Windows!

Jay and I both planned trips to buy groceries today, today being the only day I would have time to do it. Since we don't live together yet (which sucks), we both have kitchens to supply. He beat me out the door this morning and sent a text telling me to make sure and take a side trip to Oak Haven on my way to Meijer.

Windows! I put on some very old shoes and took the camera.

Driving up, I noticed immediately that the porta potty was back and there were windows installed in the front of the house. Also, there was a Bobcat moving sand along what is eventually going to be the sidewalk to the side garage door.

The two windows on the left are the second bedroom that we will be using for an office. The two windows in the middle are the breakfast room.

It rained last night. It rained this morning. It's been raining everyday for at least a week now. Even in very old shoes, the mud was too deep to consider walking around in the yard.

I backtracked and headed out into the uncleared area of weeds to see how many windows were installed.

On the left side of the house there will be a window in the stairwell, but the opening hasn't been cut yet. We think they may be saving it to dump the cement in for the basement floor. Or maybe not.

We are not builders and we think many things that turn out not to be true.

The female crew member came out to seal around the front windows.

Walking through the weeds, I was able to see part of the back of the house. The two great room windows on the right and the four season room sticking out.

The other side of the four season room with the bedroom windows doesn't look like it's been done yet. And the basement windows aren't installed, either. Maybe that's where they're going to dump the cement into the basement.

Coming back to the front, I saw the two garage windows. The third window is in the master bedroom.

Not sure why the Bobcat is toward the back of the house. Shoots down my sand for the sidewalk theory. Maybe he's putting down sand so the workers can work in the mud.

I'm sure he knows what he's doing even if I don't.

Shingled Roof

Since it rained steady all morning, we didn't expect to see any progress since our last visit on Friday afternoon.

Surprise! The crew took advantage of the clear skies on Saturday and we have a shingled roof.

Also, the wrap is cut out of the garage door and there is a large pile of sand in our future driveway. Guessing the sand is the base for more cement work.

Way too muddy to walk around the house and check out how much is shingled, but driving down H Avenue we can see the back of the almost completed roofing job.

Visible Roof Lines

The late Friday afternoon visit to Oak Haven was very exciting. Not hard to do. We're excited every time we go out there.

The trusses are all up and the sheathing is on, showing the roof line and shaping our new house into the home it will become.

The crew got a lot of work done between rain storms. There is only one small spot in the back still roofless.

Two new additions to the front yard: a porta potty and a huge trash container. Both very classy.

The neighbors moved in several weeks ago but we haven't met them yet. We haven't even seen them yet. Their landscaping started a few days ago and we have new property markers between our lots.

We are puzzled over the Wraptor paper around the lower part of the garage. Is it different from the top paper? Or did they just switch brands? And why did they 'wrap' the garage door opening? We can guess, but we don't know.

It was too muddy to walk around the house and take more pictures, but I did walk up to the front door and take a picture of the inside.

Progress on Trusses and Sheathing

Before our Monday morning meeting with Kelli, the amazing builder lady who helps us know what we want, we drove a little way down from her office to see what was happening at the house.

A crane and two men working on the roof. A good sign

There was sheathing going up as well as some of the remaining trusses.

I called the sheathing 'sheeting' because it looked like sheets of board to me, but my sometimes smarter half told me the proper name was 'sheathing'. He knew that because he read the word stenciled on the pile of sheathing sitting on the ground.

The meeting lasted three hours. We did go back and see the house one more time, but we were too hungry to linger so I took a few pictures out the car window.

The men are still up there working. It is very high and there isn't much to stand on. It is also very hot.

How do they do that?

Tuesday afternoon we went back for another look. I got out of the car to take a few pictures.

Front view.

Back view.

View of the cathedral ceiling in the four season room taken through a window.

Today, Wednesday, we didn't have time to drive out and the weather was mostly thunderstorms. Guessing not much got done today, but we are usually surprised at the amount of progress.

Kelli is talking about having the house enclosed soon and giving us a key to go in whenever we want.

Trusses Are Mostly Up

Saturday afternoon checking of the house/condo found a crane on site and at least two-thirds of the roof trusses in place.

I know it's a little early, but now I can imagine living here.

On the left side of the picture we can see the overhang for the front porch.

The four season room on the back of the house has a cathedral ceiling. This was a last minute change from the original plans, and I'm hoping we will be able to heat the room to a comfortable temperature in the winter.

Peeking in the basement window from the back of the house.

Still in the back of the house on the other side of the four season room, Jay is checking out the shade in the area that will eventually be our deck and his second kitchen.

On the mostly south side of the garage looking up at more trusses.

Still the mostly south side of the house behind the garage. That's our bedroom window, but today we're admiring the trusses up above it.

One last look as we drive off to try and figure out how we are going to get home through all the road construction. This picture was taken on H Avenue.

Garage Framed In

The entire house is framed and sheathed now. Have no idea if 'sheathed' is the right term to use, but 'sheathing' is the word that's stenciled on the wood used to make the outside walls solid.

The front of the garage is new.

There are a few framing things left - an additional window to be cut in the stairwell and a half wall separating the great room and the stairwell to be built. Other than that, we think we're ready for the trusses.

This is a front to back picture. I was standing in the breakfast room looking back through the kitchen, the dining room, and the four season room.

First Time Ever in New House

This evening when we went out to check on the house, the first thing we noticed was evidence of more work completed. A garage wall was up.

As the last workman was leaving, we decided to go inside and look around.

We went into every room and looked in every closet. Some rooms looked larger than we had imagined. Some rooms appeared a bit smaller than we had imagined. In general, we were very excited and happy with the floor plan and room sizes.

The two windows below are in the great room and look out the back of the house.

The lord of the manor standing in his house for the very first time.

Throwback Thursday for June 5

Staging area for the Doo-Dah Parade in Kalamazoo, 2004.

Fun dog Pappy and I marched in formation with the Briarwood (doggy school) Beach Bums. The dogs, dressed for the beach, did obedience and tricks on the parade route. If I remember correctly, this was the year Briarwood won second place.

Pappy didn't like the sunglasses very much. I told him if he would wear them until the end of the parade, I would never make him wear them again. I kept my promise.

Pappy is on old old dog now, but he still has plenty of love to give.

Walls With Window Holes

We drove out to Westport Village about four this afternoon.

As we drove up we could see activity and progress. Many more walls have gone up and all the trenches have been backfilled.

We ignored the mud and took a walk around our house.

On the right, mostly south side of the house we can see where our bedroom window will be.

Looking down the back of the house we can see the four season room sticking out. The door opening will be the door to the deck.

Getting a little muddier, we walked to the back. The three transom windows are in the master bedroom. The full size window is in the flex room/hobby room.

A closer look at the four season room with its door to the deck.

If you've read this far, you may be interested in knowing if you click on any of these pictures they enlarge so you can see much more detail.

That's the back of Jay standing in the mud and admiring the back, mostly east, windows of the four season room.

Slogging on across the back of the house, these two windows are in the great room.

Here is a bit of a problem. There is supposed to be a stairwell window on the mostly north side of the house. Since we just finalized the size of this window yesterday, we figured the specs hadn't caught up with the building crew yet. When we got home Jay sent an email about it to Kelli, the amazing lady who helps us know what we want.

We looked around the inside from the breakfast area window in the front of the house. We could see the outlines of several rooms and closets.

The people working on our house are very friendly. The woman invited us to come on in, but we decided we would rather go in the first time when we won't be in the way and we can be alone.