Mud and Quikcrete

Louis is skim coating the retaining wall in the back while Augustine has put the first layer of "mud" down in the bathroom. He began tiling this afternoon and the place will be looking good soon. As for me, after two weeks of stripping kitchen cabinets of paint, I started to paint them. Seems a waste to cover up that grain again but we are feeling there is enough wood happening in the area already.

French Doors

The french doors have been put into the master bedroom. Looking pretty good and will allow some needed access to the back yard. The last pic is a rendering of what the stairs will look like. I head back to LA in the morn to start some Memorial Day painting.

Wall St. Dummies

We have been shooting the last few days down on Wall St. The concept is a last man on earth running through a city of mannequins. It's been fun for the crew and the tourists.

New Floor

I got pictures last night of the new "Autumn Oak" floor in the kitchen and dining room. Looks great.

Confetti

We were doing a commercial in Los Angeles a few days ago which required us to drop red confetti at sunset. This is the beauty of the shot, the mundane is many assistants down below trying to gather up the traveling bits of paper.

Kitchen Tile

Louis and WL have been busy tiling the kitchen to great effect. I can hardly wait to get back and start painting. They even included pictures of the wood counter top we had made. It will all look smart soon.

Progress

I've been working the last three days and have been unable to see the progress happening on the house in person. Yesterday afternoon, I got some pics sent to the phone by WL and was surprised at how fast things are moving. The french doors have been framed and will be put in this week. The bathroom looks like it will be ready for tiling soon. The kitchen's rotted plaster board has been replaced with brand new sheetrock. The concrete pads have been poured and are being watered to prevent drying too fast and cracking.
We will be laying down 5" wide, 3/4" "Autumn Oak" in the kitchen and dining rooms. Besides the new refrigerator, I am sincerely hoping that the days of huge expenditures is drawing to a close. Now we will have to start thinking of paint colors.

Garbage-Crete

The previous owner buried all his garbage with the concrete in the back yard. From plastic bottles to large shears, everything got mix together and poured. Dozens of car keys and cassette tapes lead us to believe he might have worked for a Cadillac dealership.

Jacked

A pick and ax proved no match for a canal of 2 feet thick concrete snaking around the mexican lime trees. So a jack hammer was rented and both Louis and WL took turns chopping up the garbage concrete.

What If.....

I love this ad for Nextel. It's answers the question.... What If Film Crews Ran The World.
Watch it here

Blood and Concrete

The first film I worked in Los Angeles was Blood and Concrete with Billy Zane and Jennifer Beals. Yesterday, the concrete sans blood was taken up by Louis and WL. True to form with the rest of the house, the previous owner used garbage instead of gravel to line his form. We are expecting to find Hoffa on the property!
The lane will be returned to grass. And the other pad will be poured later in the week.

Doggie Neighbors

There are a pair of gorgeous Huskies next door, Sheba and Rex. This is the more vocal of the two, Sheba. Rex just whines a little when he wants to play. Seven is not losing any sleep over the competition.

Bathroom Demo

The workers demo-ed the bathroom earlier this week with a great effect. I love the standing shower now. WL says the bathroom seems a lot bigger without the walls! This is also the only part of the house with water damage. The boards underneath the shower will need to be replaced.