Like a Fairy Tale. Grimm.

Say hello to the sewer

A brutal week, during which I had to deal endlessly with AT&T, Comcast, DirecTV, DMV and PG&E, the carefully-controlled budget was blown to smithereens, and I began to doubt that I had the means to finish The Minnie House. In the space of a few grim and stressful days the budget ballooned by $10,000, which I just don't have, so I won't be able to finish everything before moving in. Some features, such as the patio, the basement floor, all non-essential tiling and most of the landscaping, will just have to wait until who knows when.

The electricians connect the conduit for overhead electric power

PG&E demanded so much money (over $8000) for connecting my gas and electric services underground that I was forced to abandon the latter idea and go with the more traditional, and butt ugly, overhead connection, which will stick out like a sore thumb while saving me in the region of $2500.00.

The ugly water pipe in the bathroom is no longer a concern. Phew.

On the plus side, the house is now tapped in to the city sewer, and we're finally, thankfully, a little further down the road to towards hooking up the three other crucial services - gas, electric and water. There's at least a chance they may all be functional within ten days or so, meaning a completion date in mid to late February is still a possibility.

Pretty railings, awaiting steel cables. Don't even ask what the little black hole is for.

The deck and guardrail are also all but done, and the presence of the white powder coated railings lends an air of quiet elegance to the rear aspect. Next week the stucco guys will start in earnest, plastering brown mud over the lath; the gas trench will be complete; and the countertops, together with the black ceramic cooktop and the undermount stainless steel sink, will be installed. After that it's downhill to the finishing line. Or possibly uphill...