Trusses Delivered...

We now have the last piece to the framing puzzle...the trusses. (For anyone who is construction illiterate like I was before I started actually paying attention to Todd, the trusses are those peaks that hold up the roof. :)The coolest part of the design of this house is that there are a bunch of areas that we'll be able to create "secret hiding places" for our kids.

See how the decking is about 1/6 of the way finished? Yeah. That's because I helped. It'd probably be close to finished if Todd's guys had done it. ;)

2nd Floor

Here's the view from the back. You can see the deck starting to take shape as well as the master bedroom and bath on the right. That tiny window will sit above the bathtub. Here's the front view. On the left side are the two smaller bedrooms and bathroom.
Roof trusses come tomorrow! Stay tuned. :)

First Floor Framed!

If you look closely you can see the beams above the walls that will support the 2nd floor. In fact, we should have 2nd floor walls up by the end of today!


Here's a rear-view. Basically, the deck is huge. Seriously, it's so much bigger than we imagined, but it'll be so great for having people over. And since we'll be covering more than half of it, we'll use it all year.

Check back soon!

We have a floor! Well, if you walk gingerly and try not to fall through...

The first floor joists are in place! Crazy. Did I mention that we broke ground 12 days ago?? A neighbor stopped by yesterday and asked Todd if he was planning to have the house ready for the annual 4th of July bash... ;) We wish...we're so ready to be settled in, but we've got a ways to go.Today the subfloor goes down and the guys will start framing the exterior walls. It's so crazy how fast this thing is going to start to take shape!!
Stay tuned! More to come...

Progress Report

We've made tons of progress this week and have even begun framing! See that there on the right? That's the family room. Pretty sweet, huh? You can also see on the left where the existing foundation sits. This will contain our basement office. As you can see, Todd doesn't mess around. He gets right to it. We anticipate the framing will be finished within the next 2-3 weeks.
Things are sure shaping up quickly!

Holes...

Did anyone even see this movie? Our property is now full of holes. Big ones. Foundation is ready to be poured.

My kids were thoroughly impressed by the size of the machine that dug the holes.

I know what you're thinking. Really? How anti-climactic?? BUT...stay tuned. We should be framing by the end of the week! :)

Please tell me you're not going to live in there!!

Ain't she a beauty?? At the end of April we purchased this house...after the FHA appraiser determined that it was fit to be lived in. Let's just say you can thank me for not posting pictures of the bathroom, kitchen or carpets. Not cute. Somehow, I am more grossed out than before after seeing the layers of dirt that was trapped under the carpets! But...the house should be torn down by the end of the weekend!The existing house sits on the southeast corner of the nearly 1-acre lot. The plan is to tear down the existing structure and we'll use the existing foundation (which is a daylight basement) and add on to it so we have the house we want. There was previously talk of using the exterior walls of this house, but we'd end up spending more money in the long run making it structurally sound.

Here's a shot of the large grouping of trees that we'll be cutting down in the next few months. Most of them are dying and will need to be removed so we can build houses #2 and 3 on the property. (More on this to come! :)

Here's a photo of the the back of the house. Imagine a deck that spans the whole length of this house, plus the addition! Can you say BBQ??? :)

Here is some of the yard...and some of Todd's equipment...which should help you understand the need for all of this property! ;)

This is a shot of the existing detatched garage...that we've decided to keep. Yes, we'll have 2 2-car garages. Have I mentioned the insane amound of equipment my contractor husband has to store??

Well, that's just the beginning. It will be a long process, but so worth the end result.

Come back soon!

Welcome

Welcome to our blog! This will serve as a way to keep you informed on the progress of our most current house building project. We will include pictures, descriptions, and design information. We hope you like it! Leave a comment with your contact information and any questions you may have. (We will be sure to keep your contact information private)

Todd & Jessica