Brick work has started (week 7.1)

Today was exciting as we were able to see the brick we chose being installed on the house. We both really like it! The mortar looks dark gray, however it will dry a lighter color. It took the brick masons all morning to set up scaffolding, put plastic over the windows and doors to protect them, and get all of their equipment ready to go. They started in the back of the house and worked there way up approximately 4 feet high on the back and one side wall.

The electricians spent most of the day wiring the basement. We will leave the basement mostly unfinished, however they are wiring for basic lighting and a few receptacles in each room. I also had them fully wire my basement workshop including five fluorescent light fixtures, receptacles all the way around, and separate circuits for my 220V welder and air compressor. They did have to do some rework this morning after we noticed they installed 6" can lights for the accent lights in our bedroom and the formal dining room. During our walk through they suggested and we agreed that 4" can lights would look best for accent lighting.

I spent the weekend and today pulling wire for various applications. Over the weekend I ran speaker wire in the walls for home theater speakers in the den and bonus/media room. Today I ran 22/4 security wire to each of the windows and doors on the main floor for an alarm system. I pulled over 600ft of wire and it looks like the 1000ft I purchased will not be enough. Last night I ordered HDMI cables to route all of the major TVs to a central video distribution system. This will allow us to watch a Blue-ray movie or our DVR from any of the major TVs without having equipment at each TV.

The excavators hauled dirt all day to back fill the garage and front yard. Luckily Valley Building Supply (approximately 1 mile away) is digging out a bank of dirt to make room to expand and needed to get rid of a bunch of fill dirt. A dump truck ran non-stop all day today hauling in the fill dirt. Tim made good progress back-filling the garage when he realized the skid steer he was using stop moving forward. He looked to his right and noticed the culprit was his rear tire was sitting on the ground five feet away. The axle snapped off cleanly, which looked like a defective part to me. With some assistance from the backhoe that was supporting the back-filling effort, Tim was able to negotiate the broken skid steer out of the garage and on to level ground for repairs. Luckily the backhoe was able to keep spreading the dirt that continued to be delivered across the front yard. Even though a significant amount of dirt was brought in and the yard is much closer, there is at least another days worth of dirt hauling and leveling needed to get the yard in the shape it needs to be.

Windows, electrical, and shingles (week 6.5)

Week six and a half and we have seen some significant changes! We have enjoyed three days of sun and mid fifties which still hasn’t dried everything out from all the rain we have received, however it has been perfect weather for roofing. This morning the roofers finished installing the shingles. My neck hurts for the guy who draped pack after pack of shingles across his shoulders, put his head down and climbed a ladder all day supplying shingles to the two guys nailing them down. Windows were delivered and installed on Monday. Two windows were cracked somewhere between the factory and being installed, however the sashes can easily be replaced and are on their way from the factory. All of the windows are “Low E”, meaning they are energy efficient due to a coating that keeps out UV light. I heard yesterday that our front door arrived at Valley Building Supply and was supposed to be delivered today, however it was not onsite when we left this evening. The electricians started on Monday by installing all of the electrical boxes. All of the electrical receptacles on the main floor will be located in the baseboards and we specified one receptacle under each window. We will also have receptacles under the eaves of the front of the house for Christmas lights. Katie and I did a walk through Monday night and adjusted the placement of some of the receptacles and added a few in locations we didn’t feel had enough. Before leaving the job site this evening we had three large trucks pull up to deliver 25,000 bricks and a load of sand for the mortar. The brick is Jefferson Wade Tudor and we will use a classic gray mortar with traditional finish. Kim told us that colored mortar (i.e. buff or red) tends to date a home versus gray which has been popular for years. We got lucky with the brick because the local plant in Spring City just started making Jefferson Wade Tudor in November and General Shale had it on sale to promote the color in this area. We were able to really save on both the cost of the brick and the cost of shipping since it was made locally. The brick masons inspected the house on Monday and plan to start work next Monday. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve so I don’t expect there to be any more progress this week. I have spent the last two days on the job site cleaning, providing input on electrical work, and preparing for some trim work I plan to do later on. Katie and I couldn’t be happier with the progress and how the house is looking. We can’t wait to see the brick on the house to see how it looks. Merry Christmas!

Framing is complete! (week 6)

This week was plagued with cold temperatures and rain which slowed down progress. The framers were able to complete the roof decking and roof underlayment. Roofers showed up on Friday to start installing shingles, however the 38 degree temperature and blowing rain turned them away. The framers spent the day working inside finishing up some of the details like the tray ceiling in the master bedroom. They also removed the majority of the temporary bracing and started cleaning up the interior. Thursday, the excavators dropped of a skid steer to start back filling the front yard and the front porch. Friday we met with the electrician to do a walk through for placement of outlets and light fixtures.

Christmas is Thursday this week and there is rain in the forecast for Wednesday. I am hoping the roofers can get the roof installed before the rain gets here. Tim has told us they will try to install the upstairs bathtub/showers before the windows are installed. The windows were scheduled to be delivered on Monday. The electrician is scheduled to start Monday as well so I expect the job site will be busy with so many crews working.

The roof is getting close (Week 5)

Week 5 and the second floor has been framed out and the roof is over half complete. The framing crew told Tim they will be finished, including putting shingles on the roof by Wednesday of next week. I told Tim that we would like to use Tamko Heritage 30 year architectural shingles in Weathered Wood color. Valley Building Supply said this is one of their most popular shingles and they have them in stock.
Yesterday Katie met with Kim McClellan from Just So Decorating in Maryville at General Shale Brick in Knoxville. We still haven't finalized a brick color but we are really close. We have worked with Kim to help us pick colors in our last home and look forward to working with her again. We wanted to get her input early in the process to make sure the exterior and interior look flows well. We will need to finalize the brick color next week to make sure it is available over the next few weeks for the brick masons to start their work. We will also be meeting with the electrician next week to start laying out the outlet and switch locations.

Basement and first floor walls are up! (week 4)

End of week 4 and the basement and first floor walls are up. We woke up Saturday morning to a nice blanket of snow outside. That didn't slow down the framers as they were working when I arrived on-site around 9am. By the end of the day all of the first floor interior and exterior walls were up except for one part of the back wall which I had them do over to fix the quantity of windows and one garage wall. It's good to finally see the size of all of the rooms on more than just paper. Once we saw the location of walls and windows we had them eliminate a window in the laundry room, due to a previous addition of a door, and a window in the bedroom. The basement workshop turned out very nice with 650 sq ft of space with a window, garage door, and exterior entry door. Katie is excited about the kitchen, keeping room, and den. I have spent a lot of time on-site the last two days watching the framing work. It has been interesting watching them build 12ft tall walls in the snow and mud. The crew seems to be very conscientious about their work, correcting mistakes when noticed. The framing crew asked if they could work Sunday due to rain being in the forecast two days this coming week. If they work I expect them to get the second floor joist put in place to allow the start of the second floor framing. Katie and I also picked out our front entry door on Friday. It is an 8ft tall fiberglass door stained and textured to look like mahogany with a 14in side light on each side. The door has 3/4 length glass with black caming that matches the slight arch shape of the front windows. On Black Friday Sears had the refrigerator we were wanting for around $1000 off so we purchased it, which almost finishes out appliance selection. We couldn't be more excited right now!

Ready to start framing (week 2.5)

Work finished up early this week with the Thanksgiving holiday. Rough-in plumbing for the basement was completed on Monday which allowed for the concrete floor to be poured and finished on Tuesday. They came back Wednesday and cut the relief joints in the concrete. The block walls were filled with concrete on Wednesday with the aid of a concrete pumping rig. You can see Tim and the concrete crew filling the wall in the picture above. Our first lumber delivery is scheduled for this Saturday to allow framing to start on Monday. Tim has told us that he expects the house to be "in the dry" in three weeks. Amazing! The next few weeks should show some exciting progress with the house literally taking shape before our eyes.

Block work is complete! (Week 2)

All of the basement and foundation block work was completed today! The exterior of the block walls were coated in Drylok and then a coat of foundation tar and felt paper. Two more loads of gravel were delivered today and spread through the basement floor. Drainage tile was placed along the footers and they started back filling with gravel. A significant amount of fill dirt will be needed in the 3 car garage, front porch, and to level out the front yard since the front of the house was built up to ensure proper water drainage. Plans were finalized on the location of bathrooms in the basement so the plumber can begin laying out the drain piping in the basement on Monday. The hope is to pour the concrete basement floor by mid week next week so the framers can begin some time around Thanksgiving. Interior basement walls were also finalized this week so the first floor trusses can be ordered. Floor trusses will be used so the majority of the HVAC, electrical, and plumbing can be run in the truss which will preserve at least 8ft ceiling height in the basement. Hopefully we will have good weather early next week so the concrete can be poured prior to Thanksgiving. According to the bank we are 6% complete within the first two weeks!

Basement walls are going up (week 1)

Monday was a big day this week as Tim prepared for rain on Tuesday. The excavators dug the footers, rebar was installed, the footers were inspected, and concrete was poured. A load of gravel was also delivered and placed in the basement floor to control the mud. It rained non stop from Monday night through early Wednesday morning. The layout was repined on Wednesday along with deliveries of block, mortar, and sand. The masons started laying the block on Thursday morning followed by all day Friday. Currently we have seven courses of block on one side of the house and most of the front of the house. Ultimately we are looking at approximately 13-14 courses of block so we are less than half way done with the exterior basement walls. Friday, Katie and I spent some time looking at front entry doors, windows, and brick. So far, brick is posing to be the most difficult choice we have had to make. We still haven't decided on a brick but we have narrowed it down to a brown or a medium red tone.

We broke ground!

After pressuring the bank for 5 weeks, the appraiser finally finished his report which let the bank finish with underwriting the loan. Today, we took the next big step by breaking ground! I was amazed at how dark and rich the soil was. They finished digging the basement in one day and the plans are to bring in a backhoe on Monday to dig the footers. The basement will be block filled with concrete. The basement wall will be approximately 4 feet above the current front yard height which will place it level with the street. The front yard will be filled in and leveled at a later date. To make up some time, a second framing crew has been lined up to complete all of the framing in approximately one week. I expect the next three weeks will show significant signs of progress. We're just glad we finally got started!

New Appliances

After several weeks of researching appliances in preparation for a future purchase we ran across a deal we couldn't pass up. We went around to several of the big box stores to start looking after church this afternoon. When we got home we saw a Sears add that said all Kenmore ovens were %50 off and cook tops were %30 off. I called to verify the add and found that it was truelly ALL Kenmore cooking appliances. Consumer reports lists Kenmore as having the least number of repairs and a CR best buy in the wall oven and cook top categories. So we decided on a Kenmore Elite double covection wall oven and a Kenmore elite 5 burner gas stove, both in stainless.

Still no update on the bank finishing up the loan. Appears the appraisal company is still making excuses on why they can't finish their report. Hopefully the report will get finished up this week...

We have power and water!

We now have power and water, at least on a temporary basis. Sweetwater utilities board has set a new transformer, which is located on the corner of our lot. A temporary meter and disconnet were installed on the side of the transformer to support construction activites. A new water meter has also been installed and capped off.

A surveyor has staked out the corners of the lot and the location of the house on the lot. Roger (?), a surveyor with GPS locating surveying equipment, optimized the position of the house on the lot based on the size and shape of the lot and water runoff. This will help ensure that there are no water issues in the basement. The house is placed approximately 50' from the road on the front, 25' on the side with the garage, and 16' from the opposite side.

The only thing holding up ground breaking at this point is the closing of the construction loan. The bank reported today that the appraiser has not completed his report, after two and a half weeks, and their management was contacted to force the completion of the report. Once the appraisal is completed there is another three days worth of underwriting before the paperwork can be forwarded to the closing officer. Hopefully by this time next week we will have a firm closing date!

Lot 19 Clover Hill

We took the first step of purchasing the lot on 10/2/09 and we received a set of 5 blueprints from Frank Betz on the same day. On 10/4/09 we met our builder Tim Sally at the lot and walked the lot to get a good idea on how the house would set on the lot. Lot 19 is wedge shaped with approximately 100ft at the street and fanning out towards the back with over 150ft of tree line and backing up to Hwy 11. The lot gently slopes down from the street toward the highway, perfect for building a two story home with a walkout/driveout basement. The lots on each side of us are empty and our friends Jason and Jennifer Dacus live two lots over.

Tim told us he would start taking some initial steps while we wait on the closing of our construction/perm. loan. We hope the loan will close later this week, if not next week at the latest. Tim will start this week by tentatively staking out the lot and a rough house placement, requesting temporary electrical service, and permits. It seems like both Tim and Katie/I are eager to get started as soon as possible. I learned this week that October is supposed to be the dryest month of the year so we are eager to "get the house in the dry" as soon as possible.

Below are some satelite images of the lot and house plans from the designers web site. I really don't like the colors used in the designers artwork, but that won't matter much since we are going the use all brick. Now the fun begins...