Lofty Progress

Now the loft is framed-- Lots and lots of pictures today.  (Thanks to my brother T. for taking them all.)

Sorting out the myriad of trusses.  Turns out that a few of them that were shipped to us were the wrong size, so there's been a few days' delay while we wait for the replacement ones. 

New view of the front of the house.  Like my chic blue curtains?  Everyone knows I'm not much of an interior (exterior?)  decorator...



Doorway into the School room.  I think.

Walking in the front door towards the living room (dodging some temporary bracing.)

Living Room view.  This ceiling (and several other rooms) are 17' tall.

Now I'm sitting on the imaginary couch, looking through the imaginary kitchen and laundry room, and out the nursery windows. 

Husband and my tall brother checking the view from the loft.  D. wishes that we didn't have to put walls and a roof around the loft, because it will definitely detract from the view up there...

On the same imaginary couch, now looking through the library and future patio door.

Future patio doors in the dining room.  This hill would be a great Olympic luge run.  Or it would at least buy me a few moments of quiet while the children sled down and have to walk 800' back up.



Laundry room taking shape.  Kitchen on the left and stair to the loft on the right.  Bathroom straight ahead.

Standing on the loft, looking out the living room windows.  (My youngest brother took all these pictures.  The guys won't let me up the ladder to the loft.  So the only way I can enjoy the supposedly gorgeous view from the loft, is the same way you are--from the blog.)

By the by, J. is planning a future addition of a "look-out tower" above the Loft, so we can re-capture the view that will be lost by adding a roof.  Mommy told him to get a part-time job. 

And then he asked Daddy where we will put the swimming pool.  The what?!? 

Looking from the loft into the nursery.  Garage on the Left.

Living room view again.  Sorry, now I'm repeating myself.

From loft out the "front door."

D. and tall brother M.

From Loft out the dining room.

Master Bedroom.

Bathroom (which will feel more private once we add walls and a ceiling and paint...)



Dining room into the Library.

Master Bedroom window.

Garage.

Front of the house again.

We've had quite a heat wave today.  Got to about 40 degrees.  Trust me-- it feels like a heat wave after last week's -40 windchill (and I'm not complaining, but this house is awfully drafty.) 

The boys are eager: we're hoping to round up some friends to go watch the crane (a real-live crane in our own front yard!  How cool is that?) set trusses on Wednesday.  I'll be sure to take some pictures for you.

More 1st Floor Framing



Looking into the library from the front entry.



Our view out the living room windows (and, consequently, out the roof.)

Library and living room again...



My Laundry Room is framed ('tis kind of reminiscent of a jail right now, but I plan to paint it a cheery color.)





These next few are of the front of the house-- Bathroom window on the Left; Schoolroom window on the Right; the tall section is the Living Room.



Mr. Builder working on the Loft above the Kitchen.

View from the Garage into the Schoolroom.

More Loft framing.





Temporary door added to the basement (by my favorite father-in-law and brother-in-law) to keep it "warm"er, so we can lay the radiant floor tubing as soon as possible.  We aren't supposed to work with the tubing below 50 degrees, and tomorrow we're facing a High of  -11 with a -40 windchill...  so heating the basement up by 90 degrees sometime soon might be a bit trixy. 

And all ya'll faithful readers in California, don't keep all the warmth to yourselves.

First Floor Framing



A lot has happened this week, despite some days off for Christmas and frigid windchills.  Here's the new view coming up the driveway.



My "little" brothers hanging Tyvek against the wind.

The bathroom.  (Still a little drafty.)



Giving family tours. 



My new schoolroom.  A few more walls will be necessary to keep the students corraled.  The front door is just on this side of the school room, and the stairs to the basement will be under the blue tarp.

Brothers looking out the future living room windows.

Master bedroom on Right; nursery on Left.  Our J. and A. got to help the builders raise one of those outside walls on Thursday.  Something they won't forget.

View out the front door.



See--  husband's garage is already cleaner. 



Pretty lawn ornament.

Grandpa getting a tour.  (Two engineers talking structure.)

'Twill be another short week, due to the New Years' holiday, and windchills at -25 degrees.  I know the builders are eager to keep moving; plans are to finish raising the outside walls as soon as the weather permits.

Meanwhile, we'll be taking the kids to some indoor mini golf and out-to-dinner; a welcome family day before everybody's back to work and school!

Going Vertical !

Well, the project was delayed a little bit due to Thanksgiving and weather, but we have made up for that this week.  This week we came out of the ground, and the basement is framed and the first floor is down.


Here you go-- this is the new view as we round the last bend of the driveway. 



Of course, all of this is the basement level:  the Top Left will someday be a bathroom.  The Right side will be bedrooms, and a mechanical room.



Here, from Left to Right, will be another bedroom, a playroom (boy, do the kiddos have plans for that one...  Methinks it won't be an ordinary playroom after they get done brainstorming...  We sometimes have to remind them that this project has a BUDGET!), and a storage room.  Right behind the ladder (which, I'm told will eventually be removed) will be the stairs up to the Main Level.)



Snow is scheduled to be removed from the basement tomorrow.

Here the builders are laying the decking on top of the basement.  I'm standing on the opposite side of the house now.  The man in the middle is standing right inside the front door; the stairwell is just to the left of him.

THIS is the messiest my husband's garage will ever be.  I promise. (I know him.)

Piles and piles and piles of trusses.  They came in all shapes and sizes, and it really looks as if there are enough to build a hotel.  I sure wouldn't have ordered this many trusses if I were doing the structural design.  But they didn't let me near the structural design. 

The kids and I did, however, get to help put all these tarps on.

One more view from the messy garage.  The kiddos got to help pick up trash today in the cold. 

The playroom windows from the outside.

Sorry it has taken so long to get you an update; but seriously, not much has happened since Thanksgiving.  We WERE planning to lay the pex tubing for the radiant heat, on Thanksgiving weekend, but that plan got postponed, and since then, we have been waiting for this lumber delivery to arrive.  Now, the framing is going fast, and we'll get back on top of the updates.  Monday, the guys will be starting the first floor framing, and plan to get all those trusses on in the week after that.

My Father-in-Law suggested a camping trip in the new basement.  Let me know if you want to reserve a campsite!  I'm personally waiting for the plumbing and heat and some carpet and windows and a bed...  : )

Back Fill



So, we finished the drain tile last week, and the plumber finished the under-slab plumbing.   Now, the excavator has been back to back-fill around the walls, and rough grade the yard.  This picture is taken from the garage, looking down into the basement.



View of the front yard from inside the garage.

View of the front yard out the front door.  We were disappointed that the house took up so much of the yard...  so we're planning to clear a couple more trees and level this into a nice playing yard (it's the only flat spot on our property, so far.) 



The basement floor is covered with thermal blankets to keep the ground from freezing to protect the new plumbing.



D, and his dad, and brother braved the frigid 20 degrees + heavy wind to bring the electricity closer to fruition.  The electric company had brought it from the road to the outside of the house.  Now, we've (they, in the heavy coats, rather) have brought the conduit from the outside panel to the inside panel.  I admit I was only out in the cold long enough to take the pictures for you.

In a couple of days, we'll be laying the pex tubing in the basement floor for the radiant heat.  Then, the basement can be poured and the framing can begin!