Bummer Weather

The winter weather has been a bummer this week. Jackie's Christmas Concert was canceled on Tues. night, and so was Josie's Girl Scout Christmas Party. Then Thurs. Jackie's Winter dance was canceled. I went to the grocery store (along w/ half of Peoria) after work on Thurs. I stopped by the house just to see. Looks like the only thing that has been there this week is bunnies and birds.

There is a lot of snow inside the house. I hope this doesn't mess up the subfloor. Steve is worried about the Tyvek. He thought it shouldn't be put up until it was going to be covered with siding. I don't know, but at this rate we aren't getting a roof and siding for a while.

Friday is a snow day!!! Thank goodness ICC canceled. That is what they base the closure of the Lab on.

We've had a good day. Still in our pjs. I've been on the computer for a lot of the day. I'm getting addicted to Facebook. Having fun catching up w/ old friends.

We made stained glass cookies. Yum! I would like to make a couple other batches, but I think I am running out of time. I need to start cleaning and wrapping.

This is all the batches that I have made so far. Peppermint bark, lemon bars, toffee, oatmeal raisin, fudge, peanut butter, raspberry bars and stained glass cookies. It has been hard to keep enough to make cookie plates for next week.

I may not make any blog entries until after Christmas, so I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!!

#$%^$# Snow

I haven't been to the house since Sunday. I can pretty much bet there hasn't been work done. Dog gone it! Why didn't we get started earlier, so it could be enclosed by the time winter came. I think it came early. It doesn't actually start until Sunday. I think it is going to be a long one.

Since I can't take any pics of the building progress, I'll show you what we picked out for our garage door. Steve ordered it yesterday from Fleming in Bartonville. The door is a Carriage House Door, and the windows were a compromise. Steve wanted arched and I wanted square. This one has both. He had wanted it to be Sandstone colored like the siding, but I (and I got Dan's opinon to back it up) said it should be white. All the other trim is white. I hope everything looks good when it is all together.

Looks like the weather will probably put everything on hold until after Christmas, but I will probably go and check it out anyway.

O Christmas Tree

Friday Steve and I went out for breakfast after dropping the girls off at the schools. First we stopped at the house. (We decided that we can't say "we are stopping at the lot" anymore, because it is actually looking like a house.)

This the center view of the trusses over the great room.

The boards inside were slippery w/ ice, but this weekend should take care of that. This is a view of the back. Our bath is covered. I'm ready for the tub!

The girls and I stopped after church, and it was very muddy. I wish the temperature could be like this during the week when the guys are working. They have been working on the roof of the garage.

This is a view looking up from my bathroom. Not much daylight showing anymore. It was actually kind of dark in there. It is fun to hear the girls talk about their rooms. How exciting for them to see how it happens.

Before we left, I lifted the very heavy board over the basement hole, and there were stairs. I restrained myself from going down. I don't know how long I can hold off. Maybe I'll go over when Dan is there and see if I can go down. I just want to see how big the basement is.

This week I need to call and order the garage door. I was going to do it last Thurs., so it would arrive 12/29, but I wanted to make sure Steve and I are in agreement on the garage door windows. If I order before Thurs. the door will be in 01/05. Dan said this was fine.

We finally put up a tree on Saturday. Steve went and got it Friday, and it is kind of a Charlie Brown tree. Once you get all the ornaments on, you can't even see the holes.

The girls look so pretty. I'm finishing up cards, so I needed a pic to stuff in the last of them. Thank goodness for our photo printer, so I don't have to order more at Target.

Keep your fingers crossed for us this week. We need a good weather week to get the roof finished.

Roof

Here is a colorized version of the web pic of our home. Steve played w/ photoshop and changed the colors, so we could get an idea of what it might look like. I put a watercolor filter on it to make it kind of artsy. You can click on it and make it larger.

By the time I got to the house on Wed. at 2 pm, they had finished lifting the trusses. Everything is up except the peaks on the center roof.

Okay it didn't show up in the picture, but a neighborly practical joke is written on the tyvek. It says "Get back to work!" and there is a smiley face. I was asked by Ron if I had written it. Umm no was my response. I would love to know how many neighbors have been through the house. A hidden camera would be great. Anyone know where I could get a spy camera? I could probably use it later on to keep an eye on the girls next summer.

View from the back yard: The guys started putting up the plywood. I'm sure they probably got a lot done on Thurs., because it was nice out. I worked later harvesting a fermentor, so it was too dark on my way home. Steve wants to go in the morning. He has the day off, because he has to work this weekend.

They attached some scaffolding right to the walls. It was kind of slippery on Wed. after the snow on Tues. I think Dan worked on the basement stairs also. I can't wait to go downstairs. I'll do another post this weekend to show how much they have progressed on the roof. It will be nice to keep the snow out.

Trusses

This is my second blog tonight. I had pictures on two cameras. What do you think of my paperwhites?

2 pm on Monday: I really wanted to see the crane. Awesome!!!! The roof looks huge. And flat? I saw Dan and he said that there is another piece that goes on top that is pointed. Why does it look gi-normous?

This is the side view. It was 40 degrees today, so it was nice and muddy. The guys were caked up to there knees. Five guys total working. 1 on the crane, 2 on the ground, and 2 on the roof.

Dan and Ryan are attaching the engineered truss to the crane's chains.

Up it goes. Look at the size of that. The front part is the porch, and then the little triangle is the vaulted ceiling for the dining room.

Here's is an artsy view from the garage.

This is the back porch. The roofs (sp) on the back rooms will probably go on tomorrow plus the garage roof. This might be delayed because of bad weather. Who knows what it will be like tomorrow.

This is the 2 guys on the roof. They are having a time trying to get the truss by these tree branches. I bet Dan is glad we took down the big oak. It would have really been in the way.

This is the end truss, and it is turned the wrong way. Dan and Ryan have to get it turned around before it can be lifted.

And the crane operator has to be careful of the overhead power lines. Yikes!! He did touch it a couple times. I'm sure the neighbors would not have been happy to lose power.

The end truss is being lifted into place. This is the view from across the street. The neighbor from this house came out and introduced himself, Walter Keister (sp). It will be nice to have a roof. Keep watching.

Sheathing and Tyvek

Monday Dec. 1 - the guys worked on the sheathing today. Jackie's room is enclosed and Josie's room is mostly enclosed. There is a little snow inside the house. I see they brought a shovel to get some of it out.

This is the view from the backyard. Our bedroom and bath, on the right, are enclosed by the sheathing. Ooooh, the rooms are taking shape.

I stopped Wed. night in the snow to take these pics. BRRRRR!! The garage is enclosed, and everything else except the back wall of the great room.

This shot is of the kitchen and dining room. I'm still not able to envision it.

Sunday, Josie wanted us to stop after church. Looks like on Friday they wrapped the house in Tyvek.

Look! Both cars will fit. Gives me chills. Am I crazy for being excited about a garage??

A small area that wasn't wrapped. Steve is checking it out. He hasn't looked at it all week. He sees it by way of my pictures.

Oh No Snow!

Friday we didn't go anywhere. Jackie, Josie, Cassie and Harry just played together all day. I wondered if the guys worked on Friday. So Sat. after we met Erik and Tami in Lasalle and had lunch at IHOP, the girls and I stopped at the lot around 2:45. All of the inside framing was done, except a couple walls in the master bath. This the back of the great room looking out onto the porch. There will be a inswing glass door and two sidelights that fill this space.

I thought this pic would flip, but it didn't. You get the idea. Josie is pumped about her closet. This is going to be a great improvement from her 9x9 room and ~3 ft. closet. I'm looking forward to putting a lot of her toys in here.

Sunday it snowed. I thought this is going to slow down progress, but when I talked to Dan today, he said the guys worked for 1/2 a day. They put up some sheathing. This is Jackie's room and it is enclosed. Josie's is partially. The master bed and bath are mostly enclosed. Now they are feeling like actual rooms. With snow in them!

I have issues. I saw this board in the framing for my bedroom wall. A few of the other boards have some blemishes too. Wouldn't you use this board to cut up for shorter pieces under windows?? You know, cut out the bad part. Steve says I'm being too critical, but if I were doing this job, I wouldn't use a piece like this. "You are not ever going to see this." But I know it is there. Of course most people don't know what their framing looks like. There were a lot of nice looking pieces still in the wood pile. It's fine. Not everything is going to be perfect!!!

I trudged into the back yard to get this pic at 4:45 pm Monday. It is looking more and more like a house. Dan dropped off the first Contractor's Verified Statement to be signed by us after looking at what is being paid out. He's going to CEFCU to get his 1st payout of ~48K. Goodness the basement was expensive. All the digging and concrete and framing lumber. I wonder if the trusses will get up this week. I hear snow is in the forecast for Wed. I should ask Dan if we are on track to be finished in April. I'm thinking May. Watch this site for trusses. I'm hoping to catch the crane there.

Too much Turkey!!

I'm getting behind. Framing started on Monday. This is the left side of the house. In the back is the master bath, then the master bedroom, then the kitchen and the front is the dining room.

This is the master bedroom window to the North (overlooking Mr. Tookey's green garage). I hope this looks okay when the window gets put in. We changed this from 2 double-hungs on either end of this wall to this awning type window centered and up higher. We are thinking of putting our bed underneath. We don't have a headboard, so it will fit fine.

This is my casement window over the kitchen sink.

Tuesday - They finished the front: the dining room window, front door and laundry window. The back of the garage is done too and the window for Josie's room.

This is the side view of the master "suite". I called and left a message for Dan today, because Steve and I have decided what kind of doors we want for our walk-in closets. The person who drew up our plans put in the symbol for sliding doors, and my dad suggested bi-fold. I don't like either of those. I just want a regular door. He called me back Wed. and we discussed it. I have a hard time visualizing what Dan is trying to tell me over the phone. Something about the width of the clothes hangers and the door will hit them. He is going to move the doors to the side of the closet nearest our room, so there is space for the doors to open in. Whatever makes it work. He also asked me about the bathroom. They are getting ready to frame the inside of the master bath for the toilet area and the shower area. Space is tight for the pocket door for the toilet area, so he wants to move the walls over a bit. He was asking if we were going to put in a fiberglass shower or tile. Steve wants tile. Steve and I talked about it, and decided whatever Dan wants to do is fine, because we don't have a clue.

Here is our front door. Wed. after work I drove over to LS in Morton where my dad works. We put in the order for the front door and sidelight, the outside garage door and the door from the garage to the house.

Steve and I had made these decisions ahead of time, but then the salesperson was asking me about color of hinges and door sill and handles. My head hurt afterwards. I hope everything looks okay.

Thurs. after eating lunch at Grandma Ruth's, we drove over to the house, so Tami could see. They had finished the girls' rooms, bathroom, and hallway. A lot of the other interior walls were up. Here Jackie and Cassie are looking out Jackie's window.

Steve and Erik are coming in the front door.

Josie and Harry are playing king of the hill on the remaining pebble pile.

These are the roof trusses. Dan said these will be set up next week. Cool beans!!

I bet today they finished the inside: the back wall of the great room, the stairwell to the basement, the walk-in closets, and the master bath and other bath inside walls. It was a beautiful day to work, but I wonder how many hours they put in the day after Thanksgiving. I'll run over this weekend sometime after I take Harry and Cassie home.