The House Blog

We Got a Real Door

2009-12-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

I hear there are a few devoted blog followers interested in the minutia of the few little projects we still have going on at the house. This is for you, Uncle Gary!

So, this is the craftsman syle door Erik put up sometime in October. We had to wait until the temperature cooled down below 85 degrees to stain the door according to the directions that came with the fiberglass stain kit. Erik did a great job minus a minor mishap involving a dent that now exists in the hood of my car. Doesn't it look great? Hey, Regan!

Here are our holiday decorations in the casa:

Here's our table in the breakfast nook. Erik is currently building a built-in hutch to fit in the recessed area there. It's going to be awesome. He's already built the cabinets over the washer and dryer and they're hung and funcioning well. I'll have to get pictures of those, too:

Here you can see part of the backsplash Erik did in the kitchen along with all of my Thanksgiving baking:

These are the smaller tiles on the island:

Here's the new dining room table from Craigslist:

The tv armoir I got at the thrift store here in Rockwall:

Here are the rocking chairs I got for the front porch:

And since this post is dedicated to Uncle Gary, a lake-faring man himself, here's a picture of Erik cruising us around in our fixer-upper pontoon barge this summer:

Water, Water, Everywhere...Again

2009-12-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

This is the second house we've owned to which we have come home only to find water in the garage where it shouldn't be. This time it wasn't anything like the Flood of 2006 when it was raining from the ceiling in the downstairs of our home in Round Rock. But that's another story for another time. This is the Minor Water Gushing of 2009. May that is. This is late in coming, but cannot be overlooked and deserves it's own post.

We came home to water in the garage floor, followed it to the source, and found water streaming out of the breaker box. Electricity + water = can't be a good thing

Thankfully, there was a hole in the dry wall where the electrician did something so we could see that there was water actually POURING inside the dry wall from somewhere, but just a little bit was making it through the breaker box and down the wall. You can tell that I immediately jumped into "take pictures for insurance" mode as we have been through this before. Drama.

What I don't have pictures of are the scenes between the discovery moment and the final moments when we realize what is really going on, is when we go to the side of the house to see where the water is coming into the breaker box. It was just too dark. What we found is water gushing out of the pvc pipe in which the wires run into the house. What made it into the house, made it into the garage. That was when the lightbulb went off. Gravity, right? It had to come from a higher source for that to happen. Our electrical box, seen below, is up on top of the retaining wall, yes, higher than the breaker box. The lid to said box was found to be unsecured and filled with water. Thanks, Oncor. Thanks for not taking care of this issue.

There was also some issue with the actual pipe connection which I really don't remember (maybe something about foam or sealing up the pipe), but I spent the next day on the phone with that silly company trying to get someone out. We were afraid to leave our electriciy on due to all the water, so slept without air conditioning and power that night. We finally got the problem solved and our box is nice and tight. There had been so much rain and such a bad storm that they were dealing with power outages before getting to us. As far as I was concerned, this was a power outage, since I couldn't use my computer : )

Erik installed a French drain along the retaining wall to help with the drainage and has one planned for the side of the house. He runs outside to check if water is coming out the end of it by the greenbelt every time it rains : )

Springtime at 5903

2009-03-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

The pansies we finally got into the ground are slowly starting to come up.

These guys are still going strong...

And everybody looks a little nicer with some pretty topsoil. (Mulch to come soon.)

These little beds got a border of stone.

And the grass has a nice hint of green to it. Erik will probably give it a first mow this weekend.

I'll have to get a picture of the lush green side-yard Erik planted with rye/fescue/wildflowers. We'll see how the wildflowers fare, and how Chandler's feels about that. : )

Inside the house:

Furniture = 2 beds, 1 couch, 1.5 desks, 2 ottomen (?), and a kitchen table.

Stuff = just about everything but no where to put it

TV etc...still at my parents' much to our dismay

Erik was chosen for a jury case which doesn't start until 1:00pm tomorrow, so he says he'll do some caulking in the master closet. Hal-le-ba-lu-jah! Maybe I'll come home and put away some things and do laundry. Once the nitrous wears off! (we are giving it to each other tomorrow ; ) )

We're Still Here

2009-03-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, we moved the cats....
It was quite the adventure with one kitty losing control of their bladder leading to baths for all, leading to freaked out cats in a new house hiding under our bed. For 2 days. Now they're fine, except for Reagan's incessant crying at night and climbing on our heads. It WILL stop soon.

Here we are camping out in the front kid room. We have moved our bed, and once we have covered windows and clean off the mattress a bit (a little dirty from storage) we can actually sleep in there. But then we'd have to walk across the house to the bathroom. Whatever. It works.

And no house is a home without laundry.

Mom gave us ligustrums for a house warming gift and we planted them over spring break. I'll show you soon. I've been accused of neglecting this site post move-in, but I'll post as we set up shop : ) Promise.

Big Steps

2009-03-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say that I'm in our new house right now, in my comfy pjs with the cold wind howling outside, under my down comforter...on the internet.

It's starting to feel like I live here : )

Mid-Move

2009-03-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

Erik and I made 3 big trips to the storage unit on Saturday. We got a ton of boxes, the big brown couch, the kitchen table, the desks, one of the full beds, and some random lamps and other decorations. We set up the bed in the front "kid" room and put up the table in the kitchen. Everything else went into the garage. We slept there that night (much better), went to our new trial Sunday breakfast spot, and then to church. This afternoon, Dad and Erik took our fridge from my parents' garage to our garage and then went back to storage and got the washer and dryer. I brought more clothes and school necessities to the house and started unpacking clothes into the closet in our temporary bedroom. The plan is to hang out there until Erik can totally perfect the master suite (and I can get curtains up!) so we can move in. Then we can perfect the kitchen and order the fridge. Then it's on to the rest of the house.

At this rate, we might have the storage unit emptied by next weekend. There's still a ton of stuff here at Mom and Dad's. I say here, because we're still spending evenings here so we can watch a little t.v. and use their internet. I think we're going to take the t.v. out tomorrow and get on Netflix again so we can just watch DVDs for a while. I, of course, will still be watching my shows on the internet as they air during the week. I certainly can't miss LOST!

Pictures of the First Night

2009-02-26T21:27:00.000-08:00

As exciting as it could have been, I had an endodontics test to study for, so this is all you get from last night's camping adventure. We slept on a blowup mattress, listened to the howling wind and road noise (we forgot to bring the ever necessary noise-blocking fan) and tossed and turned all night long.

Tonight, we sleep at the folks'.

The Move

2009-02-24T18:20:00.001-08:00

So, we've put off the move for another night. I hoped I'd have the energy to get some stuff moved over there, but a trip to Walmart for Claritin D was a bit too much for this sicko. I hope one more good night's sleep will do it.

I was running errands in Rockwall the other day and it kinda hit me that we really would be living there. That may sound funny to some of you - I mean, I went to Rockwall High School, right? But I've never lived in Rockwall. Only in Rowlett, the red-headed step-child of Rockwall County. Even at that, I've lived in my parents' house longer this time around than ever before. Is that right? It's close. We moved in this house in Feb '98, and I went off to A&M that fall. Anyway, it's just a little odd for me. Especially to be living in Chandlers. I spent a lot of time there in high school over at the Kentopps' and babysitting and going to brunch after church. But now I'm a grown-up living there in a house that my husband and I built. A house that wouldn't be there if we hadn't made it. Craziness.

So tomorrow, I hope to wake up at a decent hour and make that house as comfortable as possible for our first night's stay. I'll get some pictures.

We passed!

2009-02-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah!

A few more details:

We are planning on moving in slowly - probably slower than I thought since I've had the flu. We'll sleep there tomorrow night, but as we really think about what that entails, we realize we'll want tv and internet which means cable which we don't have. We also won't have a fridge which makes me a little uncomfortable. And no couches. How will I study? We'll basically be camping for a while.

Erik hopes to close with the bank on Friday. He's had all of that rolling this whole time.

I really hope I start feeling up to a lot of movement soon, because I'll need all the energy I can get!

Are we there yet?

2009-02-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

Erik pulled up more grass today. Re-graded more dirt today. And put the grass back today.

This is our real front door. It's not stained yet. Not sure how we're going to go about that. I think we should get Polo at Dad's shop to do it. But that's just me.

Apparently the inspector's boss thinks that this area also needs to be re-graded. Thanks, city of Rockwall!

Erik laid another palate of grass today because the city of Rockwall said so.

And he moved the pile of rocks and bricks to the other side of the back yard because they said so.

Some of you may wonder, "Why didn't you help? Why is Erik doing all the work?" Because he won't let me. He accuses me of trying to get out of studying by helping with the house. Whatever. I just want to move. But, he would also like to have clean clothes next week. So, alas, I'm forced to stay in the warm house and do laundry and quilt : )

So anyway, we should be finished following orders tomorrow and they will hopefully call a truce on Monday and pass us. This is not a game I want to play anymore.

Strike Two

2009-02-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

Well, our inspector decided to bring his boss with him today. Therefore, despite all of Erik's efforts to cross everything off inspector #3's list, inspector #4 created an entirely new list for Erik to work on tonight. All doable silly stuff, but annoying, nonetheless.

Oy.

Done, now?

2009-02-17T18:30:00.000-08:00

Erik's been out at the house tonight crossing EVERYTHING off the final inspector's list!

He should come out tomorrow and hopefully pass us.

Please!

Working on That List

2009-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

We started to tackle the list on Saturday. Erik got a pallate of grass and went out to the house to start grading the yard on the right side of the house (by the neighbors). I came out to help and he made a 3x1 measuring device to determine where the slope was greater and we needed to regrade. This meant pulling up already planted grass, moving dirt, and putting it back down again. When he told me this, I told him, "You realize I'm going to cry." He suggested that I go home in order to avoid that. I stayed. So we kept moving that thing around and the bigger the area got, the more upset I got, and I fulfilled my prophecy. I got ahold of myself and we started pulling up grass. Not 5 mins later, I decided that I did, in fact, need to go home and did just that.

Regrading just about done:

See, I was ready to plant this grass, not pull up grass that was already planted and then replant it.

Thankfully, the Manns came out to replace me and they did a great job regrading the yard. Erik finished grading the side yard for the most part, too. They also did an amazing job cleaning inside and Evelyn planted the rest of the pansies with my broken spade (which I also had to use to plant pansies - apparently no one is willing to make the drive to Lowes to remedy that problem : )). I'm pretty sure it was sacrificed in the Great Mann-hole Fiasco as the two giant holes were trying to be connected. Anyhoo, it was a huge help and especialy nice since we had some friends coming out to see the house that night.

As it was Valentine's Day, Erik and I had a picnic of Vietnamese noodles by the fire in our house later that night : )

Today, Mom, Dad, and Erik laid the grass on the side yard and Dad started prepping for shelves in the pantry and linen closet. Erik fixed the cut-off thing and Mom and I did a number on the kitchen. I also painted the pantry so we can put the shelves in and finished cutting in on the linen closet.
Just a little bit left. I'm picking up one *hopefully* last pallate of grass after school tomorrow.

That bottle on the counter is the sealer I need to use on the counters after I get all the residual glue and what-not off of them.

I also cleaned up the counters in the bath and found the other mirror on the wall!

Failed - As Expected...But we have a list, now!

2009-02-11T18:19:00.000-08:00

need trash bin (obviously, he is mistaken)
drain plates under gutter spouts (I'll go to Lowe's tomorrow)
cut off needs to be done right and level with grade of land (easy fix)
grass on side of house (he said this was the biggest overall issue - that's good!)
dirt on water meter (seriously?)
incorrect drainage (side yard - we'll do it before we plant)
get trash out of garage (ok)
remove t-pole (working on it)
termite report (it was in the permit box, silly)
energy audit (we passed, just need a few fixes and the report)
bath tub motor needs to be accessible (listed about 4 times on the printout. Obviously a serious issue - or computer glitch. And we have a panel...the painter just painted it shut. Done.)
grade of land exceeds 3:1 requirement (Erik's pretty sure he's mistaken)

So, Erik will call the guy tomorrow and talk about the issues. Did you notice what wasn't on there? Yup, no tempered window issue. That's nice. Gunna have to cancel that order and apologize to the window guy for all the phone calls and nagging. Oops.

We got off pretty easy! Next week, I predict a PASS and a lot of moving in our future!

So close it hurts.

2009-02-10T17:32:00.000-08:00

Just a few tiles on the sides....and some grout. And the mirror actually hanging on the wall.

If you didn't already know that Erik is amazing, here's proof. He put up all these doors in one night. By himself. All 26ish of them. He's working on the door knobs tonight.

If you've ever helped us out at the house or come for a visit, you'll understand the value of a door on the bathroom here. Ok, maybe everyone understands that, but we're sure happy about it.

The first flower bed is still looking good...

And the second one is well on its way. Need a few more pansies and some bushes in the back.

Guest mirror:

ONE master mirror. The other, well, let's just say that gray dot on the wall is a couple of washers covering a somewhat inconvenient hole that was created when one of the dry wall anchors did not perform well in the course of its duties. But Erik's a genius and has a plan to make it work.

So, update time...

Erik did not call in the inspection. He said he will do it tonight. We'll see about that.
The big trash bin is gone! (a necessary step for passing)
We passed our energy audit (pending a few minor fixes - weather stripping on the attic door and some paper posted in the attic)
The window guy is ordering new tempered window panes for the window in the master bath that will be here next week. We'll see about that.
The electric company should come tomorrow and pick up the old t-pole meter. Then our electrician can come get the t-pole and hopefully fix the outlets in the master bath that mysteriously stopped working.

Done?

2009-02-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

Well, that's the word Erik keeps using. I respectfully disagree, but as far as "biggies" for final are concerned (except putting on doors) he seems to think we are. I think we still need to put on doors.

The inspector will, too, when he comes tomorrow.

We filled in the hole, started grading the side yard, I made a new flower bed under the master windows and planted 3 flats of pansies (and used a tiller, I might add). I caulked baseboards, we put up a few mirrors, and put the real locks on the garage door and back door. When the real front door comes in, we'll put that one on, too. Oh, and Erik started the tile surround on the fireplace. And we capped off some pipe at the street.

We still need shelves in the pantry and linen closet.

There's just a tad of baseboard left to put on and then caulk. I mean an amount so small it hurts that it's not done.

So that's where we are now. Once we pass final, we will "move in". Right now, that means blow up mattress and some suitcases.

Yay for carpet!

2009-02-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

It actually feels like a house now. A house that needs a lot of cleaning to keep the pretty new carpet from getting super dirty ; )

Still working on the window issue. Erik wants to put in for final inspection on Monday anyway. We'll see. You've heard me say that before.

Erik wants to tile the fireplace tomorrow, grade the side yard, and fill in the remnants of the Mann-hole in the back yard. Since it should be a nice day and all. Mom and I are anxious to clean for realz now. Since there will not be any more subs coming inside the house, we can better control the dirt that gets tracked in (ie take your shoes off when you come inside!)

Prepping for Carpet

2009-02-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

Wood floors are done.

Last night, I caulked all the "carpet areas" and Erik worked on fixing some tile in some threshold areas that wasn't matching up just right. Just a little bit of cleaning and one more baseboard and we're ready for carpet. Maybe Friday??? Erik's kind of hoping for Monday so we can clean a lot this weekend.

Turns out that even if a window doesn't have a sticker, it has "tempered" etched into the glass. Ours does not. But our window guy is going to check and see what was ordered...looks like we may have to suck it up and change out a window. Oy.

I think we'll be painting some closets tonight and maybe finishing up the baseboards/caulking in the main areas.

I was so exhausted, I decided to sleep in a bit this morning. Thank God mandatory attendance is gone...

Posting for the Sake of Posting

2009-02-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

Carpet: ordered (3-5 days)
Wood: so close to completely finished. Those last cuts are boogers.
Baseboards: maybe one more night and they'll be complete but not caulked
Island in kitchen: cleaned off

Our goal is to have all the floors covered with cardboard (walkways at least) before the carpet guys come. I started that tonight. We also want all dust out and all dust making machines in the garage (no more saws in the house!) We're going to clean from the top down as much as possible because our respiratory systems just can't handle all the dust any more. It was so great on Sunday when we could turn off the heater and open all the windows and just air out for a while. Can't do that at night with saws going....But really, we're almost done with the sawing which is very exciting.

We would like to apply for final inspection, but are waiting to resolve one very minor obstacle (a window sticker, actually) before we do that. At this rate, we might actually be ready for final by the time we apply for it! : )

I've finished installing light bulbs in the garage, so all lights are functional. I also did a lot of cleaning...not that you can tell...

This weekend might be spent laying grass....Pray for no rain and good weather!

Progress is Progress

2009-02-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Erik went to Dad's shop Saturday to paint the mantel. We also went by the carpet place to sign papers and write a check to get this process going. We also realized he didn't measure a hallway, so out he comes to the house tomorrow. Carpet in 3-5 days. : )

Just needs some tile around the inside!

The floor is "mostly" done. Just a few pretty hard cuts agains the wall and in the hallways.

Evidence of the amount of cleaning that needs to happen here.

I finished caulking the entire right side of the house. Now I need to clean up the bedrooms on the left side and caulk those rooms.

So, so much to do.

Never Thought I'd See the Day

2009-01-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Isn't it beautiful? The first few pics are after one night of laying wood...

We're gluing it down instead of that whole vapor barrier/pad thing and the sound is sooo much better.

Dad, Bret, and Erik are doing the bulk of the work. I'm good at opening boxes and separating the pieces (they come stuck together for packaging). Mom's job was standing on pieces that needed a little encouragement and handing pieces to the guys. We made the process go a whole lot faster : )

This is where we ended tonight:

We picked the carpet and got a great deal because, well, we have connections. : )

We'll go Saturday and fill out the paperwork and get the ball rolling. We also hope to get the mantel painted while we're out there by dad's shop.

And of course, the rest of the wood floor ; ) But we're taking a rest tomorrow night for some margaritas.

The Most Beautiful Shower Door E-V-E-R

2009-01-27T18:34:00.000-08:00

Despite all weather media claims of treacherous roads the shower door installer came today and left this:

What a wonderful surprise! We got such a great deal on an elegant door!

Tonight: I study. Erik hangs clothing rods. Dad creates the master closet. Carpet is still in limbo.

Latest

2009-01-26T22:40:00.001-08:00

Lots of baseboards going down
Master closet is coming along
Kitchen appliances reinstalled and oven gas leak fixed
Dining room and entry (mostly) prepped for wood
Carpet picked out, just waiting for quotes

Kitchen Tile: Done

2009-01-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

Erik and I grouted the kitchen tile tonight. Time to prep the living and dining room floors for wood - tomorrow.

We also grouted the fireplace hearth.

We also have 2 carpet guys coming out to measure tomorrow.

Another rather eventless update...

2009-01-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

Erik went out to the house early to finish tiling. Yeah, it's a lot of tile.

I went to another carpet place. Both carpet installers are coming Monday to measure, give us a price, and we can pick the carpet and make a decision. That will give us under a week to be ready for carpet. There's a LOT of cleaning to do.

I went out the house around 3:00pm and cleaned a lot and organized scrap wood and tile.

The bank inspectors came for their monthly progress rounds and asked if we thought they'd have to come out next month. We said that we hoped they didn't.

I ran to target and got the rest of the light bulbs we need, some cleaning supplies, and a trash can to put all the wood scraps in. The checkout girl asked if I was fixing something. "No, building a house."

Dad came out tonight to work on the shelves in the master closet.

Tomorrow: grouting kitchen tile
: lots of baseboards going down
: lots of cleaning to get ready to put the wood floor down
: maybe, just maybe some caulking (can you tell I'm putting it off?)

Today

2009-01-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

Basically nothing happened out at the house. I picked up a little bit and swept the front walk. We took our work crew out for mexican food and free margaritas instead of cracking the whip again tonight ; )

Erik emailed the ever-so-scary Chandler's HOA and they actually agree that our back fence should match up with our neighbor's and are letting us encroach on their land! That means that we will actually have a reasonable back yard. Great news, indeed!

I went and picked up carpet samples and have one installer coming out to measure the house. I'm going to one more place tomorrow morning and then we will make a decision.

Dust Bowl 2009

2009-01-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

With all the saws going at the house at night, a huge cloud of dust fills the entire place and by the end of the night, I actually smell sawdust when I blow my nose...seriously. Can't open the windows because then we'd have neighbors knocking on our door, but I turn on all the ventilation fans in the bathrooms and laundry room. We really should be wearing masks, but as someone who works with them just about every day, I somehow manage to forget to bring some home every day. I'll take care of that problem today : )

If you're worried about the noise of saws and compressors at night, Erik and I did a sound check for the neighbors, and we're good. No complaints and no worries. They probably want us to finish ASAP anyway.

I painted shelves all night. More painting to do tomorrow.
Kitchen tile is almost done.
Porta-potty is gone.
Baseboards are down except in the master, living room (needs wood), kitchen (needs tile finished) and dining room (also needs wood). I have my work cut out for me.
I'm going to look at carpet tomorrow and get them to come measure the house.
Unbeknownst to me, the plumber came back, made the front faucet on the side of the house come to life, and switched the hoses on the kitchen sink so hot and cold are now correct.

Everyone's Chipping In

2009-01-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

Erik spent the evening making all the cuts for the kitchen tile.

Dad and Bret finished out the closet shelves and started baseboards in the bedrooms:

And the painter came back to paint the stairs:

Mom and I brought dinner and stayed to clean up a bit. There is still so much left to clean!

And all this was done while a nice fire burned in the fireplace. Thanks, fireplace company!

Were you wondering whatever happened to the wood flooring? It's just hanging out in the guest room until we're ready for it!

I now have lots of caulking to do since more baseboards are down. The only thing left upstairs is some cutting in and filling in of holes that someone made in the wall (?!?!) I also really need to grade and grass. A must to pass inspection!

That part about applying for inspection today? Well, I meant Monday.

And for your viewing pleasure:

"Shelves in the closet? Happy thought indeed..."

2009-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

(Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice)

Ok, so Dad didn't start hanging doors, he started cutting shelving and he and Erik are hanging it at the house right now. It's $0.59 taco night at Taco Casa, so Mom got the tacos and I ran to Sonic and we took dinner to the guys. Here's the progress we found:

This is the mirror for the kid bath:

Mirror for guest bath:
This is the mirror I love that's too big for the master, but will go over the mantel:

These are the mirrors that are winning the ever so coveted spot in the master bath:

I don't think they're too gaudy.

The continued tiling efforts:

Gas logs: tomorrow

Painter: tomorrow

Garage door people: tomorrow? I think...

Applying for occupancy: tomorrow (I know we're not ready, but this is how we do it. If you fail the inspection, they tell you what you need to pass. See?)

Erik ordered the shower door today. We got a great quote from a place in DeSoto, so we got to upgrade a little ; )

Erik called the porta-potty guy!

Erik also called several fence people...one has already come out and another is coming.

This week will be warm, but the weekend will be unfortunately cold. I'm going to have to take advantage of Friday's warmth as I will have the day off, and do some outside stuff.

What Did I Accomplish Today On the House?

2009-01-19T21:20:00.000-08:00

Well, Erik called and asked me to look for our closing documents (from Round Rock) so we can move ahead on the closing on this house. Now just about everything that we own that is not clothing is in boxes, either here at my parents' or in storage. I looked in the boxes in my closet upstairs (not an easy task). I looked in the file boxes in the study and found the contract but not the closing papers. I looked in the 20 boxes shoved under my old bed upstairs. I looked in the boxes under our bed downstairs. I looked in my closet upstairs again.

Then I called Erik back and told him that I just couldn't find them. The suggestion of looking in the storage unit was not something I wanted to hear. But if I want to move, we have to have them.

When he got home, he went in the study, looked in the file boxes, and pulled them out.

I therefore accomplished nothing.

Erik is still tiling. Dad will be going out to hang doors tomorrow - ya know, now that we have heat : ) Thanks, Dad!

Long Day's Work

2009-01-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

Erik left for the house early this morning while I stayed behind to do laundry and clean up as the maid was coming. When I got to the house, he was in the midst of laying tile in the kitchen!

By the end of the day, he had laid all of the non-cut tiles in the breakfast nook and entry to the hallway. Tomorrow will bring the rest of the kitchen, and probably the start of cut tiles. We can clean the tiles and grout next week.

I was upstairs caulking the baseboards, cleaning a bit, and yes, I left to go look at mirrors. And I found one. At Walmart. A beautiful, plain, traditional brown wood mirror the perfect height and width for the guest bath. (clouds part, light shines down from heaven, and the angels sing). So now 2 bathrooms have beautiful mirrors. One to go. After we went to dinner tonight, Mom, Dad, Erik and I went to Kirkland's and Garden Ridge just so Erik could see what I actually have to work with. I am now officially letting Erik look for mirrors on his lunch breaks to see if he can find anything better than what I bought. May the force be with him.

This Weekend's Forcast

2009-01-16T19:10:00.000-08:00

Warmer than the past few days which is splendid. It will also spill over into over 1/2 of next week, so I need to get a jump on grading the side yard and maybe plant that last bit of grass.

On Erik's to-do list:

Call a fence guy
Call the porta-potty guy
Pick a shower guy
Call about final inspection (I really should just do this...maybe next Friday when I'm off)
Tile
Paint mantel (this will happen next weekend because Polo hasn't prepped the paint up at the shop yet)
Wood floors
Put the rest of the doors back on the hinges and put on door knobs

My to-do list:

Caulk baseboards
Touch-up paint
Help tile
Find mirrors
Clean
Landscape

Subs' to-do list:

Painter comes next week to finish stairs
Gas logs come Wednesday
Surveyor has to come back (I'm not holding my breath after our wall fiasco - and 2 of his phone numbers are disconnected)

We also need to pick out carpet at some point. Once the kitchen tile is down, we'll buy the fridge.

Our renter's insurance on our storage is up at the beginning of February, so that's my new goal. Think we can make that? Still a lot to do....

Today's News

2009-01-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

According to Erik, the last time we picked out 2 mirrors for our house in Round Rock, it almost ended our marriage. Now that's not even remotely true, but let's just say that decorating a home with my husband is challenging. It's character building. I have bought and returned so many mirrors, my arms and upper back are sore from carrying them around. And he doesn't like the mirrors I just bought tonight for the master bath that I actually like. I'm not returning any more mirrors. I will buy new options, but I'm done hauling them all over town for now.

On a happier note, we now have a garage door opener. Erik's parents were so great as to "give" us one for Christmas in the form of $$. Erik found one at Home Depot tonight. It was the last one and wasn't going to buy it because it was open, but the lady gave it to him for the price of the model a step down, so that's great!

He also called the company we got the fireplace from to buy some gas logs, and they told him that our fireplace came with logs, they just need to deliver them and turn on the unit for us. Sweet!

I think Erik's tiling tonight.

At least I have one mirror at the house that actually works....3 to go.

The Heat is On...

2009-01-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

The very early planning stages of tiling the kitchen have begun...

The stairs are finished....

They get a fresh coat of pain on Tuesday....

It's starting to kinda look finished, huh?

Ready for carpet!

Just need some shelves in here...

HVAC turned on the heat!

I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for mirrors today. I get to keep 1 and have 4 more to return tomorrow (besides the 3 I've already returned today). I think I know what I'm buying tomorrow, though. Erik went out tonight for a little bit, to try to turn on the water heater that the gas company did not light. Sure hope that works out ok. We also need to work on the oven.

This weekend will be a big work day!

All Lit Up

2009-01-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

The electric company came through and hooked us up with a meter and some flowing electrons. Then they left the garage door open when they left! You win some, you lose some.

I drove straight out after class to water the grass because it's going to be super cold tonight. I got to flip the big breaker and ran around the house turning on lights like an excited kid on Christmas morning.

I also got to see the finished staircase and the huge stack of wood flooring piled up in the guest room just waiting for the heater to get turned on so it can acclimate before we lay it. There's also a huge stack of tile in the garage waiting to go down in the kitchen.

Totally forgot to look at the baseboards he's been working on upstairs....oops. And my camera's battery died so I have no pictures of any of these things. Next time!

HOT Water

2009-01-12T17:58:00.001-08:00

Erik called me from the house tonight to tell me that we have HOT water.

That means that the gas company came out like they said they would and hooked it up AND lit the pilot lights on the water heaters!

Out of Grass

2009-01-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

Erik went out to the house early to get a start on the other hand rail on the stairs. I came out around 12:00 and brought lunch. Now that I could use Erik's truck, I could load it up with grass, drive it to the backyard and lay it. I did this (1+ pallates) until around 5:00 when I started watering. Erik finished the rail, met me and the family for a burger, and went back to rehang all the doors upstairs and start the baseboards. Tomorrow, he'll finish baseboards and do the shelves in the closet, and the upstairs will be ready for carpet (after a good clean, of course).

I still need another pallate of grass. It's pretty disappointing. But, it will go on the side of the house that still needs to be graded, so that has to happen first.

Next, the tile in the kitchen. We'll start in the breakfast nook because the we will need access to the stove/oven to light the pilot for the first time. The gas company comes on Monday : )

Note: we're going to paint the mantel. It may disappoint some of you, but it's faster, and there's no matching stain colors involved. Erik wants to spray it at the shop.

Electricity on Tuesday - then HVAC has to come light the pilot before we can turn the heater on. I won't mind cleaning up, painting or caulking out there so much once we have some heat ; )

In order to pass final, one of the requirements is to be rid of the porta-potty, and since our potties work just fine, Erik's going to call to get rid of it. Our neighbors will be excited, but the local lawn maintenance workers who use it regularly will not. Next time we call for trash pick up, they won't need to bring the bin back ; )

I'll post some pictures tomorrow...

2 Beautiful Days to Lay Grass

2009-01-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

But I still have some work to do.... *that was 2 full pallates*

Our beautiful 2-toned front yard:

Erik's going to finish up the stairs this weekend and I guess they'll get painted next week. Done!

You can see where he's added the molding along the bottom:

Here are some of the decorative elements he's added to the posts:

Here's where the rail will go:

I hope to have a door hanging party this weekend.

The back corner of the yard needs grass, but I need Erik's truck to do that. It shouldn't take too long.

The side of the yard needs grass, but it is insanely muddy. My whole foot sank into mud trying to get back there! We need to get our neighbors to turn their sprinklers. Or just get the grass down there so they can water it : )

I really, really, really want to tile the kitchen this weekend.

Shower door is still in the works. They keep trying to sell us expensive doors. Lowes' called us back and said they found someone who will install in travertine. I'd just as soon go back to them, but Erik wants to wait for one more quote.

I think we're going to stain the mantel.

I also need to buy a bunch of bushes for the front and back yard. And plant the poor pansies sitting in the garage that are still hanging on for dear life.

Green Means Go!

2009-01-08T16:03:00.000-08:00

We passed our last phase inspection FINALLY, so we get electricity turned on on Tuesday. Gas? I forgot to ask. The grass came today. After regrading the remaining front yard, I only got down 1/2 a pallate. I'm exhausted.

Here's the mantel. The new dilemma is stain or paint? My friend Courtney says stain, because you can always paint later if you don't like it. What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know! We will tile inside the mantel.

The painter is done for now. Once Erik finishes the stairs (this week) he can come and paint them. Doesn't the tub look great? It actually matches the color of the cabinets.

So, we'll tile the kitchen this weekend. Painter will paint stairs next week. We should pick an installer for the shower door tomorrow. We'll finish the grass. We need to make a decision on the mantel, do it, and put up the tile there as well. We need to hire someone to put up a fence. Hopefully, Erik will hire someone to put in the wood floor we ordered and we can order carpet. We also need to do baseboards. We need to put shelves in the closet. We really need to find out what we need to do to pass final inspection and just do those things. Why haven't we done that yet? Maybe I'll call tomorrow....

Plumb Tickled!

2009-01-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

We decided to get the plumber from 2 sides, so I started calling him today since he was not returning our calls. Come 3:00 when he hadn't called either of us back, I was getting angry and ready to call Owner Builder AGAIN to complain about the plumber AGAIN. I called Erik to see what he needed at the store and he said that the plumber had been out and talked to the inspector and worked everthing out! What a relief! I was honestly not expecting a solution to that today! Thank you, Jesus!

We'll have the inspection tomorrow. The painter has been out all week. Everything is primed, and he's started painting. Looking good!

The weather should be warm by Thursday, so I'm planning on stealing Erik's truck for the day so I can pick up some grass and lay it.

On my last weeek off, I've also been working on getting a shower door. I have 2 ok quotes from some local guys - a little higher than we wanted, but what can you do? Lowe's won't install a door in the travertine. So we'll have to make a decision on that, soon. I have one more place to call. I should go do that...

Getting Gas

2009-01-03T13:57:00.001-08:00

I drove up to the house yesterday to find 2 big trucks and about 10 guys digging a huge hole in the neighbor's yard across the street. Erik came out and said they were putting in our gas. OUR gas. But they're digging up our neighbor's yard! They must HATE us! What a way to make friends. Apparently, they first dug a hole in our yard by the driveway, somehow sent the line under the road??? and had to connect it over there? They actually did a really good job of covering it up - literally. They peeled back their grass, dug the hole, filled it in, and rolled the grass right back over the top.

They also did this. I really don't know what it's supposed to look like when it's done, but I have a feeling that the end of the pipe on the left is supposed to connect to the end where the meter is on the right. 4 inches? I think the plumber does that. Who still hasn't made it out.

The painter came out and sanded, caulked, and puttied all day yesterday, and came out again to start priming. The pictures aren't all that impressive yet, so I'll wait for the finished product. Erik's still knocking out the molding in the stairwell. Mainly the wood along the walls cut out for the steps. See what I mean - along the back wall beneath the painting?

He still has to "decorate" the newels. In the mean time, he made the mantel, which looks amazing, but I didn't get a picture of it. But it's based on this one (ours will be white):

I'll show it to you once it's on the wall.

Today would have been a great day to plant grass, but seeing as the next week will be uber cold, I don't want to have to water said grass in my ski gear, so I'll wait for a stretch of mild weather, or an impending final inspection day *whichever comes first* to take care of that : )

Well, It's New Year's Day

2009-01-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

And we kinda forgot that the city of Rockwall does not allow contracted construction on holidays. So, tomorrow it is.

Bret and Dad went out to the house with Erik and they finished up (well, mostly) the bannister. Apparently you can actually lean on it now. We will add a hand rail along the wall, too, so something else to do!

This is pre-finished, hence the crooked balusters. Erik's still going to add some decorative trim to the newels to make them all craftsman-y. I would love to X this off the list, but I'll be honest about how much work is left and wait until ALL moldings and such are complete and PAINTED before nixing the bannister, fireplace, or moldings on the list. But we're SO close.

I'll be laying grass this weekend as Erik wants to finish up what he's started so that painter can do his job. Next week we should pass the 2nd to last inspection and maybe get electricity. Then there should be a lot of tiling (kitchen and fireplace) and cleaning before the floors go down!

News Flash!

2008-12-31T17:44:00.000-08:00

The plumber texted Erik today (yeah, what's up with that? [FYI, Erik doesn't believe in texting]) and said that he's been out of town and his phone is broken and will only let him text and he'll be out at the house tomorrow. Now that doesn't sound like "My dog ate my homework" at all....

Who cares! Let's pass this inspection!

More Advancements

2008-12-31T16:41:00.000-08:00

The ungrouted hearth:

The painter is coming tomorrow! No days off for him, apparently. I'll take it! So he and Erik will be out there working away. Erik's out there right now getting some wood up so it's ready for the painter.

I watered again, today. I got my first, "Welcome to the neighborhood!" from a passing walker today. It felt nice : )

So thinking about the check-offs, the painter will finish the molding, Erik will finish the fireplace and bannister and the painter will finish those off. What else? I hope to finish landscaping this weekend, although I may help Erik tile the kitchen - I think it won't be so intimidating if we do it together. Poor Erik is just so tired of tile. That way we can grout the fireplace, too. We'll see. Refrigerator will come after the tile's down. Then wood and carpet.

If the plumber will fix what the inspector wanted, we can pass inspection and turn electricity on. Then all that's left is final.

I'm sure there's 100 little things that still need to be done that I'm not even thinking of, but the biggies list is starting to get pretty short!

Today's Activities

2008-12-30T21:19:00.001-08:00

The painter came out to do the quote. Erik's not ready for him, though, so next week.

Electric is done!

HVAC assumed responsibility for the bathroom fans and installed them today. HVAC is done!

If only we could get a hold of the plumber....

Erik finished the hearth tonight and has the rest of the fireplace ready to go.

A good day all around!

One Step at a Time

2008-12-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

The shower door installation guys from Lowe's were supposed to come by today and measure. If they did, they'll order the door and in 7-10 days it will be here to install.

The painter is supposed to come tomorrow and give Erik a quote. He said he can start after Wednesday, so Friday? I dunno.

And the electrician came today and did something, I really don't know what. He did leave a note - a print-out, actually - to give to the inspector to prove that smoke detectors cannot be within 3 feet of a vent. Don't you just love incompetent city inspectors? We do!

Electric and HVAC are avoiding responsibility for the fans in the bathrooms. HVAC installed the vent, electric set in the electric base, so who's supposed to get the actual fans and install them? Maybe we should take a poll here on the ol' blog and then let them know who "won". Somebody, anybody! Just put them in!

Plumber still needs to come. The holidays really do slow things down, huh?

I'm hoping to order grass Saturday (or at least Erik will go get it) and Sunday, once boards are OVER, we can lay it . That's one thing that we KNOW has to be done to pass final inspection : )

Here's his railing so far:

The base board he had for the long side is not wide enough, so he bought another one and will continue tomorrow. He took a much deserved night off tonight. : )

This is before he really lined all the balusters up and secured them. Lookin' good!

I went this afternoon and watered the poor grass. It has been difficult with random 30 degree days with gusting winds. I suffered hypothermia on several occasions trying to keep it wet before a freeze and decided it wasn't worth it. Then we had promised rain that didn't arrive mixed with finals and boards. I hope it will survive the winter.

I discovered today that the gouge in the door was fixed, so YAY!

Stair Terminology

2008-12-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

Erik started on the bannister today. He designed and crafted the two "newels" so that they match our "craftsman" style - basically square and linear. Kinda like these. I like to call them posts, but whatever.

Apparently the spindles (at least that's what I call them) are called "balusters". Ok. He's been working on those, too, but apparently it's hard to get the right angle cut on the bottom so that they are plumb. So he's still working on that.

In other news, the bank sent out the inspectors again, just to make sure we are making progress. And we are : ) We have the electric meter hooked up now, so once we pass inspection, the city will call the electric company and turn us on! Very exciting. The plumber did not show on Friday, so hopefully Monday, we'll see some action. Erik also finished trim around the front door, but is still waiting on the back door because he needs to fix the gouge that somebody made, and the door to the garage. Um, so the works in progress right now are the stairs and the fireplace. We're still waiting on gas and fixing the plumbing. The painter will paint all the trim. We need to add vents for the water heaters. I can order grass once boards are over and get on that. Then there's flooring. And putting all the doors back up.

Plugging Away

2008-12-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

Here's the completely finished shower:

We've been leaving the faucets dripping at night, just in case....

Erik did a great job on the surround for the tub! The painter will take care of the rest : )

Erik's pointing at the access panel he made.

Doesn't the brick look great? Aw, come on, you know we can do better than that! The bricks are just the form and Erik will tile the seat and surround and frame it with a wood mantel tomorrow. But I'm very pleased so far. It's a very comfortable seat ; )

And the garage guys finally came back out and installed the hardware on the door. That wasn't so hard, now, was it?

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, Erik is going out to the house. No kidding. He might even get some help from my cousin, Dan, who is working for a custom home builder in Midland. FYI, we're looking at a finish date sometime mid-late January. I'm saddened by this revelation that I pretty much saw coming, but didn't want to accept as reality. But that's the way it is....

Tuesday's Activities

2008-12-23T12:54:00.000-08:00

I picked up Erik from the house and we went to Lowe's and ordered a shower door for the master shower which is now completely finished (fixed tile and all). We also picked up some items for the panels he is building around the master tub. He's also been working on the hearth for the fireplace. I need to actually go in and see what's going on, just in case I have an opinion...we have different ideas about the fireplace. : )

It's just soooooo cold in there and I'm such a wimp. I don't know how Erik does it. I need to go buy him more wool socks. Every morning he gets there and his bucket of water from mortaring is frozen. Hopefully electric will come again today (although it's misting, so who knows...) and then we can pass our last phase and turn the heat on : ) Then I'll give it a go!

Erik's going to give our inspector a call and get a better idea of exactly what needs to be finished to pass final inspection. We are willing to sleep on a blow up mattress and finish out shelves in the closet if we have to!

Quick Update

2008-12-22T20:44:00.001-08:00

Before I forget everything he told me:

We had the inspector out today for our last inspection before the final inspection. We knew we would fail, but then again we always do the first time. Really, we just want to know what we need to fix. They sent a different inspector this time, and he pointed out some plumbing issues the other didn't see, so our plumber is coming back out. We also need to put vents on the doors to the water heaters, and a panel on something - see, I already forgot. There are a few other issues, but nothing huge. The electric company came today at 6:00 (?) and Chandler's wouldn't let them in...like they could do much in the dark, anyway. So they're coming tomorrow. Erik needs to call the gas company and see what they're up to. Plumbing is coming Friday, I think....at least someone's coming on Friday. Erik has finished putting up all the trim on doors and windows, so I need to putty and caulk - at least someone needs to : ) I've been a pretty good girl studying for my boards.

His idea to hire someone to do some woodwork has backfired - apparently everyone is in Houston because there is so much work down there after the hurricanes. It's not that it's too hard or complicated, we really would just like some extra hands. Hmph. We'll see where that goes.

Meanwhile, there's always work to do.

Almost Close To Being Finished

2008-12-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's a gas pipe.

Yeah, that's the gas line. At some point, they will be connected and a meter will be installed. Come on, gas company! You can do it! You're halfway there!

Yeah, that's an electric meter. Well, it's missing its guts, but they inspected and approved Erik's conduit and came and ran wire, so I guess they transfer the meter from the t-pole and we're in business? I have no idea how this works.

Erik grouted the shower, but chipped a tile, so he'll need one more evening to fix that. He's been putting up molding and I went out today to continue puttying holes. It really is a lot of holes and takes a lot of time to do both sides of 26 doors. And that's only the holes I can reach without a ladder. Lots to do. Lots of caulking tomorrow after church once I finish puttying. The wood floors we ordered are in, and Erik bought the tile for the kitchen. Floors are a big deal. They're the last thing you put in : )

This Weekend's Work Day

2008-12-15T10:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I have no pictures because there was no time for that. Erik's parents came up from Houston and we worked their tails off! The guys cut and nailed up trim on the windows and doors, Evenlyn cleaned and caulked, I puttied holes, caulked and watered grass, and mom caulked and cleaned - whatever her vertigo would let her do (craziness!) . I thought puttying holes was a good job for a dentist. I was pretty good at it : ) We did a lot, although you probably couldn't tell even if I had pictures - subtle but important changes! Thanks for all your help, guys!

Erik has finished the shower minus the grout, and the hole is all dirt free and ready for inspection (thanks, Bradley!) After the trim is ready, he'll probably do the kitchen floor and by the time that is done, the wood floors should be here (Dec 22). He's trying to find someone to do a few woodworking jobs he won't have time for and someone to paint all the trim. We also need to get HVAC back out here pronto and the gas company should come this week, so we can finish putting grass in. Now that it's freezing again. I'm so grateful that we had a pleasant weekend to get some work done! Erik took off the entire week of Christmas to work on the house. I have to study for boards, but I should be able to put my fair share of time in, as well. Erik's new favorite phrase is, " I wanna live here!" You and me both!

Christmas Wish - Green Grass in the Spring

2008-12-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

Please pray for our plants. It actually snowed/sleeted a bit last night and the temperatures are hanging around freezing. The pansies will probably be fine, and we're keeping the grass wet (which is what you do when you first plant AND what you do to keep it from freezing to death). It's just really hard to water your yard when it's this cold and windy. It's worse than a really long day skiing after you've fallen a bit and even your socks are soggy. Lesson learned. Spend the money on a sprinkler system.

Note: It was completely pitch black dark by the time mom and I really got started, and we had the halogen mega lights out front so we could see.

There's still a lot of landscaping to do. There's a bed in front of the master, and we'll put shrubs along the back under the kitchen/kid bedroom windows. I still haven't figured out where to put my rose bush. She'll probably have to wait until spring - I'll just leave her in the pot for now. She survived last year - she can survive anything.

I also need to draw all this up and turn it in to Chandler's. We've been slightly worried they'll say something since we're not approved, but how can you not approve dwarf hollies, pansies and boxwooods? Come on. And I think the rocks look nice. Don't you? Left over from the retaining wall. It was good for something.

Pictures are Here!

2008-12-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

I'm going to go put these in right now, hopefully before it rains:

Grass!

Doesn't it make a big difference?

Well, not down here. Those trucks were taking all the dirt mess away on the side of the house to my Uncle Steve's house where he's building a boat ramp (or something - he lives on the water) and needs lots of dirt.

Here's the bowling green in the back yard - oooh, horse shoes....

And the little bit of the ginormous pile of dirt that was left before I went to school today:

They left the rock for landscaping and the brick for the fireplace:

And here's the conduit all connected in the trench:

And the crazy hole that is now filled in a little bit, but you get the idea:

The Grass is Kinda Green

2008-12-07T18:30:00.001-08:00

Pictures will come tomorrow as apparently you have to charge newly purchased rechargeable batteries before you can use them.

This Saturday, I woke up at 9:00 am or so and Erik left for the house. I had him walk off the yard and report back so I could call and see how much grass we could order. 4,000 sq ft = 442 sq yards. I called Miller Grass and that would cost $1400. So we decided to go for 1/2 of that which is around 3 1/2 palates. Amazingly, they delivered some actually good looking grass (for December) only 40 minutes later and it was time to get to work! I picked up 30 bags of compost at Lowe's and spread a thin layer over the front yard and beds. Then mom brought lunch and we got to work. Nanna and Grandaddy brought the tiller, and Grandaddy tilled the flower bed by the porch. Mom and I started laying grass in the front. We pretty much can't move without feeling the pain right now. Unfortunately, the gas company hasn't connected yet, so we had to leave the first 8 ft of yard by the street just in case they have to dig. But the rest of the yard is done in front, the side is done, and most of the back. The side by our neighbors will have to wait until the electricity is connected. Which is another update...

Erik spent yesterday afternoon digging a bit and most of today trying to connect those two holes. The hole is now about 7 ft deep, 4 ft wide at the top, narrowing to a point where it finally connected under the retaining wall with the trench. I had brought Dad with me to get his truck and he stayed to help Erik get the 2 1/2 inch pipe through that hole. All the conduit is now connected with the tape through it, ready to be inspected by the electric company!

Once connected, we can fill the ditch.
Then the HVAC guys can come back out and install the outside unit.
Hopefully the gas company will be here in the next week or so and we can finish all the grass.
This Saturday, Erik's parents are coming and we are going to knock out the trim and landscaping.
I need to order wood floors, like tomorrow.

Erik still has a little left on the master shower and then the kitchen floor as far as tile goes.

We're gettin' there!

It's a Mann-hole

2008-12-01T16:29:00.001-08:00

Erik spent most of Saturday Sunday after church digging a Mann-sized hole to connect the electricity. This was taken around 3:00. By 4:00 I was going to Home Depot to rent an auger and Dad and Bret were coming to the rescue. After near carbon monoxide poisoning via the exhaust put out by that thing, they gave up and came home to hot showers and fajitas. 1 foot to go, so hopefully tomorrow? So close, but so far....and so cold!

To back it up a bit, our new plumber arrived on the scene last Tuesday to rescue us from certain watery demise after Bill. He brought a crew of 5 or so and wanted to complete everything in a day. They got to work like crazy, installing faucets and toilets and waterheaters and even fixing things they deemed unacceptable work per the previous plumber. Unfortunately, the fiber optics line could not be located and Charlie needed a big back hoe to dig as deep as he thought he needed to, so they had to hold off until today to try to connect to the sewer. Here's what he got done:

Anyhoo, he came back out today with the big guns, and lo and behold, the sewer was only 5 feet deep but next to a $20,000 magic fiber optic line. Bill's 8 ft. No, not even close. So he connected everything and we called the city and they came out and inspected it! Only to tell him to change something that he didn't have the equipment to change today, so poor guy has to come BACK out tomorrow, fix, reinspect, and fill the hole for us. He has been a savior! I thank him profusely every time I talk to him. If our house floods with water when we turn it on, it will only be because he didn't find something Bill did wrong.

Connected to the sewer! (and the super-expensive line)

Grading and Gutters!

2008-11-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

I know they're dark, but by the time I fight traffic to get out there, I'm racing the sun. I think you can see everything pretty well. So today we got gutters and Andy graded the yard. I am one happy girl! Erik has to finish tiling the shower in the master before the plumber can come out, so that's where he is right now...tiling away. My wish is that he can come this week and connect to the sewer so this weekend, I can start on the yard. I at least need to draw up a plan and have a chat with Mom about appropriate plants. I spent so much time learning about deer-resistant/Hill Country flora and now I'm in North Texas, so I must begin anew. I really need to dig those trees back out and build up some wells around them so they can breathe ; )

What happens tomorrow? I have no idea. I do know we still need to dig a 5 ft hole for the electricity.

Painting Doors

2008-11-16T21:15:00.000-08:00

We went professional and Erik learned from the pro at my dad's shop how to paint doors. He painted all the doors and trim in about one day, with very little help, which is amazing! At the beginning of the video, please note the entertainment center built and partially stained by Erik all lonely and forgotten in the shop.

Andy is coming tomorrow to grade the land. Hopefully that means the plumber can come the next day and solve most of our problems. Erik still has to dig that hole under the retaining wall to run the electricity to the house. That would be a big deal, too. I'm just excited to see a real yard in my future!

Let there be light! Kinda.

2008-11-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

You can barely see the new addition to the house here. There are two lights on each side of the garage. Everything else is either in the shadows or inside.

The fluorescent light in the garage:

The light in the closet under the stairs:

The pendants in the kitchen:

The oven that doesn't fit? We'll see about that.

I don't think I ever put a pic of the dishwasher up:

The light over the kitchen table:

The many pendants in the kitchen:

The entry hall light:

The light over the dining room table that is missing one light socket. Something else to take care of:

Potty light in the master:

Master vanity lights:

Master fan and recessed lighting:

Laundry room light:

Kid room:

Kid vanity:

Upstairs fan:

Living room fan:

And there's still a hole:

Finally some action.

2008-11-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

I went to the house after school to see what was going on and ended up spending the evening helping Erik get stuff done. Job #1 was labeling the lighting for the electrician who is coming tomorrow. Note the orange stickies...

Granite is in! Isn't it shiny?

We got a great deal! Sink = free! So that made up for the undermount...

Master bath, too!

This is Erik starting to tile the surround.

These are the vanities in the other bathrooms.

And the travertine in the master bath...

Erik met with the plumber today and we are facing a few issues before things really get going. He actually fixed one thing Bill did incorrectly, but doesn't want to start until the land is graded so he can get his backhoe in. Andy didn't want to grade the land until the hole made by Bill was filled. We're going to have to explain this dilemma to him and see if it changes anything. If we have to get everyone we know out there with a shovel to fill the hole and get this going, we will just have to do it.

The HVAC guys came to put vents and the outside unit in, and weren't able to do the unit because of the trench Erik had Angel dig so we can connect the electricity. So there's another hole that needs to be dug (under the wall, that is) so we can run the wire and have TXU connect it to the house so we can fill the trench and get our air conditioner. Holes.

But the electrician will come tomorrow and put in lighting which is way exciting. And Erik's on the job to get the above situations under control. One thing at a time.

Word on the Street...

2008-11-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

We were going to get countertops tomorrow...but....

Erik and I went to every home improvement store imaginable this weekend looking for master bathroom sinks and a kitchen sink so the installer could cut holes in the granite. Since we bought 8" faucets for the master bath, it made it a bit difficult. In the midst of all this, Erik showed me the granite he picked out. And I didn't like it. So we just decided to head out to Seconds and Surplus today to look at all the options together and make a final decision.

While we were there, we picked the prefab granite we liked, and also looked at the custom (that we couldn't afford) and decided on one we liked. As we waited for the salesman to finish helping another couple, I overheard him say that some of the granite would be going on sale tomorrow. My ears perked up! Turns out, the custom granite (including the one we picked out) will be the same price as the prefab. Fabulous! It'll take an extra week for the new installer (yeah, we had to change installers...sorry Clemente...) to come out, but it will be so worth it! Thicker granite, a custom bull nose all the way around AND the color we really wanted. Perfect.

Next we asked to see the bathroom sinks. The 8" were hard to come by. The salesman, bless his little heart, saw some black sinks and asked if we could do black. No no no no no. But wait! The boxes underneath the sink said "biscuit". Score again! And at 1/2 the price of the sinks we were considering!

So glad that's taken care of! In the mean time, I really pray that the plumber can start this week. All we're waiting for is the ok from the city. Apparently we got an email from the HOA asking us to take care of the hole in our front yard. Don't worry. We are on it! Believe me, I want a yard as badly as our neighbors want us to have a yard!

Saturday I went out to help Erik. I cleaned up and vacuumed all the dust out of the master, guest, and living rooms. I even helped Erik dry out the joint compound on the wall extension he did with...a hair dryer. In order to make the sink island more symmetrical and allow us to open one of the under-sink doors all the way, Erik added about 4-5 inches to the wall and had to learn how to dry wall to do it. We may have to cover up most of it with molding, but everybody likes molding! Right? He finished tiling the kid bath and will grout what is done and start the master bath today.

This weekend, we plan on taking all the doors off the hinges, then we'll haul them to the shop along with the molding to spray in the paint room where it's well-ventilated and we won't make a mess. Once molding is up, all the bedrooms and the room upstairs will be ready for electric and carpet. Then they are done! Crazy? Yes.

It's a bit bold, but I'm going to start a countdown checklist....it'll be over before we know it!

Got a Plumber!

2008-10-30T19:59:00.001-07:00

Getting him registered in Rockwall! Here we go!

Round and round we go....

2008-10-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

You probably can't tell, but the house is painted. Cream trim and beigeish everything else.

Ah, that's better. See it now?

Erik tiled like a maniac this weekend. And without running water! Good looking travertine if I must say so myself.

Bill's out and we're working on another plumber. It's not the easiest thing to find someone to pick up where somebody else left off. But it will happen. We bought a dishwasher and the cabinets are fixed. The counter guy was going to come tomorrow, but looks like it will be next week as we need sinks so he can cut the holes for them. Counters are exciting! Electric wants to wait till the plumber's done, so hmmm... We have all the lighting fixtures bought and the faucets ready and waiting. Carpet and wood is the last thing to go in. The yard can't happen until the plumbing happens. Got a recommendation for a new construction plumber in the Dallas area? We'd love to hear it! ;) Until then, a little bit of cutting in left and lots of tiling. My brother in law says builders use countertops as a 45-day mark to finish. We'll see how that works out!

Thanks for the Help!

2008-10-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

This past week has been nothing but painting! I even found time in my week to go out and help Erik pain the 2 "kids'" rooms. Mom and Dad went out Sunday to help cut in the corners and around windows. We're sooo close to being done with paint! The exterior painter is supposed to come this week, too!

Some news...

2008-10-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Erik was able to "rush" order the new cabinet, so it should be here in a week. Since neither salesman nor customer knew what they were doing, we missed the corners overlapping the angles on the computer print-out that we now discovered after the fact. Que sera. We were also able to rush order the rest of the stuff we need to finish out the cabinets. Erik has decided to use the sink base we already have and refabricate it to fit in the "hutch" area in the kitchen to make it a built-in china/linen storage rather than go buy something to fit there. Dad can help with all that, so that's great.

Erik finished out all the windows and hung the last of the doors, minus the door to the garage which we'll hold off on until all cabinets are in. He started on the rest of the door casings and then we just paint.

Then there's Bill. Bill, Bill, Bill. Better get the job done, my friend! At this point, water is a bigger deal than a cabinet. Water. It's always water.

In Brief

2008-10-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

We have to order a different cabinet in order for the dishwasher to fit. According to Seconds and Surplus, this takes three weeks. We're going to see if we can order direct (via my dad if we have to) to get the cabinet sooner. If not, Erik made a very serious announcement that this would make the move in date move to January. Hmm. I'm not exactly happy about that. Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful to be living with my parents and it's worked out very well, but I think everyone understands that living in your own house trumps where we find ourselves right now. I'm also just ready to have my husband back. Dental school is a lot harder without him around the house. So, I'm praying that other things can be done during this time IF we have to wait 3 weeks. Not waiting 3 weeks would be even better : ) We have to have water. Bill has been out, but he's sooo slow. Erik's going to tell him that if it's not connected to the sewer by Tuesday, we'll find someone else to do it. Mind you, Rockwall did come out and mark the sewer, Bill dug 8 ft and could not find it. Hmm. We have to have water at this point. Kinda rediculous. We can't trim out electric until the cabinets are done, so that's a big bummer. They were going to do that this week. We CAN continue to paint and do molding, get cabinets in for the other two bathrooms, and tile those. The other big bummer about the sink cabinet in the kitchen is that we can't tile the kitchen until it's in. We just have to keep trudging along, do what we can when we can, and hope that the timing works out to spend Christmas in our new home. Once midterms are over, I should be able to help out more, too. That would be nice.

A Place for Everything...

2008-10-10T21:33:00.001-07:00

A place for cars.... (in the driveway)

A place for pipes.... (in the crater in the yard)

A place for feet.... (no more walking in the mud/dirt)

A place for a fridge and pots and dishes... (what size of fridge is to be determined....)

A place for an oven and microwave.... (and pots and dishes...)

A place for a dishwasher and a sink...

A place for two sinks in the master bath...

This Week in "The House Blog"....

2008-10-05T19:36:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we get the driveway and walkway poured.

Angel's crew will also dig a trench from the garage side of the house to the back retaining wall and from the electric pole to the wall. Erik will then have to connect the two trenches under the wall to feed the electric wires through via PVC so we can get POWER!

The sewer is marked, so Bill can come out and connect and we can have WATER!

The exterior painter is scheduled to come in a couple of weeks.

The drywall guy needs to fix the wall in the master bath.

Erik needs to hire the cabinet installer and a tile guy to do the big jobs.

We need to buy tile.

We need to grade the yard. Big time.

We need to start painting walls in the house. Mom and I want to go out and tidy up a bit, too.

And Erik just informed me that he needs a break. No doubt!

We're Getting a Driveway

2008-10-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Angel's crew is back on the scene to pour us a driveway. This is the prepwork on Wednesday after the curb cutting on Thursday for the inspection on Friday. We get to pour Monday, I think.

If you're a super good observer, you might have also noticed the massive piles of dirt in front of the house. Bill dug a hole. At last. Unfortunately, he was unable to find the sewer line, so the city has to come mark it, so he can connect...and, then.....water? Maybe. Here's the hole:

In conjunction with the driveway, we also get a walkway to the front door.

Erik's been in a frenzy working every night putting up trim around the windows. He built a fake door in my parents' garage months ago to practice and what we decided on is repeated here (the door to the water heater in the garage):

Then he decided to try something simpler, and I think it looks just fine. And it's cheaper. And it doesn't take as long.

Erik bought 15 gallons of "Summertime" interior paint today, so aside from studying, you know what I'll be doing this weekend. Cabinets are in and dad gave us a name of an installer we can use. Erik hired a painter for the exterior and we are....yes, back to Sherwin Williams because that's who he uses. At least we already have a color picked out. Ummm, what else? We're going to buy tile soon. Need to get the wet saw back from my friend Derek who borrowed it. Oh, we have to fix the door to the closet in the master because it was designed/framed/drywalled and it's wrong somewhere in all of that. Erik re-framed it and back comes the drywall guy to make it all match. That's all I've got.

Getting Excited!

2008-09-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

The "young ones" left the family reunion to come see the house:

Goofy daddies.
Our pickle right now is the City of Rockwall who is making things difficult for us to get running water. I'm hoping our inspector can enlighten us so we can push past this and start painting and tiling.....you know, things that require water.

More brick, More doors

2008-09-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

We really like the brick. It's subtle, but not boring. Did I say we really like it? I think there's more pink and red tones in real life than these pictures show. And the doors continue to go in. A couple every night. Now we need to paint....Outside and inside. And we still need water. Turns out, Bill's ready but the city of Rockwall installed a meter box but no meter. Seriously, guys. Come on. Here we go again...

We are 1/2 Bricked!

2008-09-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Drove straight to the house after school today to see the brick and it's 1/2 way finished! Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me, and can't find the cord to make pictures go from my phone to my computer, so you will have to wait until it's more than 1/2 way done and see it tomorrow.

Doors

2008-09-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

The front of the garage door (the hardware will make it look even better!):

The door to the attic:
The door to the closet in the game room:

The door to the water heater closet in the closet in the game room:

Erik's setup in the game room, now complete with a radio so he can listen to the football games as he works:
He has now completed around 10 out of 25ish interior doors. Needless to say, he has a ways to go. But 10 in like 2.5 days is pretty decent and the more you do, the better you get, right? The supplies are all bought for the mason, so he should start this week. I'm excited to see what the brick will really look like on the house instead of in the piles you see now. But for now, there are a lot of doors to go up!

Advancements

2008-09-19T20:15:00.001-07:00

This week we got brick, in the yard at least:

And texture (can you see it?):

And a garage door (I'll get a pic from the front this weekend. I was too short and by myself to pull it down when I went out there):

So, the next step here would be paint and mouldings and Erik's putting doors in already....

Bill's finally making some progress as the utilities have been marked for him to dig and he's rented a back hoe. It's a start. The cabinets should be in by the end of next week and I really don't know when the mason's going to start putting up the brick, but it should be soon. Next week? I need an update from Erik.....

Getting closer to paint...inside and out!

2008-09-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest...a tour of the house. It is not narrated, because really, who want's to listen to my voice? (By the way, the sheetrock guys were able to "tap" into the water even without BILL and we will be able to get 'er done until he gets his act together. Or we fire him.)

Dry inside, wet outside

2008-09-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

I've been talking up the drywall and here it is!

This is Erik's closet in the closet for the 2nd water heater. I know we need a second water heater, but I lost all that beautiful storage!

It's not quite finished, and we're still calling BILL every day and have yet to see a back hoe. WE NEED WATER TO TEXTURE!!! Can you tell we're getting a little frustrated? We're about to threaten to dock his pay and hire someone else to finish the job. Seriously. This is rediculous.

Ordered

2008-09-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Seconds and Surplus and ordered cabinets. 3 hours after we arrived, we left with a really good deal on kitchen and master bath cabinets that look something like this:

They are "shaker" style in "pearl" which is fancy for off-white. We're thinking about a darkish brownish granite for the countertops. I think that will warm things up a bit (I think these countertops look a little cold - gray...). And, yes, I'm getting my pot drawers (as seen above). : )

They should arrive by the end of the month. That's about the same time as the arrival of the brick. We're supposed to get sheetrock delivered on Monday, a garage door on Tuesday (which means locks can go in and we can "lock up"), sheetrock goes up on Wednesday and texture on Thursday. In order to get texture, we need to connect to the water main which means Bill has to actually do what he says he will and get it done. We definitely don't recommend Bill. It's getting done, but seriously. He's been a bit of a thorn in our sides.

Mom teaches a lot of kids who live in Chandler's and told them we were building the house you can see from Ridge Road. "The green house!" was the general response, which is sweet, but a sign that the brick needs to happen. Please, brick, come soon!

I also saw Ms. Elliston today and finally got a chance to say hi and see Andie and make that reconnection since we'll be neighbors. I'll get to actually see Scarlett this coming weekend...at my high school reunion. Crazy. Moving back to the old stomping ground....at least for a little while...

"It looks like it snowed weird gray stuff...."

2008-09-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

The insulation guys came out today and sprayed newspaper into the walls. I know it sounds all eco-green-weirdo and all, but the aim here is to fill EVERY single space (which the pink panther stuff can't do) in order to reduce the noise of the road behind us.

This is the lentel installed including the red ties Erik put on it to drive with it in his truck. Good job, guys. Where's the common sense here?

We really needed masks at the house today. We didn't even go inside, but there was dust everwhere! I could even see it surrounding the house as I drove behind it on Ridge Road...

The did the insulation under the HVAC now, because once sheetrock goes in, it won't be accessible from the attic.

Since we took back some of the neighbor's yard, their sprinkler heads are no longer optimal and spray over our wall ever day making a mud pit and making a mess of our wall. We'll have to fix that one.

This is the back wall of the garage. I don't know why there is some pink stuff mixed in there...

This is some of the cellulose (newspaper). You can find letters every now and then.

Master bedroom....

Gray snow.

A Long Time Coming

2008-09-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

The prediction was made that once school started, the house blog would slow down. This was in some sense true, but in all honesty, very little has happened since the last post. At least that I could document well with pictures. Bill the plumber kept at it with gas lines and PVC and we got up the brick ties for the mason. Then it was time for an inspection. Chris the framer had his fare share to fix, the HVAC guy and Bill the plumber, too. Erik also had to buy this huge lentel to go over the garage for the brick to rest on. After two attempts, we passed today and look forward to insulation tomorrow and sheetrock on Monday. That means we get to order cabinets this weekend. Cabinets? Yes, cabinets. That means decorating/style/furniture...it's starting to take shape. Post sheetrock and texture we can paint! And install molding (some of it at least)!

These are the brick ties (the short metal things attached to the zip wall):

The fireplace is in!
This is the electrician from Oncor rigging up a temporary line since ours is somehow down:

Ah, the sewing room...
This is the lentel. May not look like much, but it's like 24 feet long and made of really heavy metal that had to be lifted onto Erik's truck with a fork lift. Don't ask me how it was hung over the garage to pass inspection.

Slowing Down

2008-08-16T22:47:00.001-07:00

Pending the getting of quotes from insulation guys and the subsequent hiring of said insulation guy, we are pretty much just waiting on plumbing and cable/phone guys to finish what they need to do at this stage. We need to buy brick ties (?) for the mason so he can get those up and then I think we can get inspected. The AC guy warned us that there might be a problem with the dryer vent...they're pushing it just a little on length, so we might get it on round two like we usually do. No biggie. I'm so ready for brick, so I hope we get it early. I'm ready for the next stage!

There's a lot of wires now...

And apparently this toilet will be OK.

The rail is now ready for some normal looking railing on the stairs....I think he just had it higher for safety while they were building? Ok, that doesn't make a lot of sense, but we're glad it's a normal height now for a normal stair rail. And we didn't even have to ask : )

The only sad part about progress is that you can't walk through walls anymore : (

Shower lining is in...
And jacuzzi...

And the plumber made a bit of a mess here...

We have a breaker box, now.

Long Awaited Pictures

2008-08-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

Well, you can see that the roof is finished...

The termite treatment was completed...

The air ducts/vents/HVAC unit are in...

Tub #1
The right windows finally came in and Chris will come tomorrow to finish up.

My wounds acquired after cleaning the house on Saturday...
And the dirty floors on Monday after all the cleaning followed by rain...

They finally came and took our trash!

Please note that the valves on the washing machine hook-ups are metal...not plastic.

The HVAC unit...
Tub #2

Tomorrow is electrical and they should finish in a day. After that, we need insulation and drywall quick and Erik is working on that. Plumbing will continue as well.

Pics are Coming

2008-08-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

I know I've delayed with posts, but a girl needs a break once in a while. Here's a quick rundown:

* Roof was finished on Saturday morning
* Windows came on Friday, but in "almond" so we await new windows tomorrow. Chris has a few pieces of trim left after they go in.
* Bill the plumber will arrive tomorrow to find two tub units, a jacuzzi, and a box of valves waiting for him to have at it.
* The A/C guy will arrive tomorrow.
* The electrician will come on Tuesday.
* Erik is working on the insulation and sheet rock guys, which needs to happen fast.
* Start praying for the brick to come early. It's not necessary, but it sure would be nice : )
* We need to order exterior paint again. (Boo Sherwin-Williams for a no-call). We'll find a painter and ask for paint recommendations.
* We spent the day out there yesterday cleaning after the insane mess left behind after 2 weeks of framing followed by roofing. I'll include pictures of my wounds acquired during the process later.
* I actually started sorting rocks left on our job site by the wall guy to use in the flower beds. Always thinking ahead...

Slow Going

2008-08-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm just used to those crews that come in after a hail storm, have 8 guys on a roof and finish in a day. We have 2 guys...do the math...we're looking at 4 days? Maybe 3. They might finish tomorrow. Chris' team finished the hardie on the back minus the trim and there's still work to do on the front. The three windows are supposed to come in tomorrow, so I'm sure he'll finish it all up then. He also built the wall in the kitchen for the island and the frame for the jacuzzi in the master. Bill the plumber will be out tomorrow and the tubs won't go in until Monday.

A Roof Over Our Heads

2008-08-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Roof's going up and the Hardie on the front and back. Chris said they'll be DONE tomorrow - he'll build the wall for the island in the kitchen and frame out the master tub. We cut a few posts on the front porch to leave more room and less clutter. The plumber will be out tomorrow, so tubs should go in and I hear the HVAC guy will come on Monday. I need to hear word on the electrician and mason.

Update

2008-08-05T19:53:00.001-07:00

Erik and I went out to the casa tonight and found more windows in and even Hardie going up in the back. We took a few measurements and off to home depot to look at microwaves, garage doors, and anything else we could think of. Anyway, new pics...and the faucets are good to go, so here they are. I'm so glad we saw the ad in the mail!

This is the kid/guest faucet. The head actually pulls out like some kitchen faucets do, which is great for washing babies and adults' hair, but really bad when 4-year-olds learn how to use it...

Kitchen faucet...

Master bath faucets (2)

Now You Can Really Peek Inside

2008-08-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

The windows started going in today! Two were incorrect (thank you Chris, for taking care of that problem and doing the "yelling" for us!) and the problem will be remedied shortly. They had most of the house taped when we went by at 3:00, so I imagine they got pretty far. I think they're pretty ready to leave this project behind and move on to the next, so I hope they can finish quickly tomorrow and move on. The shingles have been delivered and the valves for the plumbing arrived today. We'll pick up the tubs tomorrow and deliver them to the house for the plumber on Thursday.

Mom and I woke up early and stood at the doors of Tuesday Morning with 20 other chumps waiting for the doors to open (actually, mom went to the store in Rockwall, and I went to the store in Garland to maximize our chances...). Anyway, we were there to get the deeply discounted shipment of Price Pfister faucets that were on sale starting today at 8:00 am. The faucets usually run anywhere from $100-250 plus, and these we got for $50-100. I hope Erik likes what I picked out. I'll feel pretty silly taking them back...a summer morning to sleep in wasted. It was hilarious. Everyone went directly to whatever item they were there bright and early to snatch up, and all the "faucet people" raced to grab the goods. Luckily, the Garland store had a much bigger supply than Rockwall, and I was able to get faucets for the entire house. I will post pictures pending Erik's green light.

Tomorrow, the roof. Thursday, the plumbing top off. Friday...who knows.

They finished the Hardie under the porch, too.

News Flash!

2008-08-02T20:14:00.001-07:00

Erik and I went out to the house this evening to take some measurements for the fireplace and see the progress and we disovered that the deckers did come out this morning and work. I don't blame them at all for spreading out the work over several days so they can work in the morning and avoid the 102 plus temperatures here in the afternoon. So now it's completely decked. They still lack the tape along the seams of the zip wall and some of the hardy on the roof of the porch. Then they can really do the hardy and put in the windows.

It's nice to walk inside and have a better sense of space with a roof and the exterior walls in place...with sheet rock it will be even better.

Aside from the "green" energy codes required by the city, we are not purposefully choosing the expensive and trendy route of buying eco-friendly products for our new house, but decking is sold with a radiant barrier on the back, so here's to lower energy bills! I guess new appliances will also fit in the energy saving category...

The Latest

2008-08-02T15:17:00.001-07:00

So...about 1/2 the house is decked...not sure if they planned on finishing today or Monday, but Chris will be back on Tuesday to do windows, hardy, etc. Erik and I bought exterior paint today in the color "Cargo Pants" (this pic doesn't really do it justice):

This might help... Now picture it with this brick (with a lighter mortar)...

with "Pure White" trim - Sherwin Williams is having a sale : ) . We also picked a roof shingle color called "Weathered Wood". As you can see, the zip wall is done and we have a bright green house for now.

Better Late Than Never

2008-07-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little bit crazy around here with family in town and the baby shower extraordinaire, but here's the latest word....

The second floor is finished and ready for roof decking and the house is wrapped with zip wall and ready for brick. Chris will send his decking guys out tomorrow and windows will not be here until Tuesday which is when he comes back anyway, so that works. Erik's trying to see if the roofers can be working the same day as windows to keep things moving. The soffets (sp?) are up and he should be doing the Hardy on the back of the house today or Tuesday. We'll see....

Tuesday's pic...

Room upstairs...

Attic space above the garage...

Closet upstairs.... Casey in the dormer upstairs...
Thursday's pic....

Big Changes

2008-07-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

Went out to the casa late today to find some very obvious developments...

Second floor is up as well as the stairs. They're still working on the roof and are probably finished putting up the zip-wall. I didn't get a good picture of it today, but the house is covered on the back and sides with that green board they started to put up last time. I'll have better pics tomorrow. Chris hopes to be finished by Thursday because he's going on vacation Friday-Monday. If not, he'll finish on Tuesday next week. No biggie.

We've run into some issues with the plumbing we picked. We had to change our order for the tub units to ensure we have a left-handed and a right-handed tub for the two baths. Good catch. We're still working on the right-handedness of the jacuzzi tub and may need to call Bill the plumber about it to make sure it's ok. We also need to make sure Chris plans on framing up the corner for the tub in the master as well as the island in the kitchen. I'm sure he knows, but always better to make sure now. Erik will finish out the frame for the tub probably to match the door casing molding he's planning on doing.

We've also gone through a day of questioning the oil rubbed bronze fixtures, but I think Erik has finally settled it on the ORB. The main issue was that most of the styles we can find in ORB are a little "old world" and too ornate for the craftsman look that we're trying to go for throughout the house. But it's better if everything matches, so if the door knobs must be ORB, so must the fixtures. We'll find something that works. On eBay where they are cheaper. But we must also work out the valve issue that comes with buying just the trim kit. Perhaps those plumbing suppliers will come in handy afterall...

We also need to pick paint sooner than later...Sherwin-Williams is having a sale this weekend, so that might work out well.

No Rest for the Weary

2008-07-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

Just because the weekend comes, don't think that we just kick back and bask in the glory of our homebuilding successes (knock on wood). We spent Saturday moving the rest of our junk out of the duplex - the entire day Saturday - and Sunday we (cough) skipped church and spent the morning at Home Depot/Lowes picking out plumbing fixtures. Mom and I had spent the whole day (ok, Erik came at lunch and helped) going to plumbing wholesalers to look at what they had and get quotes and it was pretty much a waste of everyone's time. So we got on the internet Friday night and decided to use the big box home stores and eBay to get our stuff. We picked out a Jacuzzi tub for the master and 2 bath/shower units for the other bathrooms. We also had to pick out shower fixtures so the valves can be installed during top-out. Lowe's didn't have a pic online, but we are going with oil-rubbed bronze, or ORB as the plumbing lingo goes...We also went by the house and swept the street and picked up the trash because that's just the kind of homeowners we are : )

A Tour of the Sticks

2008-07-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

First of all, the water department was out this morning and, voila! We have a water meter. Yay!

I hoped to take you on a tour in order (i.e. from front door around to the garage) but that's not the way it turned out, so although a little random, here it is. If you start from the bottom and work your way up, it makes a little more sense. The descriptions are above the pictures.

This is the pantry and desk area in the kitchen (middle, back of the house).

This is the back porch, already zip-walled, and back door installed!

This is the back of the house, one of the kid's rooms with a bit of zip wall.

This is the back of the house, living room with a bit of zip wall.

This is the closet under the stairs and the stairwell as you come in from the garage.

This is the garage from the door to the garage.

This is the utility room, in front of the kitchen/behind the garage.

This is the front kid's room.

The back kid's room.

This is the kid's bath.

The kitchen (island in the front where the pipes are for the sink, fridge along the left wall, stove/oven/micro along the back wall).

This is the floor laid down over the front of the house for the second floor media/game/play room.

This is the breakfast nook in the back of the house.

Back door.

This is the guest room at the back of the house, behind the master.

This is the shower in the master bath.

This is the closet in the master.

The back left corner is the potty room in the master bath. To the right in the background is the guest bathroom.

Master.

In the center is the fireplace in the living room.

This is the entry way from the front door with two pillars on each side, dining room is to the right, entrance to the master to the left.

This is the dining room to your right as you walk in the front door.

This is the master from the outside front left.

Front porch and temporary front door.

Garage, front right.

Day 4 of framing.

It Looks Like a Pergola

2008-07-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Went by for the daily tour and it's more dense with wood and they've put up the beams for the 2nd floor room. They also finished out the window casings and the porch out front. Tomorrow the back porch, rafters and all that other ceiling stuff (it's a technical term) will go in and he'll start the sheething soon. I think tomorrow will be a more dramatic picture...

Hard-to-See Changes

2008-07-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

From what I can tell, they added the headers to the garage, front entry, closet, pantry/desk area and they framed out the fireplace. I know they did way more than this, but it was 3:00 and 100 degrees outside and that's all I could pick out. We need a little bit more lumber, but other than that, all is running smoothly. Yay.

And we're off!

2008-07-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

As mom and I came around the winding corners of Ridge Road toward the house, I said, "So how far do you think they got today?" She figured they just set up the perimeter to hold the walls. Nothing above the foundation. I said, "No, we've got walls." And as we came around the bend, there they were! I must admit I would classify my reaction as giddy. I actually clapped my hands repeatedly and yelled "woo hoo". I then promptly did what any young adult in today's times would do...I took a picture with my camera phone and texted it to Erik at work. This is big. Really big : ) Chris said they hope to make this an 8-day job. The brick is ordered, the doors and windows are ordered and we have to pick the exterior paint color this weekend. Woo. Hoo!

This picture is taken from where the bed will be in the master, looking at the door to the bathroom and the wall where the TV will be.

Come clean up your mess! Please!

And this mess, too!

Putting up the wall between the kitchen and the back kid's room (from the back yard).

The master bedroom from the side of the house.

Master again.

Day1, floor 1

Firm Foundation

2008-07-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

We now have the foundation and tomorrow comes lumber and framing! It'll start going fast from here, so hang on!

Pour it On!

2008-07-21T07:23:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, Tomorrow....

2008-07-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, there were a few things wrong with the foundation today, but they are already fixed and we will pass inspection tomorrow, so we'll pour on Monday. The electrician came out today and roughed in the main electrical and the plumbing is ready to go. It's hard to wait through "wasted" days, but that's why Erik builds them into the schedule...'cause we'll probably need all of them.

Everything Happens Tomorrow

2008-07-16T17:25:00.001-07:00

Today Angel Ramirez's crew laid the moisture barrier and the post-tension wires for a very dramatic change to the lot. But tommorow is the big day.

First thing in the morning, the plumber and electrician come out to do their thing along with the foundation engineer inspector. Later tomorrow, the independent inspector and city inspector (Rusty) come out to hopefully give us the go ahead to pour.

We met with the framer this afternoon to discuss some minor changes to the plan and give him the framing plans. He is ready and raring to go as his custom home work is slow and he and his crew have resorted to remodels and retrofit window installs. He's ready to work. He's hoping we can pour Friday and he can come in on Monday and give us a roof by Friday. Yikes! Don't know if that will happen, but he's optimistic. : )

Approved

2008-07-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

We passed our P2 inspection today (that's just inspection #2) and the foundation guy was already back laying the sand for the foundation. I pointed out that the song we sang in Sunday school about the house building parable specifically points out that only the "foolish man builds his house upon the sand" but apparently this is how it works : ) Sure don't want our house on the sand to go "splat!" Hope to have a pic of that tomorrow.

Tomorrow he'll be back out there floating and laying the post-tension wires for the foundation. That should mean (say a prayer) that Thursday we will have the electrician out, the engineer inspection of the pre-pour foundation, an independent inspection of the lay of the land and our P3 inspection by the city. Luckily we have Friday free in case any of the above takes longer than necessary and by MONDAY (!) we can maybe, just maybe pour a foundation.

I would also like to point out for you that my reporting on this project is purely from a novice's point of view and I try to relate what is going on when I don't really know what's happening until it's already happened, in general. Most of the time I tell Erik what I said or when I thought something was supposed to happen and he laughs and tells me what's really going on. I try to go back and edit for posterity's sake, but alas, I am only a messenger. And a very poor one at that. : )