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.