A Smile in the Sky!

I couldn't resist sharing this with everyone. Yesterday I took the kids to visit the site, and as we were leaving we saw this beautiful phenomenon! I understand that this upside-down rainbow occurs in the cooler months as a result of light hitting ice crystals in the air. Regardless of the science behind it, we enjoyed seeing a rainbow smile in the sky!

Drywall, Cabinets, and Countertops with a Side of Guilt

I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry - and a little bit extra sorry - for failing to update this blog in so long! Stephen has been begging me to add pictures, if not text. My bad, people, my bad.

So, here's the update:

We had some real frustration with the water authority several weeks ago. Builder Brian called me to let me know that - despite my multiple phone calls and messages - no one had bothered to set our water meter. As this should have, could have, been done prior to framing, (and considering that I'd spoken with the appropriate human more than once) I had been functioning under the assumption that the water authority people were waiting for Builder Brian's special okie-dokie. Wrong! My next phone call actually got through to that human, and he of course politely denied ever having heard from me. I restrained myself.

A few days later, I got a phone call from a gentleman who seemed to be in authority over this original fellow. In a voice that combined the best of Rhett Butler and James Earl Jones, this gentleman apologized profusely for what was undoubtedly a problem on his side of this issue. And just as kindly, he informed me that either of our two options for placement of the meter would cost us roughly another thousand dollars. I thanked him. And then he thanked me for being the nicest lady ever. If only he knew what I was thinking . . .

Just before the new year (we were traveling back home from our visit with Stephen's family), Builder Brian called to say that they would be hanging drywall soon! And, sure enough, we have a great deal of drywall installed as I write this entry. Of course, we are thankful for the warmer weather (in the 40s this week after last week's 20s and 30s) as we've learned that drywall mud will indeed freeze, making it impossible to work with. Builder Brian assured us that the workers would bring portable heaters in the house to speed things along, but the heaters can't make up for temperatures well below freezing.

The next phone call was the one we'd been waiting for. Builder Brian informed us that our cabinets are built! Yes, I'm excited because I can't wait to see my kitchen come together. However, the real excitement is this: once the cabinets are installed (directly after the dry wall / mud), the time line to C/O (certificate of occupancy) is about 30 to 45 days! Thanks, Builder Brian, for understanding (or at least not laughing!) when I teared up on you . . .

We viewed our granite slab yesterday and it is really lovely! The granite folks plan to install on January 20th. If everything continues according to schedule, it looks like we'll be moving somewhere in early March! I am once again struck that even in the midst of so much uncertainty and craziness in the nation, God blesses us and reminds us to trust in Him.

We're not done yet!

Mechanicals Next Week

On our way out to visit the site today, Builder Brian called to discuss our plans for next week. If all continues to go well and the weather holds, it looks like we'll be putting in some mechanicals next week. Now, if you're like me, you're thinking, "Gee, in the context of home-building, to what exactly does the term 'mechanicals' refer?". Builder Brian explained that it means we'll be getting our HVAC system and a water heater! I don't know about any of you, but this is music to my ears! They're adding some meat to those bones .

Speaking of meat, check out the Zip Board on the framing! This was a wonderful surprise! Although we didn't know if it would happen, we were hoping to "test drive" this system for our builder. After some research, we realized that the Zip System would be a real advantage to us; not only does it go up quickly, it is water-resistive - meaning that our house stayed dry inside, despite heavy and incessant rains. You can visit the website at www.zipsystem.com.

We drove out to the site today and Virginia Ann, James, and I arrived to find that we have the beginnings of a real roof - and stairs! We couldn't resist getting a close look, but I decided not to go up yet. Builder Brian advised us that some of the second story floor may not be completely stable, and I couldn't imagine trying to keep both kids safe up there by myself. James wants to walk and explore everything himself, while Virginia Ann has become our safety expert, pointing to every nail and potential eye-hazard (the sawdust all over the floor!). They balance one another, I suppose!

As this house comes together, I can't help but be overcome with gratitude for all that we've been given. One of our greatest blessings is that we are surrounded by a generous and loving family, without whom we would have never had this opportunity. I look forward to Thanksgiving 2010 when I'll have the chance to bring them all together in our new home to celebrate. Even in the midst of so much hardship in our nation and in the world, there is always something for which to be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving 2009 to all of you!

Onward and Upward!

Framers work their tails off! Check out what they've done in just a few days:

Our First Day of Framing

Our foundation was truly finished last week. The concrete has been tarred, and we have our garage slab. We also got power to our temporary power pole this week, which will allow our crew to plug in their power tools. Our septic tank was installed on Monday. Just look at the sun shining off of our brand new concrete slab!






Yesterday it rained. Not a torrential downpour, mind you, but a continuous light rain that aggravated the stew out of us. It succeeded in providing us with an additional inch and a half of thick, sucking mud. Today, however, was a perfect day . . . and we began the framing process! The kids loved watching the men build the walls on the ground, then simply raise them into place. I loved seeing how well it was coming together! When we left around 4:30 this afternoon, our crew was still working.

Pouring the Footings

Last Thursday we poured our footings. Well, actually, a big ol' concrete pumper poured our footings while these guys ran around trying to control the thing. Since then, we've had several days of rain, and that's not necessarily a bad thing for the concrete. It needs the humidity to cure correctly.






Granny & Big stopped by to see all the goings on, and they took some time to visit my busy little helper with his dump truck who was trying to run the entire show.

Rain, Rain, Go Away.

The last several weeks have been very frustrating for us, but disastrous for others. Our area has had a tremendous amount of rainfall over a couple of weeks. Many roads were flooded, homes were destroyed, and schools were damaged. Fortunately, our home site is still on the map.

Of course, the flooding has affected us in other ways. We've been reminded that we don't have to be in a flood plain to encounter serious problems with water. Although we were planning to build on a downward slope, no one - not even our builder - suspected that we would have such porous soil at rear of our house site. God works in the most amazing ways! We've been delayed more than three weeks by the rain, but have discovered this problem because of it.

It looks like we have two options: leave the house in the original location with wider footings (the more expensive and time-consuming option) or move it forward about twenty feet. We're weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each option . . .and weighing . . .and thinking . . .and talking some more. We might come to a decision by Thanksgiving!