Thursday, August 14, 2014

Pressing On..

..so while the kids were here, I kind of ignored the house... and the contractors and keeping everything happening in a timely manner... so basically until today, no work has been done in a week...BUT - I am happy to say we are pressing on.  Here is the progress since the last posting:

New front view shows they are putting in the transome above the front doors, the huge arched window in the dining room is going in and the siding continues to be added:


The back view shows the siding is done on the upstairs balcony walls, ..and



..the support 2x4's are now replaced with permanent 6x6 beams on the back porch and the stairs have been built from the porch to the master sitting room.
I had to buy these 120 landscape blocks to build up the ground on the East side of the house.  Reason for the purchase now is that the 2 outdoor AC units will be located here and it needs to be done before they are placed.. YIKES - I need to get a move on!  Later we will need to buy many many more of these.

 
The framers also finished the raised platform for the master sitting room
 


..and they finally cut through the floor for the laundry chute

...and the plumbers were here today.  Not sure what they did, but I noticed these new pipes where the water softener will go.  Here a water softener is not a luxury, it is necessary!!!
 
I ordered our refrigerator and freezer, not because we are ready for it, but I could not pass up the deal.. so I guess it will be living in the garage until it is ready to go into the kitchen. 
 
It looks like so much has been done, but I still feel that we are on step 150 out of 500.  I could be wrong, but tonight I asked my husband to envision us moving into the house in a year.... YES - I said 1 whole year from now.  We are so blessed to be able to live on the job site to over see all the work and I just do not feel the need to rush anything.  I want to make sure what is done is done right and in correct order.  I believe having this kind of mental calendar will get us some better deals as well. 
 
Already, so many changes and corrections have been made.  We changed the design by adding the second story porch, we changed window placements, we have also identified errors in our blueprints and were able to correct them prior to additional costs... and I think all of this happened by the Grace of God and by being patient... which IMHO is a grace of God!
 
The  next few steps will be :
getting the AC/Heater installed
getting the front doors installed
getting the fireplaces installed (interior)  
hurricane clips installed
finishing up with the framer
plumber getting the shower valves installed in the walls
look into getting the electrician started
 
I believe I am done purchasing all :
the light fixtues
the door knobs including deadblots
sink faucets
tub faucets
shower faucets
 
I still need to purchase :
all toilets
1 exteror door for the interior attic
all interior doors
master bathtub
1 shower door
1 dog shower/shallow tub
appliances minus the frig/freezer
...and about a million other things I cannot think of right now!
 
What an experience this is!