The interior starts to take shape (week 10)

The interior really started taking shape this week with wall insulation going in and the start of drywall. Installation of the front door and fireplace brings the start of the finishing touches.

The plumbers completed rough-in plumbing this week. I really like how the PEX plumbing is installed. The tubing is flared until it fits over the desired fitting and then left to shrink to a tight fit. The plumbers added a return line to the hot water piping so a circulation pump can be installed. This would ensure hot water is immediately available at the faucet furthest from the hot water heater. The water supply pipes were tied in to the city water main and pressure tested as well. All that's left of the plumbing is to install the hot water heater and connect all the faucets once the vanities are installed.

Insulation work started this week and is nearly complete with wall insulation. We asked about using the new spray-on foam insulation, however the cost was nearly double. We ended up going with the traditional "pink" bat insulation, however we decided up upgrade to R-15 insulation in the walls. The cost to upgrade was minor and the cost of energy will only continue to increase. We also had them insulate the interior wall between the den and master suite to keep noise down, of course having the TV mounted on the shared wall won't help. The interior wall separating the basement workshop and the rest of the basement was also insulated (top picture).

Our front door came in this week, which we were VERY excited about. It is hard to tell in the picture but the glass in the door has an arch at the top that matches perfectly with the arched window above the door and in the office. The door is large at 8ft tall and has 14" sidelights. We ordered a 3/4 glass door, however the door came in with 1/2 glass. I think the 3/4 would look better but we aren't going to send it back since we are so far along. The door is fiberglass and made to be stained to look like wood. We are going to use Minwax Chestnut gel-stain.

Drywall was delivered on Friday and a crew showed up bright and early today (Saturday) to start installation. They completed the master bathroom vaulted ceiling, office vaulted ceiling, and keeping room vaulted ceiling today. The installation of insulation and drywall is really allowing us to see what the final size and feel of each of the rooms.

The brick crew finally got several days of good work with temperatures rising above freezing. The evening temperatures have still been below freezing, however that just meant the crew got a later start than what they would have preferred. The last few days they worked right up to dusk to get as much done as possible. By the end of the day today they were able to complete most of the garage side of the house. That means one side is completely done, the back just lacks a little around the keeping room, and the other side just lacks around the garage door. This evening the crew said they need 3 more good days to finish up. Before leaving today they prepared for Monday by stacking brick along the front of the house.

I finished up on all of the Audio/Video wiring today. I wired every room with at least one Cat 6 network cable. I also ran network cable to both thermostats in case we upgrade to network capable thermostats one day. I also ran some more speaker wire to pre-wire the garage for speakers. When ever I work in the garage I really like to listen to music so I might as well wire for it.

Lastly, our fireplace came in this week and was installed in the keeping room. The fireplace is a 40" Lennox Superior direct-vent fireplace. The direct-vent has the drawback of being sealed with glass on the front but the benefit of no combustion by-products entering the home and since it is sealed the heat in the home doesn't go up the chimney. They still generate a reasonable amount of heat and have the look of a gas fireplace.

Next week we expect to see the completion of brick work, all of the drywall should be hung, and they may start blowing the ceiling insulation. Katie and I have started looking at furniture and taking bets on when we will move in. The end is in sight...!

Colors, Cabinets, and Floors...oh my! (Week 9)

This week has been full of choices and lite on physical work. We only had several hours, literally, where temperatures were above freezing this week. That prevented any brick work from being done this week. The plumber and HVAC subs started work with the help of some space heaters. Rough-in heat and air is already finished and the plumber still has a weeks worth of work to complete his rough-in. We decided to go with a dual fuel Carrier 3.5 ton split unit for the main floor and a smaller heat pump for the second floor. We really like the idea of the dual fuel because you get the efficiency of a heat pump in moderate temperatures and the warmth of a gas unit when the temperatures really drop, like they did this week.

Last Saturday we made a trip down to Lowes Cabinet and Lighting Gallery, no this isn't the big box retailer you are familiar with, to finalize our choice on kitchen and bathroom cabinets and counter tops. We were really reluctant to make this decision because last time we were there we didn't see the look we wanted. Luckily the company now offers a Cabernet stain that was just what we wanted. We were planning on using Maple for all of our cabinets, however they showed us a sample of a Cherry cabinet with the Cabernet stain that we absolutely fell in love with. After getting quotes on the Cherry and Maple we decided to go with Cherry in the kitchen and Maple for all of the bathroom vanities. We also chose Tropical Brown granite for our kitchen and master bathroom counter tops. The order was finalized on Tuesday and should take 4 weeks to make them.

Originally we were interested in using carbonized strand Bamboo flooring for the entire main floor of the house and hallway of the second floor. We stopped by Valley Building Supply to see what they had available and found a Brazilian Cherry floor that was comparable to the price of the bamboo. We have not made a final decision on the floors yet, but we are strongly leaning towards the Brazilian Cherry floors. I borrowed the sample of the cabinets and a sample of the cherry floors to make sure they look good together since we are using wood in the kitchen. I think the cabinet, floor, and cushing green paint will look very nice together.

This morning Katie and I met with Kim McClellan from Just So Decorating again to make final choices on exterior Hardiboard/shutter choices and interior colors. The office and kitchen will be Cushing Green, the bedroom will be Oxford Gray, formal dining room is Clinton Brown, and the powder room and laundry will also be Clinton Brown. We are really happy with the palette that we ended up with and Kim's help was priceless.

Temperatures are supposed to rise back above freezing this Sunday and be back in the forties next week. The electrician is lined up to finish up with rough-in first of the week followed by an electrical inspection. Once the inspection is complete we should see insulation work start which will be followed by dry wall. Katie and I purchased our dishwasher and built-in microwave which finishes off all of our appliances. Everything has gone really well so far and with some help in a few areas all of the decisions have been really easy. Now...if the temperature will just rise above freezing!

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!