Today's Entry

Nada nuevo! Maybe a few more sheets of sheet rock... but nothing else. Jeez... plumbers are hard to come by these days!! Hope January brings us much more progress than December has!! It would be truly nice to not have to pay rent at two places anymore!

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!

Dang Kids!

Apparently some little hoodlums got BB guns for Christmas and decided to shoot out a few windows on Christmas Day/Night. 3 Windows total- one is already going to be replaced with a tempered window (by the front door), and two of the large windows in the living room. I think we can just replace the panes and not the entire windows... but golly! They're BIG windows!! What a freaking nightmare! My brain keeps saying, "You'll shoot your eye out!!!"

Good news is that the plumber should be out this week and insulation should be done by the 1st. Hopefully that really is the case!!

Looks like we missed our Dec. 23rd deadline for the loan. Hopefully we'll find out soon how much this delay is going to cost us. Add that on top of renting our current house, and you've got yourself a used Miata!

Day before Christmas

We went by yesterday and noticed that someone had filled the bathtubs with water (I'm assuming the inspector had to check them out???). They are filled with water still (and rusting nails)... I feel sorry for the clean up crew. Anyway, there was lots and lots of sheetrock there and not really much else. No gas to the kitchen, no valves moved up, no new tempered glass windows. I'm sure it will happen soon once it does... it's just so hard waiting now that our Dec. 23rd deadline came and went. I can't remember if our extension is for one month or not, but I'm pretty sure our deadline now will be Jan. 23. Merry Christmas!!

News (or lack there of) of the day

There was a man delivering sheetrock today when I drove by. Still no insulation, but when that happens, I'm sure it won't take long. Builder Dad left a message for Builder today (late in the day) and hopefully we'll have some good news around Christmas (not that anything will happen between now and Christmas, but you never know!!). Happy Holidays!!

WE PASSED INSPECTION!!!

So it turns out the last inspection (that I thought was the city) was actually a 3rd party inspection. The City inspector was out there today and PASSED the house!!! Builder says it was the very first house he's ever built that passed inspection on the first try!! Apparently, this inspector is known to be very particular (at least that's what another inspector friend of ours told us). Needless to say, I'm super super super happy!! Next, we need to add a gas line to the kitchen and move the shower controls up. After that, it's insulation baby!! Builder is meeting with the Insulator person this afternoon. Happy Holidays to me!!

Some Ikea pics we took today

We like the cabinets in the first picture, although they'll be a different color.

We are getting the sink for the kitchen in the second picture.


We are getting the stove top and the oven in the third and fourth pictures.

We are doing the boys bathroom similar to the last picture.


These pictures each have something in them that we like or are going to try to incorporate into our kitchen and bathrooms.

We like the cabinets in the first picture although they'll be a different color.
We are getting the sink for the kitchen in the second picture.
We are getting the stove top and the oven in the third and fourth pictures.
We are doing the boys bathroom similar to the last picture.

Some Progress

Today the egress windows were in (must have been installed on Friday or Saturday). Also, the carport roof is basically on (still a little more work there). It also looks like lots of the stuff that failed the city inspection has been fixed - like furring out near the plumbing in the first bathroom (that my dad noticed from the previous pics), adding an X brace in the middle room, adding some extra framing here and there, installing the windows, and more you can see on the picture of the inspection.

As of 6:30pm tonight

We noticed that the egress windows had been delivered, a few slabs of sheetrock are in the house (maybe leftovers from Builder's other job sites?), and a little of the window framing had been done (or some lumber cut for it--- not really sure). There was no sign of roofing material or any changes to the carport roof. We also noticed an inspection paper on the door... stating mostly the things we already knew... and then a few more things that were beyond our scope of understanding. This calls for another meeting!!

Rain, Roof, and Windows?

Apparently today we're supposed to get the roof on the carport (if it's dry enough--- been raining or muggy for the past few days) and the egress windows finally delivered. Yowzers... this has been two of the slowest weeks I can remember!! We're so ready to be moving into that new house but still need to order the kitchen and bathrooms ourselves. We'll need to be putting them together soon. We had the kitchen all planned out and perfect, but now Builder Dad is trying to convince me to go even cheaper (and ugly in my opinion) so we can afford it and so it's faster to put up. He's also planning on it being taken out eventually and used as an outdoor kitchen or the like. The attached photo if of the Udden kitchen that Builder Dad wants. It's really not that bad, but soooo bachelor-like and flimsy... maybe I can cash in my 401k??? Oh right- I don't have one. Maybe some stocks?

Attempted Arson

This is where the fridge is to go as well as down the wall of the hallway.

Strange Things A-Happenin'

Builder came to the house today to meet an inspector only to find the front gate chain cut and the front door kicked in. After further inspection, he saw that a fire had started on the kitchen (where the fridge is to go) floor. Apparently, an electric switch box was melted too. This could not have been an electrical failure as the electricity is not hooked up to the house yet. There were no campfire signs, no broken windows, no foul play found at all. My theory is that someone left a cigarette in the electric box (why, I don't know) and the embers finally combusted and started a small fire. We are so lucky that someone notified the fire department and it was extinguished before too much damage occurred. What a crazy thing!!

Also, the steel roof for the patio was delivered Friday, is the wrong size, and will have to be re-delivered this week. Tick Tock Tick Tock.

No pictures yet... will post if I go by this evening.

Today's House Meeting

Builder Dad and Builder met today (on Builder Dad's Birthday) to go over house stuff. More copper was cut (like $2 worth- see in first pic) and it requires 4 guys to do probably a couple of $ hundreds $ in labor. "It's a fool who looks for logic in the lobes of the meth-mouth's brain."

Alright... on to more meaningful stuff. Electric inspection has passed. Electricians were out there replacing the damaged cables. The patio lighting has cable chases and looks awesome (pic 2)! The steel patio roof will be finished by Thursday. Egress windows will be moved up a foot or two and out (wider and taller) in order to pass final inspection- they should be there by mid next week (like our temporary windows? A fool would try to get into those!!). The framers will be there tomorrow to finish-up/touch-up. The sidelights next to the front and back doors will need to be replaced since they're not tempered glass (trying to figure out if the Builder or the window company will take the fall on this one).

Inspection today of electric

The electricity was inspected today (first inspection) and failed. Apparently, things always fail the first time. but the things ours failed for aren't too huge, luckily (like an outlet outside by the utility closet, etc).

We drove by the house this evening, saw the house open and the gate open... just as Builder Dad was walking back out to the car (where a sleeping boy, a screaming boy, and Building Mum were sitting for 10 minutes--- like usual) our Builder drove up. He was coming to lock the doors. Inspection happened today, so he had to unlock everything before it got dark.

Guess we need more electricity done before we can get the inspection to pass... and then it comes down to insulation I believe.

Oh- and the shield barrier for the carport roof was installed a few days ago.

Recess Lighting Boxes, Cables, etc

Here you can see lots and lots of cables, recess lighting cans/boxes, and some fan cans. We had a wonderful surprise from Inspector Dude, Gorgeous Gal, and Awesome E today. It was a very good surprise because Inspector Dude gave us a lot of information about what needs to change in order for us to pass inspection... apparently quite a few things! The front and back windows near the doors have to be tempered glass (so we must replace 4 windows), we need more anchor bolts along the perimeter of the house, studs needed below the header seams, and combustion vents in the utility closet. He did mention that the plumbing looked really good, so that's awesome news!!

Electric boxes and such

Driving by today I noticed a few electric boxes outside (for plug plates), a circle box for a front porch light, and some extra wires and stuff hanging out of the house. It also looks like they've taken the faucet off of the water (on the side of the house)... they may be shortening it.

Scuppers

We noticed some permanent scuppers on the side of the house tonight. Seems like someone came and took all the extra lumber too... not sure if that was planned or stolen. I'm pretty sure we still needed some lumber for the framing that we'll need to fix, but maybe there is some left somewhere in the back or something. It's really hard with this time change--- we need a few powerful flashlights. Even better yet, we need electricity hooked up!!

Electricity Wires and Bathtubs!!

Well, the electricity isn't quite done, and the valves for the showers/tubs are in the wrong place (should be 4 feet high, not 2 feet), but no one ever said building a house was easy. Seems like it's not an area for attention to detail. It's hard to get good help these days. Looks like the cap on the roof is doing good though!

Roof and Electricity

When we did our drive by today at 5:15pm, we noticed the cap on the roof (along with a few workers up there) and the electrician's van in the front. We noticed wires hanging all around inside, so it looks like someone is doing their job! Good news. We'll check again tomorrow I'm sure!!

Today's Fortune Cookies

Barely anything has happened in a week... time is money--although I have a lot of time, not a lot of money!! Our family got fortune cookies tonight. I think they were all super. Here they are:

Builder Dad's:
You will move to a wonderful new home within the year. (Praise the Lord!!)

Building Mum's:
Do not give up; the beginning is always the hardest. (This holds true for the house building and my new health/beauty business)

Little Builder #1:
Many pleasurable and memorable adventures are in store for you! (I hope it's not a skate board!!)

Little Builder #2:
Don't be surprised by the emergence of undiscovered talents!! (He's been starting to talk a lot lately)

First time our fortune cookies really meant a lot to us!! Let's hope they all come true!!

HEADLINE: Copper stolen - Big News

Someone swiped some copper tubing out of our house the other day... not too surprising. It shouldn't be too hard to fix. Builder has boarded up the windows and door holes so they wouldn't try to get in again. We met with the Builder today to go over the electrical boxes all over the house. We moved a few, added a few, added some fan boxes, and discussed the kitchen counter height. Roofers should be out there today to fix up the edges on the roof (make it water tight). That's about it.

More plumbing

Prison Stripes!!

Primer up

They taped the windows (first pic from this AM) and then primed the entire exterior (second pics from this PM). Paint will go on tomorrow, plumber is out tomorrow... we're trucking along!!

HVAC Started

There are a few things that are not how we had planned (placement of vent for the hood in the kitchen, etc), but here are some pictures to prove that the HVAC guy has been out.

Mid October News

There hasn't been much activity at the house this week, hence not any new pictures since last week. Today the HVAC guy is out there though. Builder fixed the front fence as to secure the property tighter. We got 10 more sheets of hardi-plank delivered (still missing a few spots on the back and the carport side.... waiting for the guys to put that up to finish so we can paint. Next week the plumber should be out there so we need to decide on the shower trims so that we know what valves to have the plumber put in the walls. After he's done, the electrician comes out (that will take us going out there with him to pin point where we want everything). Inspections should follow. I can't wait for the drywall and paint so I can get my kitchen and bathrooms in there!! I'll update any pics if we have some this weekend of the HVAC, etc.

More views of the backyard

It's so hard to get a good pic of the backyard. Here are a few more attempts (as well as a side yard pic) from today. Aunt E finally got to visit the house today too!!

More siding, plywood on patio roof

It's looking more and more like our house!! We believe they finished the final siding today and they put the T1-11 plywood on the ceiling of the patio. Next we need the steel roof. Soon we'll have the HVAC system in place, as well as plumbing and electricity.

Curb Cut

The city construction crew had to cut our curb, but unfortunately, they won't leave it that way. They'll put the curb back on (spend time and money on it) just so we can go in and cut it again in a couple of months. Oh well... green is not always green.

Hey- at least you can see a great view of the luxury mansion next to our house in this first shot!