melmar02

The app shows the al a carte prices for the individual rolls, and your estimate range looks correct with most of the specialty rolls on the list at $13. Here are a couple screen shots from the Oasis Sept. 5 sailing. Of course the prices could be updated closer to sailing, but it looks like you are in the ballpark.

Congrats!

@MicDay Thanks! @JLMoran You don't see a lot of plastic fences around here - I think the Texas sun and heat are too much for them. Baby steps... the plumber stopped by and connected the gas line to the grill and to the burner in the firepit. I asked if we needed to do anything special now that the burner is connected when they repair the firepit, and he said no. Then he mentioned that he and the stone guys are usually tripping all over each other when he lays the gas lines but he has not seen them in a while ? Great. They haven't come to fix the issues like they were supposed to, and DH is waiting on a call back from the PM.

Here are those two corners completed with the top rails. By code, the gates have to have a spring close mechanism. The latches also have to be 54 inches from the ground to help prevent little kids from getting into our backyard on their own. From the sidewalk, it's just one, continuous fence now. We are really pleased with how it turned out. We went with pre-stained boards, and DH really likes the color. It's quite a bit lighter than I was expecting (and lighter than the old fence as well), but I think the color is growing on me. Last night I was thinking we would just go back to the darker color when we have to have it stained again in a few years, but this morning I really like it too. Or maybe it's just that we finally have privacy again after having those panels down for 6 months.

The fence guys were on it yesterday, and they finished 99.9% of the job. DH asked for a specific kind of latch for the gates which they didn't have with them. One of the fence guys said it should take just a few minutes to change them out. First they finished attaching the vertical pieces. They started at a corner and once a piece was in place, they hung a spacer next to it and nailed the next plank in place. Once the spaced row was complete, they went back and nailed the planks to cover the gaps. Once all the planks were nailed, they cut the excess at the top of the fence in the back corner of the yard that slopes down. Just a little more off the top. The back fence sloped down about two feet in that corner. But since the fence is higher now to meet the neighbor's new 8 foot fence, the change in height is not as dramatic. Instead of angling the fence down, we decided to step down the difference. Our side fence, on the right side of the pool, had a small step down as well, but it was only a couple inches.

We're getting closer! Yesterday the fence company came, and they had the old fence torn down and all of the new fence's horizontal cross rails up by noon. They completed installing a little more than half of the fence pickets by the end of the day. They may finish today, but I could see this project spilling into tomorrow. In addition to the remaining pickets, they will be adding a top rail and have to build two gates. When we built the house we didn't pay for a second gate, but with the pool equipment of the opposite side of the house from our original gate, it will be more convenient to have an access point from that side of the back yard. The project manager came by last night too. He finally got in touch with the stone company which said they will have the a crew here within the week to fix the firepit and grill door alignment as well as grind some angular edges on the side of the spa coping. DH asked what the plan was if they didn't show up, and the PM said if they aren't here by this weekend, he is going to hire a different sub to fix the work at their expense. Also he said the plaster crew has been making progress on their backlog. Instead of saying it would be "a few weeks" before we get plaster, he said it won't be this week. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, but maybe we'll have water by the 4th of July!

There was a little more progress yesterday. The pool company's lighting truck showed up, and they installed the lights on the steps. I guess the thought was why wait for the stone crew when they can get it done now. I'll take it! They pried off a couple small pavers on the step and drilled through the concrete to fish the wires through. They did the same to get the wires through to the deck level. The stone guys will just have to cut a track for the wires on the underside of the replacement stone that came off and the two little ones that were removed. The original plan was for there to be one light at the center, underside of each step overhang. The deck wound up being a couple inches shorter than originally planned, so the light under the bottom edge would almost be at ground level once the sod is laid. The fix was to space the lights on the same level. In hindsight, the lights aren't necessary. We thought it would be really dark in that area of the yard with the kitchen blocking the light from the patio, but since there is a can light directly above the kitchen, it's not dark at all. We really don't need the step lights from a functional standpoint, but I still think it will be a nice finishing touch and am glad we added them to the project.

I hope this is done before then! We're not back on a ship until February! With the exception of sod and sprinkler repair which happens after water is in the pool, I think the project will be finished in another month (hopefully). We're two months behind our quoted 3-4 month schedule. It will be 6 months in about 10 days. We've heard that people getting quotes now are being told anywhere from 7 months to a year.?

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much progress to report. Three things have happened in the last 3 weeks. First, the stone guys came back out the next day as promised and replaced the stones they stole from the patio area to finish the steps. After they left we noticed they didn't install the lights on the steps that the electrician had previously wired and left for them. We waited a couple days to use the steps to make sure the concrete had a chance to dry, and one of the stones on the edge of the deck slipped out from under my husband's foot, flipped, and broke when it landed on the step below (he's fine). The PM came out and said just by looking at it he could tell they didn't get the concrete wet enough when the stones were set. They are going to have to pull all the edge pavers up anyway to run the wires for the lights they forgot to set in the steps...just add it to the list. He checked the rest of the edge stones, and they are are secure for now. Second the fence posts that were taken down to get into our yard were put back up. The one in the big, 2 panel gap was welded back into place. On the side of the house, next to the pool equipment, the missing post was attached to the house instead of just cemented into the ground. It was still a little wet over there from the 3 weeks of rain, and the trench from the equipment pad into the backyard was still there, so there wasn't really any ground to set it into anyway. This week, the landscape subcontractor came out to do the final grade. They filled in the remaining trenches, added dirt to level out the area around the pool, and ran the drains from the gutters, firepit, and pool overflow away from the house. The PM had told us before where he wanted the drains to end, and that wasn't lining up with where the landscape company was running the pipes. DH texted the PM who was at another project around the corner. He was here within a few minutes to explain to the crew where the drain pipes needed to terminate. The crew did not look happy, but they started digging in the right direction. Then they stopped about 6 feet short of where they were supposed to. ? The PM wanted the drains in a specific location so the sidewalk wouldn't be flooded when we got a lot of rain. I am personally ok with where they are. The drainage on the sidewalk is good (water runs toward the street like it should). Besides, if it's raining, the sidewalk is going to be wet anyway, right? ? Our fence builder has scheduled us for this coming Monday, and the new fence will take a few days since we are replacing the entire perimeter. I'm glad the grading has been done so they don't have to work around a giant gap on the side of the house. Also, with that last trench filled in, we were able to get the weed eater into the back yard to get the grass under control, and we'll be able to get a mower back there this weekend. Mowing season starts in late March/early April around here, and with all the rain and uncontrolled growth, the grass (and weeds) was a couple feet high back there. The next big thing is plaster. The PM told us a couple months ago that the plaster crews always run behind by a couple weeks. With the rain, even more so now. He said he put us in the queue before grading, so maybe week after next? As for the little things, well, there are a lot of them. The punch list we have going has over a dozen little things that still need to be completed or repaired. 90% of that list is all for the stone subcontractor. With the exception of the firepit and grill door alignment, they're all pretty minor, and the whole thing could be knocked out in a couple days. I will say, the final grade makes it feel like we have our yard back. We can safely walk anywhere on our property now, and the yard feels bigger now that the gaps in the ground are all closed. Having the fence back up will make another huge difference. We really took for granted how easy it was to just open the door to let the dogs out, especially first thing in the morning.

It's a letter from Crown and Anchor, so the assumption is that it's only affecting those allowed in the suite/ concierge lounge due to their CAS status.

Did they change all the trivia questions and songs for the name-that-tune type games? We finally got to the point where we knew all the answers to everything when the shutdown happened, and we were looking to clean up on our next cruise.?

We want all the information...and pictures. Share every picture! We're all going through cruise withdrawal, so I'm not sure there is such a thing as too much info on a real cruise right now.

A little bit of work got done yesterday on the deck. They started to build the step needed to get to the ground level on the left side of the pool. They dug a trench for the stones, placed them on their ends, and back filled the gap with quickcrete. The guys didn't get too much further when the rain started. They covered the wet, exposed concrete, and tried to wait it out. When it was clear the storm was going to stick around, they packed it in. Here's what it looked like yesterday afternoon after the storm passed. Today was a new day, and the weather gods decided to give us a break. In the last 15 days, 10 of them had at least some rain, and we've had over 6 inches so far this month. The crew started the day by finishing the step. Then they added the remaining pavers on top and cut the edge. Watch those toes! To finish it off, they cleaned up the joint between the deck stones and coping and swept sand into any little gaps. Finally done! Well... almost. They ran out of stone, so they pulled up some from the patio to finish what needed to be "concreted" into place. ? They said they'll be back tomorrow to replace what they borrowed. Next is the final grade of the yard around the pool. Then the fence goes back up. We included a new fence in our initial budget, and we really just need the pool company to weld the post they had to cut so the fence company can get started. The neighbors behind us were also wanting a new fence. Their deck is the same level as ours, but their fence sits at ground level whereas we have an extra 2 feet of height because of the retaining wall. They feel pretty exposed being so high up. We coordinated the projects to happen at the same time with the same company for a nice discount, and I know they are ready to get started on their 8 foot fence so they can enjoy their pool with a little more privacy.

No, they are the same travertine as the coping.

I'm glad you're seeing progress and hope Friday's appointment goes well!

Today was the time consuming process of filling in the gaps - cutting stones to match the curves of the pool, spa, and firepit. They have a little more to go plus finishing the sides and adding a couple steps. Now that we can see how much room we actually have to work with, we can start to think about furniture. It was a little hard to visualize when it was all dirt.

They just took a break for lunch, and I went out to look at the progress. Think the deck guys would be willing to give the firepit guys lessons?

@JLMoran how are you doing after a few days of the new treatment?

The deck crew was back out yesterday and started by moving loads of the sand around the pool and onto the patio. They spread the sand out and used the vibration machine to settle it down. I thought it looked a lot like wet beach sand at this point, and my 9 year old agreed exclaiming, "Mom! It's just like Paradise Beach!" (Sigh, insert we all miss cruising emoji here ?) They then placed rods in the sand. Using the rods as a guide, they ran a 2x4 over the top to make sure everything was even and gently sloping toward the drains. By some magical witchcraft, the narrow gaps the rods left were filled in (I didn't see that part). Then...the first stones of the deck were laid in place! They worked until about 6:30 last night and were able to cover the patio to the pool and the corner section around the firepit and spa. These were taken right after the guys left, and they had just sprayed them down to help remove dust. The stones aren't as dark when they are dry. Either way, they look great to me! They came back about 9 this morning, and I'm excited to see what it looks like by the end of the day!

The two man deck crew was back out this morning using their vibration machine on the areas they dug up yesterday. They finished quickly and said they were going to do a quick repair from the rain on another project in the neighborhood. While they were gone, a truck of sand showed up and unloaded on the sidewalk. This will be the top of the paver base. It started raining as the dump truck was unloading. The deck crew came back about an hour later, and it was still raining so they put up the plastic construction fence and left. Apparently the rest of their guys didn't get the message that work was done for the day because another truck arrived early this afternoon with all the pavers for the deck. They got out and walked around for a bit, scratching their heads trying to figure out where to put 2 pallets of stone. They decided to put it on either side of the giant mound of sand. It took almost 3 hours for them to unload it all...piece by piece...in the rain. ? They were wrapping up just after 3pm which is when the elementary school that's a couple blocks away dismisses for the day. Since we're on one of the main roads in our neighborhood, the kids who walk home had to get creative getting past our house. Fortunately, there weren't a lot of walkers today because of the rain, but I saw a couple groups of kids (one with a bike) scale the 3 foot high mound we have blocking the path. The guys added the cones just before they left, and I'm not sure what other options the kids really had. With two big construction trucks taking up one side of the road, there was just enough room on the other side of the busy street for the cars leaving the school. Over the hill was probably their best option at the time. It would have been better if the guys would have stacked the stone on the sidewalk. Then the kids could have at least been able to walk on that little strip of grass. There's only a 30% chance of rain in the forecast, so hopefully it's relatively cleaned up by the time the kids get out of school tomorrow.

Today is the first rain break we've had since Sunday. We measured 5.5" of water in the bottom of the spa yesterday afternoon (official total is closer to 2.5"). The deck crew came back out at 3:30 this afternoon to dig new trenches in the base they laid last week for the gutter and deck drain pipes. I hope this means the deck pavers will be laid tomorrow, but it is supposed to start raining again tonight and go through at least noon tomorrow. I plan on painting the bright white pvc that is exposed between where the gutter downspout ends and the deck. The pvc for our auto fill is also going to get a coat as it is even more noticeable against our dark brick. Here's one of the drains. I'm sure the caps will get a coat of paint too. Unless they make a beige-ish color pvc? I really hope this is all finished before everyone starts sailing next month. We're currently 3 weeks behind schedule, and I'm ready for a real cruise blog!

Yesterday afternoon, as the crew was loading up their equipment to leave, I saw the PM in the backyard evaluating the firepit. I excitedly stepped outside and asked what he thought. He climbed up on the edge of the spa and declared, "it's not good enough." I got closer and realized what he was talking about. They cut the center hole as a circle, but the outside edge is still elongated and misshapen. He came back by early this morning and took measurements and pictures to send to the subcontractor. So close! On a high note, the level, raised ground makes a huge impact. Visually, it's easier to imagine how the finished project will appear. It was also nice to be able to take the dogs out without leaping over the chasms.

That a nice diving itinerary. ?

I'm not sure about the settling; they have been using this vibrating machine to pack down the sand and gravel. I'm hoping that will take care of it, and we won't have to wait since the PM told us it would only take 3-4 days to complete the deck. He may have been talking about working days though. Good news there too! I took the kids bowling (this is the first week of our summer break), and when we got home, the crew had grown by 3. I spy a circle! Right now, they are shoring up the unsupported cinder block under the grill. Since they're here, hopefully they'll take care of the door misalignment too. I'm supposed to write a great big check today, so I'm glad at least the firepit has been taken care of.

After several days of rain, more work is finally being done today. The project manager stopped by this morning and said he just wanted to check if anything had been done in the last week - he wanted to make sure what to be mad about when he called the stone guys this morning. Whatever he told them, it worked because a two man crew showed up about 9am with a bobcat to fill in the trenches between the patio and the pool. There was just enough room to get the bobcat through, and I was sure he was going to take out the new kitchen when he backed it out of the narrow space. Once they filled in the ditches, they spray painted a few lines, took a few measurements, unhooked their trailer and left. I wasn't worried I would never hear from them again though... they left the bobcat. About an hour has passed and they are back with pvc. They're building the drainage system that will run under the deck. There is a drain that connects to the bottom of the firepit, and I'm assuming they will also connect our existing gutter down spouts located where the deck will be installed. Maybe even our overflow drain that comes out of the skimmer on the left. We shall see. A truck of sand just showed up too. A layer of sand then crushed limestone make up the base for the pavers. The project manager said the base for the deck should only take a day. He can get it inspected tomorrow, and then, fingers crossed?, they lay the travertine on Saturday. It's supposed to rain for several days starting Sunday, and I would think they would want to get that base covered so there isn't any erosion. ?