the after party

we enjoyed pizza from the excellent East Side Pies and relaxed in the newly furnished and vegetated courtyard. Beckham had so much fun he had to get showered off before going home.

Homes Tour Success!!

whew the homes tour is over and i am very happy. Everyone had very kind words for our little casita. Word is there were about 3500 tickets sold- so we got some portion of that number that came through the house- our only casualty was a paver out front that cracked- no big loss. Well the A/C did decide to freeze up on Saturday after the guys had been making adjustments all week- but luckily it was a fairly cool day with a nice breeze. I only snapped a few pics before everyone got here, Emily and Patrick got a few good ones too. It was a lot of work, but it was a good push to get the house "done". Oh my posion ivy is almost totally gone after 12 days of steriods I no longer look like a scaly monster- well at least not due to the posion ivy.

The Madness Continues

The front steps are finally being installed as intended. The second step will double as a planter and bring more lush vegetation to the entry. They will be back tomorrow to finish up.

In Other News...

While I was in dispose delivering Miss V. a gate I had designed for an ongoing project was installed. We finally got by today to see the finished result, it looks great.

BAMBOOZLED

We finally got the planted in the courtyard waterproofed and filled with dirt and bamboo planted. The planter ate over 2000 pounds of dirt and 8 huge blocks of peat moss! We thought it would never end. We had to end up harvesting the bamboo from around the house since nowhere in town sells the stuff. In doing so I got a nasty case of poison ivy on my arm and neck- no fun at all. All that is left is to cover the dirt with river rocks so that dirt doesn't splash on the window and pray for the bamboo to fill in so I don't have to go digging again. Big thanks to mom and dad who assisted through the whole weekend with the entire endeavor.

Tile, Done, Check

Tile in master bath and kitchen are done and look great. In the kitchen we had them cut the 12x12 marble in half so we had 6x12, I think it turned out super fantastic.

I'm Ready for My Close Up

As the face and PR man of Studio Robins Dempsey, Baxter is always looking to stay fresh and well groomed. He had noticed that the pesky mole type things that had been growing on his eyes were just no longer acceptable so he went in for " a little work". He ended up having his eyes done and his teeth freshened up. He told me when I picked him up he told the surgeon " Just lift the eyes a little while you are at it but, don't make me look like Kenny Rodgers!". At a spry 10 years old he should look flawless for another 10.

Homes Tour Rapidly Approaching

As the AIA Homes tour rapidly approaches- Oct. 4-5, we are trying to put the finishing touches on the house. The long awaited shelf in the kitchen finally went up and today Robert and Co. are back to tile the backsplash in the kitchen and master bath. Almost one year in the house and we are finally almost done with construction!

Reason for Delay

Well its been a long time since the last post and it is time to announce the newest addition to the house. Miss Vivian Ruth Dempsey was born July 16 at a healthy 7lbs. 6 oz. She of course perfect and she is the best thing I ever built!! and she was only 2 days past deadline!

Landscape!!

We also got down most of the gravel around the house. Several of the plants we planted didn't make it due to heat and trampling from people not seeing them- but we will replace. My favorites are doing well thankfully and the "native" bamboo is filling in nicely.

Green Wall Progresses

I realized I never put up photos of bookshelves we had built on green wall. Keith comes back tomorrow to put in desk element below, can't wait!!!

photo wall

We finally got some photos up and paint in the flex space. Little by little.

where the deck ends

finally got the end piece up for the deck. It is wonderful for both privacy and a little extra shade. They will come back next week to sand and seal both deck and end.

Florence comes for a stay

We have been blessed by the chicken gods. Florence had taken up residence in a nest of vines on our front fence and is sitting on 8 eggs. We are anxiously awaiting their hatching and happy to help sustain the feral chicken population. Viva El Pollo!

Cool Homes Tour

4212 Marathon which we did the interior for will be featured on the Cool Homes Tour, June 21st. This tour features green homes throughout Austin, very excited to be included.

AIA Homes Tour!

Just got word that the 8th street house has been selected for the 2008 AIA (American Institute of Architects) Homes tour Oct. 4-5. Very exciting, the tour usually gets about 4,000 people or so. Now we just have to put on all the finishing touches.

More Progress for the Lake house

The house out by the lake is progressing nicely. It has an amazing view and quite a nice breeze from the 3rd floor.

There she blows

Wedensday night a big storm came through downtown Austin and I am happy to report all is intact. We have 55 mph winds and golf ball size hail, it was scary with all the big windows but we prevailed. Patrick commented, "Hmm I guess the house IS well built"- ...thanks

Another one.

Since news is slow on this house, here are a few pics of another house that I designed out by the lake- but thankfully I am not building. It is really taking shape nicely. 

Brownsville Dempseys Visit!!

The Brownsville Dempseys came to town to check out our new digs! Thumbs up from all. 

All Decked Out!!!

Finally the deck is going in, just in time for some good weather- i hope it holds up-the weather that is!! Almost done today- should get all fastened down tomorrow, then sanded and finished once it settles in. So excited. 

1st Overnight Visitors!!

The Westerman crew came in for the weekend from Houston and were our first overnight guests. We had a great time, Chloe and Sofia especially liked the accommodations and most especially the cats and Baxter. 

More, more, more!!!

Still getting things done.  Back of counter finally got done. Keith installed the white oak flooring on it and it looks fantastic. Everywhere i went and explained what i was doing people kept trying to sell me flippin knotty pine "well when people put this on walls this is what they always use".  I like the white oak, no offense knotty pine.  

I'm Back and all moved in!! Kinda..

Ok- it has been a crazy couple of weeks. We moved in about 2 weeks ago, i think. It was the worst day ever, or days i should say; 30 degrees and raining- but we made it. Big thanks again to Ryan, Marcus, Bobby and Emily who along with some very efficient movers got all of our crap to its new location. I was astounded by how much we had packed in our tiny house. Progress is still happening, but there is still much to do- Tile backsplashes, 2nd bath needs a counter, the deck has yet to happen- but all are in the works. Front fence was finished this weekend and it is beautiful, many thanks to Adam, Andy and Charlie for their superior craftmanship- I absolutely love it!