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musicgal_gw

It's July 2014- How is Your Build Progressing? Part 3

musicgal
9 years ago

Oicu- You were one of the first posters I saw here on GW. I had to read your last post to my husband last night, because that is EXACTLY the way we feel right now. It warms our hearts at the present time to bug, bug, bug them:-)

I am here in town waiting on a piano tuner to come to my friend's house. She is in Colorado, and this was supposed to be a dual visit for the tuner... so she could tune mine as well since she has to come out from College Station. But guess who doesn't have her floor grouted under the piano area yet? Yes, that's right, me!

The owner of the store came out and got an earful today. He promised 3 days about 2 weeks ago now, and there you have it.

Just something fun, my wrought iron guy is named Geraldo Rivera.

Comments (104)

  • Michelle
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow happy valley, I really like that!! Will show hubby! We are leaning back to a variance of the original....something like you've drawn. Thank you for taking the time to draw that up!!

  • MFatt16
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Still no pics of finished paint. They started back around the back side and I wasn't getting out for pictures!

    Good news for us! We passed the last inspection until CO inspection. No more shenanigans, no more waiting, no more rule changing by the county. I feel a weight has been lifted. Now my GC just has to get the sheet rockers in and the ball will really be rolling on the finish stuff.

    I too was going to go for wood floors initially, changed to natural hickory, and our designer said that the trick to the dark floors is getting a matte finish. It will still be dusty but won't show as much as the high gloss finishes.

  • jdez
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Michelle - I like Hap's version.

    Here's what we've been working on. It was finished today. The back wall of our Living Room.

    This,

    Turned in to this:

  • HappyValleyHome
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Northpolehome...sounds like you are a bit ahead of us...probably because my windows were late. We are getting hvac and plumbing this week. Framing of basement was mostly completed today. They have put in all the soffits and all stone and siding has been delivered and they have started with trim boards.

    Oicu...I like your floors. R u planning to stain your posts and railing, too? I think it will give you more of the look that u want once that is done. Also, they will darken up a bit as they age. I agree with Michelle in that much darker and you will see a lot more dust/lint.

    Blue moon...tile looks great...I like the grey wood tile, as well

    Jenniekehr...framing is looking good. I know all about waiting on windows!!!

    Niteshade...great pics! I really like your counters and especially the pet feeding center. That is the one thing I haven't figured out where I will put in the new build

    Jdez...wall look great!! The rest of the story on the hottie on the lawn mower is that I actually think it was our neighbors son and didn't want to start things off badly in the new 'hood!

    Zganderson...looks like you are moving along at a good clip, as well! Similar to Northpolehome

  • ZGAnderson
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Plumbing/HVAC is slowing us down today. They originally said they would be done mid last week. We're hoping for mid this week now after they didn't show up on Friday. Central vac didn't go in today and I'm going to have to call to delay my insulation to late this week/early next.

    Really not a big deal, I just feel bad having to move the schedule out from under people.

  • lizzieplace
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    JDez - wall looks great! I have been seeing a lot of wood walls lately and I am very attracted to them, but can't get my husband on board. Also would probably cost an arm and a leg with our builder. I am curious as to what material is used to make walls like these. Is it the same wood you put on the floors?

    Happyvalleyhome - nice work on Michelle's elevation. I like how the top part so much better than the original elevation. Plus, the main entry is still defined. Anyway, we started insulation today, yay! The second floor is done, and they have started on the main floor. No signs of stone or siding yet for us though, so we might be at the same pace still, just different trades working right now. Wonder how the others are doing.

    Michelle - when do you need to decide on the final elevation? Keep us posted.

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Northpole, we toured a home that was built on the site of an older home that was torn down. They used the sub floor boards from the original house to build a wall like that. You probably could use flooring. But I've only seen it done with a much thinner wood.

    I lack the commitment to do a full wall. But I built my head board out of wood reclaimed from a friend's barn.

  • Oaktown
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Michelle1973 -- Happyvalleyhome's sketch is very nice. Please note, however, that it puts you back at a 2-story house rather than a 1.5 story; I might be misremembering but I think nicke(?) had suggested the 1.5 story as a potential cost-saving approach. HVH's sketch increases the volume under roof from your original elevation. Good luck, whatever you decide I'm sure it will be beautiful.

  • robynstamps
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jdez - That wall looks fabulous! It looks like you put a lot of hard work into that!

    oicu - LOVE your floors! They look like the same floors we are doing!

    jennie - WOW! They are working fast on your house! You are going to pass me pretty soon!

    bluemoon - I cannot believe you have your brick almost done! It looks gorgeous!!

    Okay, just a quick update from me! They have been hanging drywall since last Wednesday afternoon. They aren't quite finished yet. Makes me think if 10 foot ceilings with two 21 foot ceilings was a good idea! That is taking them the most time! The floors are scheduled to go in on Aug 11th. I can't believe the time is getting closer and closer. I've become "that" house builder who stalks their home 3+ times a day hoping that they got that much more done since 5 minutes before. It's really sad, actually, how stalker-ish I've become. haha!

    Here is another pic of the stone. That is coming right along, too and I LOVE how it is turning out!!

  • autumn.4
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jackson-forgot to mention don't underestimate the home-y-ness of grass - from the one that will be sans grass for a year. I think it looks great and so inviting. :)

    robyn-look at them go! It looks great. Do you still have your cameras up and do you still look at them when you are too busy to physically stalk?

    jenniekehr-that is a big milestone! Yay!

    j-that looks awesome! Around here I've seen some wood ceilings done but not really a wall I don't think, not sure whyy as it makes complete sense. It is a fantastic idea.

    Off to shower for work. Loving being wired back in. Woohoo!

  • HappyValleyHome
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Michelle,
    It would be interesting to see what your architect/builder tells you as far as cost of build for 1-1/2 story vs 2 story. Ours told us that 2 story was much cheaper as you can order pre engineered trusses v.s. having to stick build a lot of the trusses w/ 1-1/2 story with dormers. I actually think the elevation is as good or better if you pull down the roofline but then you run into issues of windows needing to be placed in a dormer...when drawing, i tried pulling down the roofline and eliminating front windows (thinking you could move them to the side) and it looked good... You would lose some usable space but could put that shed dormer on the back and I think it would look good. Just depends on what is more cost effective in your neck of the woods

  • Michelle
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Happyvalley, you are correct....our builder/architect did day that a full two story is actually less expensive to build than a 1.5 story home.

    Thanks everyone. I truly appreciate your feedback. Architect is working on changes now. I'll definitely post when done!

  • jdez
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    jenniek - Your house is looking good...and very green, lol, but you are moving right along.

    bluemoon - Your crew is flying! Your brick is pretty. I remember you saying that you picked the reddest brick you could find.

    oicu - Your floor stain turned out beautiful. If it were me, I wouldn't try to darken it any.

    northpole - You are making good progress. I hope they get started on your insulation soon. As for the wood wall, it is reclaimed cypress shiplap siding. We got all the cypress at a ridiculously cheap price or we could have never afforded it. It has been a lot of work because we had to actually clean it first. On the shiplap, we also had to sand it and then clean it again before we put a finish on it. We used cypress tongue and groove flooring on the walls in the kitchen and dining area.

    mfatt - Congratulations on passing that inspection! It is always a relief to get past those. Hope you see some sheetrock going up soon.

    hap - Lol on the lawn boy. That was just a random internet pic. It never ocurred to me that someone might know him.

    zga - Don't let the delays discourage you. You are moving at a good pace so it should be ok.

    robyn - Your stone looks gorgeous. And, yes, it is ok to be a stalker right now...lol.

    amberm - Are you digging yet?

    autumn4 - Which one of your many projects are you busy with right now? Screened porch? Barn? Glad you had got "refreshed".

    We have a lot of work to do. We still have two people from the building crew working for us but for the most part, we are in DIY mode. We decided to hire someone to tile the shower because we were just too worried about our ability to waterproof it the right way. We have gotten three bids and they are all stupidly expensive. We have to hang more shiplap beside the fireplace, have to form the hearth and order stone for the fp, have to put some kind of finish on the wood walls in the kitchen/dining, have to stain the cabinets, have to lay flooring everywhere but in the bedrooms which will be carpet. Our two carpenters are going to install all the trim but we will have to paint it. They also have to finish the siding on the exterior that is still not up on the second floor bump-out. Somewhere in there, we are going to TX for a three day vacation and school starts on Aug 12th. I don't know how long it is going to be before we move in but I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. It already feels like home and I can't wait to actually live there. Happy Tuesday everybody!

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    JDez, the excavation crew is finishing up another job on Thursday. They'll move their equipment on "Friday or early next week." Monday is a holiday here, so I'm thinking we'll start digging Wed. I'm actually in no rush now. We're still in a giant question mark over the foundation, and I don't want to have a giant hole for long. I'm terrified of some stupid neighborhood kid climbing the fence and falling in the hole, or causing damage to the house next door, whose house is less than 12' from our hole.

  • jenniekehr
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oicu...I love your floor color, we are looking to do a similar stain color but with character grade Hickory. I have Great Danes and 2 kids so do not want super dark to hide some of the dirt:)

    JDez_ That wall is amazing!

    Robyn- We will never catch up to you, but I just need to be in the house sometime in Nov. We stalk too, and stop by at least once a day. Your stone is so pretty.

    Michelle- I like the rendering happyvalley came up with.

  • autumn.4
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    amber-no rush? What? Well I am most definitely in a rush to see your big ol dirt hole! You just tell those kiddies that there are giant snakes in the hole and they need to stay OUT! That would do it for me anyhow. If only it were that simple huh.

    jdez-back at a busy snap here with 'other' non house related stuff. I did do some touch up painting this weekend. Dh is picking up the stain kit so I can finally stain the front door (truth be told I am a little frightened of messing it up). I think the barn framing starts this week? I will see dh tonight and get the low down. Yes we live together but on opposite shifts it can literally be days between verbal conversations, lol. You can only text so much ya know. Heading to a baseball game tonight (woohoo) and then VBS tomorrow. I guess my next projects are staining the door, getting rugs (still working on that), organizing the office-desk top installs on the 11th, and then further organizing the pantry once the office stuff is out of there. DH is working on the porch ceilings, then barn then screened porch? How is that kitchen coming along?

    michelle-so interesting. So we have a 1 1/2 story and for some reason were bent on having it look like a ranch from the front - I didn't really want a traditional 2 story I guess. And it does. It has a steep roof which helps with the snow (as I know you can relate) and the dormer that could be fake is actually real - it's the stairwell. The boys bedrooms and the bathroom are all on the back side of the house upstairs so you can't really see there is a 2nd story unless you look from the back. It is so fun to work through a floor plan and elevations to see what you end up creating and the options that a floor plan can give you as far as the elevation is concerned. Excited to see what you settle on. :D I do believe the trusses were a bit more for ours but we have that angled garage and I think that is where the extra cost factored in.

    So I am back to being wired but also now run late for work from surfing before showering. Oops!

  • robynstamps
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm sooooo embarrassed!! It just started pouring rain about an hour ago so I decided to go by the house to see if they were still working on the exterior in the rain. I was just curious. I didn't expect them to be working! Anyway, I got my SUV stuck in the mud in the front of my house and BARELY got out. I have now messed up the perfectly smooth dirt that the workers have been driving on all build. It will now have DEEP crevices when it dries. LOL! I was afraid that my car was going to slam into my house. Lesson learned…. don't drive on mud!!

    This post was edited by robynstamps on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 16:18

  • carsonheim
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Robyn -- that happened to me once and I had to have my car towed out! eeek!

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Boo! My master bathroom floor tile is discontinued. Well, it likely never existed, because I was willing to buy it months ago and store it, but they never had it in stock. I went into the tile store today to see if they had any yet, and they've taken the sample right off the wall. They have other colours, but not the one I liked. It's not the end of the world. It's just a porcelain tile that looks like wood, so there are a dozen alternatives. But this was one I liked that was only cost $3/sq'. Whaaaa!

    My alternative colour scheme that had a floor tile at $2.50/sq' and shower floor tiles in a matching colour, the shower tile is also discontinued.

    At least now if I find what I like, I can buy it without worrying that I'll change my mind before I need it.

  • thisishishouse
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Stair railings have been stained to match, and I've got to say that the color is starting to grow on me. I originally had in mind something closer to ebony, but the dark walnut has a real warmth to it.

    And the mad rush has started to get it done and us in before Labor Day. Outside the septic went in, along with the underground propane tank, the driveway graded, and loam is being screened. That's all in the last 2 days, because it wasn't done Sunday. Inside the baseboards and finish trim is happening, kitchen cabinets were delivered, and the tile crew is doing their thing.

  • mrsb1227
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Excited to finally join in on the conversation. I've learned a ton on here and love looking at all of your beautiful homes. We are building a 2700 sq ft colonial style home in New York's mid-hudson valley. After 2 months of waiting for permits, we finally broke ground today and our builder sent us this pic. Have never been so excited to see a giant hole in the ground!

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Welcome, MrsB1227. I think I've been here longer than you've been waiting on permits, and we still don't have a hole. Not that I'm bitter or anything... :D But here's hoping you have an uneventful build.

  • mrsb1227
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you amberm! My intro definitely lacked a lot of info, sure permits took 2 months but this whole crazy idea of building began about a year ago. We were lucky enough to find a builder who we were very comfortable with and he found the land for us and is taking care of all the "difficult" stuff. I really have admiration for those of you that are managing your builds and really getting knee deep in the process.

  • musicgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wonderful progress everyone. Exciting times. Welcome MrsB- many milestones ahead for you in the next months.
    Amberm, I reckon today might be the day that the powers that be decree a foundation hole for you. You've been very patient with the red tape.
    JDez, you are going to pass right near the new house on your vacay probably. Wave, if you see me there... lol.
    Phil, the Pool Guy, came to visit with us and extolled the design and the location of the house. He brought his wife out with him... I guess that must say something about the special nature of investing yourself into a project like we have over the past 2 years. It is NOT a cookie cutter house:-)
    We are one electrical inspection away from being cleared to move in, in that regard. Geraldo Rivera will have the wrought iron rails up for us by week's end (we are told) and that is required for a temporary CO. So it looks like we came close to a July move in. The summer FLEW by.
    Good new is, down here in the deep south- we will be able to use the pool through December!!! Yep, I am not kidding there. It is heated, and it doesn't usually stay uncomfortably cold until after the holidays.
    Craigslisting continues here. Selling beautiful things that I have some attachment to. But to make room for the new, you have to let go of the old.
    Bringing more boxes up on Friday... then it is full speed ahead with moving vans and organizing over the following two weeks.

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Musicgal, if anything happens today, it'll be survey spikes on the lot. As for the foundation, the issue is that we're trying to build a super insulated, "green where it's reasonable" home. So we've decided to insulate the exterior of the basement walls, right to the footing. But the one foundation guy refuses to do it. Despite documentation from the FEDERAL government explaining how and why to do it, he simply won't do it. Guy #2 will do it, but wants $19k more than guy #1. And I haven't been able to get quotes from anyone else. Guy #1 is preferred by BIL/GC, guy #2 was referred by Google. So we decided yesterday to get guy #1, and BIL & myself will do the insulation before backfill.

  • autumn.4
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    musicgal-ugh - pool in December? Did you really HAVE to post that? ;) You are so close now! Wow!

    Mrsb-welcome! Exciting times!

    amber-oh I can't wait to see that hole of yours!

    Not really much to add except I choked on "Geraldo Rivera" and "outside living in December". Gag.....lol! Our summer has been too cool by some peoples standards, simply LOVELY to mine but I shudder to think what it might mean come winter......

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Autumn, we've had an unusually warm summer here. We usually get into the high 80s for a week in July, and otherwise, we're down in the 70s. We're having our second week of 90+ this summer! Of course, nobody is acclimatized, so everyone's whining. I love it, myself. Here's hoping it's also a warm fall, so I can get some building done.

    And I'm sure musicgal's pool comment was an invitation to all of us to use her pool in December. :P A few years ago, we were visiting friends in San Antonio, and we used the outdoor, unheated pool in their subdivision in April. The neighbours thought we were insane. No, just Canadian, I guess it's kind of the same thing. ;)

  • Kathy Harrington
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Amber - How agravating! Can't imagine why guy #1 won't do the work.

    Musicgal - Can't believe your moving in - How exciting! Have enjoyed reading all your posts and seeing your beautiful home

    Oicu - Love the floors! Is that a walnut stain on the redoak?

    Jdez - Your wood wall is beautiful. What wood and stain is that?

    passing time while the carpet is cleaned. I hate the waiting, but will love the results. We had a very productive week. Being long distance is difficult, but our visits have been divinely perfect! We got to see the house framed up but with out the trusses and roof on yet. It was amazing to see how much smaller the plan looked in real life and we were able to tweak lots of small details that made a hug impact on the house. By the end of the week we were loving the changes and the house, it was just the right size and when we left, the trusses were in place. Next visit in just a couple of weeks!

    Picked the color: KIngsport gray on the board and batten and stucco and trim matches the windows which are Kolbe, rustic

    Was going to post a photo but couldn't get it to work. Don't have time to fool with it.

    Great days everyone!

  • jet08
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Greetings to everyone, I have been lurking for some time now. We finally have some progress on our new build after the normal frustrations that everyone else has gone through with banks, appraisals, and permits.

    Anyway, we finally have some progress and I thought I would share some pictures of our little slice of Michigan heaven :)

    Here is what we started with.

  • jet08
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our driveway with top soil stripped

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    harringk, it's not "standard". They only want to do what they've done a million times before. BIL has warned us we're going to face that a lot trying to do better than basic. The guy's excuse is that he thinks the foam will trap moisture against the waterproof coating on the outside of the concrete, and that will deteriorate the coating. But, #1, the alternative is dirt against the coating, so, really, how much worse can foam be? And #2, he's perfectly willing to insulate to 4' below grade. so how is an extra 4-5 feet a problem? He did say, before I clarified that we really did want it all the way down, that he thought 4' down was overkill. He only recommended 2' down because that's required by code.

    Got an appointment for tomorrow to go look at some windows. We got a few quotes months ago. A few were really close, and one is about 20% less, supposedly for the same windows. Part of it is that they are a European company and they're still waiting on official approval to sell these windows in the city, which should be happening any time now, testing is done, just waiting on letters. If we were building outside the city, we wouldn't need the letters. But I'm still nervous. What am I missing that makes these windows SOOO much cheaper? Gotta investigate very carefully.

  • jet08
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Our hole

  • jet08
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Footers poured

  • MFatt16
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Funny how exciting that first big hole is!

    Another roadblock, my GC had a heart attack last night and needs a valve replacement. If its not one things its another. There are 2 GCs but the other one is more of a site manager and the hospitalized one kinda runs the show. I am sure all will be fine but on the heels of a 6 week delay it is crappy news to say the least. If anyone remembers, one of my GC's already lost a finger on this job. Poor guys.

  • jet08
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    A little more info is that we are building Ranch that will end up just under 2400sqft. OK last one I promise, sorry for all the redundant posts.

    Here is the poured basement walls. They did the waterproofing and insulation earlier this week, as well as backfilled the outer walls with stone. I will have more pictures to update that soon. I am looking forward to joining in on the conversations and everyones input as our build progresses. Thanks in advance!

  • musicgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jet08- that is a lot of space to use your creativity! Congrats on your start and welcome.
    To my Canadian friends- come visit me with sunhats and a swimsuit, and I will make up some frosty beverages for you in late November. On the flip side, we are all in lizard mode right now... moving as slowly as possible, and taking afternoon naps when it's too hot to do anything. Alternative is heat stroke when the outdoor temps "feel like" over 100 degrees because of the high humidity. There is no such thing as a good hair day around here, until y'all send us some of that Canadian air!
    amberm- we had to fight every inch of the way to get our nonstandard items- the Decra roof, the courtyard pool in the foundation, the Pella wood sliders, the beautiful double wrought iron door... you'd think we were killing them by not putting in the standard stuff sold at the hardware store. Ironically, we started a trend and our GC got tons more business because we were doing something different. Down here, it is still unusual to use foam insulation instead of batt because it costs more. But the guy lookie- loos just loved popping in and looking at all that early in the process. You probably will do a lot of the hard work, and then someone else will reap the benefit because your contractors will say, "Oh yeah, that lady over there insulated the foundation all the way down... and I didn' t think it was something they needed to do, but you know- it was really a good thing for them to do..." If I had a dollar for everytime I've heard something like this, I'd alread have a Pottery Barn duvet;-)

  • jackson2348
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Final inspection-check! Final coat on the wood floors this afternoon. Movers scheduled for next Tuesday. We'll move art, lamps, rugs etc this weekend. Musicgal, we'll be right there in the same boat as you!

  • musicgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yum Jackson- BEE U tiful!!!!

  • Michelle
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, Jackson, what a gorgeous space!

  • hoosierbred
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jackson, congrats on passing final inspection!!! That room is gorgeous!

    We are thoroughly enjoying being in our new home. I love getting up in the morning, sit on the side of the bed and look out the window at the lake and the nature all around. It's still surreal walking into the family room in the mornings and going "awwww I like the looks of our home." Little by little we are getting things done. Definitely at a slower pace than before we moved in. There is no rush anymore!

    I've unpacked all the house stuff except some books and pictures which are still in the garage. Still missing two book shelves and a comforter, bedskirt, and matching decorative pillows. Our stuff was in two different storage places for over a year without being opened. I'm hoping those things are somewhere in bins or boxes on shelves in the garage that somehow never made it into the house.

    Still dealing with concrete. The front walkway and back patio color didn't match the front porch at all. So the contractor put a dye in the sealer and re-sealed it. It looks much better. Then I decided I wanted the other two walkways with the same color seal and he said he'd do it. Yesterday he came, mixed the dye in the sealer and started to apply it. It's way darker than the other he mixed the day before. He was frustrated at himself and said he'd be back today. He didn't show up. In the meantime we had a landscaper come out yesterday and having one come tomorrow to give us a design and estimate of cost. We'll wait until September to do it so Mother Nature can help regarding watering.

    Congrats to all the new folks joining! So exciting.

    Oh, Autumn, I left my gas burner on during dinner one night this week. Scared me to death when I noticed it was on. I've devised a plan from a friend of mine. After cooking I immediately move the pan to another burner and that way I'll see the flames. I hope that continues to work for me! Crazy!

  • Kathy Harrington
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I must have a duvet too, musicgal! it's usually in response to something I learned or found on this website. It's hard to be a pioneer. Good luck tomorrow Amber on the windows. We are trying to build green as well, our builder recommended Kolbe triple paned windows. Hope they are as good as he thinks.

    Jackson, beautiful light!!
    Congrats Hooiser and welcome home!

  • ZGAnderson
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mid-way inspection complete! A few minor things to do for framing walls for drywall attachment, block an interior wall off to keep attic insulation in place and raise some plumbing vent pipes for rainwater drainage. Inspector said to go ahead and schedule insulation.

    So insulation is scheduled for Monday, will get drywall materials delivered next week and drywall installation scheduled for late next week or early the week after!

  • lizzieplace
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    ZGAnderson, great news! Workers were finishing up insulation for us yesterday, so hopefully drywall starts this week as well.

    Jackson2348 - congratulations! It is beautiful! More pictures?? :)

    Oicu812 - getting close! Tell me again when you broke ground?

    Amber - good luck on the tiles and the windows

    Happyvalleyhome - how's it going? Haven't heard much from the rest. Just you mainly. Hope you are progressing at a good pace. On our visit to the house later, hoping to see drywall and/or exterior started. The previous days have been not so exciting, with insulation going in. Made a lot of difference on the second floor though. It was super hot when we went there, and it's only upper 70's outside. No more breeze coming in.

  • gogiantsfan29
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    MrsB1227 - Good Luck with your house build we are also building in the Hudson Valley.

  • gogiantsfan29
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Newbie here. Things have been moving so fast for us I have not had much time to post . Decide in April to build. Took a month to design and draw up plans. Broke ground last month. And should be done framing next week. This has been a full time job for me. With us GCing the house ourselves its been crazy. Building a 4000sf house plus 1200sf garage and 1150 unfinished for now apartment over the garage. Very stressed over this and honestly wish things would slow down.. lol
    But, very excited at the same time.

  • autumn.4
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    hoosier-that is a good plan! I actually had taken the skillet off the stove and put it on the table on a trivet so lifted the pan and walked away and that is why I didn't catch it was on. Thankfully I haven't done it since but I am hyper-vigilant about it now, lol!

    zg-oh drywall! That is exciting. I remember feeling wow we are almost done and really no not quite. ;)

    jackson-that is a gorgeous room. I love your doors/windows/wood - all of it! I bet you are getting so antsy to get in there!

    jet-I don't think you will hear anyone complain about pictures. Truly everyone loves eye candy, even dirt, wood and cement eye candy.

    music-I am not that far up in the north country but we border Canada so does that count for a December dip in the pool? :D I just can't even picture that scene - Christmas lights and swimming. I can just imagine how summer is though. I slow down if it's just in the 80's.

    amber-that is interesting that you have had a hotter than average summer. They were saying here we have had the 3rd coldest July on record - and I love it! It's been in the mid 70's with the nights around 50-60. It's so awesome sleeping with the windows open and NO A/C!

    michelle-cannot wait to see your final plans!

    Still no duvet. My bedspread came. I am reasonably certain that 'they just don't make them like they used to' even applies to bedding! It's alright but I just don't know if it's going to hold up and more importantly if the batting is going to stay smooth or get all bunched up. I can't handle all the bunching.

    Our progress - not the house but the barn poles were set!

    It is 30x40 I think (I am totally not in tune with the man cave):

    And one of the helpers - he's a climber for sure:

    Ordered backsplash samples in herringbone and rhomboid and 2x4 sizes.

    TGIF!

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My first picture! We have survey markers telling the excavator where to dig. Excavators were supposed to be moving their equipment today, but no sign of them yet.

    The surveyor was supposed to be done in 2-3 days. So I said "go" on Thursday, they had questions, I confirmed they had everything on Friday, and I figured Wed at the latest. On Wednesday, I get an email from the survey company. "Did you want us to do this?" Uh, yeah! I thought it was done by now! I told them the excavators were coming today, so they made it a rush job and got it done yesterday.

    I went by the lot today to take some pictures. I also needed shots of the neighbour's "ready to fall down even before we start digging" fence. Just in case we get accused of damaging it. I'm driving up the alley, and a new house several doors down is having some landscaping done, and for some reason the guy has his equipment spread out in the alley. So there's not much room to get through, and there's a van coming the other way. We each take turns pulling over so the other can get through. He waves thank-you and goes on his way. As he's passing me, I realize it's BIL's friend who is going to be helping on the build. He's checking out the lot like I am, and didn't even recognize me. :P

    Also, while out running errands, I noticed a new bathroom showroom. It's a new location of a company I've already got quotes from. The quotes were ridiculous, like, over MSRP on every single thing. So, I'm not buying from them. But a big new showroom might give me a chance to pick out some things. Not a single item had ANY information. No price, no model number, and in some cases, not even a brand name. I asked if this is just a symptom of being new, they haven't put up the info cards yet? "Oh, no, the showroom designers decided that the info cards made the display look too busy, so we don't have any." Really? I think the fact that you have 22 shower heads in a 4'x4' square area makes it look busy. Info cards would make it USEFUL. Oh, well. I don't have to waste my time ever going in there again. It's ridiculous, this isn't some hoity-toity designer brand bathroom boutique. They've got a reputation for being a big supplier of basic plumbing supplies. Maybe they're trying to become the hoity-toity types?

    I think the ensuite tile is picked. I'll probably get a lighter version of the one I had originally wanted. It's also discontinued, but there's lots of stock as of yesterday. DH is going on his annual mountain bike vacation tomorrow, taking my car for 10 days because it's better on gas. That means I'll be driving his big 'ole beast of a truck, so I'll go get the tile then. If I miss it again, there are a few other options that are just as nice and only slightly more expensive. So no need to panic.

    As for windows, the cheaper guy's products are much nicer. But, he's still waiting on his 3rd party certification that allows him to sell his window with a sticker. If we have windows without the sticker, we won't pass the city inspection. So, we're giving him another week to find out when that's coming. I am also investigating getting a Direct Buy membership. They also sell windows. So if they can get the ones we want, at a price that makes the membership fee worthwhile, then that's another possibility.

    Has anyone else looked into getting a Direct Buy membership for their build? Did you find it was worth it? SIL's mother has one, and she swears by it. But she buys a lot of stuff for her 3 daughters and their families. My cousin built his house a few years ago and got the membership. But I'm not sure he calculated the cost of the membership into his "savings". I mean, it costs $5000 or $6000, depending on who you ask. So you have to save at least that much to break even. And a lot of people are probably "saving" that much only because they're buying stuff they wouldn't otherwise buy. For example, you could get a $800 dishwasher and be very happy with it. But you go to DB, and they can get you the $2000 dishwasher for $1200. So you "save" $800. But you've still spent $400 more than you would have without the DB membership.

    Speaking of windows, I realized that we had quoted the super insulated, fancy opening, custom coloured windows on the garage. That's a waste of money. The garage isn't heated, so single pane is fine. We want them to open, but sliders is good enough. And the colour doesn't matter. So I got a quote from Costco for 3 basic windows. I almost choked when I got it. It's almost as much as the fancy windows that were quoted with the house. I also asked for door pricing, since I don't like what the window guys are offering. And they've spec'd out 1980s Home Depot style doors at several thousand dollars each.

  • musicgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hello everyone-
    I'm just going to probably write one post every few days right now because we are starting to move and wrapping up details like phone service, insurance, TV, etc. We were up at the house today.... I say house, not site because it feels more like a house now to me and progressively will start to feel like A home, and then just... home. What a nice word. Home.

    Hey, y'all almost saw me on TV today 'cause I almost killed a plumber. Won't go into the details now, but yeah... even with a baby on my hip, my French came out:-)

    To the newbies... happy and great times ahead. It is a very invigorating and exhausting journey before you. Gogiants- that is a huge project! Good that it is going fast because it will be winter before you know it. Building time and regular time exist in separate dimensions, it seems.

    Autumn- you are welcome any time around the holidays for a dip. I figure all my guestrooms might be done by then:-) We actually got a break in our temps today (highs in the 80s) which is very unusual for us in August. We DID use the break to move a lot of boxes today with my daughter's help. BTW Autumn, your helper is a cutie:-)

    Amberm- That is one gorgeous pic, I kid you not! Every once in awhile you will have a contractor that you won't have to check on constantly, but for the most part I am finding that if they say they will do it Monday, they are starting to do it on Thursday. My Geraldo Rivera was supposed to show up yesterday... well, he'll be there on Monday. Or so they say. Anyway, we can't move in without our safety rails because we are elevated on 3 corners. The baby (my grandaughter) was running around exploring today and I was freaking out- everyone has gotten so accustomed to the edges that they forget how far up we are from grade in the patio and porch areas. Makes for a nice view, but a really bad 12 foot slip. So she rode around on my hip for a good part of the afternoon.

    So you asked about Build Direct. We considered joining about 4 years ago but we had kind of a bad experience with one of their sales reps and it left a bad taste in our mouths. We'd actually practically begged to be contacted and then started the sourcing process on our own, after not getting our calls returned. It seemed to us, true or not, they did not really need our business. And, from what I read about the discounts offered from them as opposed to what you could get through your GC's discount or your own large set deal at certain times of the year, we feel as though it was probably better than break even for us that we did not use them. Now, my opinion may change when we start to buy furniture- so, just sayin'.
    Amberm- look at Therma Tru prices for doors if you can get them up there. All the builders here use them, even the big name custom guys. They are heavy and insulated and come in a wide variety of styles.

  • amberm145_gw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Musicgal, it's funny you should say that about Monday equals Thursday. BIL/GC just said the exact same thing. Verbatim. :) Have you really been at this for 4 years? Eek. It must be amazing to actually be moving in. It shows me there's life on the other side.

    SIL swears by DB, she said her mother pays for the membership on kitchen cabinets alone every time she redoes a kitchen. The problem is, as far as I can tell, they only use 2 cabinet manufacturers. Neither of those are ones I want to use. Hardwood is another thing she buys, but again, I don't know if it's hardwood I would have wanted.

  • musicgal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Amberm- just about 4 years for the whole process. We had two weddings in 2010 and then it seemed to be time for us to build the retirement house. So, getting our house ready for sale which involved some blandifying, choosing a realtor, waiting for the right offers, lot shopping, architect shopping, GC shopping, moving to a rental, permit getting, canasta playing (to meet the new neighbors), babysitting ( my GD all this last school year), rotator cuff surgery, sourcing independent contractors for roofing and such, painfully watching the framers go off the blueprint and having them tear out and redo. Taking a picture of the alligator in the lake... changing doctors, learning all the sub's names, carrying trash to the dumpster...
    There is a light at the end of the tunnel:-) I am glad I still have the energy to do this. You will be just fine Amber- and you will have a beautiful home when all is said and done.

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