We are Getting Closer

It has been several days since any pictures.  Steve and I went up to the house before choir this evening.  Wow!  There was a real shape.  The project manager e-mailed Steve to tell us that the roof may be on soon.  That will be amazing.  In the next few weeks, we will begin picking out tile, granite, and all the things that make the house pretty.  The rafters are in and waiting.  We found that the big dumpster  had been moved to make room for more lumber.  The brick masons have more work to do on the front porch and the retaining wall as well as the screened porch.  They have made the footings but still have some more to do.

Steve is checking ou the lower level entrance.  The concrete blocks are a retaining wall that is needed because of the slope of our lot.  We are probably going to put a fence above it so no one will fall over the wall because it is a hefty drop-off there.

   
When we drove up, we both thought, "It looks like a real house now!"

 This will be our view from the breakfast area at the end of our kitchen.  Hopefully, the red clay will have some grass there.  The window to the right looks into the screened porch.  The window to the left looks out to the side of the yard.  It will be interesting to see how the yard will shape up after the final grading at the end. 

This is the opening to the screened porch from the great room.  There will be four doors in the openings with the transoms cut out.  Two of the doors will be stationary.  The other two will open out to the porch.  That will be nice to have them open in the spring and the fall.

We will see what happens tomorrow.  Every day is something a little different.  Steve said that the next thing tha will be done to the outside walls is wrapping them in some sort of stuff.  Then the hardiplank goes on and will eventually get painted.

Garage Walls

HO!HO!HO!  Santa Steve is coming down the chimney in the greatroom.

We took Jonah home this evening and went on to the lot ot see the progress.  There was some!!!  Yesterday when we checked everything had been cleaned out of the lower & upper level.  It looked as if a cleaning crew had been there.  Everything had been swept and all the cross braces had been removed. 

The windows have a more defined look with the headers and the bottom part.  This lower level has either windows or doors across it.

 This is what we found today .  The upper level was a jungle of boards.  These are braces for the walls to support the roof. Maybe that will happen next week. This open area is the garage.  Steve is actually going into the door that leads into the kitchen and the hallway to the laundry room, bath, and guest bedroom. More concrete blocks were brought in, as well as lots of lumber.  We were trying to figure out what the blocks might be for.  Steve had the thought that they may be for the supports for the screened porch.  Most of the block that is seen will be covered with stucco while the porch in the front of the house will be covered with a stacked stone facade.

Blocks, blocks, and more blocks!

Every day there is something new to see.  All this work is supposed to be completed by September 19.  During the week of September 12, we meet with the builder to do the electrical, plumbing, and what ever else has to roughed in.   Also, we will begin meeting with the builder's wife to help with the tile, granite, paint, and stain for the floors, etc. I have heard from a friend that she is super to work with and very talented.  At some point in September we meet with the trim carpenter and the builder.  Yikes!!  It is moving along!

Walls on the Main Floor

After I got home from school this evening, Steve and I rode up to see the progress.  Oh, Wow!!  The garage walls still have not been framed, but we could see where all the windows and doors are now.  Seeing it was amazing.

This is the back of the house. The large opening on the left is the space for the windows in the masterbedroom.  Next to that, are the openings for the doors all the way across the end of the greatroom.  Those doors will open to the screened porch. The dirt had been moved to fill in the area around the house.  The bathroom window in the lower level is showing.

Steve is standing in the laundry room door looking out   what will be the laundry room window.

This is looking up at the master bath window opening, I think. To the right of the opening will be the shower.  The window will be over the tub. To the left of the opening will be a small linen closet. 

to the right oThe lower level doors have the diagonal board across them.

Steve is standing in the door coming into the kitchen from the garage entry into the house.  The orange fan is in our kitchen pantry.

Steve is in front of the greatroom fireplace.  On either side will be the built-in bookcases.

Steve is taking my picture from the foyer.  The dining room is the open area to the right of him with the large opening in the front of the house where the windows will be.  The piece of wood he is standing by will be a column of some sort to define the space.

Who knows what they will get done tomorrow.  We will see.

Walls & Grading

From the street

    I rode by this afternoon to see if anything was happening.  There was a digging machine,as well as the framing crew.  I met Steve up there after he got off work to see the progress.  Mr. Metts was still working moving lots of dirt around.  The walls had been started on the main floor, too.  We could not go up in there to see everything.  Shucks!!  We couldn't come back tonight either, because I had a meeting at the church, and Steve had some things to do at Elmgren Street.  Maybe we will go sometime tomorrow evening. Steve doesn't think that the roof will be on by this weekend.  With the hurricane headed our way, it might be a good thing that we don't have a roof yet, or is it? 

Jennifer and Brian had to take Jonah to Urgent Care because he had mosquito bites that had made him swell.  He was pitiful!  They came by here because he was crying to see Papa and Nini.  He felt better with tylenol and benadryl in him and being able to sit in Papa's lap for a while.  The doctor had also put him on an antibiotic.  He has a terrible reaction to mosquito bites. He will be over here tomorrow after I get home from school for a few hours until I have to go back to work. 



Jennifer's Birthday

Monday was Jennifer's birthday, and they all came to our house for supper.  We had a little birthday cake, and Jonah loved it when we sang "Happy Birthday" to his Mama.  He also loved his little piece of cake they let him have. We all had a really nice evening.  The only thing that could have made it better was if Josh had been there with us, too.

Jonah loved his piece of cake.  Papa cut him a little more with Mama & Daddy's permission.

Later, Papa and Jonah read books as Brian looks on or is he snoozing?

Papa and Jonah are trying to find the Choo choo show that Jonah loves.

They are watching the show in this picture.  It seems they both like it!   Jennifer and Brian have just about gotten the episodes memorized.  They are really happy when a new one is on.  Jonah wants to watch them a good bit.

Sub Floor

Nothing seemed to be happening this week.  Steve and I did not even ride up to the house last evening because we were at Elmgren working until 8:30.  I rode by there this afternoon to see if by chance something was going on.  It was!!! The framing crew was putting on a subfloor for our house!!  Wow!  We rode up tonight to see. This is the side of the house where the guest bedroom and bath are on the left side and the laundry room is on the right.   The section seen without a floor is the garage.

Steve is checking out the garage area.

This shot is from outside looking down the rec area.  They have not removed the wall braces yet but probably will soon. The dark area straight ahead is the room with house equipmant in it and the unfinished basement.

This opening toward the back will be the windows looking out from the guest bedroom into the woods.  This is the prettiest view right now.  Much of the dirt bank where Steve is will be moved, I think.  Where the concrete juts out will be the doors out of the rec room to a small deck or patio depending on the grade of the property when they move the dirt around.

Maybe by sometime next week, we will have walls and a roof!! 

Nice Surprise

Steve and I decided to ride up to the house even though we had been told the framers were not ours until Wednesday.  We got a lovely surprise!  They had put the floor trusses on yesterday.  That was exciting!!  Maybe today we will have sub-flooring.  It was crazy walking through all the rooms with that over us. It did give us a better idea of the room sizes.

The part sticking out in the back is the breakfast room area.  To the right of that is the guest bedroom.  On the left hand side of the breakfast area, is the screened porch and beyond that is the master bedroom.  I wonder when they will build the framing for the stairs going up from the lower level.  After the sub floor is put on the trusses, they will begin framing up the walls and putting on the roof.  I hope they will fill in the dirt around the foundation. Things are moving right along.

Jonah & Pine Island

We had a fun morning at Pine Island. After Jennifer returned from her doctor's appointment, I met them at Pine Island.  Jonah has been there but not to play in the sand and swim.  His face was precious when he realized that all that area was for him to play in. He was so cute when his feet hit the sand.  Jennifer has such good memories from our summers up there that she wanted to start them for Jonah.

Jonah liked the water, but he was not like his Mama when she was that age. We would take Jennifer over to Lake Hartwell when we lived at Clemson. She would keep jumping to keep her nose out of the water as she went deeper and deeper. 

Brian taught Jonah to build a sand castle.  As soon as Brian got it built, Jonah would knock it over.  They had a really good time. Jonah also ate sand!! MMMM.

Jonah on the big turtle, swings, and sliding boards.

                                                           Clean up time in the shower

 Jonah didn't mind as long as the water hit his hat and not his face.  We had a really good time.  Jennifer reminded me about Maw Maw sitting up under the big trees in the shade reading while we played in the water.  I had forgotten that.  Thank you Jennifer for remembering

I believe that Jonah will be ready to go back when we say we are going to Pine Island.

No house pictures as the framing crew was sent to a job to finish.  The other job had been waiting for the inspector, so in their down time, Dick sent them to our job to get started.  The crew will be back on our job in a few days full time, so things should really move along then. 

More Framing

I was shocked to see all they had done today.  Steve said he wasn't.  The pictures will tell all, so enjoy.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Steve said they may begin putting the trusses on.  Then all that will be tied together and the floor will go on and the 1st floor walls will go up. The roof will be put on and shingled.

Steve is standing at the corner of our laundry room.  There will eventally be a window near where he is.  On his right, is the door into the garage.

Maybe these will be placed tomorrow. It's weird to think that those are what we will be walking on as part of the floor.

Framing Has Begun



This evening after Jennifer and Jonah had supper with us and had gone on home, we decided to check on the lot to see what had  been done today.  The framers had gotten started.  Other boards had been delivered and work had started on the far end that is the lower level.  Looking down at the far end of the lower level, you can see the big opening in the middle that will be the doors to the small porch.  On either side, the openings will be for windows.  Steve says they will probably frame in the rest of the rooms before they put on the floor trusses.  Maybe by sometime next week, we will a floor.  All this is supposed to be done with a roof by Sept. 19 if they are on schedule and the weather cooperates.  Some friends of ours who built told us to really be sure to check on the framing to see if it was being done according to the plans.

Steve and I were really tired when we went to check on things.  We had gone to Bennett's Cabinets this morning.  I left the house at 9:00  for a 9:30 appointment and got there at 10:30.  I could see Steve's truck about 6 cars infront of me.  There had been a wreck at the Shop Road exit off I-77.  Every lane of traffic was blocked and all the lanes of traffic were being funneled off to Bluff Road.  It took forever.  Still, we had a really good meeting with Kenny, the owner.  He is going to change some things in his rendering of his first drawing of our kitchen and get a drawing to us in the next week.  He is so very nice to work with and has some great ideas. Steve and I both think tht the kitchen is really going to be pretty.

Maybe we will have more walls up tomorrow!!!

Trusses

This is from the other day at the lot.  Today Jonah went to the doctor because he was running fever at the daycare. He has yet,another ear infection so he will be over here tomorrow with his NiNi aafter I get back from the cabinet maker.

The trusses are in the yard and the framers may start later in the week.  These are for the floor. The crew our builder wanted for our house is on another job right now.

Our garage is taking shape!!To the left you can see where the door is going to be.

These bolts will help house together.  They will be attached to the floor trusses.