FRAMED

Dale is the front hallway leading to the girls rooms

Sheathing on the rear of house.  Windows haven't been cut out yet

Hard to walk around with all the bracing holding up the walls.  this is the back hall leading to our room and the kitchen .

Perhaps one day I will learn how to put these in order.  

 

 

 

 

Decking - this shows the hole cut for the stairs.  The concrete in the back is the roof  to safe room

Front of the house.... Coming up!

Garages...yes there is one for the boat!

The framing crew is working now.  They are making great progress and now it is easier for me to visualize.  The height of doors, windows and cased openings are the topic of conversation at our house.

Is this your FINAL decision?

In memory of Daniel Foster #13. 

Madeline visiting checking out the construction

Top plates and anchor bolts.  You got to think from the bottom up.  We have 3  boards to make the ceiling and roof the right height. Definitely married the right man!  

Walls coming up in the basement

Wood and roof trusses 

There comes a time that the dreaming has to stop and the decisions become real!  We are at the point.  Final decisions...sounds well final!  Spent time this week on windows - combining energy efficiency, aesthetics and cost!

The framers are doing great!  working away and the walls are coming up.  Next week we should begin the main level..where I live and it is very exciting.   Was excited to have Madeline to see the house.  Hope to work on the interior decisions soon.  Cabinets and flooring, trim, colors, doors.  busy few weeks ahead of us!

Concrete week - plus plumbing!

WOW!  My builder is amazing even with remnants of Issac coming through our area the building continued.  I have been busy picking out things.  I visited Angela at Ferguson Plumbing... it is our third house together and we can click through what I need/want vs.  budget/$$$$ pretty quickly.  She is nice enough to let me dream and look up prices out of my range. Lomax Plumbing was in and out so quickly I didn't even get a picture!  I am working on tile.  TILE one of the hardest to me!  I am just staying neutral so it shouldn't be hard BUT it is.  I went in and made selections but then doubted as soon as I got in the car.   There has been a lot of concrete this week, concrete walls, foundation, concrete slab and concrete block!   I have lots of pics of all of them which may look very much the same. 

Angela... my fav at Ferguson Plumbing

Handicap Commodes a must for the tall and semi aged!

Very important to try on for fit and comfort! 

Pouring foundation and spreading gravel

Forms for concrete walls

and more concrete

Concrete Slab

Issac's gift of rain...I tried not to complain we need it so badly

Forming for the concrete roof of safe room

The important thing in this picture is the SPRAY FOAM INSULATION sprayed on the exterior of concrete walls for energy efficiency!

Love this shot!  Out of the ground! 

Rolling In Past Quitting Time!

Dale speaking English with the Foreman!  He said he was glad I was HAPPY!

Lining up the forms...cutting rebar

Surveying the work

Unloading the forms....seems like a lot of work!

Daddy explaining the house layout this past weekend.

This afternoon I pulled into GNP around 5:00 - Dale was there and said that the Concrete Wall men had done some today but would get going on the forms tomorrow.  Then we heard the crunching of the gravel on the driveway and they rolled in and starting working.  The good folks at The Concrete Works speak little English, I raised my hands cheering and they seemed glad that I was happy.  At the pace they work we should be finished by the end of the week!  (Sorry my pictures are in reverse order.... kind of how I roll!)

Firm Foundation!

Foundation on GNP 

Looney Love = Great Foundation

Dale and Rick...been digging in the dirt together for a long time!

Things have gone terrific this week.  We closed on our construction loan, dug and poured the foundation for the house.   There just isn't a lot to say about a foundation except it is important.  The one thing everything else rests on.   Madeline just summed it up...."Dad is moving on with this house" 

A "lot" happening

Before I went out of town.... the lot was cleared.  Dale & I went out and a laid out the house and marked the corners etc.   This is always a time that you begin to get an idea of size and shape of things.  It seems like it always looks really small when you just have strings lining the outside of the house.   I always ask Dale " are you sure it is big enough"  and he always says yes..prob too big!   I loved the picture of Dale & I looking down into the basement casting our shadows... I named the photo "5:00 Shadow"

Dale and Mike Garner( who by the way did an excellent job with the lot excavation and is very high on my list for promptness) did a great job of digging the basement.  When I returned today I went to the lot to find a hole in the ground that was awesome and it is done!   Dale loved playing with Tonka toys as a child... I asked him if it felt like playing!  He loves it. 

Utilities are next - water, power and those meetings will take place this week.  Plans are with the concrete wall installer and hope to get a final price and commitment this week.  Dale has met with framer who made some good suggestions and we are still tweaking the plans to accommodate those and the changes that we want to make. 

"I feel the earth move"

Keep humming this old favorite....because today I did feel the earth move!   We started today!  Mike Garner as promised started clearing the lot today.  He got the driveway cleared all the way back to the house site! 

I went and bought me some rain boots to wear after work I was so excited that I had to get out there and see!  It looks great so far that is if you like downed trees and red mud.  This is my cue to get serious about selection...because it won't be long til Dale is calling and saying I need to know what you picked........

Away we go friends!