Windows and laundry closet

The day starts off a little shaky. While on my way to a dentist appt. at 9:30, I'm calling the contractor because there was no one at the house. I said we needed to know what the schedule was so we could plan our time. Cynthia said they were waiting for Marcos and the counters, but I pointed out that there were several other things to be done that were not related to the counters. She said she would call me right back, and a few minutes later she called to apologize because Mattias was late, and they had assumed he was at the house. He was on his way, and she said that had never happened before so it took them by surprise, too. She promised Ray would come by later and pin down the plan for the rest of the week. She had also called Marcos and said they were waiting on our decision about the edge, so I called him back. They had cut out the piece -- so exciting!

When we were back from the dentist, Mattias was working under the house on venting and plumbing. (When I asked how his weekend was, he revealed that his daughter, 19, had suddenly decided to get married and he went to Reno on Friday to be there. That might explain why he didn't work on Friday and why he was late this morning. Well, what can a parent do? She goes to school, has been living with her boyfriend, and that's what they wanted to do.)

Then he put in the new window, and Ray arrived after lunch.



While we discussed the cabinets, window finsihing, and laundry area, Mattias took out the old window. Ray discussed the stucco with Mattias and they decided that the traditional two-step process was just as practical as the so-called one-step process. I emphasized that the washer and dryer were my priority before the counters arrived, and the stucco could wait. They proposed that Mattias could do the first layer of stucco and then install the washer and dryer while it was drying. Ray also adjusted the hinges on the corner cabinet; they were not the wrong size. Meanwhile, I start painting the fireplace.

We went to Home Depot to get particle board and adhesive tiles for the laundry closet. They cut the board for us and John put the floor down in a snap.



While John worked on the floor, I tested out the oven for the first time to cook some pizzas. After the oven was warming up it occurred to me that I hadn't cleaned it out, and sure enough, there was sawdust and styrofoam inside, because the doors were put after installation. That would have been interesting. Pizza turned out fine, but I have a lot of experimenting to do to learn all the features.

The oven vents warm air below the oven and continues to run until the unit reaches an cools, which is good because the oven is in a wooden box and you don't want it to get hot. I think because the kitchen is so large and open, the warm air will never be a problem, as it might in a smaller enclosed space.