Time for another update. We have some roofing paper on the roof as that part of the project is getting closer to shingles. The plumbers have been in to rough-in the plumbing in the walls. It is definitely nice to see this new activity. Another fun activity was seeing the cabinet maker's drawings of our cabinets and the kitchen island that includes our wine barrels.
I have also been doing some planning and coordinating regarding our wine room/closet. We have decided on the cooling unit for the room and how to duct it. Also spoke with the builder regarding the insulation of the walls and the vapor barrier. Pretty soon we will have to continue our research on some of the wines we want for the room.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a5jlq58lakv5z7q/AAA4dOknRkEYU2b6VrtWDH5fa
enjoy!
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
A roof over our heads
So here we are at the beginning of August. The roof is decked and today we saw a few windows installed. Almost makes it start to seem a little more real. The house will soon have some roofing paper on. We had a little communication hiccup with our builder. I relied on my conflict resolution skills that the AF taught me to get through it. LOL. I don't expect any more issues.
We had a meeting with the builder to finalize stone, stucco and shingles… good times.
Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a5jlq58lakv5z7q/AAA4dOknRkEYU2b6VrtWDH5fa
We had a meeting with the builder to finalize stone, stucco and shingles… good times.
Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a5jlq58lakv5z7q/AAA4dOknRkEYU2b6VrtWDH5fa
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Looking more like a house...
The framers have made some good progress in just a little over two weeks of framing. The pictures do not do it justice. There is a lot of work going on that just doesn't come through. Something I learned last week, which makes a lot of sense; custom built homes, the roof is put up board by board. These guys have built their own little scaffolding out of 2x4s and 2x6s. It looks like an erector set of little ladders and platforms. Very impressive. Today there was a bit of rain and slowed them down and made the rafters and scaffolding slippery as they have climbed all the way up to put in the top ridge int he roof. Once they get the roof done, I expect the rest of the framing to do faster. The builder gave the framers 30 days to finish… that would be 23 July… time is money baby!
Here is the link to the photos.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a5jlq58lakv5z7q/AAA4dOknRkEYU2b6VrtWDH5fa
Here is the link to the photos.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a5jlq58lakv5z7q/AAA4dOknRkEYU2b6VrtWDH5fa
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Taking Shape...
A house needs walls. Well, at least to start. So we have walls. We can now walk the floor plan. It is pretty darn cool. This week saw a lot of changes. I am hoping that sometime this week the trusses will be put on, that will really give it some definition.
Anyway, here is the link to the June folder. The framing is the latest update. Enjoy!
June - Framing
Anyway, here is the link to the June folder. The framing is the latest update. Enjoy!
June - Framing
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Hard as a ROCK!
We are the proud new owners of a great big slab of concrete! I am still amazed at the amount of forethought and planning that goes into building a house. There is more to a slab than the concrete. I updated the dropbox with photos of the slab prep through the concrete pour, which happened today.
Framing starts Monday!
Concrete Slab Progress
Framing starts Monday!
Concrete Slab Progress
Sunday, June 1, 2014
In the beginning...
In the beginning… it was an empty lot that Monica and I created a vision of the house yet to be.
Everything must start with a good foundation. That is essentially where we are at the moment. I have loaded the photos for May. The forms went up and plumbing rough out was complete. Next week, the back fill around the plumbing will begin with the concrete to follow.
Things are getting interesting. Every time I have the opportunity to speak to the builder or sub contractor, I learn something. Discussions on their particular task and how they do it or why they do it that way.
Some have said that building a house with your spouse is trying. All the decisions that must be made and that you really find out how far apart the two of you can be. I have to say that things have gone pretty smoothly so far. Monica and I discussed everything from appliances, brick color, tile choice and of course bathroom layout. We have found room for compromise so that both of us are happy with this build. I hope that it continues and she gets the house that she wants. She deserves it. :)
I have divided the photos in the following link by Month. For May you will find photos on the foundation and the plumbing rough out. I also have a folder for shots that I will be taking around the perimeter of the lot looking back toward the house. There is also a folder for random things.
Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gjlh80c2jrd5eae/AACI-6f5YucSrmSwqMoSReHta
Everything must start with a good foundation. That is essentially where we are at the moment. I have loaded the photos for May. The forms went up and plumbing rough out was complete. Next week, the back fill around the plumbing will begin with the concrete to follow.
Things are getting interesting. Every time I have the opportunity to speak to the builder or sub contractor, I learn something. Discussions on their particular task and how they do it or why they do it that way.
Some have said that building a house with your spouse is trying. All the decisions that must be made and that you really find out how far apart the two of you can be. I have to say that things have gone pretty smoothly so far. Monica and I discussed everything from appliances, brick color, tile choice and of course bathroom layout. We have found room for compromise so that both of us are happy with this build. I hope that it continues and she gets the house that she wants. She deserves it. :)
I have divided the photos in the following link by Month. For May you will find photos on the foundation and the plumbing rough out. I also have a folder for shots that I will be taking around the perimeter of the lot looking back toward the house. There is also a folder for random things.
Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gjlh80c2jrd5eae/AACI-6f5YucSrmSwqMoSReHta
Monday, May 12, 2014
Let's do this!
Wow… it has been two months since my last post. Quite a bit has happened, very slowly…
The appraisal process slowed us down quite a bit. There were two appraisals done and they both came back low. Mostly due to this being a new development, so there was only one sale and it was sold so low just so the guy could get rid of it so he could move to Houston. The comparables just weren't there to put the value where the builder thought it should be. This worked in our favor. Yeah us! The builder had to bring his price down, cutting into his profit. The good news for us was that he REALLY wants to build this house. It is a unique plan, with some really cool craftsman features… and it will really say something about his abilities as a custom builder. Good news all around if you ask me.
So we finished up the appraisal, then quickly closed on the construction. The next task for us was to get our custom changes into the blueprints. The architect is from near Dallas. So this was an easy task. He would draw the changes and then we would go back and forth ironing out the details. It only took him about 5 days to complete. Then we had to now push it through the Architectural Committee. That approval should come back today or tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the builder is setting up his subcontractors in the bull pen so they will be ready to go when the approval comes in.
All of this to say… the construction of our dream home will begin this week!
There are lot of cool custom touches that we are thinking about doing in the kitchen… cabinets, island, hood…
…more to come, with photos of course.
The appraisal process slowed us down quite a bit. There were two appraisals done and they both came back low. Mostly due to this being a new development, so there was only one sale and it was sold so low just so the guy could get rid of it so he could move to Houston. The comparables just weren't there to put the value where the builder thought it should be. This worked in our favor. Yeah us! The builder had to bring his price down, cutting into his profit. The good news for us was that he REALLY wants to build this house. It is a unique plan, with some really cool craftsman features… and it will really say something about his abilities as a custom builder. Good news all around if you ask me.
So we finished up the appraisal, then quickly closed on the construction. The next task for us was to get our custom changes into the blueprints. The architect is from near Dallas. So this was an easy task. He would draw the changes and then we would go back and forth ironing out the details. It only took him about 5 days to complete. Then we had to now push it through the Architectural Committee. That approval should come back today or tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the builder is setting up his subcontractors in the bull pen so they will be ready to go when the approval comes in.
All of this to say… the construction of our dream home will begin this week!
There are lot of cool custom touches that we are thinking about doing in the kitchen… cabinets, island, hood…
…more to come, with photos of course.
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