Memoirs of Building Our Home- Part 3

This is my attempt to chronicle the building of our home.  We started this journey in the Spring of 2007, moving in the very end of January 2008 and what a journey it was.

Here are some links to get you caught up if you'd like:
Part 1- the basement is poured and the beams are in, time for framing to begin.
Part 2- framing is nearly done

Today, the framing get finished up, windows and exterior doors go in, roof gets done and we get some concrete projects started while siding gets started up.  Lots going on.

Grandpa built the beams for us and brought them down for installation day and Uncle Rod made all the metal work.  They turned out great!

See the guys up there?  My heart is pounding just seeing them in the picture.  Scary work and they do it every day.

Windows and exterior doors are in, we can now lock up.  We really didn't have too many problems with things disappearing off the site, although we did have a roll of wire disappear.  Honestly, we both think we know when and how it disappeared but we figure if they went thru the trouble to steal one roll of wire they needed if more than we did.  We were really pretty lucky, there was plenty to steal and they could of ripped already installed wiring out, can you believe people do that?

This is our temporary staircase, looks a little sketchy, eh?

Sometime during all this the roofing got installed as well.  Windows are in and the trimwork (I painted all that out in the shed) is going up.  Siding has begun.  We chose Hardie Board Siding, at the time not many people in our area were using it and it took much longer to install.  

We did none of this work; no framing, roofing, windows and doors, siding (except for painting the trimwork of course, gotta get my credit for that) instead, we've been busy with lots of other projects.  

First, let's go back in time for just a minute.  This little room on the right of the picture, that's the front porch.  I wish I had more pictures of how it got poured because for the life of me I can't remember how we did it.  Yes, we, I gopher'd tools and wood like crazy for all our many adventures in construction.  Hubby might be the brains of the operation, but I'm the muscle (quit laughing)!  

Here it is poured, cut and ready to get cleaned off and stained.

Another one of our little projects, the fireplace prep-work and the hearth.  Again, more concrete.  By the end of this you might just understand how much we really love concrete.

We did the prep for the fireplace, including installing the venting, gas lines, etc.  The entire thing got a layer of plywood, metal lath and a scratch coat.  It was quite comical watching the boys and I get buckets of mortar up the scaffolding so hubby didn't have to come down every time.  We considered doing the stonework but I gotta say, my hubby is such a perfectionist, we'd still be working on that fireplace trying to get every rock to line up perfectly.  Not a good idea.  A couple guys installed as a side job, took them two weekends.  Much better!

We did pour the hearth, stamped it the same as the front porch.

A couple more concrete projects happened about this time as well.  This little patio is off the boys' rooms upstairs.  Yep, poured concrete.  Just like our patio projects the guys were just waiting for things to fall apart.  We've not poured concrete off the ground before, technically, my engineer hubby says it should work, reality, well, we were all still a little nervous.

We used the same stamp as the front porch and fireplace hearth. 

 Our last project for today, any guesses?  I wanted a funky shaped island in the kitchen yet hubby was procrastinating like crazy.  He obviously didn't want to deal with my crazy but eventually, he caved (thanks honey).

Here it is all poured and curing.  What a fun project this was.  If you'd like to find out more about it here's a link, One Way We Used Concrete in Our Home.

The basement digging began on 3/29/2007, the island project took place on 7/20/2007.   Next time, well, I haven't shown you the data closet yet.  I bet we spent a couple weeks just pulling wire.  I've been busy getting the necessary supplies bought for the next step, lighting fixtures, cabinetry, plumbing fixtures, they'll be ready for installation before you know it and of course, I'm still painting in the shed.  

The real fun has yet to begin (for me anyhow).

Bathroom Update- Almost Done!

Believe it or not, almost done!  The baseboards are in and the tub surround is done.  I have a day of finishing touches and the project is complete.  It's been a long road but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We decided to use beadboard for the tub surround.  I used the original wood as a base, cutting it down to fit (the addition of tile shrunk the space a bit).  Once I'd gotten it cut I couldn't use all the old screw holes so I had to make some new ones.  I didn't have the tool with me to sink them so I used a standard drill bit and made a  shallow hole to sink the screw into (it needs to be flush for the beadboard to lay over the top).

It's in, still needs the nail holes filled and a coat of paint.

Got the nail holes filled and now I need to caulk and paint.  It's looking good, and almost done!

Thursday is my last day, it'll be a long day of finishing touches and this project will be complete.  Before and After pictures coming soon.

Our First Project of the Season- 2015

Last piece of gutter going in!  Hubby held it up while I placed the braces.  Finally, the gutters are done.    

Here's a view of the connectors, they have some sealant and rivets holding them together.

Here's a downspout, the rest is still in the garage.

One more piece for the flat area still needs to be cut and attached.

We call the curved area the visor, hubby worked on cutting the pieces out last night and got some of them attached.  Can you believe we're almost done!  Can't wait to get all the scaffolding out of the yard and clean this area up.  

A Look Back....

My mom does a "clean-out" every once in a while and I tend to inherit much of what she's trying to rid herself of.  This bench was one of those gems!  At first I thought I'd paint it a funky color but I really love the wood and I have a hard time painting something that looks good in its original condition.  So, I left it alone.  You can see the seat in the background, ugh!  I don't think they padded it much at all the first time and it's really, really dirty.

I had this fabric left-over from another project.  I love the colors so I used it to recover the bench seat, you're gonna laugh but I'm gonna tell you anyhow, I used an extra pillow as the cushioning.  I was antsy to get the project done and didn't have any other cushioning materials on hand, it worked wonderfully!

I placed it at the front door.  Now, what to do with this weird display space above.  Don't you hate it when all the "necessities" are placed in odd spots.  How do you hang stuff with all that "ugly" in the way!  Well,  I tend to work with it and incorporate it into the display.

I had this mirror left-over from another project and I loved it, so I kept it and it works great here.  I got the embroidered art at a family reunion (we always have an auction to help fund the next reunion, this was one of my purchases) and I love the colors.   I still have two small spots to help fill in the space. One spot I've got planned, the other I'm still looking for, I'm sure I'll come up with something.

Maybe that last spot can be a "switch-er-roo" spot where I can put something related to the season/holiday.  Sounds like a good idea to me.  Stay-tuned and I'll update you on what I decide.

Happy Decorating.....

Well, this is a re-hash of two separate posts, one from a year ago and the other focusing on the wall space above is from the end of November and guess what, that space is still not done.  I do have a great idea though just haven't gotten it accomplished.  Too many other things to do.   Just one more thing added to my "someday" list.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who does that?

Memoirs of Building Our Home- Part 2

This is my attempt to chronicle the building of our home.  We started this journey in the Spring of 2007, moving in the very end of January 2008 and what a journey it was.  My husband and I work very well together so we didn't have too many problems in that regards but the process and time commitment really took it's toll in other ways (on me anyhow, hubby was in his element most of the time, he really is quite amazing!).  

I was an emotional mess by the end, physically exhausted and completely drained (yet amazingly enough I volunteered to do it again a couple years later for a spec house down the street, I must be crazy).

Anyhow, this is where I left you in Part 1, the basement is poured and the beams are in, time for framing to begin.

We did not do any of the framing work, we hired that all out.  However, we spent lots of time at the house trenching in the water and gas lines (getting them to the house and shed), putting in the drainage tile that surrounds the entirety of the home (at basement floor level) and eventually doing all the backfill around the house.  I'm sure there was plenty more but those are the major things I remember working on.

Here's the majority of the first floor framed out.  The next picture is the house plan to give you an idea of what you're looking at.  The central area with no framing is the entry, this entire area is one large open space with a stairwell and lots of windows.  They frame it out and put the house wrap on it  on the floor before tilting it up.  It really was an interesting process to watch.  They did a great job (of course there were a few minor problems, but aren't there always).

Another view with the second story started.  Upstairs is the boys area.  There's two bedrooms, a bathroom and a loft area all located on the garage side of the house.

This concrete retaining wall was poured with the basement and is one of my future artsy-fartsy projects that I love so much.  You can see landscaping fabric sticking up and some rock off to the right.  We have buried drainage tile in rock and landscaping fabric around the entirety of the house at basement level for drainage and the backfill is now done (I got to do that, a little scary being so close to the house with the bobcat but no accidents, whew!)

Here you can see the backwall framed out on the floor waiting to be tilted up and attached.

This is the view from upstairs in one of the boy's rooms looking across the living room into the master suite on the other end.

The Kitchen.

The wood is stacked in the dining room with the laundry room and mud room behind it while the kitchen is on the right and the garage is the area with the radiant heat pipes down.  Coming along nicely.

The view from across the lake.  Looks humongous doesn't it?  It's really not as big as it looks.

 Brought in a crane to finish off the framing.  It is always so exciting to see it all coming together (even now just looking back).

These guys are nuts.  I say I'm not afraid of heights but this does not look fun at all!

Another view from across the lake now that they've got the walls all up.  

 Again, these guys are fearless!

The basement digging began on 3/29/2007, it's now 6/13/2007.  

   I am painting like a mad woman out in the shed getting all the trimwork (outside and inside) painted and ready for installation.  Lots of shopping as well to choose tile, lighting and plumbing fixtures.  I am a cheapskate so I'm checking out all the area shops looking for deals.

Next time the beams grandpa made go in and all the wiring (joy, joy) and piping is underway.  You won't believe the "data closet" we have, that hubby of mine is prepared for just about anything!

Our First Project of the Season- 2015 Update

Well, the gutters are giving us a run for our money (I say us but I'm really not helping very much).  When they were manufactured they didn't do them the way my husband had them drawn, see those little tabs on one side of the gutter.  Those are to hang it from the underside of the deck, it should be a continuous piece of metal vs. tabs.  Hubby sent them back to have that changed out.  

Here's what he wanted.  

Then, when putting them up something about it being attached at the straight piece and the start of the circle made it buckle when trying to level them out and attach the longer metal tabs.  What a mess!

Hubby had to cut that section out and today it's going back in to be fixed (the metal guys are going to be real sick of him by the time this project is done).

Here's how it "buckled".  Doesn't look too bad in the picture but when hanging it bulges pretty good!

At that point my husband threw in the towel for the day and quit for the night.  We ate, watched a movie and he went to the land with his dad the next day.  Probably a good idea!

Sunday he was back at it again.  He got the straight section all leveled out and fully attached.

As well as some of the downspout work started.

 If you've noticed paper hanging off the front of some of the gutters, that's because they were in the garage for a couple days while he sprayed them with a sealer.  It's also used where the downspouts connect as well as the couplings joining multiple pieces of gutter together.

Although it's taking a lot longer than expected it is turning out fabulous and hubby, as always, is doing a wonderful job.