Hi everyone! I'm still lurking around after our house was done. It's so great to see everyone's progress and people moving into their dream homes. It's been 3 1/2 months since our home was done and I have to always pinch myself when I come home. I love it. All those crazy hours planning and worrying about things all paid off. Now we get to enjoy it, which is the best part. We have been spending last three months working on the outside of the house, landscaping. Boy, what a ride that was. We hired landscapers to seed a half acre lot (it was all dirt and no grass) and after they were finished, we got infested with weeds, everywhere. it was so bad that we had to start over and get rid of the lawn/weed and put sod down. What a big financial mistake that was. They said we had so much crabgrass this year due to the overwhelming amount of rain but our crabgrass infestation was all over and we didn't see any grass at all. After the sod was installed, we decided to do our back yard patio in brick pavers (35 feet Wide by 20 feet), then added a firepit area and then installed a pergola. I'll take some pics and post it soon. Last thing was fence around our back yard and we are done. We love everything about our house. If anyone is interested in pergola, I have a good recommendation and their pergola is great. For those still building, the best is yet to come.

It's been a technical week. We realized a couple of mistakes with the electrical. It will cost us, but the changes have to be made. I got the door swing wrong on the MB so the switches are behind the door. Oops. At least nothing major. Our superintendent didn't like our security guy, and vice versa, so while they were polite, they weren't playing together well. Audio seems to be going in well. And we have a roof! The shade makes it look grey, but it's actually Weatherwood. Makes both of us happy that we each got what we want at different times of day!

A couple of neighbor kids came tromping through while we were in the basement. Makes me nervous with the wiring going in, but the house isn't locked up yet. How dumb can you be to go into a house when the vans are parked out front!

Well, DH has booked movers for one week from today. And we've decided to just move out and list a vacant house. We haven't called for our "final" inspection yet, we're now waiting on an attachment for the hvac exhaust. The ground around the house settled over last winter. So when they installed the furnace, they exhausted it 3' above grade, without realizing that wasn't finished grade. Now that we've raised the grade, the exhaust isn't high enough above grade, so we need a gooseneck. Appliances were getting installed today. Duct cleaning is scheduled for Friday. I need to schedule overall cleaners for some time after Friday and before Wednesday.

And boy, do I have a lot of packing left to do.

Re: Job site security. I had a different problem. Since I live on-site, security isn't usually a problem. I got up one morning and strolled into the house, which had no doors yet. Right in front of me were two stray pit bulls, and they weren't happy to see me! I carefully backed out, and sat in my truck to contemplate my next move. They were laying right in front of a $1200 window that hadn't been installed yet, so the BB gun was out. I went up a ladder in the back and screamed and yelled, but they stayed put and kept growling at me. I left to run errands, and when I got back, they were gone. I immediately covered the doorways with plywood. Phew!

Amberm145- You're so close!

Toriat -any idea what stone is on your fireplace? I'm trying to decide what ours should be this week and yours is beautiful!

Chicago - thanks for coming back to give hope it's worth it! For the most part we have been really happy with how things are going but it's definitely a lot of work and a few days I seriously considered burning it down and walking away ( not really but I wanted to!). We have several family members who have been through building and they all have said it is worth it in the end, I keep trying to remember that!

Timeline: Parade of homes deadline minus one week.
The craftsmen at the house today say they will finish in time as long as the builder stays away ;)
He has a really good report with them, and they have gone above and beyond when things have cropped up.


Like earlier this week when I realized I made a selection mistake with the backsplash and 1/3 of the tile looked really miss matched.
I was desperately googling glass paint to cover the light mint green that did not belong.

My tile guy counted the spare tiles and said he'd pop out the offending ones and replace them with the other two shades.
We will be a little short until he can get a few more ordered, but will temporarily use like 6 of the bad color ones in a corner by the ovens where they can 'put something' for the showings.
So instead of grouting the kitchen yesterday, they were cutting and installing more backsplash today.

The painter atomize sprayed the front mesh for our surround speakers, no more stark white rectangles on medium gray wall.
He also stained more baseboard for our stair landing, where the trimmers had put white baseboard. It looked a little funny with stained base on the stair inclines and white on the landing and then stained for the other half of the stair.

The checklist is now down to a few items.
One lighting fixture is in the wrong spot, and the one that should go where it hangs is still in its box.
The appliances are in cardboard boxes in their respective rooms, we are only waiting on the ovens.
The tub filler is still in its box in the master bathroom.
Mirrors are yet to be hung and shower doors installed.
Lastly, the built in bookshelf is being finished off site (funny!) but other than that, it looks pretty close to done!

Things looks great outdoors as well.
There will be more dirt coming to shallow out the front and west side swale, so that part has not been seeded yet, but everywhere else the landscaping is in, and the seed and straw is down.

I will finish off with my most recent crushes.


I am so happy with how this turned out. I don't think I will stencil these walls after all, the shadows are really neat.

The foyer light also throws some awesome shadows.

My stairwell light got finished today. Electricians were afraid of heights, so they installed it in the box, but refused to hang each of the hooks. BIL hadn't seen a photo, so he thought it would be a lot more precision oriented, so he was putting it off until I pointed out the inspectors would probably not like the cords hanging down resting on the stair railing.

It's actually a commercial light fixture that I bought by accident. It required huge bulbs that I couldn't find in less than 300 watts each. That would have been 3 THOUSAND watts in the stairwell. I managed to find adapters to make it work. And it's now another hurdle passed.

Amberm145

I remember when you bought the fixture and the large bulbs it had. You were looking for some smaller bulbs..... BINGO!! You nailed it. Really unique fixture. Looks great in the stairwell with the metal stairs.

You all are way ahead of us! We hope we can get framed and closed up before winter hits hard, but not sure!

@Mark Read what a beautiful build site! My husband and I are hoping to get framed and closed up by winter as well, but with the delay in our dig date, I don't know if we'll make it...

We're also hoping to be buttoned up before winter but house excavations is already delayed by rain since last Thurs - they haven't even been able to strip the forms from the garage which was poured last Tue. The beginning of the hurry up and wait saga, I'm sure!

These plans to be buttoned up by winter are giving me stomach cramps. But I forget that most of the world isn't already into possible s-word time. We've had a beautiful fall so far, in that it looks like we're going to make it through September without the s-word. But we're basically into winter here any minute.

We're heavy into packing/moving mode here. But it's less than exciting. DH has finally realized that we're going to be living in a construction site and is trying to get the bedroom finished at least.

We are still waiting for pricing. However that has given me the time to adjust my bedroom suite (which won't affect the pricing) and my kitchen layout

Shadeshill and Amberm-so close! We're getting there too-Just frustrated that we aren't there yet. We leave tomorrow for my son's wedding on the east coast(we're in California) and will be gone for a week. Flooring should be in by the time we're back. Had a major disappointment with the tile for the backsplash in kitchen. Apparently the tile we picked out didn't have a bullnose-the tilers tried to make a finish edge but it looks off. My husband said he could live with it, but the GC and I said no-it's one of those things that would just make me crazy every time I looked at it. To have such a beautiful kitchen with crummy finished edges just didn't make sense. Hoping to see the tiler today before we leave and come up with some solution.Ugh. Everything else is going well-some disappointments in granite choices for guest bathroom and laundry room(my husband loved the granite and I went along-I really don't like it, but he does so I'll keep my mouth shut ;)). Love our backyard(very narrow and all stone) and the fenced in area. My favorite room is my craft room-it turned out exactly how I imagined it! It's been extremely hot at our rental(we're about 25 miles from our build)-in the 90's and it's in the 60-70 degree range at our build(on the coast). We really want to be there. Looks like we'll be moving in the first week of November-if all the inspections go well. I'll post photos when we get back from the wedding. We leave for a 3 week vacation 10 days after we get back from the wedding-plans were made last year when we thought the build would be done early July. Ugh-come back from vacation and move-so wished it was the other way around. Good luck to everyone starting and completing-it's a wild ride!

We're ONE COAT of Waterlox away from moving in. The reclaimed pine is really soaking it up, so 4 coats has turned into 5. After a 6 month drought, we're having non-stop rain, drizzle, mist- just when I'm trying to get the Waterlox to dry. I'll put the last coat on tomorrow, and call for final inspection Thursday or Friday. We'll move stuff in gradually, partly because the floors need to cure, and partly because we haven't bought any furniture yet. Although we have a barn full of antiques, we don't have any 'comfortable' furniture, and our bedding set is ancient. We have one oriental rug that will work for the DR, and I bought a very cheap 'oriental' rug off ebay for the MBR. We're going to see how it looks and is constructed before we order any more.

Our move-in is probably very different than most. We've been living in the house on-and-off, and are currently living in the basement while I do the floors. Our furniture for the past three years has consisted of plastic lawn chairs! I imagine there will be several months of gradually moving things in from the barn to see if and where they'll fit.

Hi five!!!! Congratulations, Autumn!

Mushcreek that's FANTASTIC news! The weather has to be driving you nuts when you are so, so close. Would love to know your ebay rug source and if you are pleased with the purchase if you don't mind sharing. We'll have all hardwood and if we can, vintage rugs and runners.

Autumn.4 I'll see your WooHoo and raise you a Way To Go! It was a drawn out *process* (isn't every build?) but you reached the finish line. Your house always makes my heart go pitty pat.

Thanks amberm and dlm (and thanks for your pitty pat kindness).

You know there is something about having something that prominent in the front unfinished - felt like the whole thing was not complete in a major way so I am so very relieved. Looking at dirt for a year plus the wood rigged support every time you drive in, gah. So over it. This looks like a house now to me. The difference the details make I tell ya. I'd do a cartwheel if I didn't think I'd throw my back out - lol. I'll take your high fives and way to go's. It's bliss.

Congratulations Autumn! It looks gorgeous. Now where can I see pics of the rest of the house?

DLM2000- The rug I ordered is new, cheap ($69, incl. shipping) and I imagine it is technically oriental. It's an 8X11. We'll see in a few days what it looks like. With living in the country, and with pets, we're not about to lay good rugs down. We need one more for the LR, plus small ones for half a dozen places, and runners for the halls. The ebay dealer is called Regency Rugs, and they have a lot to choose from.

Autumn.4- the columns look great!! I know that when I finally got mine done, it made all the difference, and was also a weight lifted off.

Congratulations, Autumn. It looks beautiful!!! I love it!

Mushcreek I want pictures of yours once all is moved in. I remember when my sister moved into her first house (also a new build) right before she gave birth the first time. The bris was 8 days later and we all sat around on, yes, lawn chairs indoors. In fact it was the 6th game of the 1986 playoffs and everyone was gathered around the one tv in the den watching the Mets beat I forgot who in 16 innings. And then my nephew turned into a Yankees fan. Ugh

It never ends around here. So, the HVAC guys installed our vents back in the spring, after the ground had settled. Now that we've regraded, they had to come back and add goose necks because the vents were only a couple inches off the ground. This was all supposed to be happening on the back side of the house where all the utilities come in. I went to check on progress of the front walkway today, and I find this.

They decided to add goosenecks to ALL our vents, even the ones that were already high enough, aren't actually connected to anything (this is rough in for a "future" -ie never, bathroom), and don't give a rats behind about what it looks like when it's on the front of your house.

2 days from move in, and this crap is still happening.

And they crushed plants in the process.

Thank you for all of the kind words.

mush- 'a weight lifted off' quite literally. They are a huge presence and a big job. DH did a really nice job on them - another first DIY project for "us". Us as in I helped carry tools and hold things in place while he nailed them. :D

cp-there are finished(ish) pictures somewhere on here but remember we pseudo finished in May of 2014 so they are threaded through August-September way back then! Once I finish the kitchen backsplash I'll be sure to post that on kitchens as well since they have been so patient with me over there during my pursuit. ;) Right now it's less than picture ready. Ha!

amberm oh amberm - sorry girl. The lack of 'reasonable person common sense' is just astounding at times isn't it? Comes so clear when you are building a house. All of the peeps that are short on it come out of the wood work!

Zettlercu

My backsplash tile didn't have a bullnose either, my KD said we could use a plastic edging strip that is especially made for edging tile. the tile fits right into it. It came in a color that matched the tile really well and it looks great! Ask your KD about it or if you like, I can ask my KD what it is called and the name of the company that makes it. I hate to see you give up the tile you really wanted when there is an easy fix.

Zettlerc

Here a pic of the edging. I couldn't get it to add to my above comment.

And another

Schluter edging is commonly used on tile edge. The cheaper version is plastic, but you can also get in metal in a variety of colours. It also comes in different shapes. I like the square, but the rounded one has corner pieces.

Autumn I'm so happy for you!!!! Whoo hoo!

Amberm ... Uhh.. Not even sure what to say. WHY?!? I'm sure that's what you planned on dealing with right before moving in..

We just had the rest of our windows installed (foyer, kitchen, guest bedroom) and are still waiting on a patio door the builder forgot to order (twice) so I ordered it myself. Today we got hit with some nasty rain, so we were so happy the windows were in!! Except every single one of them leaks. Our kitchen drywall got soaked for the second time. What do we do?! Will letting it dry out be enough? It's the wall right behind my sink, so if there are future issues with it (mold?) it would involve ripping out cabinets, sink, and countertops.... Meeting with builder in AM to figure out how big of an issue this is...

They claim that it's required by code. If someone had mentioned, "hey, we're going to install this giant metal worm on the front of your house (right next to the front door and visible from inside)" we would have pulled out the vent. It doesn't even GO anywhere. Seriously, inside it's just a hose that ends between the rafters. So BIL is going to check with the inspectors. If the inspector says it's not necessary, then it's coming off, and the HVAC guys will be paying to fix the siding. If it is necessary, then the vent is coming off, and we'll worry about putting it on if/when we put a bathroom down in the basement. I'm sure the code will be "changed" by then anyway (quotes because code never ACTUALLY changes here, but inspectors get new bees up their butts).

Amber, we didn't start drywall until the exterior was water tight. We had a few leaks, but we found them before we had insulation to get wet. I would want it all removed.

Plastic or metal edging, how much difference can it make in the price?, Maybe a dollar? Looks the same and does the job. Was it necessary to say the plastic was cheaper, I took what the KD ordered. Needed about 3 ft.

I'm laughing because my builder tried her hardest to describe and then draw a schulter for me, and I didn't get it until I saw it. The ones I saw were metal, and I didn't like them at all. Don't remember seeing any plastic ones; wish we had. We ended up with bullnose.

Mushcreek

So excited for you and the wife! From your writings, It sounds like you really enjoyed the building of your home. I always enjoy hearing about what's going on with your build. Keep us informed on the move in and congratulations!

My wife keeps saying I need to write a book about our experiences. Get invited to be on 'Ellen', sell a million copies, and retire! I do dabble in writing, so- Who knows? First, I'm going to organize all my pics into a photo book, then we'll see if the writing bug bites.

Ellen would throw you the most amazing house warming - can you imagine? You should do it! Send her a note and invite her to your barn for a party Mush!

September 26th: The front porch is up, now. No railing or the real stairs yet.

The slanted flooring was the builders' idea -- I hadn't even thought about this! I love it. My GC loves doing creative touches. The railing will use skinny sapling/logs for baulisters.

And the roof has been shingled: There were some final touches that still needed doing when I dropped in, but they were completed later that day.

The guest tub has arrived, and the WRONG shower for the master also arrived. GC is sending that back. We are now putting the washer and dryer in the guest bath, after one of the subs (I think the plumbing sub) suggested this. This frees up the laundry room not to have to find stackables that are worth using - a hard call!, and frees it to turn into a pantry, and the nook in that space is a perfect home for my stand alone upright freezer.

The original plan was to be able to move in late November. It isn't going to happen, folks. For one, permit-pulling in a really small town takes time, when each office is only open for a few hours a week. But we hope to close everything up, get the foundation poured down below, and get the logs sealed and stained before snow flies. The conduit for electric and water will also be in place.

GC also hopes to get the driveway in place before then -- he had a dirt and gravel delivery date scheduled for multiple loads (it will be a long driveway, but it will not be paved) on a date which turned out to be the date the town had decided to repave the road itself!!! And apparently, scheduling dirt and gravel deliveries is hard in these parts about now...

Anyhow, I've been enjoying reading everyone's progress!

amberm145 - uck. I hope you can get them to fix the siding on their dime -- and replace the crushed plants.

Replacing the plants isn't really an option. They were $2 on clearance. We had our "final" inspection today, and not only is that thing not required by code, they actually installed it wrong and we failed BECAUSE of it. Well that, and apparently nobody has a record of our fireplace being inspected before drywall, so there's potential we'll need to rip open the drywall to let them see that it was installed correctly. No biggie, damaged drywall gives me more ammo for getting the brick done asap.

Back to packing, the movers are coming at OMGo'clock.

Zorroslw1, I didn't mean to imply you got a lesser quality. Just that if someone doesn't like plastic, there are metal options. But you pay more. The price difference is about $5 for a plastic piece, vs $13 for the cheapest metal. Some of them go up to $65? My last batch of white "anodized" metal was terrible quality, and I would probably have been better off with the plastic.

Thanks to this discussion, which came just in the nick of time, I'm revisiting my selection of bullnose because I don't remember seeing any plastic schluter (plain color) and I didn't like the metal. I've learned so much here!!!

@amberm145 I have to chuckle at your post about the electricians. I went and helped my Dad put this sucker up one day. He was sitting on the top of a 16 foot ladder while I was hanging over the railing handing him each and every crystal ball. They were all numbered and had to go in a specific order. To say the hooks were small is an understatement, I'm surprised he could even hold on to them. He was fine, but I was the one shaking like a leaf even though I had a railing to lean against haha! (I was about 20 ft up) I think I was more nervous for him than anything.

As for an update: Finally caught a break!! My bulldozing guy stopped by last night and informed me that the County called him because they saw him working on my property and also saw my "clean fill wanted" sign. They are bringing in 50 loads ... for FREE! Which is huge for us because it's not cheap here (is it anywhere?!) and I'm going to need a total of about 120 loads. I had a company bringing 30-40 loads on Friday so I had to ask them to move that to next week. I felt bad but simply can't turn down free fill. Hopefully this will help pay for the changes I had to make to my kitchen haha!

Dana-oh wow that is so pretty! I had to paint over a stairwell and couldn't do it - I begged DH and he did it but I couldn't watch. The little 'system' he had rigged up to reach it was too much for me to bear!

Good for you golfergirl - check it out. Way to up close and personal with Schluter here (too bad it wasn't until AFTER we built). I order it for work and the catalog happens to always be within my reach. In case it helps - certain trims come in: Bright White, White, Sand Pebble, Bahama, Light Beige, Light Gray, Classic Gray, Gray, Black, Red Brown and Black Brown. The colors come in PVC or Color-coated aluminum (which is more in line with the standard metal pricing) than the PVC. Some colors are only available in one or the other. PVC tends to run about 1/3 of the cost of metals or color coated aluminum per their catalog.

In my experience - commercial jobs are 99.9% metals and residential is split between the PVC or Color Coated Aluminum and the metals. It really just depends on what works best for your application and of course sometimes budget depending on how much of it you need.

That's all I've got.

Autumn, I wanted stainless steel rondec. Look that up on the catalogue and imagine how much I cried when I found out the price.

It's moving day! The furniture is almost all out. The cleaners are in the basement doing the carpet. DH is happily oblivious at work. Or maybe stressing because he's not in control. The dog is sleeping in the cab of my pickup truck. He was freaked out by all the people in his house and all his stuff moving. But now that he's in the truck, he knows I'm not going anywhere without him, so he's calm and happy.

We are slowly moving along on the foundation. Here is latest blog post:Foundation - Inside Scoop Just heard from the plumber that he has 36 plans in front of us to bid. There's lots of building in Austin, Texas, so we have to live with that. Contractors are not standing around and some won't even call you back.

Rondec is pricey in comparison yes, then add the finish which can be very $$$. I suspect the mark up is scarier yet. You weren't wanting chrome-plated solid brass were ya? That will knock your socks off. It's over $100 bucks for 8 lf and that is without the mark up. Oh I see you said SS - that is the second priciest just under the brass. You've got expensive taste girl.

Enjoy moving day and embrace that dh is at his 'happy place'. We moved separately due to work schedules. Ahh the memories of moving with 2 boys and a dog in tow, lol.

Autumn: Absolutely awesome looking finished home! Your house has curb appeal for sure. Congrats on being finished. Hope you keep checking back on this thread and don't forget about us.

Amberm: That is goofy and very annoying about the vent caps (and plants too). Hope the move goes well and you wrap things up well enough to pass the next inspection.

Mush: Three cheers for nearly completing your house too. It gives me hope that one day (no time soon) we will be done as well.

From our part, DH is just finishing up the interlocking brick work for the driveway, landing and path. It looks awesome. I will post a picture of the driveway in the Oct thread. We will have asphalt in between the interlocking brick which has not been done yet. Now that he is nearly finished the driveway, he can turn his attention to completing the in-floor heating and a few bits and pieces of the plumbing rough-in. It is already getting cold in this part of the world -- not looking forward to another cold winter living in this construction site.