hey Dave..... what is it with subcontractors? It's not like they don't LIVE HERE and know about the rain... sheesh.

As for my own subs... I am happy to say ther drywaller has stepped up to the plate. The drywall is all hung, the taping si done and mudding gets a second round tomorrow. yay..... Things are looking great.

Many thanks to Nancy and John Fryhover.. They came up to th ranch today. Nancy helped me wash some slate tiles and John, bless his heart, while gathering some soil for his own gargen did a ton of earthmoving for me to help out with drainage. Just another new Punatic family jumpig into the fray.... we are all reaching out and helping one another and I am proud to be one of ya!

Aloha, Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[pslamont]

Gosh, a week has gone by and it's seems I only blinked my eyes. Cleaning and sealing tiles if my focus but life keeps getting in the way. I managed to drive to Kona and back yesterday. Scounted refrigerators... Lowes has a very generous supply on hand. Stoves are another matter; I will need to order a gas stove. Managed to buy my Fisher/Paykel two drawer dishwasher. Lowes had them in stock and that was a major surprise. Home Depot was slim pickings with nothing special and Costco is extremely limited in selection on appliances as well.

Great neighbor is letting me store appliances in his barn to keep them out of weather and damage as the constructio project; thank you Patrick and Sheryl. Thank goodness the orchard pretty much takes care of itself these days and no winter crop was planted in the garden. No time for all that.... just tile, tile tile.

Hubby will be joining me in a couple of weeks now for the month of February. He has NOT idea hw much work we have in store for him.

It is, however, Sunday morning and I am totally beat. Back to nap for a litle bit then off to work for me. Hope to see you all soon for the first East Side Bash on the 11th...

Pam



Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[pslamont]

Another week gone.. here it is Friday already. Did a lot of tile/slate this week, and can see the bottom of the pile... OOPS... they delivered five more pallets. Holly Molly... do I have my work cut out for me!

The crew is workig hard. Drywallers finally finished but I am sad to say did not do the best job. Two of my guys put in an entire day fixing bad spots, completing missed areas and then cleaning up the disasterous mess left behind. We will be billing the drywall company for their time and materials (thank goodness!!). It's easy to do when you haven't paid yet... we will deduct it.

The crew will be back for a bit tomorrow/Saturday to prepare for the Painters, who will be here Sunday to begin interior painting. I finally picked out a tannish color called Safari Bisque (you know... one of those whites that isn't white) and am using a very white white trim with it. My decorator friend says it is not only the new trend for upscale housing but will go well with my few furnishings and taste in decor.

I also worked out a mosaic design with my tile guy for the front entry floor. Budget is tight but Hubby will be here in 10 days and then he can help work on tile so it should all be good.

The water tank was delivered FINALLY. Only about 6 weeks late... so what else is new huh? At least it is here. Now all we have to do is assemble it, finish the gutter downspouts, hook it all up, eeekkkk.

Oh, this rain has made the new/temporary pigpen into a total... well... pigpen! They have dug up the ground well, whichis the plan as we will be planting bananas in there. I am very fortunate a couple of my guys finally got the cement slab poured for the new/permanent pigpen. Tomorrow we will begin mounting the 4x4 posts and stringing the fence. I hope to have them in by Monday. Wish us luck!

In the meantime, it is wash slate, dry slate, seal slate, dry slate, seal slate again, dry slate againk stack slate... wheeeee. Still, things are really coming together now. I am most excited. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

You are all invited, of course to our first annual punatic bash on Feb 11th.... check the Punaweb parties thread for updated information.

Aloha and mahalo... Pam



Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[pslamont]

Just a little note, really. NANCY FRYHOVER came through AGAIN and spent a day erranding and preparing slate with me. What a woman! Today the painters came in and primed the entire inside of the house. They finished by noonish and packed up, saying they would return Tuesday to continue. It took my breath away when I went in later in the afternoon to look around. It's really going to be my home! For the first time I could really feel it. Life is good!

Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[pslamont]

Oh, My Gosh! It is unbelievable. The interior is painted a nice safari bisque and it worked!! The kitchen has the cabinets nearly all installed. Whoa.... it looks like a home in the making instead of just a construction project. My goodness. It means I am on tiles again today for as long as I can stand it.... and Hubby arrives from California tomorrow so we will be in slate prep together most all week.

I managed to get to Kona yesterday and pick out a cool kitchen sink. Boght the faucett at Costco and am quite pleased. Also found a GREAT pedistal sink for the guest bath at Lowes; was SHOCKED at the low price. Very cool indeed.

We have finally gotten the new pigpen with the cement floor built. There is LOTS of cleanup around it to do but it's getting there. The pigs were out last night and arrived at the cabin this morning with a wild boar in tow... ew. Managed to get two of them into the new pen (first time). Third is resistant, so I left her out. Can hear good old Gumbo barking his head off at her but I am not heading back out in mud right now. L A Z Y I am. My caretaker Billy is NOT taking care of things. Looks like I am in the market for a new Cabanaboy......

We have two baby pigs now so they are in the original old pigpen. They have been getting warm barley or oatmeal on cold mornings. Thankfully today is sunny and my work is reduced. Chickens are definitely laying eggs... if I could keep the dog Nikki away from them we would have more baby chicks but as the chickens are freerange that isn't likely... she is such a brat.

Hope you are all looking at the party in puna thread... we are having the bash the 11th of Feb here at my place. Email me if you are coming. It's Pot Luck. I will post a list with who's bringing what next week.

pslamont@yahoo.com
18-4160 N. Glenwood Rd.

ALOHA!!



Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[pslamont]

It's officially February. I can hardly believe how long we have been at this.... and can hardly believe how quickly things are coming together now.

Slate Tile floors have started going in. They are going to be just as wonderful as I had planned. It is very hard work as the slate is extremely labor intensive but once in it will last a lifetime so is well worth it.

The Husband is here... and he sure is being put to work. Out of shape, old, grumpy... and he is still hanging in there like a champ. Our tile guy decided he is better help on his feet than his knees, so he is learning to use a tile saw. :0

We head to Kona later in the day today for Ali's Houseblessing and a Major Shopping Spree at Lowes. Need to pick out final wood for the bedrdooms, knobs, handles, accessorits, mirrors and goodness knows what else is on that list... oh, yeah a Refrigerator!

The end is in sight. I am dreaming of waking up in my HOME instead of the little cabin. Can hardly wait.

It's the week hours so even though there are plenty of stories to tell, it's just too difficult to think of them now. The rain is falling lightly. The birds and animals of the jungle are very quiet and all is well with the worls.

Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[pslamont]

Shopping was a little too successful! We now own a refrigerator that, for the price, had better give dance lessons on the side! We got the 7 fans we needed (no typo... really seven) and a slew of other stuff too.

For days the guys have been working like mad. We are bringing on several extra laborers for a few days to get the grout done. Might as well not burn out all the regular guys on this thankless task, now that Hubby has admitted he is no longer any good on his knees.

It is still looking just wonderful. Mella has stopped by and seems to like it. Those who have seen photos seem to like it. NOW if you come to the punatic party this Saturday, you can make up your own mind. It certainly won't be finished but will be tourable if we are on our best behavior.

The baby pigs are happy and doing well. The three older pigs are just about ready to be groceries; just waiting to install my freezer to have a place to put all that fine pork!

The orchard is holding its own, which it good, because I have neglected it totally for months now. Fortunately, once well established, they pretty much take care of themselves from day to day as long as I keep up the seasonal fertilizing program. Chickens are growing; the babies are now called pullets I guess; teenagers that eat and grow every day!

All is well here on the Ranch. It has a feeling like the end of the tunnel is near, and it is a good feeling. Certainly not everything will be done on the house. We have had to make sacrifices and adjustments because of budget and cost issues but it's all good. After a lot of frogs, I have some real princes working for me and they are doing a fine job.



Pam



Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[David D]

Hi Pam,
A question for you: where did you get your slate tile?

Thanks,
David D

[pslamont]

Hey Dave. Believe it or notk we got it via Home Depot. They had to order a LOT more then they usually carry as we absorbed nine pallets. There is another was to get slate as well. Look at: http://www.builddirect.com/Slate-Tile.aspx

Depends on your timing and volume. We could have done it but didn't....

Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[pslamont]

Holly Molly Batman~~~ There is Power to the house! The electricians are finishing up today and we have lights, we have fans, we have POWER... wooo hooooooo.

Things are moving VERY fast every day now. Grouting is happening quickly and I imagine we will be done by Friday night with that (except the fireplace, which we are definitely holding off on till we are finaled). Stairs are going in from the garage/carport today. A ton of finish and trim issues so the painters can come finish. Picked out Pergo (ewwww) finally, giving up on my beautiful hardwood because of mositure problems up here. I expect we can get those floors in this next week. Should go fast. Pergo at Lowes in Kona was 20% off. The higher end product with the foam backing attached to each plank instead of layijng foam down seprately is a great deal; the price was actually better that way. Saves lots of hours on install too.

As soon as we get that water tank up we should have plumbers in. Then we will be up and running. Very exciting. Am still hoping to move in within two weeks but we will see.

Aloha....Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!