House progress

Click here for more details about what we're building!

5/6/2004 – Furnace and gas line are in!
Garage Garage side door	Furnace Basement stair frame
5/3/2004 – Things are moving! It's getting increasingly difficult to keep up with these updates! We now have walls (they drywalled over the weekend), as well as a front door step and a floor in the garage!
Garage Garage (from inside) Front doorstep Kitchen Hallway Stairwell	Dining room (from kitchen) Dining room (from living room) Master bedroom Master bedroom One of the front bedrooms
4/27/2004 – I've had drive space issues with my account (that have since been resolved) that kept my from posting the last (4/22) update. Although I don't have any pictures (I forgot to bring the camera), we now have insulation in the walls!
4/22/2004 – I've been getting bad about keeping this updated. Partially, it's because I haven't been posting everything (unless you want to see lots of pictures of pipes, ducts, and wiring – and besides, my disk space is limited, anyway), and partially because things have been so busy (and work is getting done so fast) that I haven't been able to keep up! Most of the pics I've been taking more for reference purposes, anyway, so it's just as well. House highlights: finally, I can get upstairs! Wiring is done, as is a good chunk of plumbing.
Downstairs bathroom Kitchen pipes and ducts Basement pipes Basement stairs Master bedroom closet Master bedroom	Spare bedroom Upstairs bath View from master bedroom View from master bedroom Electric spaghetti
4/13/2004 – I'm now into the habit of going to the house site daily (after work). It's mostly out of necessity – we're getting mail delivered there now, so we have to check. More ductwork and soil pipes are in!
Stairwells from basement Soil pipes in kitchen Ducts and pipes in kitchen	Duct work in hall Stair landing Living room ductwork
4/6/2004 – I took a couple of pics on Thursday (4/1), but didn't post them 'til now. When I was over today, they were working on installing roof shingles. We have a front and back door, and heating/cooling duct work is going in! Also, I put in a temporary mailbox over the weekend, so at least now we can pick up our mail! And yes, that is my truck parked in our driveway.
Front of house (4/1) Front door (4/1) Front of house (today)	Duct work in kitchen Back door Back of house
3/30/2004 – We have a roof and windows. It's starting to look like a house! Unfortunately, the temporary stairs are still not in. I'm dying to have a look upstairs! Also, we are now moved completely out of our house, and are now living in a temporary apartment. For those of you who have our home phone number, you can still call us on that number.
Front of house Office from kitchen Home office	Kitchen and dining room Living room windows Back of house
3/23/2004 – The garage is in, and the second floor rooms are framed! At this point, things are moving quickly. I'm going back into the habit of visiting two or three times a week (I expect my next update to be on Thursday).
Front of house Garage from front Looking into garage	Garage roof from home office Upstairs thru stairwell Upstairs thru stairwell
3/17/2004 – We now have a second floor! (Pics are below.) There were two framers working while I was there. They were putting the sheathing on the garage. They also told me that the roof trusses and temporary stairs would be on by tonight. In case you're wondering why it took so long for an update, there were about two or three houses that were contratually ahead of us, and they had dibs. They couldn't get to ours until they finished with theirs. Unfortunately, the new house won't be done until early May – and we have to be out of our townhouse by the end of the month. We've made arrangements for a temporary apartment (only one exit up from our townhouse), and we have a mover who'll get our stuff on 3/29 and store it until the new house is ready.
Front of house Gas and electric lines Back of house Garage Garage side door	Bathtub 2nd floor from office Entire house from front Roof trusses
1/26/2004 – Went to the site today. The second floor decking is now on the house. Not a moment too soon, because we're supposedly getting more snow. Unfortunately, the batteries ran out on the camera, so I don't have any pictures. (I only took two, anyway, and they're not much different from the previous ones, except that there's added decking.) By the way, we sold our house last week! (Our first showings were last Tuesday, and it sold the very next day!)
1/22/2004 – The first floor is framed!
Front of house Living room from hall Dining area and kitchen Hallway	Bathroom and home office Living room from dining area Garage from home office Back of house
1/20/2004 – Over the weekend, I visited the site (unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me), and the first floor decking was indeed in. I went to visit today, and we had a living room wall!
Front wall Front wall Living room from garage Back door Basement behind garage Basement Basement stairs go here	Looking out back door Back right Back yard Living room from office Kitchen from office Back view from hill
1/15/2004 – Last night, I spoke to Lianne's uncle Jack (well, I suppose I can now say he's my uncle too) who happens to be a professional house framer. I E-mailed him the pictures. He said it looks worse than it actually is. He advised me to keep an eye on it and make sure no additional cracks appear. It's an easy fix, he said; just fill it with hydraulic cement. I also spoke to the sales rep who concurred with Jack's statement (in fact, he mentioned that it'd even be stronger than the concrete). I can breathe easier now. I was also informed that the decking was going on today as well!
1/14/2004 – I'd been told that the first floor decking would be in by today. Unfortunately, that was not the case. To add to it, I discovered a significantly-sized crack in the basement wall. I called the sales rep to tell him about it, and he said he'd look into it.
Garage Back right Back left Back door Back door from garage Sewer pipe Doorstep	Basement from side Basement from garage Back of house Water input pipe Waste water pipe Wall crack (outside) Wall crack (inside)
1/6/2004 – Happy New Year! The process of backfilling begins . . .
Front right Garage Front left	Garage from side Basement from side Back of house
12/23/2003 – We have basement walls!
Garage area Back right Looking into back door Back left Basement behind garage Back door from basement	Basement front corner Back door from basement Back of basement Front of house Looking down the street Back view from hill
12/03/2003 – Not much change from last time, except that it's a little colder (note the snow) and the forms are removed. At least this time, I was able to take pictures from the back. (I couldn't do so before without ending up knee-deep in mud!) Our new next-door neighbors are all moved into theirs!
Garage area from back House area from back Entire house from back	Entire house from front Gravel driveway to nowhere Back basement footing
11/26/2003 – The footings were poured this week. The next step is to pour the walls for the foundation, which should happen (hopefully) by next Monday. By the way, we decided to go with a cream colored siding.
Garage area footing	House area footing
10/30/2003 – What you're viewing is mainly a big hole in the ground. The completed house that you see in the link below is actually a model house down the street. It's the same model as the one we're building. Whether or not we keep it the same color remains to be seen . . .
Front right view Front left view Curb Back right From back	From back From back Driveway This is how it'll look when it's done Looking up our street