Kitchen - Ready to move in

So I couldn't resist an extra post to the blog today. Here's the kitchen, waiting to be used. We're pleased with the final result and the energy star appliances. The under-cabinet lighting and the Staron countertops were our two "splurges" for the house. I'm looking forward to getting used to a new kitchen.

Bioswales at work!

Yesterday we had a front of heavy rain move through Charleston. These were really heavy sheets of rain. In many communities, all of that rain water would be redirected into the storm water runoff systems in a short period of time. All of that storm water treatment would have meant more expense to the taxpayers and less fresh water being absorbed where it fell. In Oak Terrace Preserve, that water is actually captured by a series of systems that helps make sure that fresh rain gets returned to the water table without a trip to the water treatment plant.

One of the mitigation methods being used in Oak Terrace Preserve is the construction of bioswales. Bioswales are landscape elements designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. They also allow water to settle and filter into the water table over a longer period of time than would normally happen using traditional storm water runoff systems.

So here is a photo of a bioswale in action. About 24 hours after heavy rains, the water in this bioswale have lowered considerably. in another 24 hours, this water will be gone. The water doesn't hang around long enough to be a mosquito nest, but it does allow the ground to absorb the water slowly. In the coming months, these bioswales will be seeded with plants that enjoy being moist but can survive in dry conditions. The plants will fill in to be an attractive landscaping feature while the bioswale helps the environment and our tax dollars. Less storm water treatment means less expense for the taxpayers.

Home Stretch ...

Ok, so Home Stretch is a bad pun but I couldn't resist.

Here's a shot of the house with the neighbor's house started next door. Just days ago that was just a cement slab and now they're moving quickly towards getting a roof on. Before we know it, we'll have neighbors. The folks in the two houses behind us and to the right (you can see they're both bluish colors) moved in last weekend.

Along with carpet installers, the appliance guys were there today.

You Tube: Metamorphosis - Art Event in North Charleston Old Village

An art event was recently held in the Old Village section of North Charleston. This is the downtown area close to our neighborhood. Enjoy the video courtesy of the fine folks at Mixson Avenue.

Wood floors look great

This post is a little out of date but I wanted to share the picture from the 17th of February. Here are the engineered hardwood floors we put in. We were very excited about having bamboo flooring from the obvious resource renewability of bamboo. Unfortunately talking to other folks who have had higher grade bamboo installed, they were very disappointed in the durability of the material. For those of us who are extra picky about scratches in our flooring, this engineered hardwood was an excellent choice. From a green perspective, no material is perfect but the way this flooring is made still allows for an additional sanding and refinishing in the (hopefully) far flung future of the home and uses minimal material today. Further, these materials were produced in North America and didn't hitch a transpacific ocean ride to get to Charleston.

Regardless, the floors look great.

Power

On Tuesday I went by the house to find the power company had come to install the meter and connect the power. The lights are all shining brightly and I really appreciate the look of the under cabinet lights in the kitchen. When the kitchen cleans up a bit, I'll post a picture.

Kitchen with the Counters

I don't think I've sent an updated picture of the kitchen since the countertops were installed. The blue you see is just a plastic film over the surface to keep it from getting scratched while all the other chaos goes on around it. These countertops look really rice and are a neutral color. They are a solid surface material called Staron. We're very pleased with the final product.