HAPPY 2012! -- Day 175 -- January 3

Things seem to slow down with colder weather and the holidays. But some things are getting done.

The retaining walls have been built.

 And we had them put in a firepit.

The electricians have been working.

 The heating and cooler guys have been here.

These are valves for the heating system.

The central vac system is in.

 The gas lines are in. (propane)

The framer built this arch for me.

I'm really excited about how this arch will look when the cabinets are in.

They are also working on putting up the carsiding on the porch ceiling.

And the plumber has been working on the septic system.

We are talking to insulation contractors and drywall contractors.

We have spent a good deal of time cleaning up inside and out and Bryan has been smoothing and grading the whole area.

December and Cold Weather Have Arrived

December is here! Wow  --  time is flying by. The retaining wall guys are working. It is bitter cold so not much fun to be out there. I think it is actually colder in the house than outside!

Last Friday the painter finished up the last of the "car siding" boards. [I helped] Hooray! That was a lot of boards! If you look to the back of the shed past the 'drying rack,' you see the stacks and stacks of boards.

I am trying to get a few things figured out before the drywall comes in. Things like: do we want central vac? and how about an audio system? and the security system? and TV and phone lines? do we need a phone line? What kind of internet is available out there? All things that might be nice to have figured out while the walls are open.

Yesterday I had to go to the county courthouse. Apparently our permit did not include a finished basement. So I had to get that corrected. We also had some issues with the city and the county arguing over who was responsible for our address when the security company calls. No one was claiming us! But I think we got that fixed by changing our address.

Then we went to a flooring place and were thoroughly overwhelmed by options in flooring! They are really pushing prefinished wood floors but there aren't as many color options with prefinished. None of these decisions seems to be easy. Just when you think you know what you want someone throws you a new curve.

Today I spent time with the cabinet guy. He brought me a sample of the cabinet door in white oak. I am excited! Some of the kitchen will be stained white oak and other parts will be painted cabinets. But there are still so many decisions to make. I have discovered the website Pinterest can be very useful for pulling together things that I like.

Thanksgiving Day! -- Day 135

So much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. And to start with, the beautiful weather! So beautiful in fact that peole are working!! Including us . . .

 

stone masons are working on the stone columns and screened porch

we worked with the painter to get the car siding painted

wish I could say we were done

Here is my housebuilding Thanksgiving thankful list:

Airless paint sprayers and the painter that made the day a whole lot easier

Blueprints -- even though they are no longer blue

Cement -- many, many truckloads

Digger who did such a nice job excavating

Electricians who are lighting the way

Framers who came to a hole in the ground and left a house in it's place

Great weather since we broke ground

Hardie cement siding -- prepainted of course

I-beams made of steel

Justin boots

Knowledgeable sales people helping me pick stuff out

Lumber

Mechanical guys doing the HVAC

Natural beauty of this building site

Overalls -- Carhartt overalls -- that I will soon need

Plumbers laying out the lines

Questions that get answered

Roofers who topped it all off

Stone masons who worked on Thanksgiving Day!

Trusses in all shapes and sizes

Under budget anything

Veranda -- another word for porch -- beautiful word, beautiful place

Windows that are awesome

Xtra talented people helping us every step of the way

You -- I'm very thankful for anyone who reads this blog!

Zoom lens on my camera :)

Siding, Porch Columns -- November 19 -- Day 130

Things were pretty busy for a Saturday. A neighbor came by and cut some fire wood. The framers, who are almost done, worked on the siding and the porch. The electrician was there and we walked through the house planning all the lights and outlets. The HVAC guys worked digging some more trenches. Bryan cooked brats on the grill and fed anyone who would eat.

siding done on the south side  --  this siding looks really good -- I love the color!

It is James Hardie cement board siding in Mountain Sage.

siding is going on the garage and the trim is getting painted

working on the columns

stucco was done yesterday

more stucco

more siding

siding on the front of the garage

the columns take shape  -- I love the way these columns look!

the front porch -- awesome columns! Think how great they will look with the stone on the bottom!

this is the "car siding" that goes on the ceiling of the porch

it all has be too be painted before it can be put up :(