Home Automation…Phone and Video

The SLH Home Systems guys were back today to finish up the cat 5 wiring and start their work on the phone and video distribution systems in the basement mechanical room. These systems will be housed in the steel enclosure installed next to the networking rack on the plywood wall panel. The first photo shows the new box mounted to the wall with the telephone and video cables routed into the top from the open ceiling above.

The next photo shows the Channel Vision phone line filter and surge protector installed in the new enclosure and the six dedicated phone lines terminated in the telecom distribution module just below.

The last photo shows the cat 5 patch panel installed in the top of the relay rack with all of the patch cables connected to the (barely visible) Netgear switch a couple of spaces below. We have 23 hard-wired (cat 5) network connections throughout the “L” Shaped House that can be used for a variety of purposes including networked computers & printers, wireless access points, or even (possibly) cat 5 video distribution.

All of the wiring associated with the home automation systems is terminated on the (plywood) panel in the mechanical room. Our goal (from the very beginning) is to have a  “future proof” system that can be easily reconfigured from this central location to almost any purpose.

Landscaping…Day 43 (wrap-up)

I stopped by the “L” Shaped House on my way home tonight and took a few photos of the landscaping work Andy and his crew completed around the back end of the garage yesterday. The first photo shows the back corner of the fourth stall with the new flagstone pathway, the paver stoop, and the mulch beds installed. This area at the back end of the garage has turned out very nice.

The second photo shows the limestone pathway that leads from the back yard to the new paver stoop at the rear service door on the garage. This shot does a nice job of capturing the “forest-like” feeling in this space. The last photo shows a close-up the service door and new paver stoop at the back end of the garage.

Landscaping…Day 43 (evening report)

Wow…This was a large day for the landscaping at the “L” Shaped House!

The Andy's (from both JLM and First Impressions) and their crews worked together to install two new sprinkler zones and the sod for the new front lawn and driveway edges. The photos below show the results of their efforts in the form of a “tour” around the house.

First; the view from the bottom of the driveway with the address rock in the foreground and the sprinklers in zone 6 watering the new lawn in the background.

Next a shot of Andy Peterson (JLM) and Jason Jenson (First Impressions) making some final “tweaks” to the irrigation system in the front yard as I arrived around 5 pm.

The third photo shows the new front lawn from the bend in the driveway half way up the hill…

The fourth photo shows the new front lawn from Frank’s yard next door as Jason makes a few final adjustments to one of the sprinkler heads in zone 6…

The fifth photo shows the top edge of the new sod in the front yard from a spot near the music room end of the house. This edge will mark the transition to the low-mow turf that will extend all the way around the back side of the “L” Shaped House.

The sixth photo shows the back yard at the house after Andy and his crew laid out the flagstone pathways and erosion control mats (in the distance) in preparation for the low-mow turf installation.

The seventh shows the new flagstone pathway that connects  the limestone path from the back breezeway entrance to the stoop at the rear service door to the garage. We are using the stones to “suggest” a course  through the unstructured backyard of the “L” Shaped House instead of a formal path.

The eighth shows the back corner of the paver driveway where the mulch strip in the backyard wraps around the Norway Maple to form an edge for the end of the low-mow turf. The mulch also extends across the end of the garage connecting the paver driveway to the service door stoop.

The last photo shows the “informal” trail leading from the back of our garage to the Hennepin County bike trail 150 feet down through the woods after Andy’s guys added a new layer of hardwood mulch.

Ceramic Tile…The kitchen backsplash

I realized last night that I had not published a photo of the kitchen after Matt Sletten finished grouting the ceramic subway tile and decorative backsplash behind the cooktop.  Here is my best effort from last night!

Home Automation…Networking Rack (2)

The SLH Home Systems guys were out yesterday working on the networking side of our home automation system. I decided to have them punch down the cat 5 cables in the patch panel and install the switch and patch cables. The first photo below shows the  plywood panel Paul installed on the back wall of the mechanical room with the relay rack, surge suppresser outlet strip, and alarm system box all in place.

The next photo shows the relay rack and outlet strip as the SLH guys work to punch down the cat 5 cables and make the connections between the patch panel and switch. The last photo show the back side of the patch panel, switch, and power distribution module installed in the relay rack. We have 23 “hard-wired” cat 5 outlets distributed throughout the “L” Shaped House that terminate in the relay rack. All of the cables are labeled and carefully routed through the relay rack such that the front may be swung open either direction.

Ceramic Tile…Day 60

Matt Sletten has been busy grouting tile throughout the “L” Shaped House for the last couple of days. The first photo shows the outside wall of the first floor laundry room after Matt finished grouting the subway tile backsplash. He has now finished grouting all of the tile in this room as well as the backsplash in the kitchen.

The next two photos show the first floor and basement showers after grouting. Matt has completed all of the tile work in these spaces and will now carefully clean the walls a floor before caulking the corners. The basement bathroom shower door is is scheduled to be installed early next week.

The last photo shows the fireplace in the basement family room after Matt grouted the accent tile border around the outside edge of the sheet metal faceplate. There will be an “Arts and Crafts” fireplace front installed inside the tile border that includes a removable screen.

Landscaping…Day 43

The front lawn is going in at the “L” Shaped House this afternoon. Andy and his crew brought three pallets of sod with them and have spent the morning preparing to lay it in the “formal” lawn area off the front porch.

But first…

 

The folks from First Impressions Lawn Sprinklers added two new zones to the irrigation system to bring water up the East side of the driveway and to the front yard. The first photo shows the Hunter irrigation control on the back wall of the garage set to water the new zone 7 for 17 minutes. The second photo shows the outside edge of the driveway along the East property line with the new sod installed and the sprinklers watering the grass for the very first time. Andy plans to add mulch along the edge of the grass to the trees.

The video shows Andy at the controls of the skid steer as he and his crew work to prepare the front lawn area for sod. They are spreading a mixture of black dirt and compost about 3” - 4” thick over the whole area.

The last photo shows the sodding operation getting underway off the front garden area just after lunch today. Andy is in the skid steer laying in soil mixture while his crew works to rake out the lumps and lay down the new grass.

Landscaping…Day 42 (evening report)

Andy and his crew got a good start laying sod at the “L” Shaped House yesterday afternoon. The two photos below show the freshly laid sod on both sides of the driveway in the front yard. The sod will extend all the way across the front of the house from the driveway to the property line on the West side. The sod on the right hand side of the driveway will run all the way to the back wall of the garage. Our friends from First Impressions will be back this morning to install two additional irrigation zones as Andy and his crew extend the sod up the driveway and across the front lawn.

Exciting stuff!

Appliances…The kitchen

Paul Winters has been busy putting things back in place as the plumbers and electricians finish connecting appliances in the kitchen.  The first photo shows the lower right hand burner on the cooktop fired up and ready to cook!

The next photo shows the kitchen desk with the 26” Toshiba television installed in the cabinet above the countertop. Our friends from SLH home systems are scheduled to install an antenna in the attic shortly and will use this TV to test the signal.  The last photo shows the refrigerator after Paul and I pushed it back into the opening in the wall cabinet.

Landscaping…Day 42

Our old friend Andy Peterson from the landscaping side of JLM and his crew are out at the “L” Shaped House this week working on a variety of  projects. The first photo shows their Caterpillar skid-steer loaded with mulch for the gardens and a few piles of stone for the paver stoop at the rear service entrance to the garage and the flagstone paths. 

 

The next photo shows the newly installed flagstone for the “casual” path that runs from the front paver sidewalk to the “formal” lawn out front. Andy and his crew will install additional flagstones in the back yard as they extend the existing limestone pathways to both the back of the garage and the West (music room) end of the house (see the plan here). In the third photo David works on the paver stoop being installed at the service door on the back end of the garage. Here we are using the same Anchor pavers we used on the rest of the project with a little different edge.

The last photo gives a little taste of what will come tomorrow. Andy is preparing the front yard for the installation of another irrigation zone in the morning and sod later tomorrow afternoon.