Every day one of us says, "I love this house!" It really is a dream come true. Bob in Chapel Hill, NC

We're Back.

Posted by Mike & Carolyn in Smithville, MO on 9/9/2007

Hello again,

Not a ton new, other than I have made it a point to add something to the journal. We have been making some progress with the details but hit a bump that really slowed us down. We are putting carriage-style garage doors on and no one had the material we needed, so it had to be ordered and the mills that supplied it could not get it either. It took about 45 days to just get the wood and then the doors had to be made. Since we didn't have garage doors we had no way to secure the property and did not feel comfortable installing the HVAC or electrical.. We did not want to have to replace anything that "disappeared."

The doors are now in, so we should be moving forward at a faster pace now, well I hope so anyway. Before the doors can be kept closed, they have to be stained and sealed so I have to select a color, no pressure, just to have the perfect color for stain and paint done NOW! And no time to check out colors with all that is going on with work and the build.

Things that we have been able to get done include the following:

• Installed two retaining walls -- they turned out great!
• Started the electrical installation of the boxes and mapped out a wiring plan.
• Top rough plumbing done.
• Installed the cedar shake shingles on the porch eaves. Still working on completing the area above the garage doors, need more shingles.
• Decided on and ordered the roofing for above the garage door -- we're going with copper! (Which just adds a layer of complexity to the paint and stain selections).
• Painted swatches of paint colors -- don't like any of them so we'll try again.
• And most importantly: leveled an area and started installing the play set. It is so had to keep a five-year old entertained out here while we try to work. 

Once we get the electrical done we will be ready for our first inspection. Can’t wait! I’m ready to get the insulation and wall board in to make some major progress. Posting a few pictures now, but will get more soon.

Photos