The rough in phase has begun with a vengeance.
It feels like a very significant shift. We have gone from a three man framing crew with a singular focus to a much larger team including HVAC, Electrical, Plumbing, and Stucco all working in different areas. I think Ellen cringes when the almost finished beautiful framing comes under the hammer, the drill, and the dreaded Sawzall and saw dust is flying everywhere as plastic pipes penetrate the floor, ducts go through the walls, and electrical boxes get 
nailed in place. It's a mental shift too as we have put all of our energy into making sure the structure works as designed and the larger elements of the house come together as planned--a more macro thinking--to focus on the inner workings and pathways at a more micro level that we spent so much time trying to work out in advance.
So far it is all working like a champ.
We can't be accused of having an inexperienced crew. Leon has assembled an amazing team of seasoned pros. Robert, one of our plumbers, has been working for Hillsborough Plumbing continuously
for 56 years!!!! He started when he was 14 and said he started before there was plastic OR copper piping. He also started before I was BORN! What a great guy. Rafael from EQC is an artist with a pair of tin snips. I heard this clicking noise coming from the guest pod and I
discovered him meticulously cutting out the lip of a piece of custom duct work that looked like a factory machined edge.
These guys are all the best of the best.
Don, the electrician from P&L Electric, has been very thoughtful about all things electrical and made some really good suggestions about fine tuning our electical design. I have been in high gear trying to get all of our light fixtures in on time to stay on track.
Even more scaffolding is being set up on the site as the stucco guys from Reynolds Construction set up to do the soffits under the upper overhangs of the bridge. They are just beginning to grok how high up those soffits are.
The last phase of the framing has finally started as the tall walls of the living/dining area go up. It is also very sad to see the beautiful views of the forest and house slowly go away. We are reconsidering
one of those deleted windows on the east side of the living room.
To achieve the marvelous it’s precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.
Tom Robbins
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