Wind Storm Inspection – Check!

So things are still moving along. There was an inspection today and they have been approved to put up the weatherproofing and start to close the house in. Very, very cool. Not really a whole lot to say, more wood, more nails and the house just keeps getting bigger than we thought it would be. Pretty crazy.

Stairs!

So, it has been a bit since we've posted some thoughts but it is amazing what a week will do when there is no rain. The house is a little ahead of schedule and we should have windows in a week or two. I would post some images but I can't find the cable and everyone is sleeping. The house really is amazing, we are getting very excited. Too bad we won't be done until September or October! The following has happened:

• The entire roof is framed in
• We have spoken with At Home Media about home automation and distributed audio
• The walls are close to complete
• The windows have been submitted for construction
• The porch is taking shape
• We have begun to pick the stone (expensive!)
• We have STEPS to the second floor
• We underestimated how tall this house is, whoa!

We're having fun, more about what's going on later and I will put up a new image gallery this week but this thing is flying. It was cool to see the kids move around upstairs and see their rooms.

It was cool for me to talk about the wiring and audio system! We will have speakers on the front porch. Cool!

We have a roof

WHOA! We actually have a roof now and underneath a second story. I guess we've been too busy to note that. It is all going so fast, I can't even believe it. We are starting to make decisions on windows and other little things here and there like... Do we want the shower stall to go all the way to the ceiling or just up to the windows?? BTW - we decided not to go all the way to the ceiling - that equals more tile which equals more money.

I kind of wanted obscure glass in the bathroom, but it was going to be more than I wanted for not really the look I wanted, so I decided we would figure something else out. (so much for being a prude.) I guess my privacy is pretty safe until the next door neighbors decide to go 2 story.

We are really trying to go with a more rustic, craftsman style look, while keeping it timeless and simple. I hope that we are staying true to that, but I guess we won't really know until it's all said and done.

Holy Cow a Frame!

The past few days have been amazing. The entire first floor is complete and they were prepping for the second floor late this afternoon with the trusses. We are so excited. You can see the rooms and about how big things are. The house is so much bigger than what we have but it seems so small in this stage with no sheetrock or enclosures. We can see how big the great room is and we know how small the playroom is.

BTW, we designed the playroom to make sure that the kids could have fun, do homework and watch TV in it but it is not a room that would be comfortable for more than 3 or 4. The idea being, if we get that many kids in the house and it is a nice day, they would be more comfortable outside... see the thinking... what about that! Hope it works.

Another hot topic... pocket doors. Other than a few childhood hang ups, I am over my hatred of pocket doors and I have come to agree with my wife, swinging doors waste space. I just hate the rolling thud they make but oh, well! We are having pocket doors where they can fit!

And one more thing, the foundation guys were great, the framing guys are a bit more "interesting" so we are steering clear.

Our Porch

We have an 32'x 8' porch on the front of the house. Today, they framed the grade beams and steps into the house. The porch is raised two feet and you walk down one foot back into the home. I think we've said this is a "front yard" neighborhood so we have a "front porch" house. They pour the beam and last of the concrete tomorrow afternoon and then they start framing this Thursday! We're pumped!





And, they trimmed Heather's tree!

Time is flying!

It absolutely blows me away that just a little over 3 weeks ago we were tearing the house down and now we have a new slab. Wow - this process has gone fast. The builder has warned though "Just wait, things will slow down once we get inside." I have been warned... ;-)

Anyway, an update on the tree - we have been able to save the big tree up to this point. We are getting it and another tree trimmed next week (just to be certain that they don't end up inside one of the upstairs rooms.) They are also going to fertilize it, to give it some extra oomph for all the trauma it has received through digging for the piers, plumbing and electrical. Poor tree!

Now, we need to get with a designer to start picking all the finishes and such. Boy, there are A LOT of decisions to be made. Shhhhhhh - Don't tell anyone, but I've lived in this 50+ year old house for the past 10 years with most everything "original" so I will probably go with whatever the designer tells me - within reason, of course!

We have a slab!

Well, they did the first pour on the slab today and it looks great. They covered it with sack cloth so I can't really look at it but I am excited to see how it turned out. They brought out the giant truck again and pumped the concrete into the form. The process is really cool but man am I glad we have made it to this point. We are supposed to get the plans and cost for the home automation tomorrow, we shall see what that is going to cost. I can't wait to listen to my iPod on my front porch after throwing the ball with my son.