Thoughts at Framing

Finally got a chance to swing by and see what the framing crew has been up to this weekend.  They've been busy, they threw up the garage and the entire first floor in a week, at the rate they're going they might finish it up this week.   It's amazing how quickly this stage goes. 

It was interesting seeing your house as nothing more than collection of sticks and seeing all the temporary supports they put up to carry load, etc.. while they are building it pretty neat in a sciency sort of way.

One thing we were worried about is how close we were going to be to our neighbors house, but it worked out really well.  The front corners are a little closer than we'd like, but the house next door is positioned on the lot funny (it's kind of crooked) so the houses angle away from each other as they go back.   

From looking at basement and at the pictures Theresa took, I was actually worried that a 3,000 sq ft house might be a little bit small... which is funny cause one of my main concerns before purchasing was that this house was too big! After seeing it in person...  it's still pretty big.   I do think there are a few rooms that are a *little* bit small though.  Specifically I think our dining room and library room would benefit *greatly* from an extra 2ft and I'm pretty sure I'm going to wish that that they had it for the next 30 years.  :)  Also, after going through the exercise of figuring out where to put the extra windows in the bedroom, I don't think it would break my heart if that room was 15ft wide instead of 13.5.  Of course, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th bedrooms aren't all that big either, but it's hard to find a floorplan that has big bedrooms.   I wouldn't mind, except I plan on turning one into an office and it's going to be a tight squeeze.  

One other thing I found interesting was our staircase.  One of the changes in our house from the other one is that the staircase wraps around to face the front door and extends into front walkway a little.   It's a unique design and I don't think the rest of our house really supports it.   The architect did that so he would have more room on the landing at the top of the stairs and could fit a door to a bedroom their.    Theresa likes the change, and it does make the staircase feel a little more grandiose, but the fact is, it intrudes into "usable" space and makes the walkway into the house pretty narrow, so I'm not sure I like that.  I'm not sure I like the new door placement to the bedroom either.   On the one hand it does make the room more usable, previously one whole wall of that room was taken up by "door swing" from the entry and closet doors, moving the door alleviates that and gives us a cool squared off corner space as well.   However, we're not crazy about the door to that bedroom being moved right next the master bedroom door and it does some crazy weird stuff to the walkway and railing on the 2nd floor.  So, I don't know.....  I might end up regretting that change. 

It's also interesting that we seem to have an entry door to our garage... because we weren't supposed to.  We asked about one, but decided not to spend the extra $$ on it.  However, the opening is definitely framed.  So I wonder how that will work out....

The final thing I noticed was our front yard, it's quite a bit bigger than I thought it would be.   So.... yay.  It looks like it's going to turn out to be a really nice yard, both front and back.  Lot of potential there.

I got to walk through our new house!!!!

I finally drove by after work today. I meant to yesterday but the winds (or hype about the wind) scared me away so I took a nap instead...
Well today was Wacky Wednesday and I looked like a complete moron. This, however, did not stop me from going in public. I walked around the house taking pictures while the crew continued to work. One guy asked me if I need anything and I just told him I was taking pictures....no one looked like they wanted to talk....
So I took pictures and got back in my car and called Brad. He persuaded me to go back and take a look at where the driveway would be. This time I had more courage and asked if I was allowed to walk through. They said sure and asked if I lived around "here." I answered that I will soon live RIGHT here! They then guessed that I was a teacher (musta been my plaid pants, two different colored socks pulled up to my knees, two different shoes, and my Red Know to Say Know Shirt).
It was sooo much cooler to walk around the inside than walking around. It was very exciting to see everything. Like I said last time Brad is in a hurry for it to be done, but I like seeing all the changes and not that I will be sad when it's done, cuz I will get to move in, but it's fun to watch it come along! All the new changes, I don't want it to go too fast.
I am a little sad though that we are building a house as it gets colder out. That means that when we go to visit it, it's going to be COLD! Brrrrr...I hate being cold!

Construction Has Begun!

We are very excited that they have started construction. We're told this is the fast part, and we will be amazed at how fast it goes up. Then will be the slllllllllllllllloooooooooooooow part.
We are still spending some time driving around trying to make our final choices.
We have decided to go with wood stairs, if only we can find the extra cash.
We tried to pick out our faucets yesterday, but failed. Apparently our plumper buys his own faucets, so when we went to the show room the sales man couldn't be very helpful.
We have decided to go with 2 panel doors instead of 6.
It sounds like we have made a lot of decisions, but we know there could be many more. I feel like it's going fast, while Brad well, not so much. I feel like I haven't had the time to even drive by after work to see it. I think life is slowing down a little, so I should have more time to watch my house go up.

So excited!

Got the email that they are going to start roughing in the hosue today or tomorrow! So very very excited.....still can't believe I am too busy to actually notice how much time has gone by since we signed our lives away...i mean signed our contract! Brad on the other hand is much more impatient. Pictures posted soon!

Basement

So excited to have the basement poured after such a long week. We were sad that we were not able to get out and take pictures this week until today (Sunday 10/3) but our awesome neighbors informed us today that they took some pictures for us through out the week!

We have a foundation

Our basement walls have been poured!

We got the news late last week and somehow found time to stop by and take a quick look today.  (sorry no pictures, they are on Theresa's camera) 

It's amazing how small the house looks like this.  It's a colonial, so the basement is going to be a bit on the smaller side, but it's hard to believe that footprint is going to support a 3,000 sq ft house.   I started feeling claustrophobic looking at it.   Then I realized I was building a 3,000 sq ft house and instantly felt silly for wondering if it was big enough! 

It's also amazing how much of a mess this phase of construction is.  Cranes and trucks and cement and mud and trash... it's hard to believe that this smoking hole in the ground is going to be our house!  

So now... we wait.  The cement has to cure for 3-4 weeks, then they should move onto the framing part, which should go very quickly.  After that I get a little less sure of this builder's timeline, so we'll see.  We should have a great foundation though, it's a perfect time to pour cement.  Not to hot, not too cold and just the right mix of damp and dreary.   I expect the cement to cure very nicely.  

Our Kitchen Sink is Here!

I used a granite/quartz composite sink when renovating a sink in a previous house and they are just amazing.  Compared to stainless steel or ceramic they are gorgeous to look at, impossible to chip, scratch or damage, incredibly easy to keep clean and just all around full of awesomeness.

As purchased, our house would have come with a standard stainless steel kitchen sink.   One of the first things I negotiated into the contract was an upgrade to granite sink.  The deal was that we would provide the sink and they would credit us the cost of the standard sink.  The credit ended up being a little more than $200, and that sent me hunting for the exact model of sink I wanted.

I soon came across the Swanstone QULS-3322-077 undermount model.  

It's a rather large sink.  It's 31in by 21in with a 10 inch deep bowl on the left and a 7 inch deep bowl on the left.  The sink retail online for $350 to $450.  But Theresa was able to get a bit of deal on it from one of her friends, so it only set us back about $300.   (but hey, saving $50 is nothing laugh at)   The sink showed up a few days ago, and we couldn't resist a peak.  It really is gorgeous.  I'm very excited about this sink.. and although I had to talk Theresa into it, so really likes it also.  So maybe I do get a *few* of the things I want! 

However, we're months away from needing it, so off to Theresa's mom's basement it goes to await installation.  Hopefully soon.