Gravel delivery and back-fill

This weekend I worked on cleaning up the lot from the huge mess left behind from the framing in preparation for the back-fill and rough grading. Saturday (June 9th) morning, we had 21 tons of gravel delivered. The plan was to use 1/2 for the back-fill and the other 1/2 for the driveway. Well, it turns out that we used ~approx 20 tons on just the back-fill! So not much left for the driveway at all! The good news is that we did have enough dirt to complete the rough grade. This sounds funny but dirt is a rare commodity on Kelleys Island.

Gravel delivery - big truck but not as much material as you think

 Captain Ron (KI neighbor) working on the back fill with his favorite toy, "The Skid Steer"

This is a view of the completed back-fill from the back of the cottage.

Ron did a great job and was done in about 3 hours.

My amazing wife ran in the annual KI 5k race, in the blazing heat...

with ALL THREE KIDS on Sunday, June 10th

Cottage framed, sided, and shingled

Bonnie and I took the whole family up to see the finished product on Friday, May 25th. We were more than pleased. Everything looks great -- colors, size, design and layout. Chris and his crew did a "bang-up" job coming in on time and on budget. They also did many of the little extras that show their dedication to quality work. I would highly recommend them to anyone and have already discussed them helping with the wrap-around deck and covered porch project for next year. Nice.

Sophie and Anna on waiting for the ferry at the Marblehead dock

Front of cottage - done

Family pic

Back of cottage - done

Almost there...

Here is the progress end of day, Thursday May 24. The plan is to be on the 9:00 am ferry tomorrow morning (Friday).

 Front looking good

North side -- notice the crawlspace access framed out

Front of cottage sided and roofed

This is the latest progress from the end of day on Wednesday, May 23. Looking forward to seeing the finished product on Friday morning. We are packing up the whole family for the unveiling, hanging out on the island for the day, and then heading to Sandusky for an overnight stay and then to Cedar Point on Saturday morning -- action packed as usual!

Back side roof shingled

Check it out... the back of the cottage is now shingled. Notice the skylights and sun tunnels installed.

Wow, It's looking like a cottage!

Bonnie and I stopped up last Friday to take a look at the progress and wow, it's really moving along nicely. The weather has been great and the cottage is taking shape.

Roof plywood installed and windows and doors cut

Roof paper installed and windows hung

Bonnie and me, standing in what will be the kitchen/dining area

The siding has been started and the skylights have been cut in.

Walls and roof trusses up

Sophie and I made our way up to the island yesterday to drop-off the new front door, roof skylights and other misc supplies needed for the crew. Wow! The cottage looks great. You can now really see the dimensions and footprint of the overall structure. I am so pleased with the design and glad it turned out as well as expected. The quality of the construction is awesome. I can tell that Chris and his crew take pride in their work and it shows.

View looking at the north side of the cottage. Notice my assistant Sophie...

View looking at the east side (back) of the cottage. You can see the rough opening(s) for the patio slider doors and master bedroom window. 

View looking at the west side (front) of the cottage. I am really pleased with the position of the tree in relation to the front of the cottage.