This is how the front of the house and the courtyard wall looks from the road near the entrance to the RV drive-through. Click on the image to enlarge.
Arizona
Courtyard Progress
Our contractor finished painting the courtyard wall today. He would have been done yesterday except the paint sprayer he brought didn’t have enough capacity to spray the thick paint. They brought a larger unit this morning and finished up.
After the paint was dry, I propped the camera on the wall and used the delay feature to get this photo of us in the courtyard with the painted wall in the background. Cabela was along for the ride. Bear, of course, had to take a nap. Click on the image to enlarge.
Steel Security Doors Milestone
The latest planned improvements milestone is now complete: steel security doors. We probably don’t need these doors for security as much as we want the southwestern style and the ability to open the front door, let the air in and keep the bugs out.
I made a composite image of the doors that the installer put in place yesterday. Left to right, the front entrance, patio entrance and the garage entrance. I have to admit that Verna knocked this one out of the park. Click on the image to enlarge.
A New Gas Grill for the New Patio
Ever since we moved to Arizona, I have been using our little portable take-along charcoal grill for outdoor cooking. So, last week we placed an on-line order for a new, yet inexpensive at about $180, outdoor gas grill. The truck delivered the assembled unit this morning, so both days this weekend we’re going to be grilling (and enjoying) our entrées.
Image courtesy of Verna – click to enlarge
I bought a 4.6 Gallon (20 pound) propane bottle this afternoon and got it filled. I did a leak check and fired up the grill for about 20 minutes to burn all the solvents and impurities off of the heating elements, grill, etc.
Here’s the main specs:
GrillMaster 4-Burner Stainless Steel Gas Grill
- Stainless steel main lid
- Four 12000 BTU stainless steel tube burners
- 667 sq. in. cooking area
- Electronic ignition for easy starts
- 12000 BTU side burner
- burger capacity (½ pound) – 35
Shutter Milestone
Today has been a busy day for us. The shutter guys installed our beautiful new shutters as you can see in the slideshow animation. I took photos inside and outside of the knotted wood and the saguaro ribs details on the great room shutters. The wood in the shutters matches our kitchen and bathroom cabinets very closely. You can stop the slideshow by placing your mouse cursor over the images and rolling out to resume.
We also got a landscaping representative out to assess our ground cover and landscaping needs. We will probably move out on landscaping after the contractor finishes the courtyard wall.
Courtyard Progress – Grout and Stucco
The masons returned yesterday to pour the grout onto the block wall. Today, they returned and finished most of the stucco. They will come back tomorrow and apply another coat of stucco to the arch only to get a more rounded effect. Click on the image to enlarge.
Tomorrow will also mark a milestone of our planned improvements when our shutters will be installed. We’ll have more on that later. And next Monday, we’re going to get our steel security doors installed. Landscaping will be after that. 😀
