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NEWS - please read! |
NewsWe are spending most of our time working on our house.... until it's done. I have very little, if any, time to make mouthpieces or answer calls or emails.
building a new wall next to the old one, before demolition. July 2006.
We had to separate the two parts of our house before taking down the burned part.
 demolition, August 2006.
 new front wall and yard, September 2006
Note the SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) construction, where I cut the walls and roof.
The entire remaining house is made of those panels.
installing plumbing lines, December 2006
Front porch going on, April 2007
Front porch finally finished, July 2007. I have done a lot of interior work meanwhile. I have not made any mouthpieces since March.
Concrete was poured today, Oct 4, for a new driveway and sidewalk. Ten truckloads of dirt were removed to flatten the front yard and improve drainage... for the third time. The piles of topsoil will be spread next week so we can plant grass. I'm starting to work on the front again. Been waiting all summer for the HVAC and electrician... still waiting. We'll be lucky if we can move back into this house by the end of the year. No mouthpiece work, but at least I have a few gigs.
December 3, 2007: I've done more work inside and outside, but the inside is still just framing. The electrician hasn't started yet. At this point, my best guess is we'll be finished around March 2008.
March 28, 2008: I haven't posted any new pictures because nothing's changed on the outside. The electrician is now about halfway through. We should be able to start soon on the drywall, flooring, finish work. and siding. Once again, I'm guessing about 3 more months of work. At least the weather is warmer now.
And I'm not making mouthpieces yet.
If you're interested in the whole story of our house, with a lot more pictures and some videos, click here
July 31, 2008: In the past four months I've been working on the house every day but it seems like not much has changed. We planted some trees and did some landscaping. I installed all the bathroom ventilation, with special flow dampers so we won't be losing heat in the winter - I discovered that most bathroom fans are pretty much just open to the outside all the time. I installed a central vacuum unit with 2 hose connections on each floor. I built the front and back steps, and finished the front porch.
The great news is we just passed a couple of milestones. Electricity was hooked up about a week ago, and today we passed the major inspection of framing, electrical, and HVAC (heating/ventilation/air conditioning). What can I say, 3 more months of work, again? August should be drywall and siding, September will be painting and flooring, finish trim in October. I think that's realistic... maybe
October 7, 2008: Well that estimate was about as realistic as most of my time estimates... I'm still working on the siding. Check the blog here for all the latest details. No mouthpieces yet.
January 15, 2009: This has dragged on just about forever now, but the end is in sight. Check the blog here for current pictures of our progress. I would like to start taking orders, ESPECIALLY if you are willing to pay in advance - in these last days of finishing the house, I really need some money to keep up with the last-minute big expenses like the floor, tile, countertop, etc, and I should be able to get back in production very soon.
January 29, 2009: Thank you to everyone who has responded with payment in advance! It's helping already. I haven't had time to get back to everyone, since I'm still working on the house. We had a building permit deadline of January 30, but we got our final inspection extended so we have more time to finish. The heating, electrician, and plumber are all finishing their work a little later than expected, and we're still painting, putting in the doors and the floor. And fixing a few things, like the heat vent and light fixture that were covered over with drywall...
March 18, 2009: Not finished yet... still have to finish the flooring, doors, and trim. But I've started making mouthpieces again, because I need to pay my bills. I will be exhibiting at the ETW this weekend with most everything in stock.
April 29, 2009: Having major problems with my lathe - very bad timing for this to happen. It looks like I have to replace the motherboard in the computer, due to the old CMOS battery which had leaked. I was in the middle of making a batch of cups - I finished most of the tenor cups but I hadn't gotten to the bass cups yet. If you're waiting for something, Lexan rims and bass cups will be a while longer. I don't know how long it will take to get the parts and fix this.
And the house is still not finished.
July 5, 2009: Everything is working again and I have been back in production for a while now. We're working on the house at the same time. I am taking orders. I don't require payment in advance, but it helps.
December 23, 2009: Shovelling in (not out) after the last snowstorm... I think we really are near the end now, at least in terms of our house construction. The plumber, electrician, and HVAC wll all be back soon to wrap up all the loose ends. I'll be finishing the basement insulation and drywall in the next couple of weeks. Then some interior trim and we'll be ready for the final inspection. It's now been almost 5 years since we actually lived in this house.
February 2, 2010: We passed our final inspection last week! There's still more work to do, but I think we'll be moving in by the end of this month. I'll try to find time to make some mouthpieces in the next week or two.
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