Hi Everyone - I am new to posting on your threads, but have been reading over the past few months.

We are about to break ground (hopefully next Monday) on our new home. I'll try to post pictures next week when they begin digging. Our permit took forever due to the 2009 energy code and rescheck requirements - ugh!

I have enjoyed these threads and look forward to following along during our journey!

Yeah! Such great pictures. I am so happy to be able to officially contribute and say our land is cleared and we hope to start the dig tomorrow!!! Hopefully the weather cooperates.

If you would like to follow our progress and see some pictures, please visit our home building blog:

And so it begins...

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Building Blog

The ceiling heights in all those pictures is 10 feet. We have 9 foot ceilings on the second floor. Thanks for asking!

We are still in the planning process - we have the design permit from the city, but still need a building permit - doesn't look like we will get it soon enough to enclose it before winter so we will probably poor the foundation and slabs in November and then wait until spring to restart...

Great progress and beautiful homes everyone!

We are really down to the wire & will be in the new house by Halloween. So many little details- it feels like we will never be done!
Floors were stained last weekend- here are some progress pics...

Exterior with the Start of Landscaping

Dining Room

Bonus "Yankee/Cowboy" Room with Start of the Wet Bar
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Family Room with Window Seat

Kids Bathroom

Sitting Room (My favorite space :) )

Crescent...Beautiful...great exterior...good luck finishing up and moving in

Thanks bigkahuna-
I hope you & your girlfriend are enjoying that beautiful home that you built! Summer nights on that back deck must have been great!

kristinva,

Your home is wonderful. Is the design based on Versaci's, "Barrister"? If not, who did you use for the design? I would love to see more pictures.

Thanks,

-j

Betz design - "Windward" model. Home is in Connecticut. View is 25-30 miles.

Kristinva: What wood flooring did you use? It's exactly the look we've been trying to find. I love your home... it's *beautiful* You really did a great job on all of your selections and captured stately and comfortable at the same time.

Congrats!

Thanks!

Whalleyden - it was designed by a local architect and based closely on the floor plans and design of some historic houses around here. We do like Versaci, however, and read and tried to follow his theories as part of the design.

Sharls - it's reclaimed heart pine. We love it. We used tung oil and not poly on it. It feels great, kids don't skid in socks, and if it scratches, we just sand and re-oil and it's done.

kristinava~~
I just loved the pictures of your new build. It has a personality and not just the same old cookie cutter look that so many have these days...plus it has white kitchen cabinets that I love so much. What were the colors you painted your walls and what color/kind was your kitchen counter top?
I hope you enjoy it for many, many years to come.

Hi lauramn-

I love your door. Is it wood or something else? We are considering a Therma-Tru door that can be stained that is similar in looks to yours, so I am curious about yours. Thanks and good job!

Everyone's pics look great!

lauramn - the kitchen is beautiful. What granite did you use?

Unfortunately, we are still fighting the seemingly never-ending battles to even get to the picture stage. The latest is the architect (Robinson Designs out of Canada) has now nearly doubled the cost of the changes without any prior notification and won't release the plans until paid in full.

Why are we doing this, again???? :)

wow! all of your homes look LOVELY! kristin, i love your choices! really beautiful house. pps: did you post pics yet? i can't wait to see. congratulations on moving in. crescent: STUNNING! ...and what exactly goes on in a "yankee/cowboy" room?? i love that deep blue color. we were going to use something similar in my sons room, but i used a slightly brighter blue to go with a world map that spans the entire length of one of his walls. the richer shade, though i was loving it, didn't work. mythreesonsNC: congratulations to you! it's always very exciting in the beginning. i hope all goes smoothly.

as for us: a few weeks ago i updated with a post about how we feared our builder was using our money to support other projects. my husband (a very easy going, friendly, cuddly guy who is also a really good attorney) and i read him the riot act. in a screaming fit of rage i promised to kick his "fat a$$ into court so fast," his "head would implode" ...i think that was it. i can't remember much after that, as everything went black. i was so upset, dh had to physically hold me back. this was two weeks ago (give or take) and i am happy to report that since that day we have had a steady stream of progress. on a typical day we now have the painters, the masons, the plumber, finish carpenters and cabinet installers working. a far cry from ONE guy with a hammer, basically. it was ridiculous. i was yelling at GC every other day. nothing was getting through to him. a simple mention of the word "lawsuit" seemed to have given him an entirely different attitude. the story is slightly more detailed than this but i don't want to relive it. basically he is involved in a business venture with a very close friend of mine. i also told GC i spoke with said friend and we discussed the situation. i have no doubt this helped to light the fire under his maximus.

now we're moving so quickly i can't find the time to take any pics. i have a to-do list that only seems to get longer, but i will try to post this week. i made it clear we would be in our new home for Christmas; GC says thanksgiving. please keep fingers crossed. and a prayer or two couldn't hurt if you're so inclined. i cannot have my kids living in a storage facility for yet ANOTHER holiday. that's what makes me so upset about this whole thing. our lives are on hold and the kids are affected. so sad... but hopeful. and God, i just don't like yelling at people!

we broke ground september 29, 2008. OY.

we're moving in next month!! HURRAYYYY

Kate, I've been following your saga...and I thought our architectural designer was bad, with the 2 years to get plans done, 1 year from planning dept approval to engineering approval!

Good for you, and best of luck!
We're framing the 2nd floor now, and they say by June, 2011, but I'm not holding my breath! Still have a third floor to do, and then apparently time slows to a crawl, so I hear.

We're in!!! We are in the same boat as rookie 2010 and lauramn. Trying to get settled in. Still haven't had a meal at the table, but I am cooking again. We were scrambling to finish up in time to close on old house on 9/30. Got OK to move items into new house on 9/22 but we could not move in. Lived with parents for 3 days and got ok to move in on 9/28. Had to clean old house for final walk through and then come deal with this house. Looked like something out of an episode of Hoarders for about a week. I barely had time to post pics throughout this whole experience it was so busy, but I will get some done.
I hear you about windows. Still have some to clean. The dust is awful. Getting yard graded and seeded now. Fought rain through this whole project all summer and now that we have yard seeded we can't get it to rain for anything. Go figure!!

LauraMN, I am also interested in your front door. Can you tell me where you got it from? I would love one like that, but double...

Well even if it feels like I fell of the face of the earth, I didn't. We're getting pretty close, but there are things about how the builder handles stuff that just infuriates me. So, I felt like I needed to think about the positive and post some pix:

Here is the dining room (yes, we had to accept the fake wainscot) out through the French doors to the terrace:

And, I don't kow why, but this one makes me feel almost serene. It's looking from the kitchen, past the niche (needs trim), through the butler's pantry (oh, there's the trim) to the dining room:

I haven't been there since end of July, but DH has been there twice to resolve issues. His photos tend to be concentrated on "issues" (or out of focus) so I don't have that much to show. Here's one of the issues & how they redid the coffering at the great room fireplace. It's OK, but we know what is wrong. Oh, and the FP surround shouldn't be showing any metal so that has to be fixed.

Anyway, I'm not sure when we will be able to move in, but we aren't likely to make Halloween. Let's hope for Armistice Day. (le sigh)

Jo Ann

Hey Jo Ann! Glad to see things are so close to completion!
Looking good. Don't worry about the "stuff", you will love living in that charming house.

QUESTIONS!!!!!

Kristin, just loo to look at your pictures. I m looking at your double hung windows.. the 6 over 6 what size windows are they, and what size doors did you use? I am struggling with sizes and heights.

Laura. beautiful home too!! Can you tell me your ceiling height and your window sizes that you used in your living room by the fire place? Are you dining room windows the same size, and what size interior doors did you use?

Jo Anne, you MUST be so excited! If I recall - your ceilings are 10 feet? Can you tell me who made your front door, and what size your french doors are? The room with the french doors you posted, it looks as if there is a tray ceiling in there, bringing the wall height down.

I'm so confused building designing our home! It's not the 'normal' block Florida home that the designers are use to doing, and I need to figure out what you all are doing to get such great looking homes!! LOVE EVERYONE'S PICTURES.. keep them coming!

Kristin - wonderful house with a color palette similar to ours (including white cabinets to full ceiling height & glass). So nice to see you use polished brass for some of your lighting fixtures. We will have glass knobs for the interior doors with PB shaft and rosettes.

tinker - the front door is sapele and its from some company that the supplier buys custom doors from. the French doors from in the dining room are 8' high x 6' wide span. In the great room there are 4 across French doors with only the center two operable. They are also 8' high, but each is only 2'-8" wide so that there was enough room for drapery stackback near the built-ins.

All of the main level ceilings are 10'. Where there a trays, they center goes up to 11'. If you start at 10' and tray down to 9', the two piece crown is so deep that there is little room between the crown and the door trim. I don't like that look, so this is the way we went.

Here is a closer look at the front door:

I understand what it is like to build a house out of the norm for the region. Folks are use to doing it the way they always do, so when you want something that is out-of-the-box it can cause consternation. I think one of the biggest communication issues we've been having is the "This is the way we always do it ..." thing.

Jo Ann, your home looks beautiful. I love all of your trim work! It's gorgeous. We're hoping to beef up some of trim in Phase 3 of the house, or may be Phase 5...

Can't wait to see finished pictures, including how you decorate it. I am sure you have impeccable taste! Btw, now that we are in the house, I have found that I know live on the Decorating forum. The addiction to GW doesn't end, it just changes forums!

Jo Ann, thanks for the info.. I just adore looking at all your photo's! I'm still confused about door heights/style.. so think I'll post a new question!

Thanks everyone, it's been a lot of fun...but I'm sure glad we're done! Well, I don't think we'll ever be "done", but you know what I mean!

litchick74 & juniork -- the door is a Therma-Tru fiberglass. It's in the Classic-Craft American collection. We LOVE it. It was actually the very first thing I picked out!

spf5209 -- our granite is Typhoon Bordeaux. Spent a lot of car time getting to many granite yards trying to find the right one. Don't settle in less you fall in love with it!

tinker_2006 -- our ceilings are 9 feet. I can't find our exact window measurements right now, but our windows by the fireplace are about 60 x 28 and the dining room ones are about 65 x 35. They are all Andersen.

gobruno - OK, so we're living parallel lives except that you are always a little bit ahead of me. LOL! I saw your niche posting on decorating and my jaw drooped. I plan to stencil a gold peacock on one wall of our peacock blue powder room. I'm not sure what wall color you went with for the niche, but I think the effect is similar to what I have planned. (Along with the light gold hallways, etc., etc. GGG)

I'll be following you on decorating. Can't wait to see what you will do next!

Jo Ann

Joann - I love your house. Now I have to go over to check on the decorating forum occasionally to keep up with you and Ramor.

Thanks, lauramn, I was afraid that's what it was. I love it, but it is a $1,900 upgrade for my kitchen. Oh well, the search for the stunning but affordable granite continues.

So many beautiful homes. Lauramn, I am especially in love with yours! Would you mind telling me what kind of wood you used on your floors and for your kitchen cabinets (also the brand of cabinets if they are not custom)? Your kitchen is perfection!

Thank you.

Thanks for the compliment papergirl! Our floors are 5 inch wide hand-scraped maple. Our cabinets are cherry. They are Kraftmaid from Home Depot, with the Layton door style, and Autumn Blush finish. I highly recommend them! Good luck!

It has taken quite a while to get to this point, but the equipment is in position -- tomorrow we will begin excavation.

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Thanks for the info lauramn. My husband and I both absolutely love your floors and your kitchen, and it's rare that we agree so completely, so thanks for giving us a starting point.

-papergirl

Hi all! I don't have any pictures to post today but thought I'd get a status in before the month was up! We have made a lot of progress

- drywall is done!

- color coat of stucco is going on now

- metal roof goes on next week

- tile prep for the bathrooms is happening now and install next week!

- Ordered the prefinished hardwood floors which should be here in two weeks

I will try to get some pictures up soon. In the middle of all of this we are having a big birthday party for my older son at the property this Sunday! Lots of clean up to do to get ready!

We're still racing against the weather, trying to get the roof on before the serious snow starts falling. These were taken in early October but I just got around to downloading them off my camera. We're thrilled that the reclaimed posts (fir) and beams are being installed in the center section of the house. And we're amazed at how big the garage seems, now that its roof is on!

Good luck to everyone else who is battling the weather, and congratulations to all who have now moved in!

Don't envy your weather, montana, but your view is amazing. Love the start of your home...

Everybody's making great progress!

Glad to see you posting progress, Dr Jo Ann- We thought you were mad at us! We drove by your build this past week while we were in the area- it's stunning in person! We didn't stop, but it looks great from the street.

While in SC visiting our 'dirt', we met with a builder I hope we can work with. He's quoting building us an ICF shell. With any luck, I'll have pics of my own to post here some day!

It's been several months since I last posted.... things move slow when your husband is the GC. We broke ground Aug 09 and are really hoping to be in by Thanksgiving or at least the week after. Driveway to be poured in couple weeks. Tile should be finished in next day or two, cabinets coming tomorrow. Outside is finished except for yard / landscaping which will be a spring project.

Master Bath colors

Fireplace with mantel made from 150 yr old reclaimed beam

Front doors

I love the look of the fields when the hay has been cut. Our house is nestled in the trees barely seen in this pic.

I love seeing everyone's progress. Such beautiful homes and Montana... what a view! Absolutely stunning!

Way too few photos (and posts) this month! Here are a couple of some of our hardscape:

Stone retaining wall:

Stone wall and stained patio:

Jay

Long time lurker here. My wife and I live in Michigan, have a 1.7 acre lot on a small inland lake. Building site is cleared and house is staked out. Scheduled to break ground next week. We're building a 2000 sq. ft walkout ranch with an unfinished basement (unfinished for phase 1, anyway). We have two boys, a 4yo and 2yo. First time building, and the plan is for this to be our forever home.

I love watching everyone's progress pics, and the information available on here is awesome. Thanks!

jay, your retaining wall stone looks HEAVY! Do they need an 18 wheeler to truck those things in?

Billy congrats! I love views, and your lake view is gorgeous!

Jay...lovely rock work.

When I first caught a glimpse of the yard, I had a feeling it was yours...I love your views - so serene & peaceful. It really fits with your house.

Wow BillyBaroo, that looks like a "forever lot". Beautiful setting!
We are still ticking along slowly. Got some power, gas lines running, and some concrete.
Our front porch is looking great with the black stamped concrete. Our finishers did an excellent job with the garage and "dirty"mudroom floor. Its smooth as silk!
We finished our main floor framework.
Our plumber is starting to bug me. We keep waiting and waiting for him to start! Hurry up!

Wow BillyBaroo, that looks like a "forever lot". Beautiful setting!
We are still ticking along slowly. Got some power, gas lines running, and some concrete.
Our front porch is looking great with the black stamped concrete. Our finishers did an excellent job with the garage and "dirty"mudroom floor. Its smooth as silk!
We finished our main floor framework.
Our plumber is starting to bug me. We keep waiting and waiting for him to start! Hurry up!

Our builder says we should be done in 2 weeks, seeing is believing. Finally figured out how to post pics after several months so there are lots of gaps but just thought I would still post

lauramn - what paint colors did you use on the exterior & interior?

To Trinidiva~

Beautiful home and progress.We are about to roof our new construction and are trying to pick out shingles. If you would please share the brand and color of your roof, that would be so helpful!

Thanks! Gina

kateskouros, I know how hard it is to be displaced w/your children. I felt so guilty about fighting w/our insurance for so long while we lived in a rental after the tornado, but I had to believe it was worth it to get a fair settlement so we could rebuild something close to the house we lost. I DO NOT WANT to spend another Christmas like last year, tho.

AND, tho we aren't in our house yet, we are in my parent's rebuilt house 50 yards from our build, and that means we're back on the farm that is home. Staynbusy, we have hay bales everywhere, too!

I wish I had pics of the cabinets we have in place so far, but we've still got the kitchen to go. Should have pics of all cabinets in November's thread!

Getting ext paint, interior doors are stacked in the garage, and I think I just reached the point where the GC can't be of much day-to-day help to me - there are so many design decisions to make now ... lighting, tile, colors, etc. I know this is when it feels like things start moving a little slower, but in reality I've got to keep hoppin' to stay ahead of the subs! I've picked some flooring, but want to take my time and really put some thought into tile for all the baths - I want my boys' spaces to have much more personality than last time.

Still on track for spring - early or late? Who knows? crescent50, your house is absolutely stunning!

Here is a link that might be useful: progress as of 10/27/10

Gina,
it is weathered wood, don't know the brand.
Hope this helps

lauramn,
Any chance I could get more information on your house? I LOVE IT! Do you have more pictures? How about floor plans? If you would be so kind to toss me an email, I'd love to know and see more of your house! mike.pednault @ gmail.com