I will not crack any plumber jokes (hee hee hee)

Neither snow nor frigid temperatures deterred David, our plumber, who bears a striking resemblance to Paul Bunyon minus Babe the Ox. He has been working every day this past week and weekend. (We really hope he's not charging by the hour.) However, David has flown solo on the majority of the rough plumbing work.  He should be getting close to wrapping it up. The bathrooms are done and so is the utility room. Because the kitchen sink will be in the island, little can be done to plumb the kitchen until the island is in place, which will be a month or two down the road. When Noel caught up with David on Saturday, he was working on the pipes under the house.

A man's shower is his oasis...and this is Noel's.

Dear Matt, Please enjoy our washer and dryer for the few more months that they are yours. I miss them. Love, Your Sis

Oh, my, how embarrassing! Our pipes are showing!

Let there be light! Finally, the electric company installed our transformer and with the help of a temporary line we have electricity. And the plumber is taking full advantage by jamming out to some awesome tunes on his radio as he works. The rough-in electrical work is finished. We passed the state electrical inspection. Jon, our electrician, will return a bit later to put on the finishing touches.

Got sunglasses?!

Just a slice of what is beneath our feet

Before the inclement weather, some of our siding, rock fascia, and the rest of our windows were delivered by Builders Supply; and we now have our bamboo stair treads and risers. I just really hope I'm not walking down stairs one day and trip over a panda bear whose pissed that we took some of his lunch. 

Our snow-topped rock fascia, cement mix, sand, and siding

This should stop the frigid breeze that is currently whipping through the house.

As for the aesthetic stuff, we are still waiting on the samples and diagrams from the cabinet maker. Also, I have been looking at sinks, faucets, and tiles for a kitchen backsplash. I'm sure we are way ahead of ourselves, but we like to have plenty of time to make decisions. And, good grief, there are so many decisions!


When we embarked on this journey, we were clueless as to the sequence of events of building a house. A buddy of Noel's, who in a former life worked in the building supply world, so kindly provided us with such a list. This list helped me (I'm reluctant to use the word 'us' because we all know Noel's not the A-type personality of this duo) know what to anticipate. Of course, every step of the way has been a learning experience. A short-summary of our year-long adventure:
2/2010  purchased land
Spring 2010 -- architect designed our home
Summer/Fall 2010 -- chose a contractor
June 2010 -- two years of wedded bliss
October 2010 -- logged land
November 2010 -- began clearing land
December 2010 -- foundation and framing
January 2010 -- rough-in electrical and plumbing, geothermal


We have made a point to talk to all of our subs. We ask questions, ask their opinions, and get answers. Sometimes it's easier to speak directly with the subs than to use our contractor as a liaison (even though that is his job). As I mentioned earlier, we get their phone numbers and give them ours. The subs encourage us to walk through the house and make sure everything is right. Overseeing the building of a house is a full time job, especially when your building the White House! (Ha! Ha! Now that's a knee slapper!)

A couple of parting shots: The view from the bonus room...not a street light or neighbor in sight.

Back door guests are the best! This muttly loves coming to visit.