The roof is coming....

The house framing continues.  All of the rooms have been framed in.  Today they started in a vertical direction.  Rafters are starting to come out.  The front porch and back patio are coming allong.  Once all the rafters are in place, we will start seeing the roof go up. 

This is a view of the front porch.  A mini version of a wrap-around.  I can start to imagine the stone and wood columns.

 A view from the front door.  This view looks through the foyer into the great room and out the back with the pond in the view.

The rafters are starting to be put in place to support the coming roof.

This view is in our master bedroom.  The door at the back of the picture goes into our master bath.

Looking at the middle of our back porch into the great room with the foyer in the back.  The roofline boards are being put in place.

A side view from beside the garage looking at the back porch.  The foreground shows the outdoor kitchenbeing framed in. 



And The Walls Go Up!

The hammer and nails began firing today.  The framing has begun.  By late this evening approximately half the walls were propped up.  It was fun to get out and walk around and finally imagine what the rooms are going to look like.  I am worried about the size of some of the rooms as they seem small, but they match the measurements on the plans.  I guess I have a spacial visualization problem.  The funny thing is that the room that seems the biggest to me is our (Melissa's) closet.  Figures!  The framing is going to go fast with a roof planned in two weeks. 

We have a trip planned to Dallas on July 13th for plumbing fixtures and pool design.  Should be fun. 

We are learning a lot as we go.  I have had a crash course on post-tension cable slabs and now the types of studs used in the walls.  Trying to keep up with learning new things to make sure I understand everything.  James at ACH has been great at explaining things as well. 

Will keep everyone posted as more of the house takes shape.  

A Foundation to Build On!

As the sun came up this morning, the first concrete trucks rolled in at 6:00am.  James at ACH braved the early morning and sent this picture to us.  The boom was in place and ready to start pumping.

This was the scene when I finally made it out here at 7:30 this morning. Almost all the concrete was in place and the stamped concrete people were there waiting to get started on the back porch.

By lunch, the concrete was poured.  The trucks were gone.  Finishing touches were being put on the foundation and boards were already being removed. 





The back porch has had its first color put into the wet concrete and the stamp placed to simulate flagstone.  Later, they will come back and dye the individual "rocks" to look like real stone and then seal it near the completion of the house.

The foundation is complete.  The chalklines are in place for the walls and framing starts tomorow morning!

Pre-Pour Stage

We are getting excited.  Things are about to start taking shape.  The first load of lumber was delivered today. Several more loads to follow this afternoon and tomorrow.

The forms are complete.  The post-tension cables are run.  The floor plugs have been set in place.  Concrete starts pouring at 0600 in the morning.  Will try and get out and post some pics of the concrete boom truck.  The stamped concrete people will be here around 0800 tomorrow to start the back porch staining and stamping. 

James says that framing starts Friday and that there should be a roof on the house within two weeks!

Plumbing

Well, we got back from Alaska and the plumbing has been put in place.  Soon the foundation will be formed in and poured.  We are already overbudget on the front fence, but we really feel that the front entrance will enhance the overall aesthetic of the property.  It is hard to tell how big the rooms will be by just the foundation forms.  Can't wait to see it come together. 

Pad Complete

The house pad is officially complete.  Thanks to David Taylor for his great work.  We are probably on hold for a bit now.  The pad needs to be watered before forms are put in place.  Rain would be nice but the water meter will be put in next week.  Maybe forms by late next week or early the next.

 The second picture gives you an idea of the awesome view we will have out our back porch. 

Design Gallery Day

We just spent an entire day at the Design Gallery in Dallas to make choices about tile, lighting, flooring, countertops, etc....

Above is our master bath choices.

This is the pool bath selections.

This is what the back patio is going to look like.

This is the kitchen selections. 

It was an mentally exhausting day.  Hopefully all of our picks will come in on budget.  We plan on hand scraped wood floors mixed with the tile seen above in the kitchen selectons.  We picked all the light fixtures for the house today as well.  There are too many to post the pics here. 

Keep tuned as we hone these choices.