3 Weeks - Fast and Furious (Part II)

So much has happened in the last 3 weeks, that I am blowing up the network with too many photos. You should really read Part I (below) first and then pop back here - Sorry!

See the insulation? That's on an interior wall - guess we won't have problems with snoring guests keeping us awake in this house! Should be quiet as a mouse.



It's a deck! Ice cold drinks now being served on the deck! Oh, guess that you will have to wait just a few more weeks.

These walls and the ceiling are filling up with so much stuff that we'll never be able to hang a picture on the wall without drilling into something!

The clear white tubing is the Wirsbo in-floor heating system. Can't wait to have warm feet. The silver tubing is for AC - to bad it's not hooked up yet - it's been a bit steamy up here the last week or so.

We'll have to figure out how this whole new heating system works now.

They plan to start taping the sheetrock next week. The tile is ordered and the cabinets are scheduled for the end of August. We must have the best builder in the midwest - he can motivate anyone to get in and get the job done ASAP - even the homeowners!

3 Weeks - Fast and Furious (Part I)

Hold on to your seats, cause this thing is really taking off! It's hard to keep up with the progress. And it gets better by the day....absolutely loving every aspect. Well, we had to make a few compromises, but that is life.

Take a look at these trusses - absolutely picture perfect the way they line up.

The first priority was getting the roofing on to protect it from the rain....and they did. Only a very small amount of rain got in. Yahoo!

The next step was windows - what a maticulous job.

OK, now the inside framing can be finished so that the other crews can begin the race - got to get the interior work done before they spray the insulation and put up sheetrock.

Look! All of the windows are in! Each step changes the entire feel of the place. Before they put the roof and siding on, the place seemed like it was huge - a part of the woods. Now it is starting to shrink. The incredible shrinking house!

There have been 10-15 people working on this place ever since. Electricians, plumbers, venting experts, insulation blowers - plus the 5 on the building crew!

They're getting the plumbing in all of the walls. And now the decisions reach their peak - Where do you want the switch for this light? Is this a 2-way or 3-way switch? Where is this light centered? Is this a drop down light, a can, or a ceiling mount light? Oh my, I guess I should have picked out the lights by now. Oh well, we'll get ones that fit now.

We've got stairs! Now we can go between floors without having to walk around the outside of the house. This will work out better - especially in the winter! We tossed around the idea of a pole, but it just didn't seem to work out.

And check out that new siding! Perfect. Love that green with the cedar look.

Not done yet - they also got the sheetrock in the upstairs! Another transformation occurs! Check out that cool machine that holds it up for you - now that's the way to do it.

Do you get the feeling that this might be the house of some sort of computer geek? What gave you the first clue? There's a lot of labor of love in them there wires! The two of us put in 2 back to back 12+ hour days wiring the computer, phone, tv, and speakers! I hope it works! We were just trying to keep one step ahead of the electrical and AC crews so the trusses were not full.

We got done only a few hours before the R-Tech Insulation guys arrived at 5am to spray the ceiling. Yes, we worked into the dark with a flashlight. Check out the sprayed insultation on the exterior walls - it really seals everything in there tight. And it gets very hard. They put 3 layers on.

Now it's starting to look almost finished. I keep thinking the progress will slow down, but not the way it looks now. The end is near! We'll be moving in September - just in time to enjoy a beautiful fall on the north shore! What a blessing!

We've Been Framed !!

Finally the place starts to take shape!

When Michael arrived on Tuesday, the lower level had already been framed. Nancy was busy working (as usual) in her new office (room with a view)!


Oh my, there's the bedroom. Everything is aligned perfectly! How do they do that?

This was a busy week - 12 workers on the job site building the garage and the house at the same time.


These guys are working on the garage. Look at that nice concrete floor! It's a beauty.

Nice weather for building. It rained on almost all sides today, but not at our building site. Hope that continues for another week until they get the roof on the house.




I'm sure glad I don't have his job! I can't even run a chain saw or stand on a 2x6, let alone trying to do both at the same time! Lord, protect these guys on our site.






They sure know how to use the big equipment to do the hard work. You still couldn't pay me enough to be up there on those trusses!





Who's the gardener? Don't recognize the gal in shades. And where did she get those plants? I hope they're not stolen from a house that is for sale.

Oh boy, the deer and bunnies are lining up with plates and silverware in hand for those tasty salad leaves. Any bets on how many hostas are left now?

They spent the next day putting up the siding and roofing. Gotta like that green! I hope the 2 colors on the garage match....

Dale and crew framed the upper level walls today too.


It's really something to see the real house in 3D after looking at the plans and wondering what it would look like. A few days later...they are putting up the roof trusses! Wow, that really changes it again. But it won't stay like this either - once the walls are enclosed we'll lose our view of the sky and woods (too bad, we like the openness now - a little drafty though).

We sure spent a lot of time trying to figure out the location of the house and garage - they are set in stone now.

Hey, that looks nice!