It's April, 2016. How is your build progressing?
No foolin'- It's April! Spring is really starting to awaken now; ask my allergies! With the warmer weather comes the sound of bulldozers, saws, and nail guns. March was kind of slow, but we had a number of newcomers getting ready to break ground. Getting ready to build? Just moving dirt around? Nearly finished, waiting for move-in day? Please share your pride-and-joy with us!
As our regulars know, I'm just about wrapped up on Phase 1. We have future plans for a basement bedroom and bathroom, permanent power out to the barn, and stairs for the back deck. After four years of construction, though, we (I) decided that with the completion of the baseboards, we were calling it 'done'. I do have one pic to share. I finally got the ceiling fans I wanted for our front porch. I patiently waited two years for them to go on sale, and found them for 20% off! I also added a storm door on the front. I hate that it covers our pretty red door, but I love the light and ventilation that it adds to our foyer.
Comments (113)
Amy79
8 years ago
cpartist
8 years agoRelated Discussions
It's April- How is your build progressing?
Comments (56)Curvygirl: the floors are just plain character hickory with no stain. Nothing special. But thanks for the compliments. Junior: I keep waiting for pictures of your ArtsCrafts house. Please share with us. We like that style, too, and have incorporated some into our house, mostly in the built ins and woodwork. We should have certificate of occupancy next week, I think. All that's left to do is finish these floors, carpet, and put the stone on the front columns. Oh, and one small item, the driveway! Base is laid and ready for asphalt....See MoreIt's February, 2016. How is your build progressing?
Comments (90)Originally, I was told I'd be moving in for the holidays, and I don't mean the upcoming St. Patrick's day -- I knew this wouldn't happen, and there's been a lot of Waiting for Permits / Waiting for Inspections -- which in a small town with a population less than 600 means the town offices have severely limited hours. My broken ankle didn't help matters much either -- during the 3.5 - 4 months of severe down time at my end, I got up there a total of once. However, I've now been there twice in two weeks, yay team. I'd picked out a lot of stuff for the kitchen last summer. Had to jump through hoops to get the kitchen wood-look tile I really really wanted... after ordering about 15 samples of other stuff that when you see it in person, just didn't work out. When I ordered it last December it seemed to have been discontinued, but a call placed to South Cypress found that it had simply been moved to a different "line". I have it, now. I also picked out two quartz countertops from Consentino last summer. They still have the Eco Luna, which I love. However, the Silestone Olive Green is no longer in production. I'm ordering a sample of Silestone Tea Leaf, to see if this works for me. This is it: https://shop.cosentino.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/slide_16.jpg The other counter top: http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/color/luna/ You fine folks here convinced me to go with silgranit sinks. I'm ordering the main sink and the prep sink both in biscotti -- here's the main one: http://www.efaucets.com/detail.asp?product_id=441595 and the prep one: http://www.efaucets.com/detail.asp?Product_Id=441219. (AND you guys convinced me to put in a prep sink....) I do believe my GC is going for the best quality possible. It's just taking forever. This is quality pine backing for my lower kitchen cabinet/drawers, being custom built by GC. GC doesn't understand the whole "drawer" ambiance, but thanks to you folks, I'm pushing for them. Fridge will go to the opening in the left. Counters will be 38" tall, because I'm 6'1". Ceiling vents, not required by code, but helpfully useful none the less....See MoreIt's May, 2016. How is your build progressing?
Comments (141)Saturday, May 28th! The guest bedroom has been painted! (First coat only). I love it, and it works well with the ceiling paint I chose! This photo is the most color-accurate of the lot. Wall color: Sherwin Williams Whole Wheat. Ceiling: Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan, a warm white to be used throughout the house. View is out through the hallway (also Canvas Tan) into the master. And here you see the wall color - a little less accurately -- with the future floorboard sample: In other news, I brought up the lights for the kitchen (a set over the prep area, and another set over the main sink). I'll have them hang down from the cathedral ceiling to a level of 7.5 feet above floor. I still need to pick out ceiling fans with lights. Arrgghh, decisions!! Going through the brochure, most are pretty pug-ugly, and I also wonder how I'll be changing bulbs from the ground. Most are encased in glass enclosures, so the ole stick the elongaged lightbulb changer up there isn't going to help. I planted the garden. Well, I put in my cannas tubers and calla lily bulbs, behind the garage next to the dining area. The GC has to finish grading the area, but he's got space to work with without disturbing the plants. I also left plenty of room -- even more than he said he needed -- so he can finish off the outside of the house. The bamboo (and other) stakes are marking off parameters. I amended the soil with organic topsoil and compost - did you know a lot of purchased topsoil comes from disturbed regions of the country, disturbed by events such as hurricanes, which indiscriminately mix up who knows what? As the very front of the plot will eventually be given to cooking herbs, I care about this! Here, the topsoil/compost mixture has been added. Here, the plants have been placed, and more defining stakes have been added. And the ground watered -- I have running water, if only from a hose! The outer edges define this eventual relatively-flat garden space. Those two little stakes are the line for the calla lilies, and the cannas tubers are behind. I went home that evening, and missed out on some friends who'd driven up from New York to surprise me -- I guess that surprised them! Anyhow, Sunday: I started staining some units for my closets. After checking out the closet planner on Easy Closets and getting some great ideas, I decided I could save a ton of money by doing my own useful shelving. Two tall narrow shelves I'd just purchased, and a pre-existing dresser my father left with me back about twelve years ago got called into service, and stained. Unfortunately, even outside, the oil based stain I used on the tall shelves got to me -- hot day, the air not moving -- so I went back and bought a water based one for the dresser. I'll be putting them in different closets, so the color change doesn't matter. There are two of these, and they will go to the edges of a four-foot deep closet. The dresser drawers -- the body was hard to move so I stained that inside my garage -- will go into a similar closet. Unfortunately, before I took the drawers inside yesterday evening, a rude bird had decided to drop a little doot on one of the drawers. I'll see how I can fix that today, when it stops raining....See MoreIt's June, 2016- How is your build progressing?
Comments (174)We are finally making good headway and still hoping for a mid October move in. Everyone's builds are looking great. I like seeing everyone's progress. Roof should be sheeted and wrapped tomorrow. So hopefully next week will get the shingles on and windows in. So far I'm impressed with the framing job and with our build supervisor. We have walked it everyday and only found one mistake that was corrected. I had my eye on a crooked stud to see if it was going to be replaced and yup within 2 days it was done....See More
sail_away
8 years agomidwest gal
8 years ago
ILoveRed
8 years agomidwest gal
8 years ago- PRO
Harris Lawn & Garden
8 years agoHere is my April update for our new house. Cant wait to move out of our temporary apartment. I now truly appreciate the freedom and privacy of home ownership.
jkm6712
8 years ago
maven19
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
DLM2000-GW
8 years agoOMG so much going on with everyone's builds! We moved to NC from Highland Park, IL so I'm dyin' to know where you IL people are!
Jason that is one stunning house. rmverb what a lovely view!
I thought this was fun to show progress. Here's google Maps of our property right after we bought it.
And here is the current google map, although it's not the current state of the build at all - garage and house are both up. But short of buying a drone I have no way to get an aerial like that! have to wait for the Google satellite to update.
mushcreek
8 years agoKatie salard
8 years agoKatie salard
8 years agoscone911
8 years ago
Kimberly S
8 years agoFinally... I can join in! They started excavating last week! We are building a walkout ranch empty nest home on a prairie view west facing lot.
artemis_ma
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoI'm off work the last week of April, and will go up to my build to give a hand (for 3 of those days) in painting.
But anyhow, last weekend's visit:
The house proper... the only visual change out here is the flashing over the windows. But I like looking at it.
The trim is now around doors and windows. That's the fire door to the garage, which will be painted in the near future. Trim will be stained.
Below, you can see the two walls at the west and north of the kitchen. While the wall to the left has a blue tone in this photo, the color is actually a warm white (SW Canvas Tan). The green accent wall to the left is SW Meadow Trail. Cabinets will appear on that Meadow Trail wall, and that Canvas Tan wall will boast shelves for cookbooks. The next photo after this is more accurate regards the Meadow Trail color
A more accurate color for the Meadow Trail -- northerly counter area in kitchen, That little white square along the wall is the sample for the Silestone Eco Luna quartz countertop I want.
Kitchen, south wall -- sheetrock is Canvas Tan again, and NOT blue! The prep area will be under the window to the right, the Induction range is center-photo, and I'm getting very excited about all this!
Here's the guest bedroom: Yes, this pet-free zone has it's own escape hatch!!
Oh, here are the lights I want in the master bath -- flipped the other direction for increased usefulness..
Ceiling insulation, cathedral ceiling regions -- in this case, taken from the LR region of the house:
CSKI 13
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoIn the vein of "a picture paints 1000 words," here's the progress on our house:
April 2 -- still a little blustery!
April 8 -- footers in, but it's too windy for the foundation forms to be set...oh well!
April 11 -- forms set and foundation walls poured!
April 13 -- forms come down and we have foundation walls...Yippee!!
April 15 -- basement floor is poured (and deck footings, too)
April 18 -- Black-jacked and rough grading/backfill underway
April 19 -- Progress on the backfill and, drum roll please, basement framing has begun! Floor trusses are due on site this week, but I expect progress will soon stop due to rain. All to be expected, and we're extremely pleased with the way everything is shaping up. Couldn't be happier w/our contractor, he calls/texts daily with updates! Lots to be grateful for =)
Thank you all for allowing me to share our April progress.
Lisa G
8 years agooakhidden
7 years ago
Sunny Days
7 years ago
PRO
Victoria
7 years agoomelet
7 years ago- PRO
Missi Smith Design Co.
7 years ago - PRO
Missi Smith Design Co.
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago - PRO
ILoveRed
7 years ago- PRO
Missi Smith Design Co.
7 years ago - PRO
- PRO
dazureus
7 years agoIt's great to see everyone's progress! Things should start picking up now that the weather is starting to break. We have a decked out roof and will probably see our soffits and soffit vents completed this month. We're also almost finished with the studs on the inside and will probably get HVAC in pretty soon. Things for next month: Roof shingles, windows, rough mechanicals!
Front of the house
Back yard
Soffits and vents
Rotunda 1st floor walls and temporary stairs
Great room fireplace column.
noworries22
7 years agoWe should be about in the home stretch...meaning sometime next month we should be finally moving in. The light fixtures, granite and plumbing are being done. Gutters and shutters and columns still to go on outside. I can't wait to have this all behind us and finally live in the place that has occupied so much of our time.
artemis_ma
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoI took this week off from work, in part to go up and perform some "sweat equity" on my build for two or three days. (In PART... a lot of other things happened, too.)
It turned out to be two days of "frost equity" -- I didn't sweat, as the temps were hovering around 40 F. I stained a batch of pine ceiling planks a color termed "light natural". You have to "back paint" to avoid painter-brush streaks. Each plank took about 15 minutes to stain -- most were 15' long. These planks will only need one coat; interior LOG coats will need a bit of sanding for loose log shreds, and will need two coats to fully absorb.
I enjoyed this work, despite my bad knee kvetching about the constant standing and hovering over the sawhorses. I'll be up again a weekend after this coming one, to do more of the same (or actual paint, if that's on the agenda then). I like the idea that however little on the physical level, I'm helping build my home.
Above: The Dining area / Kitchen overview, standing somewhat within the front door.
Above: Stained planks done by yours truly, and a central two or three stacked on each other, that have not yet been stained. For visual contrast.
Above: Silestone Eco Luna, quartz counter surface for the west and north kitchen region in this home. The dark sage green in the background is the wall for the north.
Above: not as great a photo, but that's the Viatera Wildwood quartz countertop for the peninsula and the south / prep countertop in the kitchen.
Kitchen prep station, electric.
And so... I really, REALLY can't wait!
mushcreek
7 years agoartemis_ma
7 years agolast modified: 7 years ago
treehuggergirl
7 years agoLooking great, everyone! Our road opened, and then it started raining, and raining, and raining some more the next day. We did get the countertops in and the finish carpenters are close to being done. We need to close by 6/3, but concrete, septic, and grass are going to be very tricky due to mud. The upside is that the forecast is 60s and sunny all week (after tomorrow). Hoping it all comes together!
Another upside is that even though I can't get a CO, I could start moving a few things to get them out of my way to get our current house on the market (couldn't handle the stress of listing while a family of five, a dog and a cat are all living here).
Countertops in (bad pics, sorry) Caesarstone Piatra Grey (love!). I'm not in love with the brackets under the bar. They're not structural, so I'll probably switch them out myself.
bob91750
7 years agomushcreek
7 years agoUser
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agobob91750
7 years ago
greenwoodframed
7 years agoOh man, things are moving along. We're not really a new build, as I've mentioned before, but are a gut reno of a 1855 townhouse, including a 3 story extension...so that's new enough for us!
We have rough plumbing in, all the concrete is poured (finally, thank god,) and we're finally starting interior framing! GC still is saying July move-in, but I don't know how that could be possible given where we are now. Either way, happy we're seeing lots of progress.
New skylight in- nice to see some natural light in the house for the first time since November (no windows yet)
"The Bunker" (cellar)
And framing upstairs!
Now just waiting for drywall...
cpartist
7 years agogreenwoodframed
7 years ago
lakeerieamber