We have got a house!

Well, it might be a bit of a stretch to say we have a house, but it sure looks like a house on the outside.  The Hardi Plank siding is on, the columns are up and we’re ready to paint. (Although, these pictures show our work while it was in progress). 

We finally settled on a paint color this weekend.  However, like any lesson in patience, we reached an obstacle today.  It’s April and we had sleet.  Fantastic, huh?  The next couple of days should be cold but rain free.  We hope to see insulation and the beginnings of retaining walls.  Hooray!

Jake has finished all the electrical work on the inside and even passed the rough inspection without any problems.  Not too shabby!

We have windows & bathtubs!

Jake and his dad have worked tirelessly.  The conditions have not been ideal.  The come home freezing, covered in mud, and wet; but we have windows.  I’m so proud of the work they have done and especially appreciate the time PawPaw has spent on our home.  It really looks like a house now!

The plumbers have also been there and have installed most of the plumbing, included the bathtubs.  I know this is where things start to slow down but I am enjoying seeing the quick evolution (at least while it lasts).

More framing…

Framing

The framers have arrived!!  Poor guys.  We have had beautiful weather for weeks and this week the temperature has dropped into the 30’s and 40’s. 

Despite the cold, they are working fast.  They have framed up the basement and main level (which I call the 1st and 2nd floors, causing some confusion for my husband- must learn the lingo!).

We have a room!

With the assistance of a crane, a few steel beams, and  over 100 welds; we now have a room!!   (A very strong room!)

This room is not mine.  This is Jake’s basement garage.  (aka Man Den)

My two men are already enjoying “their space”!

We’ve also decorated the construction site for Halloween.  We would not want any wondering trick-or-treaters to fall into our house!

We have walls, tar, and dirty men.

The basement foundation has been poured and Jake and his dad worked very hard waterproofing it.  If you see them on the street, don’t look too closely.  They still have bits of tar here and there.  (Thanks, guys!!!)

Who builds their house in a hole?

This is stage 1 of the building process, digging out the basement.  It’s no surprise that we hit rock and had to bring in a rock pick but the workers have been fantastic and have made short work of the digging.  We now have a hole upon which we can put our house.