It's been fun, 2010! Hello, 2011!

Before we bit adieu to 2010 and give our warmest welcome to 2011, we'd like to give you one last update. Our home has decking on the roof, and she's wrapped in Tyvek, a weather-proofing wrap. Noel's parents and our niece came for a visit to see the progress. To our surprise when we all arrived, the house had been swept out and the tubs put in place! 

We decided the views weren't all that good so we just removed the windows.

View from the back.

Side door into the utility room. Wipe your paws, please!

Future mini bonfire locale in the main partaay room.

Heaven!

Do you think we have room for a dining table in here?!!

Warning: steep drop at the end. Run at your own risk.

Keith's checklist. It appears he has to do the fireplace hearth and the windows and doors. (Hope he hasn't forgotten that he has to build the garage to. Maybe I should have written that on there for him.)

You wouldn't think that choosing a fireplace insert would be a big decision...and for Noel it wasn't. Of course, I have to research until I want to gouge my eyes out to be sure that we are making the best decision. Apparently, a brick hole is not sufficient in a new construction home. We have to get what is called a fireplace 'insert.' 'Insert' in the fireplace world is a very loose and very vague term. Basically, an insert (from what we can gather) is an all-inclusive brick/piping/doors or screen kit that is inserted (HA!) into the location you would like to one day make s'mores inside your home. The alternative is a stove, which would consist of an enclosed fireplace area with heavy doors typically made of cast iron or steel. We chose an open insert with glass doors rather than a screen (for safety reasons). The main difference between the two is the purpose of use: ambience or heat? It will not be our main heat source thus we went for the open fireplace. A stove emits a radiant heat and is significantly more pricey. When we honestly thought about the use, our answer was obvious.

To begin 2011, we meet with Indy and our electrician on Tuesday. And, we should be getting a garage next week.

So 'Hello 2011!' But we'll never forget what we learned in 2010...

Go with your gut when choosing a contractor and your lunch.

Wine and whiskey make every problem seem like less of a problem.

Pick your battles, and when you choose your battle, get a damn good weapon.

The only opinion that matters is ours. (In the words of the Burger King, we can have it our way.)

When you need to know how to string barb wire, ask the person with the most experience and try not feel incompetent when your 83-year old teacher shows you up.

And laugh more. (It's a good thing I'm so damn funny!)

And our parting shot...the western half of our support system (and Noel).

These rafters don't need paddles

We have rafters! And I don't mean those annoying people in river rubbers, either. Santa will have a place to land that sleigh next year ladies and gents. We did have a couple of issues to solve with the roof early this morning, though. In a couple of places on the houseplan, the architect simply did not think about the pitch of the roof, and we had some head room issues that evidently threw Keith into a bit of a tizzy. So, before Noel went to work and before I started a day of paying construction bills, we met with Keith and Indy at the house site. From what we can figure, Noel and I are pretty easy going with this house thing. Our favorite saying, "Well, what would you do?" And, we just do that. We also wanted to get our framers and Indy a little something for the holiday and all. Cookies? Nah. Candies? Nah. Whiskey? It is Lynchburg. So, they each got a mini bottle of Gentleman Jack. Can honestly say we had some happy framers. Anyway, they have done a wonderful job, and should be almost finished next week. 

Her front

The great room

Her side

On the bottom is the future screened-in porch with french doors and on top is one of the two upstairs bedrooms.

And this is her bootay -- the room on the right side of the pic is our master bedroom.

It seems that the guys got to meet the Carm-dog (my mom's one-eyed muttly) yesterday, too. She came to do her own little inspection and must have been quite a hit. I mean, who can really resist a one-eyed mutt?!

Dear Santa,

We have been a good and very busy couple this year, and I suppose Soxy Paws is deserving of some catnip (aka kitty crack). Although, he hasn't been too helpful in the building process but he's been holding down the fort in the 'Boro for us while we've been tending to this...

 Now that's more like it.

The corner of the house facing the garage.

Dining area, stairs, and future French doors to the screened-in porch.

Now from the other direction...

From the top of the stairs...the joists for the 2nd floor. Notice the taller wall...yep, that's our great room.

View from the foyer into the great room. It's so PRETTY! (That will probably only be funny to my mom!)

The framing elves should have a great week to work! All we want for Christmas are some second floor wall studs. You think the fat one can fit that in his sleigh?!

All I need are pair of knee-high boots and a BFF named Kit

Yes, Roy Orbison, I did feel like Pretty Woman minus Richard Gere, the skin-tight hooker dress, and the rude women in L.A. Instead, I had my far more handsome hubby (pardon me while I gag), a Columbia ski jacket, and country boys in frigid Tennessee. Who leads the more glamorous life here? You see, today we picked out doors, rock fascia, and tubs. We got to point out what we wanted and not pay a dime (except for the bubblemassage tub at Lowe's). Yikes! But, oh so fun! Even better, we don't have to do anything else with our 'purchases.' Indy will handle picking up the goods or having them delivered. He may earn his money yet. In fact, he was down at the home site Monday as the first floor wall studs went up. It's beginning to look a lot like...a house! We caught the guys today on their lunch break at the site around their little campfire, and I got to check out the studs. How could I be so lucky?! They were very photogenic, too.

 They're just beaming (I'm so punny!)

Nice profile!

 Ladies, be jealous, be very jealous

Check out this stud...how it intersects at a right-angle with the other stud. Two for one!

Caught with their pants down...I seem to have that effect.

We also got to see the finished garage floor. Hope you brought your ice skates.

Granted some of that shine is water, but the sealant is amazing!

Since we're on a decision roll, I asked Indy what we needed to choose next. Seems to be the house color. We're going grey!

Testosterone is building this house

Our home has feet; now it's getting some bones! The framers started on Thursday, and we have a floor! We would have a wall or two if the lumber company had delivered the 2x6 boards (for energy efficiency we are building exterior walls that are two inches thicker than typical walls). You might remember that one of the main reasons we chose Indy was for his framer, Keith. Well, Keith's reputation precedes him, and he alongside five or six raft-guide-looking cohorts is getting the job done. And, yes, we have his cell number. Keith gave us his undivided attention and marked up his plans as we went over all of the changes we wanted in the house. You know remove a window here, move a wall there...and bippity boppity boo. We also went over this with Indy during a pow wow at the homestead on Friday as any part of skin not covered just froze. Pow wow is actually an appropriate term considering the framers had started a little fire up there to keep warm. A termite barrier has been placed between the block and board, and the foundation will get a termite treatment once the temperature warms up a bit. Our house might look like a holiday feast to these little arbor-munchin' boogers but they shall get no part of it. 

These men love to play with their wood!

Who are these dudes in our bedroom?!

Meet Keith...

Looking out on our floor from the bedroom.

Noel with Keith (in gray) and Indy (in orange). Take note that I'm blaming these three for breaking my camera because it shut off after taking this pic.

On Thursday the garage was lined with an expansion barrier, filled with gravel, leveled off, and all ready for concrete. Well, the icing was put on the cake on Friday, and my hand went straight into it. (Apparently sticking your hand in cold cement with no way to wash the cement off just didn't appeal to Noel; alas, my handprint sits in the corner of our garage all by its lonesome.) However, once the concrete was poured the sun went in and the temperature started dropping. Not exactly ideal to dry concrete, so two guys sat up at our homesite all night (man, I felt sorry for them because it was cold) waiting on the concrete to dry so they could finish it off. Needless to say, they maintained that fire the framers had started so they didn't freeze. Brrr!

The garage pre-concrete...and pre-handprint.

We made a decision on a roof -- a 26 gauge, 1.5" standing seam metal roof. Go us! We were torn between the thicker (and slightly more expensive) 24 gauge or the thinner 26 gauge metal, so, of course, we asked Indy what he would do. He said it's not worth the money for the thicker metal from a longevity and durability standpoint.


The decision-making doesn't end there, no sir. It's time to pick out exterior doors, windows, and tubs. We have magazines galore. We chose double-hung, low-E Southern Rose windows and an awesome bubble massage tub for the master bathroom. Can you say heaven?! (Noel, if at any point you can't find me, that's where I'll be.) We have chosen options for the exterior doors. Geez, you have to pick a style, grills or no grills, type of glass, type of wood, height. I mean, good grief! We also have to choose a tub for the upstairs bathroom. That's about the only thing we haven't nailed down just yet. And this is only the beginning!

A parting shot of our newest addition. Meet Ruthie. Noel's sis, Marianne, is her temporary mommy until she comes home with Noel, Soxy, and I. She is so stinkin' cute! I mean you can't have a farm without a farm dog, right?!

Screw Scrooge, Tiny Tim is the star of this show!

Timmy is quite possibly our favorite person. He has sailed this ship solo (and I do mean solo...did I see Jack Sparrow around here?) all week. We caught up with him Thursday when he was placing the pad for our transformer, since the electric company decided to get with the program and place our pole on Monday. We had been concerned about the size of the water line that was placed last week and the water pressure. Because the hill is so steep, we wanted the water pressure tested prior to the pipes being covered. Timmy had the same idea, but (as we learned Thursday) he after several calls hadn't been able to get the water department to place a meter so the pipes could even be tested. So Noel and I trekked down to the water department to deal with the unnecessarily rude water chick and figure out why a meter had yet to be placed. Finally between Timmy and Noel, the meter has been placed and evidently the pressure is adequate. Well, hopefully more than just adequate but that'll be a question for Timmy on Monday (allegedly the day Indy will be back on the job site...Indy, who?).

 It's about time DREMC...thank you!

 Transformer pad/base/green box in the ground. And one heck of a sunset in the background.

We've used 19 gallons already?! Timmy, have you been bathing up there?

We also had to call the masons back to remedy an issue in the front of the house. Luckily, I just happened to take a picture of the masonry trailer when it was at the house site, and the masonry company's phone number just happened to be on the side of the trailer. Imagine that! However, I must say, no masons yet. 


Oh, covering the water line and placing the pad for the transformer is not all Timmy has been up to. He has also ordered and spread gravel on the upper half of the driveway. Granted the fine gravel is a little loose under the ole Civic's wheels, though, it should pack down easily after bigger vehicles pack it down.

 It appears that a dozer has taken up residence in our garage; thus, the Civic is destined to hang out in the elements. 

The house in the foreground, the garage should be easy to pick out since it's housing the dozer, and the Civic sits at the top of the driveway. Home sweet home!

Timmy, we know that you will probably never see this blog, but we want you to know how very much we appreciate your hard work, advice, attention, and most importantly your communication skills. Whatever your bill may be will be worth every penny! You are AWESOME!


Note to selves: get a phone number from each sub in order to handle situations directly with the sub himself. (You know, just in case Indy needs to take another vacation from the stressful job of building our home.)


On another note, Indy told us to be looking for a roof type/color because that will be one of the next decisions to make. We are going to use a metal roof for longevity purposes. We headed down to Watson Metals in Manchester (Indy uses these dudes) to pick out a roof. We decided on a standing seam metal roof. What we have not decided on is what gauge of metal to use -- 24 gauge or the thinner 26 gauge. We are getting price quotes on both, then we will make a decision. 


And last but not least, the most exciting news...we have an official address now!! Get some paper and a pencil ready people! Here it is...

180 Whisperwood Lane

Lynchburg, TN 37352

We were so excited that our driveway was long enough to name!

Quite the parting shot: The priceless view from our front porch (minus the construction clutter in the yard).

Building a home: The reality

The reality is that it is excitingly frustrating. It is slow process that moves way too fast. It is a chaotic process that is under control. You get important phone calls on the days you work, and you can't get anyone to answer the phone on the days you don't. Truthfully, it is a roller coaster: today you're feeling good about everything, tomorrow shit hits the fan. And when you really need to discuss some issues with your contractor, he is off hunting some burly animal out of cell phone range.


Our foundations are complete but our frustration arose after their completion when we realized there were some changes that needed to be addressed during the process instead of after the fact. Don't get us wrong the foundations look great; however, there are some changes we wanted to make that affected the foundations. (Of course, we were oblivious of this fact until after the masons had finished, packed up, and gone home.) Indy is on vacay (yes, again, maybe we should be contractors) for a week, and we need some answers. Monday, we will be taking matters into our own hands. Changes mean shelling out dough for those changes. 


Lesson #1: Sit your contractor down and discuss ALL changes up front.

The garage foundation (middle right) and the house foundation (left).

See our house.

See our house's pillars (just in case she gets sleepy).

The positive reality: everything is fixable, and we will love the finished product. Building a home is a great way to practice patience, be each other's best friend, and laugh at that which you cannot control.

Lesson #2: Take a deep breath, have a beer, and spend some quality time with Soxy Paws.


It is fair to say that up to this point we are happy with the end product and we are having fun, but it would be unfair to hide the rather vexing side of the whole process. Building a house is a bit like selling one: once is enough for any person. 

A foundation, a tile, and some gravel, oh my!

It's Turkey Week in the good ole US of A! And we would like to seize the opportunity to give thanks for, well, a lot of stuff (but we're going to stick to the house).

Thanks, Brickworks in Tullahoma, for building three-quarters of the foundation on our home in one day. Your masonry work and efficiency is impeccable. Hopefully, by next week, the mudpit...uhh, crawlspace...will be solid ground once again for a speedy completion. So, Brickwork masons, we wish you many turkeys and issue you many thanks for all the tough work you do. Butterin' brick ain't for the weak!

Mud wrestling, anyone?

And thanks, Timmy (because we're pretty sure it was you), for leaving your 'ho duties behind and depositing gravel on the bottom half of our driveway. Because of you, we feel like we are getting somewhere...like up the driveway! (Geez, if I were any funnier, I'd have to take this show on the road!) Timmy, have a great Turkey Day, and pretty-please-with-gravy-on-top be kind with your bill next week.

Follow the yellow brick road. Okay, so it's not yellow. Deal with it!

Of course we haven't forgotten you, Indy. Thanks for rolling up your sleeves on Monday and digging our water trench and laying our line. (Note: we are also thanking any elves or right-hand-men who were of assistance to Indy during this process, for we do not know the precise details of who actually assisted in defying gravity to make water flow up a hill. Nevertheless, we tip our hats to them.) We would also like to express our appreciation for laying the tile, culvert, or (as I like to call it) the-cylindrical-thing-that-goes-underneath-the-driveway-to-channel-water-and-keep-the-driveway-from-looking-like-a-slop-trough. Indy, I would also personally like to thank you for the voluntary information you presented today: letting us know you'll be out of town next week and how to reach you if need be, discussing with us the timeline of the next two weeks, informing us why our foundation sits five blocks high instead of four, estimating a roof cost and letting us know that we need to go pick one out, and finally for reassuring us that we haven't blown our budget, yet. So, Indy, enjoy that Thanksgiving feast and your week-long vacay doing whatever it is that Indys do. But on Monday, December 6th, vacay is over, and you better get your frame on!

Our hill's been violated! Look away, it's hideous!

It's working!

And last but not least, a collective thank you to Indy, Timmy, and John the Electrician for incessantly calling Duck River Electric in attempts to reach someone there who might, just might, like to place a temporary pole on our land. So electric company, we are all dumber for having dealt with you, I award you no turkeys and may God have mercy on your soul! (Note: very few people will laugh as hysterically as I'm laughing at this last line!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Building blocks

The footers are dry, batter boards are in place, and the interior of the soon-to-be crawl space is leveled off.  And...we have blocks, sand, and cement mix! We are going vertical, people! After speaking with Indy today, I learned that the masons (or as I like to call them, butter boyz) should begin work tomorrow or next week. Needless to say, moving these blocks from the bustling road below to the top of our knoll (not Noel but knoll) required some creativity on the part of the block boy. Delivered on an 18-wheeler (quite possibly the largest vehicle that tiny little road has ever seen), the driver had to use a smaller secondary truck to shuttle the block bundles up the hill. Ice Road Truckers got nothing on our brave block boy. Then, the poor guy couldn't get the 18-wheeler turned around so he had to back that out of the hollow (a narrow, one-lane road with a blind curve) very, very slowly. I'm sure that was an R-rated endeavor! Poor guy, he earned his money today!

Our unassembled foundation.

We've decided to go for a coastal feel around the house, so they're bussing in sand.

Smooth operator... Noel decided (after watching that show I survived or something like that about a family being robbed by a crazy meth head) that we need a phone jack in case of an emergency. If I didn't know better, I would think he loved me and Soxy. We love you, too, Noella! So we informed Indy of our newest desire, and he actually has some phone line in his shop for us. We don't even have to get some from AT&T. Guess what?! It's not a problem to run the phone line in the same trench as the electricity. By the way, where are our trenches anyway and our temporary electric pole? These electrical people certainly don't move like electricity. And on a side note, Indy is feeling much better.


We are nearing the point when we can get an actual address for our new home. We need some suggestions for a driveway name. We've received one really great suggestion: Casa Blanca Lane (or drive or road or trail). Any others out there? Other possibilities are Whisperwood or Green Woods. As you can see, we need some outside perspectives. 

These feet are made for standin'

Noel has been a machine this week. Mid-week Noel and Timmy, the backhoe operator, laid out the footprint for the house. (Indy was bed-bound with a stomach bug and wasn't able to make the meeting. But that's another long story entirely. Suffice it to say that by the end of the week Noel's frustration with Indy was at its peak. But all is well now.) Nevertheless, Noel and Timmy took care of business. Here's how this worked. The two of them staked the four corners of both the house and the garage. Timmy then staked out all of the house corners with rebar and spray-painted the entire footprint. Back to this in a minute...

We knew that our flooring was set to be delivered this week. Oh, a minor obstacle arose the day prior to delivery. You see Old Dominion, you know that trucking company that is kind of popular, gave Mom (our friendly flooring receiver/contact dudette) a call and informed her that delivery to their house would be impossible with the inclined, graveled driveway and all. Humm...this could be a problem, but never fear we rallied the troops. Meet our troops: Will the uncle, Larry the cable guy, Noel the mole, and Mom the problem-solver. So thanks to all these dudes and the solo dudette for using their brains and brawn to move over 4,000 pounds of bamboo flooring from the grocery store in Lynchvegas (the rally locale) to the garage on Stone Creek Lane.

The eco-message on the side of each flooring box reads: 'This box is brown intentionally. By allowing this box to be its natural color, we are reducing the footprint on the environment. Please recycle this box when you are done.'

Dear Simple Floors, We will happily comply. Much love, Hannah and Noel

We are now one with the water. Going with the flow should be a bit easier now with our new water tap!

Water tap in the nude.

Oh, behave! Cover up your tap!

After the excitement of the flooring and the tap on Friday, Timmy got down and dirty with our footers. Meet Timmy...

Meet our footers... All of our footers are laced with rebar. People, these footers are not made for walkin'.

Meet Timmy and our footers...

And four truckloads of concrete later, we have footers.

And meet Jose...

Oh, don't act surprised! I have about 10 pics of my Latin concrete-smoothin', backhoe operatin', log sawin' luva. Just be surprised that I didn't put all 10 on here. If only he were a cowboy, too...

So thanks Timmy, Jose, Sam (he wasn't as privileged as Jose and Timmy to have his pic in this blog, but we appreciate him nevertheless), and the four concrete trucks for coming to work at 6 a.m. on Saturday and giving our home some solid feet on which to stand.

Up next (we hope)...a contractor who is not sick, some trenches, a temporary electrical pole and maybe, just maybe, some block.

By the way, Indy has locked in our lumber price! Good news considering the price of lumber in going up.