A wall here, a window there

Oh, I think it is so incredibly awesome how architects design houses! We got the first ROUGH draft from the architect on Monday, and we've been scrutinizing every little detail since. I'm going to wait until we have the final plans to post them on here (that is if I can figure out how to even do it then). I know I've mentioned this before but when looking at house plans, you have to think about how you really live. You know, you watch these shows on HGTV and always see people looking for houses conducive to entertaining. Seriously? I mean, seriously? We're not talking scenes from The Great Gatsby here. How much do these people really entertain?! We want a house that we can actually live in, a home for us. Priorities: BIG kitchen with a deep sink (we cuss incessantly washing dishes in the sink here), spa tub in the master, open floor plan, and lots of windows...oh, yeah, and a room for Larry. (Larry, I hope you're laughing hysterically right now.)


After mulling over the ROUGH draft, the architect, Joel, wanted to meet with us in Lynchburg so he could better design the house around the landscape; so we drove down there for a little pow-wow. Joel thought that there would be just one main direction on which to focus. He seemed surprised that we have a 360-degree view, which I suppose makes his job a bit easier. Noel and I discussed what we would like to see changed on the current house plans. Luckily, Joel likes to give options...and we like multiple choice! So it's back to the drawing board for him as we anxiously await the next round of ideas. I'm sure that even if we think we have designed the perfect house, there will be things that we wish we would have done differently. That's just expected. Nevertheless, we'll enjoy the ride.


On another note, we spent last Saturday stringing barb wire with the 'rents. Several scratches and a few ticks (got to love the country) later that part is done. Onto the woods!

Oh no, Nemo

On Sunday afternoon, we met with the third and possibly final contractor that we are going to interview -- 'Fishy.' I have to admit when Fishy finally did meet up with us, he was a pretty nice guy. He was definitely the only interviewee to show up in khakis rather than jeans, but Noel thinks that just because it was Sunday. Now Dummies says during the interview process, the contractor should be the one doing the most talking since he is the one being interviewed. It could be that I just talk a lot, but this dude didn't offer much. As a matter of fact, the only contractor to do more talking than me was 'Indy.' We always focus on several key subjects: green building experience, warranty, workers' comp insurance, years of experience, and contractors' cut, just to name a few. He had minimal experience with eco-design and green building by his own admittance, offers a one-year warranty, carries the insurance, has been in the work his whole life, and takes a 15-20% cut. Now, I guess I do things and just don't realize my actions; but when this guy told us his cut (the highest of any other contractor), Noel said I promptly responded, "Welp, thanks for coming!" Nevertheless, he provided a boat-load of references that we need to call.


Noel and Dad finished up the barb wire section of the fence on Monday. Yes, now there are different sections. From the previous pictures, you can see that so far we have been working in a field with the fence. We are approaching the much dreaded wooded section. Noel and Dad pondered the logistics of fencing through the woods: the wicked root system in the hill, the inability to get a tractor in the woods on the steep embankment to dig post-holes, and the cons of using trees as posts. (We so lurve our trees!) They in all their genius have decided electric fencing will work just fine! We don't need stretcher posts (only T-posts....NO MORE TAMPING!!), and we should now be able to speed up this process. Watch out fence because we're both off this weekend!

Architect: check!

So we'll put fencing aside for at least one post. In this house building (eh, pre-house building process), there's always something to do. We're still trying to find the king and all of his horses and men who are going to put this beast together. 


We interviewed another contractor this week. We shall him 'Indy' (Jones, that is). Now, Indy's got a few good things going for him. First, he met us the day I called him. Second, his name has come up several times since we've been asking around for reputable contractors. He's actually building a house across the street from my aunt and uncle. Third, when asked about siding for our new homestead, he introduced us to this thing called Hardie board (also comes in Hardie shake, you know, those awesome New England-style shaker shingles). Indy's cut is only 9% of the original floor plan -- a bit less than Pickle's cut. If the floor plan grows throughout the process, his cut is still 9% of the original plan. In comparison to Pickle, Indy does not seem as financially organized. According to Dummies, we need chemistry with a contractor. Where's a beaker and Bunsen burner when you need one?!


We are meeting with one last contractor on Sunday afternoon. We shall call him 'Fish.' Now, I will admit that ol' Fishy has not made a very good impression on us so far. Why are we still interviewing him you might ask? Well, Fish contacted me and stayed in contact with me before we even bought our land. He really seemed on top of things and willing to help, even gave us the name of a reputable, reasonably priced architect. However, he's now proving to be very elusive, and it has taken me 3 weeks to secure an interview. This is now more or less a courtesy interview, but you never know, he may just blow our socks off.


Good news, though. WE HAVE AN ARCHITECT! On Wednesday, we met with the architect who Fishy recommended and hired him. He is Joel Wingard from Brentwood, and he's not technically an architect. He's an Auburn grad with a background in building. Architects are notorious for drafting ideas that cannot actually be constructed -- an issue that should not arise with this dude. Before we met with him, we made a list of everything we wanted in our house. This makes you think about how you actually live, even down to making an inconspicuous nook for Soxy's litter box. The devil is in the details. Initially, I felt bad because we hired Joel and may not hire his recommender, but I got over it. Noel's tough. It was a no brainer for him.


Check out more about this Hardie board/shake stuff in the side margin.

Ibuprofen and aloe, please

Thursday was one of those days I like to refer to as a GSD, or a 'get shit done' day (an acronym my friends and I coined in school for those hit-the-book or fail-the-test study days). Although there was no book or test involved here, we needed a good hardcore day of fencing to get this thing looking like it has the potential to keep out cattle. Daddy and I put on our gloves and started digging. (Noel was working so we gave him a pass.) We dug holes, tamped posts, stabilized stretcher posts, and straightened T-posts (to correct the jagged-tooth look). Although Daddy provided brains for the project, I'd like to think my brute strength hung right in there with his. We placed two sets of stretcher posts far enough apart for a 12 foot gate and placed another set in the middle of a row of T-posts for stability. We refueled with a brief Subway picnic under a cedar tree. After five hours, we marveled at our work and winced at our sunburns. Yes, we look like a couple of strawberries and give a whole new meaning to the term 'redneck.' Turns out when it's breezy, you don't pay much attention to the blazing sun on your skin.

You know, you pic up the camera for one minute to get some shots

and Dad needs something. What does he think I'm there to do...

work?!

Future 12-ft gate.

The first big stretch of fencing lacks only the barb wire, and I'm told that stringing the wire is the easy part. The second largest stretch of fencing should be interesting. We've got to fence through the woods on a slope. No tractor to help here. Gee, I can't wait.

Man are we tired! Daddy can't muster the strength to even sit up,

and I am so delirious I can't match buttons on my shirt.

As for our grass seeds, I have a picture of grass! Thanks to the sun, grass is beginning to peek out of the ground. We may have a yard yet! However, I must admit that the picture below is of grass in a location where I had a massive, accidental seed dump at a point when I trying to adjust the seed slinger (or whatever that thing is called) around my neck.

Just makes you want to kick your shoes off, doesn't it?