We Survived Christmas...

Okay - we're between Christmas and New Years, so some of the contractors have been taking some time off.  But...the project is still making progress.

As an update on our status, the sheetrock is up, the tape and floaters are done, and the first coat of texturing is done.  The fireplaces are in place (but the accents are not complete), and the cabinets are supposed to be on the way.  We ordered garage doors today, and they will be installed next Friday.  The trim guy should be running full force next week and everyone's doing a Great Job.

Here are some pictures of the glass block around the shower in the master bathroom.  It turned out great, and I'm so excited about it.

The crew that taped and floated did a great job.  It was pretty cool watching them work.

And...I don't know much about the Child Labor Laws, but this guy looks pretty young (but he knew what he was doing!).

Harry & HB came over to move the front doors to the office (so that they are protected from the elements and the other workers). 

While they were there, they took a quick stop in the upstairs igloo.

And...because of the ongoing moisture (of which I am not complaining because it was very dry for a very long time), we have a muddy mess in what will be our backyard.  Oh well...it will all be dry again way too soon.

We had a little rain delay but we're back on track now!

Okay - we finally got some rain (and I'm not complaining that it shut us down for a few day), but the crews are back working, and we're completely dried in.  It also appears that we're actually ahead of schedule.  As long as I can continue to make the 50 decisions that have to be made daily, then we'll complete ahead of schedule (but we won't be in by Christmas).

Here's the current view of the house from the road (the house faces west).

They also started blowing the insulation this week.  That is one incredible process.  They start out by blowing the insulation onto the wall / rafters.  It is very liquid and thin.  Then it explodes and looks like lava spewing from a volcano.

Then they come back and shave off the excess, so that the sheetrock can be nailed to the studs. I don't know how these guys do this everyday for 8 hours.  But...it looks like snow to me, so maybe it's fun??

Once they got through with the blowing and shaving, it looked like the inside of an igloo (although I've never been in an igloo, this is what I imagine it would be like).

Craymon also came out and dug some ditches for conduit to the middle of the circle driveway.

Here is a shot of our Master Suite.  The arches are the doorways going into our bedroom, then into the bathroom, and then into the closet.  Pretty cool to watch the house taking shape!

And...here is a view of the front of the house as it stands today.  I'm so excited as we move to the interior of the house.

Columns, Roof and Front Entrance

The subs continue to make progress, and the house continues to be transformed into a home.  Every new little component adds excitement to the project.  I'm most excited over the main columns being set in front of the house this week.  It was quite a process to watch, and Greg Jordan and his crew did a great job setting them for us.

They also got started on the roof this week.  The roofing crew started yesterday, and they are making great progress.

They also delivered the front door and it should be installed this week.

We also have an electrical box installed on the exterior of the house, and the electricians should be running wire to the house later this week.

The bricklayers finished up the brick entrance.  They should be installing the cap-stones later this week or early next week.

And...as a finale - here is the current view from the upstairs front window.  I think it's absolutely beautiful.

We're back on the Blog

Okay...okay - I know it's been almost a month since the last update, but I had a new grandbaby who needed attention.  So...give me a break!  In fact - wouldn't you rather spend time with this precious baby instead of sitting in front of a computer?  Introducing Macey Kyle Brent . . .

Now...instead of trying to outline everything that's happened since October 23rd, I'll just tell you where we are today.  The roof is supposed to go on this week, and the insulation will be added soon after that.  Most of the wiring is done, including the sound system, burglar alarm and Ethernet cabling.

 The plumbers dug a hole and dropped in the propane tank.  They also added concrete to hold it in the ground in case we get a flood, and the tank is empty (flood - that would require rain).

One of the two chimneys is completed, and they started painting the siding.

Most of the gas lines have been run (kitchen, fireplaces, heaters, water heaters and front lights).  So...we're cookin' with gas...

Here's a picture of one of the fireplaces that has been framed in.

Here's what the back of the house looks like today

Here's a couple of pictures of the front of the house

Oh...and we had some out of town inspectors come pay us a visit.  I hope we passed...

Okay - you are now all caught up on where we are today.  So...stay tuned!

A little excitement this week

The roofers came on Friday and started putting the felt paper on the roof decking.  The house should be dried in on Monday, so come on rain!!!

We also made a decision to fence the back pasture (which was the only part of the farm that was not fenced).  We had a choice to either buy hay or fence.  We decided to fence.

To keep the cows away from the bunkhouse, we had to install a cattleguard.  Here are the professional installers at work.

And for those of you who don't think we do things right out here in the country, notice the use of a level to assure accuracy.

Now for the excitement.  We had a concrete truck (not delivering to our site) who was going a little fast as he took the corner by the farm.  We lost some T-posts and some busted wire, but we needed one more project for this weekend.  The driver fled the scene.  Hmmm...I wonder why??

Help! I'm Drowning...

Okay - I've been a little busy lately.  Between my day job, plus working with the framers, electrician, plumber, lumber yard, plumbing supply house, gas fixtures, tile company, floor company, paint company, and getting ready for two grandbabies, I seem to be running low on time.

Let me start with the inside of the house.  Here are some pictures of the wiring, plumbing and the staircase.   These pictures don't really do a good job showing the progress that we're making.

The windows also arrived, and they worked on getting those installed today.

They've also been working hard on the front of the house.  They've prepared the circle drive for concrete and the front of the house is almost framed.

Here's our view from the upstairs window looking west.

It's also very important to follow instructions when working on a project.

Our electrician (Craymon) seems to enjoy the projects that allow him to lay down...

We had a thunderstorm come in last weekend.  The framers warned us that they would drill a few holes in the upstairs floor so that the water would drain and not cause the wood to warp.  It's a good thing that they did because we got almost 2.5"

We also had a cold front blow in last night.  Here is a picture from the last week and then one from today.  The work attire has certainly changed.

I'm so excited that the crew was able to frame up one of the chimneys today.  It looks like it has a little t-shirt on the top.

We also thought it would be nice to help the electrician dig a hole for the meter pole at the front entrance.  Harry learned that he sometimes has to put his weight behind a project.

We're certainly making progress, and I've learned one thing in this process - we have the best sub-contractors in the world!