Um, we just started framing, but they apparently have a big crew so might not take as long as we thought. No clue on the doors (see other post) Anxious how our budget stacks up, but trying to be positive.

I hadn't had internet for a week. Can't believe how much progress I have missed! So exciting.
We took a 3 steps forward and about 6 back lol that seems to be always the case.
The metal roof was supposed to go in yesterday, but after talking to a the roofing company we decided to wait til the stucco is done, so we don't risk getting the roof banged up.
The stucco is going to take 2-3 weeks since we are doing siding on the front and back of the house.
We also started "raking" the whole land to get rid of the ridiculous amount of rocks we have so close to the surface, so right now it looks like a bomb went off.
Oh yeah, they managed to hit the corner of the roof with the excavator so that will need some fixing up grrrr...
The front door is in and should be installed sometime next week.
We finally decided on the kitchen cabinets, and a couple of bathrooms too.
And, right now Im mostly excited for finally deciding to go with marble countertops in the kitchen :)))) I know, it's not for everyone but after trying really hard to find any other material I loved as much, I did some research and think we can totally live with the natural aging expected to happen to marble.
DH is super excited we have to go back to the stone yard, now looking for marble lol

All excitement aside, this whole experience is a extremely stressful blessing. So many times we just wonder, with were we thinking?? When will this be over? But then, I come to the forum and see: 1- we all go thru this during construction, and 2- the after pics are always gorgeous and everyone seems to be glad they chose to build.

We can't wait to get to #2

Here is a pic of what looks like the moon lol

Wow! Looks like everyone is coming along!

We are moving in our house in 10 days! Inspections are scheduled for next Friday, then they will come in on Saturday and fix anything that needs to be fixed. They already have the last inspection scheduled for the following Monday. We can move in as soon as we hear that it is all clear.

They are finishing up all the paint today and tomorrow. Next week is going to be CRAZY!! Not only are they adding all the carpet, finishing up the lighting, plumbing, air units, central vac, intercom, security & stoning the fireplace BUT I also have the bug guys, window treatment installers, internet, and statelite coming in, too!! It's going to be a whirlwind!!!

On a very happy note, I was able to finally find a mirror for my powder bathroom off the kitchen. It's just perfect!

golfergirl, yellowducky and Michelle, I believe the fiberglass door itself was made by Mastergrain. The name of the door maker that did all the other parts of the door (jams, trim door surround) in real mahogany was Doorway Inc in Burlington Ontario Canada. He stained the fiberglass door from Mastergrain and then built jams, trims etc that go around the door (sorry don't know the technical names for these door parts). The door looks a great deal like wood to me (and of course parts of it are real wood). We did look at other fiberglass doors that had the trim, jams, surrounds etc done in fiberglass and they did not look any where near as wood like as ours did. It cost more to do the trim, jams, etc in real wood, but not that much more (thinking a few hundred more). The door itself does feel a little plasticy, but not too bad. The door is 8 foot so it is very solid feeling.

If you are anywhere near southern Ontario you could give Doorway Inc a call (they are in Burlington ON). His workmanship and pricing was fabulous.

Carol

Robyn,

Can you please tell me what you did for intercom wiring (what functions will it cover)? I mentioned to the low voltage guy that I would like some sort of intercom between floors so I would not need to go up and down stairs to summon family members as needs arose, but was told that intercoms were very rarely done now. So, we left the idea.

Carol

Our front door is Bellevue I think from Masonite. It is fiberglass with wood casing and wood trim around the transom. We haven't stained it yet, though, so I'm not sure if it will look like wood or not. In it's current primed state it looks like real wood. It was $900 in our low cost of living area.

Robyn - I can feel your happiness many states away. You have a gorgeous home.

Zoe - Framing looks great.

Kris - Can you just ask the GC about your budget? Even though there is plenty to worry about, try to have fun.

Ourdreamhome - You have a great attitude. I have only thought to myself once that we shouldn't have built a house and that was only because DH got mad at me for something. I am still VERY glad that we decided to build despite all the ups and downs.

Juniper - I love your exterior.

Michelle - I'm just glad you're having to choose a door. That means things are moving forward for you.

Jasburitto - I love your screen name or whatever it's called. Nice progress.

Yellowducky - I'm excited for you. Can't wait to see pics.

Musicgal - I love your wood door on the brick wall.

EDIT: Dug through receipts and the door is Masonite Belleville Craftsman Fir Textured.

This post was edited by JDez on Fri, Sep 19, 14 at 22:28

yellowducky,

The door hanger (Doorway Inc) ordered an unfinished/unstained fiberglass door only from Mastergrain. He then built the rest of the door frame etc out of real mahogany and then stained the fiberglass door and mahogany so it all matched.

I hope that makes sense.

Carol

Ontariomom, thanks so much for the follow up info!

We have footings! And a port-a-potty too! Yippee!
Let this crazy ride begin!

Carol, I'm not sure what brand it is but it's super cool. A lot of the houses still have them here. Every room and all the main areas have their own intercom box. I also have one main station where I can play music from my iPod or other sources. Each box has a music button that they can hit if they want to hear what music I am playing. It is also connected to my front doorbell and all rooms can press a button and respond to whoever is at the door.

Ha ok since it was requested, a few pics complete with unpainted walls and paper still on the floor >

Robyn,

Thanks for your description. That system sounds awesome. Was it a huge amount of $$$? If you think about it can you take a picture of the main box or get the name of the system? I would really appreciate that. If I can find out who makes your systems than we can revisit this upgrade.

Niteshade: Wonderful features! Love the dark cabinetry and fireplace. Thanks for posting your images.

Carol

JDez - so you like your door? That's one brand we're looking at.
We don't really have a GC, long story short. One guy (who was one at at time) has helped out in terms of finding people / scheduling but nothing other than that.

Kris - Yes I like it. Here's a pic of it. Not stained yet of course.

Carol,

I just looked it up and it's $4300 for a Valet 16 station plus one door station system.

Good luck!

Nice, thanks for the pic! I guess given the lead time, we have to decide on something pretty much this weekend. Just wish more people would post positive reviews online versus the other.

Wow, that intercom is pricey! It sounds fantastic though, I grew up in a house with an old school intercom and music system. It still works too although the radio doesn't come in as clear as it used to :)

Thanks Robyn for the info! I think it is worth exploring -- especially for the music function you talked of. The fewer the stations the more the price would come down. Did you put ceiling or in wall speakers in of the rooms serviced by the intercom?

Carol

Carol, it is a little square box on the wall above the light switch. It has a speaker on it. Hope that helps! We had an intercom in our last house but it was old and didn't work until the week that we put it up for sale 6 years later! I will definitely need this intercom system. We have a basement plus 2 stories. Lots of rooms that my kids could be in. I don't want to have to yell to find them anymore. This should really help with that. Or, I sure hope it will!!

I'm about to head over to the house. They are supposed to be finished by tonight with ALL the paint. They started the main floor wall color yesterday. Everything is finished in the basement and 2nd story. They saved the main floor for last because it had the most areas to paint with 2 vaulted ceilings. I hope they are on schedule! We have a ton of people coming in to do work on Monday!! YIKES!!

Catching up with y'all this morning. niteshade- you are 90% done. Neat gothic touches on the window (?) in the last pic. JDez- so close now. Feel like we've been on this ride together.
Michelle- break a bottle of Korbel on those footings:-) Then drink some Veuve Clicquot!

Hi everyone, just checking in quick. I will post some pics in the next couple days.

We are now framing complete with exterior doors and garage door installed. Rough plumbing was completed, and all electric boxes/ lights were hung and they started to pull wire yesterday.

We also poured my basement floor and porch yesterday. Tough part was since we are already framed we had to stick the trough down through the bilco doors and wheelbarrow the whole thing.. 32 yards later and I am feeling it today!

Hopefully the electricians are done at the beginning of next week, and now that the concrete is in the furnace and hot water heater can be brought in. I am expecting shingles to go on by end of the week and windows to be installed by end of the week. Love seeing the progress.

Robyn,

Avoiding the yelling round up is the number one reason why I want an intercom too! I have four kids. Hopefully, we can find a solution here too. I appreciate you passing on info on your system. Can't wait to see your pictures with paint.

Jet,

Are you doing some of the work yourself (or all of it)? The sore back comments confused me.

Carol

This post was edited by OntarioMom on Sat, Sep 20, 14 at 17:29

Musicgal - I guess I'll ride this ride as far as it will go. I'll get in there soon. I hope. Pulling for MFatt too.

I spent the evening staining door and window trim in the kitchen. DS's football game had me starting pretty late in the day so I was working until about 15 minutes ago, the first time I've been at the new house after dark. So, the first time I saw this. This is a special stained glass window that is in our laundry room that looks out over the back porch. I absolutely love it.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that using the porta potty in the dark is VERY scary. Hope the plumber can fit us into his schedule soon...lol.

This post was edited by JDez on Sat, Sep 20, 14 at 23:44

Lit a fire under everybody. Trying to be done by thanksgiving.

Foyer:

Master bath:

Kitchen "continent":

China cabinet:

Mud bath:

Back yard:

The house is very, very wide (around 120 feet side to side):

Caben - Very nice. I need to borrow you. My peeps need a fire lit under them too.

OntarioMom- Yes I am doing some of the work myself and subbing out A LOT of the rest of it. Myself and 6 of my close friends poured and finished all the concrete, I will be doing the interior insulation, electrical, and plumbing myself. The rest I have subbed out.

We are finally IN!! We moved in about a month ago, and are finally starting to feel like we are on the verge of being settled. I posted a ton of pics on the original thread I started about our house plan, back at the end of last year. I'll link it below in case anyone wants to see :) And I'm going to go ahead and post the pics here too. Just because :)

Everyone's progress is looking great!!!

Master bedroom & bath-

Living room & kitchen areas-

Laundry-

Our son's room-

Upstairs bonus room/play area-

And last but not least, the back of the house with the porch that we adore.

Here is a link that might be useful: original house thread

Beautiful Angela. Love the laundry room tile and the furniture too! What is the laundry door style? It looks like a dutch door at that angle. I cannot wait to have our porch all set up for time outside. Yours look like it will have lots of good times out there.

I stopped by to do a final light fixture count and noticed they started interior stone prep on the fireplace! Yay! We are still waiting on permanent power, 7 weeks so far. As soon as that happens the HVAC can go on and the wood floors can go in, cabinets, and so on.

AngelaZ- can you tell me about your floors? Are they Hickory? and what type of stain and finish did you use.

AngelaZ- Fabulous elevation and use of outdoor space. You have a wonderful new home:)
JDez- My daughter and I oo'ed and ah'd over your stained glass ship. Reminds me of the Dawntreader... C.S. Lewis style.

It's always that last little bit when you are weary that seems like it will never get done. We are soooo not finished, but it's livable. I do however, have a $4000 iron door with painter's tape on the door hole where an expensive Emtek lockset should be. A lot of that due to my GC assigning duties to someone who didn't know what they were doing in the first place, with that type of door. To anyone considering an iron double door- get a locksmith familiar with your type of door to install your hardware. Every little piece of hardware is indispensable to the installation and iron can't be "noojed" like wood.

The good news is, it DOES lock:)

Besides for that, we went to an antique show here in town this morning, and ate lunch with daughter and GD. Livy spent some time with her biggest fan this morning.

Had a duplicate here, so decided to take a pic of the inside of the tower for fun.

This post was edited by musicgal on Sun, Sep 21, 14 at 14:51

Wow, I take 2 days off from reading this site and it is incredible how much I missed! Everyone's pics are great!

I met with the plumbing company on Thursday. They kept showing me things with no regard to my budget or price. I had to ask every time! They offered to email pictures of everything so I didn't have to exhaust my phone but when the email arrived, surprise surprise, there are no prices! I spent the next hour on their website looking up prices. In many cases there were cheaper options that they never mentioned. There are few choices of companies here so I may have to use them but it will be a painful process. Fortunately I know what I want and I know my budget. I just wish they had been more helpful. I may try to order some things myself. I have been cautioned that all faucets are not created equal, as is the case with the big box stores. I saw a few things on vintagetub.com. Has anyone had experience with them or have another recommendation?

@MFatt- it is a dutch door :) We decided on one for the laundry so that the cats could have their own dog-free space (they are able to jump over the bottom half, leaving the dogs left out- ha!)

@Jenniekehr- we used #2 (the cheaper grade) white oak because we like the variation of the wood. And just used a satin clear poly to finish :)

@musicgal, thanks!! Just adore your home as well!!

Is it really September 2014????? What happened to Summer? This house building thing really eats up your time! Anyways, I'm a newbie on this thread, but I really should of posted about 2 months. So, I guess at this point I should just be proud that I'm getting around to doing this now instead of in the December 2014 thread. :)

So quick synopsis for us:

We purchased 22 acres of land just before Christmas last year, we broke ground at the end July, and we are our own GC. Our house is just shy of 4800 sq ft, I think. (The square footage kept changing so much during the planning stages that for all I know we could actually be building 2000 sq ft house or even an 8,000 sq foot house?) Anyways, the area on our property where we are building at has amazing views since it's up on a hill, but the land is also narrow in that area, hence the really long and deep house, but the views are worth it!

So here's the pics so far

Knocking over part of the hill for our walk out basement (There is a road that goes down behind the "cliff" to the lower 20 acres we own, you just can't see it) The pipe you see is the existing well on our property, the dirt use to be all the way up to where the dark part started.

Foundation

Flatwork

Framing - This was a very exciting day for us! (And yes, that's my man in the picture!)

Are those really floor joists? I feel like framing is going really fast, but we have some really good guys doing it. (Did I mention they are hot too! Somedays a girl just gets lucky!)

And beside the views, this is why we bought this property

This was last month.. Thankfully we are a bit further now. Slow and steady. I wanted to share the sunset we took last month. Straight out of my iPhone, no edits. I can't wait to be sitting there watching these instead of working like a crazy woman!! Happy September everyone!

Wow. These last several post pics are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

MusicGal I'd love to see your wrought iron door. I really wanted one but our door guys didn't recommend it for our climate. I was going to ignore him but decided it didn't really go with my craftsman type home. Can I see yours and live vicariously?

Musicgal - I am so excited that I got an ooh and ahh. Love your tower. Hope your to-do list is getting shorter over there.

MichelleKay - Beautiful sunset. Bet you can't wait to live there.

Snookers - Very nice.

AngelaZ - Congrats on moving in. I love your house.

Crafty_Granny - I bought some faucets through build.com. They seem good but they haven't put into use yet so I just don't know.

MFatt - Sounds like you're having the same problems we are. No one wants to show up and finish anything.

I spent the weekend finishing wood trim in the main living areas. I hate trim. I am obviously not good at it and probably should have hired someone. The only staining left to do though is on the front door and a couple of stair treads that I've been putting off. Did I mention that I hate trim?

Our brick work is getting there. They have half of one side of the house done too, and have started a section in the back too. I am hoping they finish the front this week.

This post was edited by jenniekehr on Mon, Sep 22, 14 at 11:36

JDez- the list is only getting a little shorter, but I do find myself caring a little less. Like eating the infamous 52 oz. steak... you're in a strange mood by the time you have the last few bites.

MichelleKaye- Those are beautiful shots of your site. Gorgeous sunset-

Hi Snookers-

JuniperSt- I will post a few pics, tape and all- of my long suffering (yet lovely) door. Here she is-

This post was edited by musicgal on Mon, Sep 22, 14 at 17:02

From the other side of the loggia, technically I guess it is a portico... but it's a long shaded outdoor area adjoining the courtyard with a gate.

From the other side of the loggia area looking out to the gate which opens onto the parking pad.

Musicgal I just adore your house!

double WOWOW, Musicgal!!

Thanks Angela and Juniper- When I look at how far we've come, I just have to take the imperfections in stride.
Here on this thread, we have folks building their own homes like Mushcreek, GCing like Carsonheim, putting in some sweat equity like JDez and others. Southerners, Canadians and all places in between. I think we all respect each others process and progress. Such an interesting place to be a part of and see what's going on with different trends and building procedures.

Autumn, oicu, jdez, skyangel --
Thanks for the comment on the Blanco sticker. It does look like someone tried to remove it, and now it is warped :/ I would like it to stay on so as not to leave any residue or something, since it does look like it is meant to stay. Oicu, we have the same sink, but different colors. Ours is truffle. It was our original choice to match the faucet, but I went back and forth between that and metallic gray. Jdez, nice sink! That was another option I was looking at, but didn't get to see an actual sample.

Musicgal--
Lovely home!

Robynstamps --
Almost there!

We are 2 weeks away from closing. The windows that are not in the center have yet to be corrected, but we have been told we are still on track. The deck is done. Yesterday they started on the wood floors and carpet. Appliances have been coming in (basement refrigerator has 2 big dents and needs to be replaced). Closets have been started as well. Lights need to go up, and plumbing fixtures are being installed here and there. We come at the end of the day and see 2 additional faucets in, it's crazy. Still waiting on more trim material (lots were not up to the trim carpenter's standards). Other things that need to get started: kitchen backsplash, wallpaper, window treatments. Hope we make it!! We are closing on our current house too. Lots of packing going on that is why I haven't been here much. Wish us luck!

JDez - that stained glass is lovely.

Ontario - thanks for the door info! it does make sense.

Snookers - by jumping in "late", it's such a treat to see your house go up in just a few pictures! your land looks magical.

I'm planning to make a flip book of our home once it's done - photos taken from the same spot every couple of weeks during construction (probably every day during framing).

We are waiting on the plumber to move our main drain line away from a boulder (kinda hard to believe the crew thought that was okay!), and the slab should be poured next week. I can't wait to see framing start. Today truly feels like fall (one of the gray chilly days) and it's such a pleasant change.

Hope you all are making good progress!

Here is a link that might be useful: home blog

northpolehome- I'm sending good packing thoughts your way. Boy oh boy, that's a job I don't ever want to do again. After weeks of looking for batteries, I discoverd the motherlode in a smaller box in the garage. Same thing with light bulbs.... oh, that's where the coffee grinder was- well, we like the new Kuerig anyway;-)
Ducky- I like the idea of a flip book. There is a gadget that actually takes a daily pic so that you get this timelapse video of your project. I found it online a few months after we were well into building, so I didn't bother with it but it might be fun for someone close to the start.

We had a visit from Brian the Lock guy today. We are happily rid of our taped up temporary door lock. Yay. Keychains are a lot neater too:)

This post was edited by musicgal on Tue, Sep 23, 14 at 20:03

Woo hoo!! We are getting a roof! Supplies have been on site for about a week now. Our builder is having problems getting supplies and crews coordinated. I guess everyone is trying to hurry and get as much done before winter as they can. Hopefully siding next week!

Wow Crafty, your house looks beautiful (and huge) from that angle! Love it and the setting!