Tigers Fantasy Camp

We spent the weekend in Detroit where Brad participated in the Detroit Tigers Fantasy Baseball Camp at Comerica Park. He got a full uniform, and played 10 games back to back Friday night, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday. We all had a blast watching him in the stands - and it was an amazing experience for us all! Brad pitched several innings and played 1st base, 2nd base, and all outfield positions. Here's a picture I took of him in his Detroit Tigers uniform.

Stay tuned for more pictures and videos.

Before and After

I thought it would be cool to put the Before and After pics right next to each other. Here they are!

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Final Pictures

The project is now about 98% done and only a few minor details are left. We enjoyed our pool all weekend long and look forward to the rest of the summer and early fall to swim in our pool and party on our patio! Here are some pictures of the "final" product.

Fireplace Complete!

After three long weeks, the fireplace was finally finished this week. It looks so good! I'll take more pictures during the day, but here's an updated picture of the finished fireplace. We burned our first fire this evening. :)

Landscaping Complete!

Well, July 4th rolled around and we didn't quite get it all done. The pool was full of water...but no chemicals. However, this did allow us to swim in it that day...and that weekend too. Now, it's a little dirty and they have added the acid and will be balancing the water tonight in order to get the chemicals up and running tomorrow.

Here are some pics of the landscaping and the pool in use!

Oh...and we think Callie likes our backyard, too!

Pool filled and fireplace hearth done

The pool filled in about 18-20 hours. Also, the hearth was completed on the same day. It looks great! Take a look...

The Plaster Process

So...it's been a while since we posted. We were really hoping to let everyone see it in its completed form before seeing pictures, so I have some back blogging to do. Here are some pictures of the plaster just after it was added.

I THINK the fireplace is almost done

We had a crew of 4 masons working on the fireplace yesterday. They made some great progress, but they're still not done. They said they'd be done today, Sunday, but still have to cut out the hole in the roof, go up another 3-4 feet for the chimney with cinder blocks, cover the chimney with stone, put the flagstone in the tv area, build the mantle, add the bricks inside the fireplace...and that's all I can think of. That seems like a lot to do in a day.

But here are some pictures of the progress.

And the fireplace is still growing

It was a pretty quiet day, after the major rain storm last night - not good when electrical wires are exposed and the covered patio isn't quite so covered...anyway, Humberto came back out BY HIMSELF again today and made some significant progress on the fireplace. It looks great! Now, if he can just bring some buddies with him to help -- let's hope there are more masons tomorrow. But nevertheless, he's doing a great job!

By the way, where is the inspector???

Electrical and Some Fireplace Progress

I'm a little late...but the electricians came out on Monday to install the can light shells, put in a few outlets, and setup the wiring for the fan and television. Humberto, my new best friend, was also here to work on the fireplace. He's the only mason working on our huge fireplace...I think it will be a while before it's done. Here are some pics from earlier in the week.

Patio is officially covered

Our patio was officially covered today. Here are some progress pictures. The electrician is supposed to show up tomorrow - hopefully in the morning - because the inspection is also scheduled for tomorrow.

Fireplace is Moving on Up

The fireplace/stoneworking crew was out here all day Saturday and made some great progress on the fireplace. While the patio crew didn't show, it allowed the stoneworking crew to have the space they needed to make progress. I'm not sure why the patio crew didn't show up - I'm wondering if they finished what they needed to do on Friday and didn't need Saturday. I guess we'll see come Monday/Tuesday!
Below are some pictures of the fireplace - the cinder blocks are nearly done - they are built up all the way on the back side. Also, the stones were added on most of one side and started on the other. They're supposed to be back out today to "finish" everything. It still seems like a lot of work to be done in a day, but hopefully they can bring out more people to work on it.

Patio Cover Started!

They started building the frame of the patio cover today. Also, we had some delays on the fireplace - I couldn't sleep last night as I kept thinking about the stone selection - I didn't like it. So I went out to 2 stone yards today, picked out a new one, and they delivered it today. It didn't delay it much but I think the crews were too much in one space, so the stone guys left. Hopefully they'll be back tomorrow to finish up the fireplace. The patio guys will be back tomorrow to finish the framework, and inspection is scheduled for next Tuesday. Monday, the electrician is supposed to come run the electrical wires for the fan, lights, tv, and outlets.

Here are some pictures of today's progress:

More Fireplace Progress

They made a little bit more progress on the fireplace today. I know it's a big job, so a little progress is good. They also started to add the stone on one side, so hopefully it turns out nice. They should be able to finish everything sometime on Saturday. Here are a couple of pics.

Fireplace Progress...just the blocks

Here is a picture after yesterday's progress on the fireplace. Not a lot, to be honest...and now, as you can see, it's raining. After 3 straight weeks of hot, dry weather, it starts to rain on the day we're supposed to start the patio cover and get the stone started on the fireplace.

Lumber for Patio Cover Delivered

Today has been somewhat productive...at least the 2nd half of the day has. The lumber for the patio cover construction was just delivered.

Fireplace Stone Delivered

The fireplace stone was just delivered. Here are a couple of pictures.

Fireplace Structure Has Begun

The crew came out and started arranging the cinder blocks today for the base of our stone fireplace. They got a late start, but made some good progress. Here is a pic.

Decking Is Done

The crew came out yesterday and poured the concrete for the decking, including the pebbles. They also poured the concrete foundation for the fireplace and stone post that will support the patio cover. Here are some pictures.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing...

No inspection "green tag" today...so we have yet ANOTHER delay. The steel framers are supposed to come out tomorrow (Saturday) to "fix" what they didn't do right. That said, it sets up an inspection on Monday, and decking poured on Tuesday. We'll see...

It's looking like no July 4th party like I hoped...

Steel Framing for Decking

The steel framing for the decking and stone fireplace was laid last week while I was in Denver. However, it was framed according to plan and we had discussed extending it with Billy. So they came back out today and reframed it. They also had to redig the hole for the fireplace since that wasn't done just right either. So here are some pictures of the progress they made today.





We were hoping the inspector would make it out today to reinspect the framing, but it looks like it will be tomorrow - hopefully first thing. Then, they can pour the decking and fill the fireplace hole with concrete. If this happens, we may actually get started on the patio cover next week!

Stonework

Over the weekend, we had some great progress made on the pool. The boulders were brought in to build the back wall of the pool, the flagstone waterfall was constructed, the coping around the pool was added, and the beach entrance was assembled. It's just about done, but the crew should be back today to finish up the final details on all the tile and stonework. It looks great! Here are some pictures.

(Click the pictures for a larger view.)