Collin's baseball game














After work Cheryl and I went to the house site -- she cleaned up wood and nails and trash and I hauled dirt with the tractor to backfill around the poured walls. I am getting the dirt from excavating the silt pond (small one below the house). We left early this evening to go to Collin's baseball game -- first one this season. Collin played the "pitcher's mound" position and had several HOT grounders--one of them gave him a zinger on the arm.












Doors and Windows!


The framers did not work yesterday, but they were back today as the doors and windows were delivered (at least MOST of them were-- we still need three windows and one set of doors). The first photo is from inside the dining room looking through the window. The second photo is the same window from the outside. Notice scaffolding in upper left built today to install the big glass windows in the vaulted area.
Cheryl is in the great room inspecting the view side doors.
This is on the deck looking at the view doors and windows in the great room.
This is the entry side door -- only entrance from the drive way and garage except for the steps to the screened porch (not yet constructed).

Cheryl's Posting

I'm giving Larry a little break today and entering my first post! Even though the framers didn't work yesterday, Ron and his crew got a lot done. As you can see, they built the frame for the jacuzzi in the master bathroom, and started work on the fireplace. (Don't know why this is underlined and I can't get it off, so just ignore it!)


Allison went with us yesterday to check progress and to work on clean-up, and the three of us enjoyed a picnic supper on what will be our screened porch. In this picture, she and I are admiring the view from the deck. Notice that we're not very close to the edge! I'll be glad when they get the real railing up!







Interior work last week

The first photo is taken from the loft and shows the two trapezoidal windows on either side of the middle window.
The second photo shows work in the loft. The triple window shown is over the front porch -- actually the entry porch which is on the back of the house. Remember, the road snakes around the house to the front door.

The third photo is taken from the kitchen looking into the great room.

Back in town

We have been in Jacksonville for a missions conference for NAME. It rained on Friday for only the second time since we started construction--1 1/2 inches. We are 26 inches short this year over last year, so we really needed the rain. But our house got wet--not too much since the roof is blacked in. While we were away the screened porch has been framed out, the chimney has been added, and the view side has been completely framed.

The framers should finish their work this week. Plumbing is almost complete and electrical and HVAC will begin soon. The roofers will get started on the metal roof this week and it should be completed in less than two weeks. The roof will be a dark brown color.



A truck with the windows and exterior doors came to the work site on Friday, but with the rain the hill was so muddy it could not get up to the house, so it will come back on Monday.

Long lapse in posting

Sorry that I have been so long in making more posts. Our IMPACT 360 (http://www.impact360.net/) students arrived last week and we were busy all week with orientation and a retreat up here at WinShape -- ropes training.

















The house is "dryed out" at this stage. The dormers were constructed this week and they have started the screened porch. After the porch is completed they will finish the deck railing and then install doors and windows.

We are getting bids on installing the Hardie board siding and the metal roof. We have had some difficulty getting decent bids. We have had a couple subs who really did not want to do the job because of the height --or at least the impression that they are higher on the side of the mountain--so they jacked up the estimate. The framers said that after they got accustomed to the feeling of being up so high, they enjoyed the view.

New view--the front!


















We were able to leave Pine Mt. earlier today than we anticipated, so we arrived in Rome before dark. I don't know why I have not thought of this before, but I climbed the ridge in "front" of the house and took these photos. It gives a new perspective of the house.
The framers will complete decking on the other side of the roof over the next two days. The flooring of the deck is complete as well as the flooring of the screened porch. Plumbing work is going on in the basement as the framers are working upstairs.
The garage will be built to the right of the house (see top photo)-- detached garage -- in front of the tree.

New Students at IMPACT 360/no postings

Sorry we have not posted in several days, but we are in Pine Mountain for orientation of our new 16 students at IMPACT 360. Our students come from nine states from California to Pennsylvania. A great mix of students from diverse backgrounds and it is going to be another exciting year.

We will be back in Rome tonight and will have a post up on Thursday. The framers are working on the decking on the roof. We have had some difficulty with getting an estimate within our range for the metal roof. The subs say that the steep roof is a factor -- and it seems even more steep on the side of the hill.

Kitchen's first cleaning

Cheryl and I spent about 6 hours at the house site today cleaning up trash, burning wood scraps, cleaning up wet sawdust and water in the house (from the first rain since we started the house a month ago -- 1/2 inch), picking up nails (the sub-contractors waste a lot of material), and other cleanup work.



















Hopefully, Cheryl will not have to use the shovel to clean her kitchen again. That's wet sawdust! The door to the left is the "front door" at the back of the house where we will later build the garage. You can just see the lower corner of the pantry in the upper right of the photo.

The view of the house is looking up under the deck (not the first level just above the windows--that's just scaffolding for building the deck). Remember the deck is about 13 feet from the ground.

















Cheryl is also giving the great room its first vacuuming. She says that the contractors are going to think she is strange -- but there was sawdust and nails everywhere!

Starting the deck

We were back on the construction site today after my hand surgery yesterday -- second surgery in five weeks; first one didn't work! The first photo here is of the west side with the screened porch. It will tie into the deck which you can see in both photos as it begins to take shape. They are building the deck now so they can use it to move decking more easily to the roof. The workmen are standing on the porch. Cherly is sitting in the Kubota waiting for me to take the photos.

It is hard to get a photo of the "view side" (north) unless we rent a helicopter. All our photos will be below the house from that side.

another view



This is the view from the road coming up to the house. It was taken just below the small "silt pond." The black fences are slit fences that he county requires. We cleared out all the brush to make a pasture -- lots of work left before it will actually be a pasture (maybe in a year or so).

We are headed to Pine Mt. this afternoon and I won't be posting more pics until Tuesday.