Countertop Signoff

Field trip day! Drew, Fred, Cathy, and I drove up to Concreteworks this morning to check out our kitchen and bathroom countertops. Drew has taken to doing this in order to catch major mistakes (worst case) and to find minor touchups (best case) before the tops are delivered to the jobsite.

Fortunately for us, it was the latter - the tops look freakin' awesome - they came out great. There were just a few minor rough edges to polish before they are delivered (drum roll...) TOMORROW!

Here are some of the many pieces of the kitchen countertop puzzle:



Note that they sectioned it through the sink in order to make it more transportable and reduce the risk of busting it. There's a separate section that goes in front of sink to finish it.

Here's the espresso bar area, with the small bar sink:



And here are Drew, Fred, Cathy, and Alexis discussing the finer points of concrete casting. Alexis is one of the owners and head designers of Concreteworks - she seemed really cool and was clearly happy with the way the tops turned out.



Closeup of the "Rice Hull" concrete in the kitchen - it looks really great - a very unique, rich, interesting surface:




And here is the master bath dual sink vanity top with the sloped, slot-drain sinks:





These are made from white concrete with some small flecks and mica:



And here's a gratuituous shot of a cool silica sand formation out in the back of the Concreteworks shop:



Speaking of concrete, the stucco crew was back again today working on the front and north side of the house. I think they are down to the two second-floor rake walls, so they should be done tomorrow.

Mud:



Fresh front walls, more stucco mix delivery:



The crew seems really conscientious, and it shows - the finish is really nice. It has a good amount of "hard troweling" detail that gives it a nice visual texture - much nicer than if it were all just plain and uniform all over.



So, tomorrow should be a big day with the start of the countertop installation.

The painters are still at it inside as well.

Believe it or not (we are having trouble), the appliances are supposed to be delivered on June 1 - like 1 week away. That's the start of the final trim-out of the electrical and plumbing...yikes.